Small businesses have seen it all. The pandemic … economic uncertainty … population shifts … Talk about a wild ride.
Even so, local economies have largely remained strong – including in Nashville, Tennessee, a place where people from across the country are relocating to take advantage of an incredible quality of life and a healthy business climate.
At the same time, there’s an opportunity to help Nashville’s prosperity reach even more people – to help ensure no one’s left behind as local businesses grow and thrive. Because when every community wins, an entire region – like Middle Tennessee – wins.
That’s why Regions Bank works with the nonprofit Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) with a focus on helping small-business owners from all backgrounds have more opportunities to succeed.
ICIC has a program called Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC), which provides a tuition-free, flexible “mini-MBA” for a diverse range of busy entrepreneurs in or near communities that have historically been under-resourced. Through intensive business education, coaching, follow-up mentorship and more, Regions-sponsored ICCC programs deliver real value to entrepreneurs, their employees, their families and more.
In a moment, you’ll see how Middle Tennessee businesses can apply (and the deadline is approaching quickly!) for the next ICCC event … But first, let’s hear from ICIC CEO Steve Grossman, who shared more about the difference this program makes:
We’re now three years out from the darkest days of the pandemic. What are some of the residual effects you’re hearing that small-business owners continue to face?
Small-business owners tell us inflationary pricing pressures, talent retention and access to capital are the challenges they continue to face. The ICCC program addresses each of these, and our capital coaches from Regions are particularly adept at suggesting strategies to successfully access much-needed working and expansion capital.
How has ICIC pivoted its programming to help entrepreneurs address those challenges, and what can participants expect to hear during the ICCC Nashville seminar?
Because our professors are small-business experts who have their fingers on the pulse of the ever-changing landscape, they’re constantly updating their material and recommendations to help entrepreneurs “meet the moment” successfully. Every participant will walk away with three to five ideas and tactics they can use immediately to help grow their business profitably!
After the one-day, in-person seminar, ICCC offers participants one-on-one coaching sessions with a business leader plus a host of free webinars and online resources. Tell us a bit more about those offerings and the ways you encourage alumni to leverage them.
The one-on-one coaching sessions are particularly valuable because they’re designed to address the specific “pain points” each participant shares with us in interviews held after the opening seminar. Likewise, the wide range of webinars and online modules we offer enable the small-business owner to pick and choose the ones that best fit their needs and help solve their unique business problems.
We’ve continued to expand our array of free webinars and online resources every year based on the feedback we receive in surveys completed by participants. Broad-based participation from our network of more than 7,000 alumni nationwide tells us these tools add a lot of value to the ICCC experience.
If you were an ICCC coach, what’s one piece of advice you would offer entrepreneurs right now as they work to emerge stronger?
Stay close to each of your colleagues. Listen carefully to their concerns and ideas. Engage your customers to understand how you can constantly improve your value proposition and your market positioning. Don’t be afraid to pivot and try new strategies to more effectively meet the needs of your customers in a rapidly evolving environment.