Editor’s note: Community posts are the place for community announcements and event posts. If you have a community-oriented event that our readers are interested in, please submit here.
Alder Woman Forever A. Coggs The 9th Annual MKE Business Now Entrepreneurship Summit was held on Saturday, January 30th to provide current and aspiring business owners with tools and resources to start and grow their business with. This year, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event was virtual. For those unable to attend the initial tour or who wish to review the information shared, the panel discussion and virtual workshops are now available for replay.
“This year we hosted the MKE Business Now Entrepreneurship Summit virtually and recorded a variety of workshops and information to connect entrepreneurs with critical resources,” said Alderwoman Coggs. “We now have these business owner workshops and panel discussion available online for those who were unable to attend, and I encourage all business owners to take this opportunity to access this information when needed.”
In addition to the virtual events available for playback, Business Resource Packs will be available at several branches of the Milwaukee Public Library including: the Martin Luther King branch, 310 W. Locust Street; Mitchell Street Branch, 906 W. Historic Mitchell Street; and the Good Hope Branch, 7715 W. Good Hope Road.
The first workshop was Navigating COVID: Reviewing Business Security Best Practices for Your Employees Presented by the Milwaukee City Health Department and the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. The workshop can be viewed here.
The second workshop, Business Resources: COVID Response & Beyond (Financial Aid to Your Business) was presented by the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), Wisconsin African American Chamber of Commerce, Kiva Greater Milwaukee, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and can be viewed here.
The last workshop, Chaos + Creativity: Marketing through Chaos, was introduced by Ebony Ssali – Brand & Creative Director of Ssali Media Group. This workshop can be viewed here.
In addition, the MKE Business Now Entrepreneurship Summit included a panel discussion with current business owners. The panel was moderated by Chauntel McKenzie – CEO and Principal Strategist The PowHER Network. Panelists included: Anthony Kazee – Principal, KG Developer Group; Nyesha Stone – Founder, Carvd N Stone; Tonda Thompson – owner of Vogue Dreams, LLC, She Slangs Wood Co., and lead organizer of HaRUNBee Walk / Run; Christine Tackes – Owner / Operator, Nylah Rose Boutique; Taj Pearsall – Franchisee / Operator, Buffalo Boss Wings & Things; and JohnRae Stowers – Owner & Stylist, JazzyRae Jewels & Accessories. The full panel discussion can be found here.
The MKE Business Now Entrepreneurship Summit was sponsored by Historic King Drive Business Improvement District No. 8, the City of Justice and Inclusion Office, and Alderwoman Coggs.