Inspired by the women of Centro and how they thrive to succeed - Martine

Meet Martine

My name is Martine Zaarour, I am an architect and entrepreneur from Lebanon. I joined Centro in August 2022 as a fellow through IREX’s Community Solutions Program (CSP) part, sponsored by the US Department of State on Community Solutions.

When I first heard that I was joining Centro, I got very excited. It was the perfect opportunity for me to meet women entrepreneurs, and a team of experts who offer support and are fully committed to helping people scale up, guiding me in my expansion plan, and practicing my Spanish.

One of my highlights has been participating in the Small Business Advisor Program, where I had the opportunity to meet many encouraging women, who all share similar experiences.

Inspired by Women at Centro

The diversity of participants in the program made me realize that no matter where we come from and what our backgrounds are, we can all relate to each other and join efforts to find the best practices and solutions for our daily challenges. 

The women were all inspiring, but Kimberly, owner of Barcuterie, has really impressed me with her motivation and how focused she is on her mission. She has shown great commitment and eagerness to work and develop her business. She also works with food, and I could relate to every detail she had in mind and how outsourcing many products, designing packaging, creating the identity, can be a pleasant journey rather than a task.

Leveraging Previous Experience

I am the owner and CEO of Jar Thuraya, a community driven by women from all around Lebanon who specialize in making handcrafted gourmet preserves made of locally sourced materials and inspired by the traditional Lebanese “mouneh” (artisanal handmade preserves made of natural ingredients: jams, molasses, etc.) Working with women has taught me patience, credibility and commitment. 

For the last two years, I worked with women of all ages, religions, and social backgrounds. Together, we created a portfolio of over 50 handcrafted products. Their motivation to invest in their skills and their willingness to become more financially independent has led me to grow the business and scale it during my fellowship journey. 

Small Business Advisor Program Take-Aways

I have been inspired by the women of Centro and how they thrive to succeed, especially since the majority of them are not young, and yet they have invested time and energy in keeping up with the modern trends and tools to stay in business and develop their ideas. 

The Small Business Advisor Program taught me to become a better and more empathetic listener. It was a major change in communication that I learned to apply and appreciate as it created better relationships between myself and the women and a more empowering environment. 

Alongside being trained on advising techniques, and how to listen and support without being biased, the communication methods we were taught have allowed me to become a better listener and guide entrepreneurs to do what they think is right by asking the right questions. 

I never thought I would be working in anything besides architecture, but the importance of the impact we create has led me to develop my skills as a leader and embark on the entrepreneurship journey. I challenged myself in work I haven't done before, I also worked on reporting which led me to complete an elective for my CSP Fellowship in Monitoring and Evaluation. I felt the impact of data and how useful it can be when used properly. I learned how to approach people who are very different from me without any bias, and assess serious projects and how I can contribute to supporting them.

What really caught my attention was the number of people eager to learn and enroll in programs. Working on other projects as well, I got the chance to discover the resources that the state of California has to offer and how opportunities are available for everyone equally.

It has been enlightening to learn more about the cultural differences, the challenges, and most importantly the success stories that have inspired me and many other women at Centro to not give up.

You can also get involved with Centro

If you resonate with Martine’s testimony and would like to be part of our community as a volunteer Small Business Advisor, explore how you can get involved here. We offer programs in English and Spanish. We’re looking forward to meeting you!

2022 Q3 Update

We have some important updates regarding entrepreneurs served, the Centro Business Planning App, access to capital, one-on-one assistance, and Centro Business Planning App. You can now see our latest impact statistics on our Overview page.

ENTREPRENEURS SERVED

Throughout this year, we have served 897 entrepreneurs, 263 of whom attended our training programs. Through our programs, the Capital Hub and our app, we are on track to help more than 1,270 entrepreneurs by the end of this year. 

We would like to introduce you to Ingrid, who is the owner of Niños Sanos, Seguros y Felices in San Jose, California. She is an amazing Latina entrepreneur who went through our Basic and Advanced programs, and recently got her second Kiva loan.

ACCESS TO CAPITAL

Over the last three months, the Centro Capital Hub helped 18 entrepreneurs access a total of $198,500 in interest-free loans through Kiva, and a total of 60 entrepreneurs accessed $591,500 this year. We are on track to serve 75 entrepreneurs by the end of the year.

We are excited to share that since we started helping entrepreneurs access Kiva Loans through our Centro Business Planning App trustee account in 2014, we have endorsed 144 entrepreneurs who have received over $1 Million in interest-free loans.
So far this year, we have helped eleven entrepreneurs access $75,000 in grants and five entrepreneurs access $700,000 in larger small business loans with local CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions).

ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE

Since January 2021, we have provided 1,346 hours of 1-on-1 assistance to 424 entrepreneurs, with most of them located in Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara, Stockton and other Bay Area counties.

In 2022 we have served 198 entrepreneurs and we are on track to support 250 entrepreneurs by the end of this year.

CENTRO BUSINESS PLANNING APP UPDATES

We continue our work on improving the Centro Business Planning App, and we have recently released another app update. With the latest version of the app, entrepreneurs can now see local lenders and resources on the app in multiple languages. They will see resources that offer support in their language at the top of the list and other options that might not offer in their languages below.

Also, entrepreneurs can now update their email addresses if something changes or if they had a typo when they originally created their accounts. As entrepreneurs sign up for and use the app, they are asked to validate their email to ensure that their Business Plans and the emails connecting them to resources are sent to the right place.

Centro awarded with Justworks.org grant

We're excited to share that we have been awarded a grant from Justworks.org. We are honored to be selected as one of five non-profit organization recipients out of 183 proposals submitted.

Justworks.org is committed to creating more equitable access to entrepreneurship. They are focused on high-impact grant-making for incubators and other organizations that help early-stage minority and women-owned businesses access the fundamentals of entrepreneurship like raising financing, building products, finding customers, and ultimately delivering revenues and profits. 

In many cases, underrepresented entrepreneurs face additional barriers to success, like disparities in opportunity along race, gender, sexual orientation, and other socioeconomic lines. That makes access to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship a major obstacle in realizing their potential.

Thanks to this grant, we will be able to continue offering technical assistance programs and services to aspiring entrepreneurs and established small businesses led by women and minorities in Stockton, CA.

We are looking forward to being part of Justworks inaugural cohort of grantees! 

You can learn more about the Justworks grant here.

Featured E-Suite Partner: Bethel LA CDC

Para leer en español, haz click aquí

We are pleased to feature one of our first partner organizations: Bethel Los Angeles Community Development Corporation (Bethel). Frank Stokes is the founder of the Business Entrepreneurial Stewardship Training Mobile Accelerator (BEST Mobile Accelerator); in partnership with Bethel LA CDC, a non-profit corporation, whose mission is to revitalize South Los Angeles through social, economic, physical, mental, educational, and vocational support services and programs. 

They do this by developing and nurturing youth, providing assistance to senior citizens, supporting the family structure, fostering the creation of businesses, promoting computer literacy, bridging the education gap between generations and connecting life purposes with career choices in the community of South Los Angeles.

PIONEERS TESTING THE CENTRO BUSINESS PLANNING APP

Centro launched the Business Planning App in 2015 and made it available to other non-profit organizations in California that served entrepreneurs. Thanks to CAMEO, Bethel LA CDC was introduced to Centro as part of a cohort of organizations in Southern California that were the first to receive the Train-the-Trainer program and use the app to help entrepreneurs as new E-Suite Partners. 

“We were really excited about the Centro Business Planning App. We have used other tools before, but what we really like about this one is that it was portable on mobile devices and it was introspective, meaning that if you're answering responsively to the questions you're building your content. It took a lot of mystery out of the wordsmithery, and you know how to get started.” - Frank Stokes

PROVIDING AN ENTREPRENEURSHIP ECOSYSTEM IN SOUTH LA

Bethel LA CDC goal is to revitalize South Los Angeles by improving facilities and promoting opportunities through career and entrepreneurship training in the community.

With this goal in mind, Bethel LA CDC BEST Mobile Accelerator provides an entrepreneurship program to their community where they use the Centro Business Planning App. This program facilitates access to business development resources that enhance growth and self-sufficiency. It also provides information and seminars to retain, attract, and expand new and existing businesses. Assistance is provided to minority, women and disadvantaged business enterprises.

“We serve as a network for small businesses and an ecosystem for entrepreneurs that are seeking to realize their vision. We do that with a variety of resources. We start with the training and technical assistance and then we offer assistance with the implementation of the business plan and access to capital. In many cases, we can make those handshakes for mentorship or some particular resources unique to the entrepreneurs’ business.” - Frank Stokes

EMBRACING ENTREPRENEURSHIP LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bethel LA CDC BEST Mobile Accelerator’s outreach has expanded. They started facilitating their programs virtually and discovered that removed the transportation barriers. People who couldn’t attend in-person programs were able to attend now.

The Bethel LA CDC BEST Mobile Accelerator serves a wide spectrum of people, from the underserved entrepreneurs to the disenfranchised, including people who were employed and decided to leave their employment.

“Today people are embracing the idea of running your own business like never before. This was a real challenge for people. They were more focused on finding employment that takes care of bills, and so there's a lot of uncertainty in the marketplace right now.” - Frank Stokes

SEVEN YEARS OF A VERY RICH PARTNERSHIP

Since then, the Bethel LA CDC BEST Mobile Accelerator has implemented Centro’s curriculum in their entrepreneurship programs. In their first year as E-Suite Partners their goal was to impact 25 businesses. Now, 7 years after becoming partners, they have served over 500 entrepreneurs using the Centro Entrepreneurship Suite (E-Suite).

In the last two-and-a-half years, they’ve served 250 businesses. Of those served, 40 are in cohorts, and the rest of them are businesses in the community or they are previous graduates of their program that are in the network, and they receive continuous support and new information.

“The partnership with Centro has been rich and has provided us with a tool that is user-friendly to the community we serve. This tool, the Centro Business Planning App, is the most user-friendly we've had. It has eliminated some of the mystery to get a basic business plan once they've gotten to that stage. The technical support we have received from Centro has been great. Growing together and serving our community over the years has been a very valuable collaboration and partnership.” Frank Stokes

If you want to learn more about how we can also help your organization, please contact us at esuite@centrocommunity.org. We are also happy to answer any questions about our current curriculum, learning and teaching tools, and the support we provide to organizations!

Organización aliada destacada de E-Suite: Bethel LA CDC

To read in English, click here

Nos complace presentar a una de nuestras primeras organizaciones afiliadas: Bethel Los Angeles Community Development Corporation (Bethel). Frank Stokes es el fundador de Business Entrepreneurial Stewardship Training Mobile Accelerator (BEST Mobile Accelerator); en asociación con Bethel LA CDC, una organización sin ánimo de lucro, cuya misión es revitalizar el sur de Los Ángeles a través de servicios y programas de apoyo social, económico, físico, mental, educativo y vocacional. 

Para ello, desarrollan y nutren a los jóvenes, proporcionan asistencia a los ciudadanos de la tercera edad, apoyan la estructura familiar, fomentan la creación de empresas, promueven la informática, salvan la brecha educativa entre generaciones y conectan los propósitos de la vida con las opciones profesionales en la comunidad del sur de Los Ángeles.

PIONEROS PROBANDO LA APLICACIÓN CENTRO BUSINESS PLANNING

Centro lanzó la Business Planning App en 2015 y la puso a disposición de otras organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro de California que atendían a emprendedores. Gracias a CAMEO, Bethel LA CDC fue presentado a Centro como parte de una cohorte de organizaciones en el sur de California que fueron las primeras en recibir el programa Train-the-Trainer y utilizar la aplicación para ayudar a los emprendedores como nuevos afiliados de E-Suite. 

"Nos entusiasmó la Business Planning App. Hemos utilizado otras herramientas antes, pero lo que realmente nos gustó de esta, es que era portátil en dispositivos móviles y era introspectiva, lo que significa que si respondes a las preguntas estás construyendo tu contenido. Le quitó mucho misterio a la búsqueda de palabras, y sabes cómo empezar". - Frank Stokes

PROPORCIONANDO UN ECOSISTEMA EMPRESARIAL EN EL SUR DE LA

El objetivo de Bethel LA CDC es revitalizar el sur de Los Ángeles mediante la mejora de las instalaciones y la promoción de oportunidades a través de la formación profesional y emprendimiento en la comunidad.

Con este objetivo en mente, Bethel LA CDC BEST Mobile Accelerator ofrece un programa de emprendimiento a su comunidad en el que se utiliza la Centro Business Planning App. Este programa facilita el acceso a recursos de desarrollo empresarial que mejoran el crecimiento y la autosuficiencia. También proporciona información y seminarios para retener, atraer y expandir negocios nuevos y existentes. Se presta asistencia a minorías, mujeres y negocios desfavorecidos.

"Servimos de red para las pequeños negocios y de ecosistema para los emprendedores que buscan hacer realidad su visión. Lo hacemos con una variedad de recursos. Empezamos con la formación y la asistencia técnica y luego ofrecemos ayuda para la puesta en marcha del plan de negocio y el acceso al capital. En muchos casos, podemos hacer esas conexiones para la mentoría o algunos recursos particulares únicos para el negocio de los emprendedores." - Frank Stokes

ADOPTANDO EL ESPÍRITU EMPRENDEDOR COMO NUNCA ANTES

Desde la pandemia de Covid-19, el alcance Bethel LA CDC BEST Mobile Accelerator se ha ampliado. Empezaron a facilitar sus programas de forma virtual y descubrieron que eso eliminaba las barreras del transporte. Las personas que antes no podían asistir a los programas en persona pudieron hacerlo ahora.

Bethel LA CDC BEST Mobile Accelerator atiende a un amplio abanico de personas, desde los emprendedores desatendidos hasta los desprotegidos, incluyendo a personas que tenían un empleo y decidieron dejarlo.

"Hoy en día la gente está abrazando la idea de dirigir su propio negocio como nunca antes. Esto era un verdadero reto para la gente. Estaban más centrados en encontrar un empleo que les permitiera hacer frente a las facturas, y por eso hay mucha incertidumbre en el mercado ahora mismo." - Frank Stokes

SIETE AÑOS DE UNA ASOCIACIÓN DE GRAN RIQUEZA

Desde entonces, Bethel LA CDC BEST Mobile Accelerator ha implementado la metofología de Centro en sus programas de emprendimiento. En su primer año como afilidos de E-Suite, su objetivo era lograr un impacto en 25 negocios. Ahora, 7 años después de convertirse en afiliados, han atendido a más de 500 emprendedores utilizando Centro Entrepreneurship Suite (E-Suite).

En los últimos dos años y medio, han atendido a 250 emprendedores. De los atendidos, 40 están en cohortes, y el resto son negocios de la comunidad o son graduados anteriores de su programa que están en la red, y reciben apoyo continuo y nueva información.

"La asociación con Centro ha sido enriquecedora y nos ha proporcionado una herramienta fácil de usar para la comunidad a la que servimos. Esta herramienta, la Centro Business Planning App, es la más fácil de usar que hemos tenido. Ha eliminado parte del misterio para conseguir un plan de negocio básico una vez que han llegado a esa fase. El apoyo técnico que hemos recibido de Centro ha sido estupendo. Crecer juntos y servir a nuestra comunidad a lo largo de los años ha sido una colaboración y una asociación muy valiosa." - Frank Stokes

Si quieres saber más sobre cómo podemos ayudar también a tu organización, ponte en contacto con nosotros en esuite@centrocommunity.org. También estaremos encantados de responder a cualquier pregunta sobre nuestra metodología, las herramientas de aprendizaje y enseñanza, y el apoyo que ofrecemos a las organizaciones.

"My wish is to see a new generation at peace and in control of their emotions" - Ingrid

Para leer en español, haz click aquí

CREATING A UNIQUE SERVICE

Ingrid Sanchez is a Latina entrepreneur originally from Colombia, now located in San Jose, California. She has a passion for neuropsychological education and has 17 years experience working in the area of behavioral psychology with families and adults. During the pandemic, she found a new need in the families around her that she could solve.

Her business started in 2020 during the quarantine period, when some parents and friends had difficulty not knowing how to support their children at home. As a result of school closures, children had to change from in-person to online classes. This change caused alterations in family habits and routines, making it a challenge to combine parents' remote work and childrens’ online school. So, Ingrid began to offer a support service to families in her community, accompanying their young children during online class hours.

CREATING HER OWN PATH FROM PASSION

Ingrid has 10 years of experience in early childhood education, promoting cultural themes and alternative strategies for children's learning. "I have three children, ages 10, 9, and 2, and they awakened in me a desire to learn more about education. When I decided I wanted to be a mother, I knew I wanted to be a present mom, and I wanted to give my children an alternative education." - Ingrid

In addition, she has always been attracted to entrepreneurship, and her desire to also support other families gave her the push she needed to start her own business: Niños Sanos, Seguros y Felices.

"My wish is to see a new generation at peace and in control of their emotions, where parents have a real connection with their children. All families have these challenges, and I teach them the tools and techniques to be the best version as parents and families. Seeing families in harmony, happy, and fulfilled despite the challenges is possible with the right tools.” - Ingrid

CLEAR IDEAS AND A FIRM STEP

When Ingrid decided to establish her business in San José, one of her biggest challenges was the economic aspect and the creation of her business plan. Recommended by a friend, she contacted Centro and enrolled in the Basic Entrepreneurship Program where she clarified the basic aspects of her business, including her mission: to accompany families in parenting, education, and wellbeing from the perspective of neuroscience, conscious discipline and positive psychology, achieving a healthy, safe and happy childhood. Ingrid founded her company Niños Sanos, Seguros y Felices shortly after finishing the course.

After finalizing her business plan, Ingrid accessed a $1,500 loan from Kiva to help her with the initial paperwork to start her business. With the help of the Centro Capital Hub, she set up her first Kiva campaign which she was successful in obtaining and completed all her payments afterward.

Recently, Ingrid graduated from the Advanced Entrepreneurship Program, where she also received personalized one-on-one counseling to solve specific questions about her business and situation. During this advanced program, Ingrid developed an idea of offering a new line of services and incorporated it into her business. Programs focused specifically on children.

"In the programs, I learned and was able to meet peers who were creating their ventures in different markets and we moved forward together. We support each other a lot, it's a living community and we all cooperate with each other." - Ingrid

Thanks to her first successful experience with Kiva, Ingrid was able to create her second Kiva campaign and apply for a second loan of $6,500 that would allow her to obtain a new certification based on neurocreativity and the Waldorf methodology, Reggio Emilia. This certification would help her expand her business and increase her capacity to provide skills to children, adolescents, and their families. She was also able to improve her online presence and prepare a marketing strategy to have new clients and maintain online communication at different levels.

CREATIVITY WITHOUT LIMITS

In 2022, Ingrid is prepared and ready to launch new products to diversify her sources of income and offer complementary products to her services.

“During one of the business coaching sessions with Centro, I came up with two new products for my business. One of the products is a box called "60 Powerful Phrases" in which people are fed with thoughts and actions that are structured in six steps and cover topics of parenting, education, and self. Through these boxes I also invite people to my sessions." - Ingrid.

The second product she is going to launch soon is a day-connection planner that allows families to be more connected after work and to carry out activities together. Ingrid is also working on another of her goals, a membership business called Magical Adventure.

If you are in San Jose and want to learn more about Ingrid's services and products, you can visit her website Niños Sanos, Seguros y Felices. You can also support her by following her on Instagram and Facebook.

“Mi deseo es ver una nueva generación en paz y que controle sus emociones” - Ingrid

To read in English, click here

CREANDO UN SERVICIO ÚNICO

Ingrid Sanchez es una emprendedora latina originaria de Colombia, ahora localizada en San Jose, California. Tiene pasión por la educación neuropsicológica y tiene 17 años de experiencia trabajando en área de psicología conductual con familias y adultos. Durante la pandemia encontro una nueva necesidad en las familias de su entorno que ella podía solucionar. 

Su negocio empieza en 2020 durante la cuarentena, donde algunos padres y amistades tenían la dificultad de no saber como apoyar a sus hijos en casa. A raíz del cierre de los colegios, los niños tuvieron que modificar sus clases presenciales por clases online. Este cambio causó alteraciones en los hábitos y rutinas familiares, donde era dificil compaginar el teletrabajo de los padres y el colegio online de los niños. Por esta razón, Ingrid comenzó a ofrecer un servicio de apoyo a familias de su entorno, dando acompañamiento a sus hijos pequeños durante sus horas de clase online.

CREANDO SU PROPIO CAMINO DESDE LA PASIÓN

Ingrid tiene 10 años de experiencia en temas de educación para la infancia en un centro, fomentando temas cultural y estrategias alternativas para el aprendizaje de los niños. 

“Tengo tres hijos, de 10, 9 y de 2 años, y  ellos despertaron en mí esta iniciativa de querer aprender más en temas educativos. Cuando decidí que quería ser madre, supe que quería ser mamá presente, y quería darles una educación alternativa a mis hijos.” - Ingrid

Además, siempre se ha sentido atraida por el emprendimiento y su deseo por apoyar también a otras familias le dió el empujón necesario para comenzar su propio negocio: Niños Sanos, Seguros y Felices.

“Mi deseo es ver una nueva generación en paz y que controle sus emociones. Donde los padres tengan conexion real con los hijos. En las familias se presentan retos y yo les enseño las herramientas y tecnicas para ser la mejor version como padres y familias. Ver familias en armonia, felices y plenas a pesar de los retos es posible con las herramientas correctas.

IDEAS CLARAS Y PASO FIRME 

Cuando Ingrid decidió establecer su negocio en San José, uno de sus mayores retos era el aspecto económico y la creación de su plan de negocio. Recomendada por una amiga, contactó con Centro y se inscribió en el Programa de Emprendimiento Básico donde clarificó los aspectos básicos de su negocio, incluyendo su misión: acompañar a las familias en la crianza, educación y bienestar desde la perspectiva de la neurociencias, disciplina consciente y psicología positiva logrando una niñez sana, segura y feliz. Ingrid onstituyó su empresa Niños Sanos, Seguros y Felices al poco tiempo de finalizar el curso. 

Tras finalizar su plan de negocio, Ingrid accedió a un préstamo de Kiva de $1,500 que le ayudó con los tramites iniciales para arrancar su negocio. Ayudada del Centro Capital Hub, preparó su primera campaña de Kiva que logró conseguir con éxito y completó todos sus pagos después. 

Recientemente, Ingrid se ha graduado del Programa de Emprendimiento Avanzado, donde también ha recibido asesorias individuales personalizadas para resolver dudas específicas de su negocio y situación. Durante este programa avanzado, Ingrid ha desarrollado una idea e incorporado una nueva línea de servicios a su negocio. Programas enfocados específicamente en niños.

“En los programas aprendí y pude conocer a compañeros que estaban creando sus emprendimientos en diferentes mercados y avanzabamos juntos. Nos apoyamos mucho, es una comunidad viva y entre todos cooperamos.” - Ingrid.

Gracias a su primera experiencia exitosa con Kiva, Ingrid pudo crear su segunda campaña de Kiva y solicitar un segundo préstamo de $6,500 que e permitiera mejorar sus conocimientos en el proceso educativo, obtener una nueva certificación basada en la neurocreatividad y la metodología Waldorf, Reggio Emilia. Esta certificación le ayudaría a expandir su negocio y aumentar su capacidad para brindar habilidades a niños, adolescentes y sus familias. Además, de mejorar su presencia en línea y preparar una estrategia de marketing para tener nuevos clientes y mantener la comunicación en línea en diferentes niveles.

CREATIVIDAD SIN LÍMITES

En 2022 Ingrid está preparanzo y lista para lanzar nuevos productos para diversificar sus fuentes de ingreso y ofrecer productos complementarios a sus servicios. “Durante el desarrollo en una de las sesiones de asesoría con Centro, yo ideé dos nuevos productos para mi negocio. 

Uno de los productos es una caja que se llama “60 Frases Poderosas” en donde se alimenta de pensamientos y acciones a las personas y está estructurado en seis pasos en temas de crianza, educación, y del ser. Por medio de estas cajas además invito a mis sesiones.” - Ingrid.

El segundo producto que va a lanzar proximamente es un planificador de conexiones de día que permite a las familias a estar más conectadas tras el trabajo y realizar actividades unidos. Ingrid también esta trabajando en otro de sus objetivos una membresia de su negocio llamada Magical Adventure.

Si estás en San José y quieres conocer más acerta de los servicios y productos de Ingrid, puedes visitar su página web Niños Sanos, Seguros y Felices. También puedes apoyarla, siguiéndole en Instagram y Facebook.

Centro awarded an eBay Foundation Global Give grant

We're excited to share that we received an eBay Foundation Global Give grant to support women and minority entrepreneurs.

We are grateful to eBay Foundation for their generous support for the second time, as we were also grantees of the 2021 Global Give grant program. Thanks to their continuous support, we were able to utilize their grant funds to advance access to capital, offer 1-on-1 business advisory services and provide capacity-building services to other nonprofits. These partner organizations collectively served 150+ underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Bay Area and New York City. With renewed support from the eBay Foundation, we are looking to continue our work and support in these areas.

Since 1998, eBay Foundation has partnered with nonprofit organizations that are addressing and removing barriers to entrepreneurship for people who identify with historically excluded groups. The foundation believes when entrepreneurs succeed, they build more resilient and vibrant communities. The foundation’s grantmaking supports nonprofits like Centro and coalitions that enrich entrepreneurial opportunities for people and communities disproportionately affected by structural inequality, advancing economic opportunity for all.

We are so grateful to eBay Foundation for its commitment to entrepreneurship with underserved communities.

You can learn more about the eBay Global Give grant here.

Quarterly Capital Hub Update

In this quarterly Capital Hub update we’ll share some of our accomplishments, and share the stories of two entrepreneurs who finished their Kiva campaigns.

$1 M IN IN KIVA LOANS FOR ENTREPRENEURS ENDORSED BY CENTRO!

We are excited to share that since we started helping entrepreneurs access Kiva Loans through our Centro Business Planning App trustee account in 2014, we have endorsed 133 entrepreneurs receiving over $1M in interest-free loans.

In order to qualify for our endorsement in Kiva, entrepreneurs must create their business plans using the Centro Business Planning Tool. By completing all of the activities in this app, potential borrowers will have thought through the different pieces of their business models and are able to effectively explain their business to Kiva lenders. 

QUARTERLY UPDATE

Since the start of 2022, we have helped 57 entrepreneurs access $1,160,500. From this amount, $440,500 were provided in Kiva loans with the Oakland and San Francisco Kiva Hubs, $45,000 in grants, and $675,000 in larger small business loans.

EDISNEY AND PAOLA, ARE SET FOR SUCCESS AFTER GETTING THEIR KIVA LOAN!

Meet Edisney and Paola, two amazing entrepreneurs who each received a $15,000 Kiva loan to grow their businesses in the Bay Area:

EDISNEY ROA TRUJILLO, OWNER OF OLALA POPSICLES

Edisney is originally from Colombia, and produces and sells artisan popsicles called Olala Popsicles.

“One of my passions is making traditional Colombian desserts for my family, especially passion fruit desserts. Living here in the United States and missing the food of my country, I was inspired by Colombian paletas to create Olala Popsicles and share them with my friends. My business started in 2020 during the pandemic because of the need to earn income and my passion for taking desserts to another level.” - Edisney

This Kiva loan is helping Edisney take her popsicle business to the next level by purchasing machinery to optimize the production and distribution of the product.

Watch Edisney’s video here.

PAOLA ALVARADO, OWNER OF PAO CRAFT COCKTAILS 

Paola is a Latina woman originally from Mexico, and is the founder of Pao Craft Cocktails.

“I have a craft cocktail business, I focus on creating fun and different environments with a delicious drink made for each of my clients' needs. My business is a mobile bar and we serve our customers in the location of their choice. I decided to start my business, because I was unemployed due to the pandemic in 2020. This motivated me to undertake and empower myself to open my business on February 17, 2021.” - Paola

This loan helped Paola purchase a van to transport more equipment and hold larger events, as well as help with professional advertising and hiring a staff person.

Read Paola’s success story here.

Please let us know if you or someone you know is interested in accessing a Kiva loan or have any questions. Verónica Gutiérrez, Capital Access Manager: KivaUS@centrocommunity.org.

Organización aliada destacada de E-Suite Women Enabled Enterprises

To read in English, click here

Es un gran placer para nosotros contar con la renovación de Women Enabled Enterprises (WEE)  como afiliado de E-Suite por tercer año, y queremos aprovechar esta oportunidad para destacar el increíble trabajo que realizan en África. Mpho Hansjee es la fundadora y CEO de Women Enabled Enterprises, una organización sin ánimo de lucro que trabaja con mujeres en Sudáfrica y que ayuda a las mujeres de bajos ingresos y alto potencial a crear o hacer crecer sus pequeños negocios para ser autosuficientes. 

"Somos una organización sin ánimo de lucro que rompe las barreras de acceso para las mujeres sudafricanas de color que buscan prosperar o embarcarse en un viaje de emprendimiento". - Mpho

EMPODERAR A UNA MUJER, ELEVAR UNA COMUNIDAD

Mpho fundó Women Enabled Enterprises con el objetivo de resolver uno de los mayores problemas de su país: el desempleo. Sudáfrica tiene la tasa de desempleo más alta del mundo, con un 35% de paro, y las mujeres de entre 15 y 34 años forman el 60% de esta cifra.

Como organización, WEE está comprometida con la solución de este problema. Saben que cuando las mujeres no tienen capacidad de decisión en sus vidas, no son capaces de cuidar de sus hijos. Esto afecta a la nutrición infantil, a la educación y a muchos otros ámbitos. WEE ayuda a las mujeres artesanas a desarrollar sus habilidades empresariales para que tengan la oportunidad de crear empleo para sí mismas y para otros a partir de sus habilidades. 

"También es muy conocida, por desgracia, la violencia de género en el sur de África, y aunque nuestra organización no contribuye directamente a ayudar en ese ámbito, lo que sabemos es que cuando las mujeres tienen más dinero propio, son capaces de abandonar relaciones que ya no son seguras para ellas". - Mpho

JUNTOS DESDE EL INICIO

Women Enabled Enterprises fue fundada en 2019 en Sudáfrica, y referida a Centro por Julie Abrams. WEE comenzó a ejecutar sus programas en 2020, y desde el principio, confiaron en la metodología de Centro y la incorporaron junto con la Centro Business Planning App en su programa de 12 semanas.

La accesibilidad del teléfono para ejecutar los programas fue una de las cosas más importantes para WEE cuando comenzamos nuestra alianza, ya que la mayoría de las mujeres en Sudáfrica no tienen un ordenador portátil. "Cuando probamos la aplicación Centro con nuestro primer grupo, todo fue bien, y todas pudieron descargar la aplicación y utilizarla. Nuestro objetivo era que todas las empresarias tuvieran la aplicación y pudieran utilizarla con facilidad en las tres primeras semanas. Sin embargo, en las dos primeras semanas pudimos tener a todas a bordo". El 90% de las mujeres con las que trabajan sólo tienen teléfonos móviles, así que cuando utilizan Zoom, todo lo que hacen tiene que ser muy fácil de usar en el teléfono movil.

Cuando WEE comenzó, su principal objetivo como organización era servir a 100 mujeres en un año, y quería ejecutar 4 trimestres, sirviendo a 25 mujeres en cada uno. Lanzaron su primer programa en 2019 con 15 emprendedoras en la primera cohorte, 25 en la segunda y 70 en la tercera. Después de eso se estabilizaron a un promedio de 30 a 40 mujeres en cada grupo. Ahora han decidido que en lugar de hacer 4 programas en un año, harán 2 pero tendrán grupos más grandes. "Estoy muy orgullosa de decir esto, pero ya casi llegamos a las 200 para el trimestre de otoño y es el grupo más grande que hemos tenido nunca". - Mpho

SUPERANDO BARRERAS CON LA TECNOLOGÍA

Este año, Women Enabled Enterprises ha ampliado sus programas virtuales a otros países africanos como Ghana, Kenia, Uganda, Etiopía, Zimbabue, Tanzania y Senegal. Todos los programas son en línea y combinan las actividades de la Centro Business Planning App. También invita a ponentes de Estados Unidos y de diferentes países de África.

"La aplicación hizo que el proceso de elaboración de un plan de negocios fuera menos desalentador. Me gusta que haya dividido cada sección en trozos manejables. Fue más agradable que abrumador hacer uno. La funcionalidad de poder exportarlo en diferentes archivos para su uso futuro también fue una ventaja añadida". - Kagiso, emprendedora de WEE.

Uno de los mayores éxitos de WEE es que han sido capaces de trascender sus propias capacidades y su propio alcance. Cada vez que atienden a una mujer, un tercio de ellas emplea a dos personas en su comunidad. "Ese es un resultado poderoso, porque una persona crea su propio empleo, y crea capacidad en su vida y en su negocio para emplear a otras personas. Y lo mismo ocurre con los hijos de las mujeres a las que atendemos, y lo diferente que será la vida de los niños ahora que su madre está en pie. Los niños tendrán una mejor educación, podrán comer alimentos sanos y podrán tener libros para la escuela y zapatos. Para mí, eso hace que todo valga la pena". - Mpho

CONECTANDO CON LAS EMPRENDEDORAS ALLÍ DONDE SE ENCUENTRAN

"Nuestra alianza con Centro ha sido increíblemente beneficiosa porque lo que Centro proporciona es exactamente lo que nuestras emprendedoras necesitan y lo que nuestra organización necesita. Lo que más me gusta es que Centro llega a las mujeres a las que servimos justo donde están. Tienen la oportunidad de hacer la aplicación en un idioma diferente. Centro crea accesibilidad y eso es fundamental para el lugar donde encontramos a nuestras emprendedoras, que es el teléfono móvil. No podemos agradecer lo suficiente a Centro porque han estado con nosotras desde que empezamos, y todavía están con nosotras. Han sido unos aliados muy receptivos a los comentarios y nos han hecho mejorar. No habríamos podido tener el éxito que hemos creado sin Centro" - Mpho

Puedes saber más sobre Women Enabled Enterprises, su misión y su impacto viendo este vídeo:

Si quieres saber más sobre cómo podemos ayudar también a tu organización, ponte en contacto con nosotros en esuite@centrocommunity.org. También estaremos encantados de responder a cualquier pregunta sobre nuestro plan de estudios actual, las herramientas de aprendizaje y enseñanza, y el apoyo que ofrecemos a las organizaciones.

Featured E-Suite Partner: Women Enabled Enterprises

Para leer en español, haz click aquí

It’s a great pleasure for us to have Women Enabled Enterprises (WEE) renewing as an E-Suite Affiliate for the third year, and we want to take this opportunity to highlight the amazing work they do in Africa. Mpho Hansjee is the Founder and CEO of Women Enabled Enterprises, a non-profit organization working with women in South Africa, that helps low-income, high-potential women start or grow a small business for self-sufficiency. 

"We are a non-profit organization that breaks barriers to access for South African women of color seeking to flourish or embark on an entrepreneurial journey." - Mpho

EMPOWER A WOMAN, UPLIFT A COMMUNITY

Mpho founded Women Enabled Enterprises with the aim of solving one of the biggest issues in her country: unemployment. South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world, with a 35% rate of unemployment, and women aged 15 to 34 contributed 60% of this number.

As an organization, WEE is really committed to solving this problem. They know that when women have no agency over their lives they aren't able to take care of the kids. This affects childhood nutrition, education, and so many different other areas. WEE helps women artisans by developing their business skills so that they have an opportunity to create employment for themselves and others out of their skill set. 

“We also are very well-known, unfortunately, for gender-based violence in Southern Africa and while our organization doesn't directly contribute to helping that area, what we know is that when women have more of their own money, they're able to leave relationships that are no longer safe for them.” - Mpho

TOGETHER SINCE THE BEGINNING

Women Enabled Enterprises was founded in 2019 in South Africa, and referred to Centro by Julie Abrams. WEE started running its programs 2020, and since the beginning, they trusted Centro’s methodology and incorporated it together with the Centro Business Planning App into their 12-week program. 

The phone accessibility for running the programs was one of the most important things for WEE when we started our partnership, as most of the women we work with in South Africa don’t have a laptop. “When we tested the Centro App with our first group, everything went smoothly, and everyone was able to download the app and set it up. Our goal was to have every single entrepreneur on the app and be able to use it with ease within the first three weeks. However, within the first two weeks, we were able to have everyone on board!.” 90% of the women they work with only have mobile phones, so when they get on Zoom everything they do has to be very mobile phone friendly. 

When WEE first started, its main organizational goal was to serve 100 women in a year, and it wanted to run 4 quarters, serving 25 women in each. They launched their first program in 2019 with 15 applicants in the first cohort, 25 in the second, and 70 in the third. After that they stabilized to an average of 30 to 40 women in each group. Now they have decided instead of doing 4 programs in a year, they will do 2 but will have bigger groups. “I'm so proud to say this but we're almost at 200 for the fall quarter on and it's the biggest group we've had actually.” - Mpho

OVERCOMING BARRIERS WITH TECHNOLOGY

This year, Women Enabled Enterprises expanded its virtual programs to other African countries like Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Senegal, and Uganda. All programs are online and they combine the activities from the Centro Business Planning App. It also invites guest speakers from the US and from different countries in Africa.

“The app made the process of building a business plan less daunting. I like how it broke down each section into manageable, bite-sized pieces. It was more enjoyable than it was overwhelming to make one. The functionality of being able to export it out as different files for future use was also an added bonus.” - Kagiso, Entrepreneur from WEE.

One of WEE biggest successes is that they’ve been able to transcend its own capabilities and its own reach. Every time they serve a woman, one-third of them employ two people in their community. “That's a powerful result because one person creates their own job, and creates capacity in their life and in their business to employ other people. And the same thing about the children of the women we serve, and how different the children’s lives will be now that their mom is on their feet. The children will have better education, they'll be able to eat wholesome food, and they'll be able to have books for school and shoes. Those to me make everything worth it.” - Mpho

MEETING ENTREPRENEURS WHERE THEY’RE AT

“Our partnership with Centro has been so incredibly beneficial because what Centro provides is exactly what our beneficiaries need and what our organization needs. What I love the most is that Centro meets the women we serve right where they're at. They have opportunities to make the app in a different language. Centro is open to creating accessibility. They are central to where we find our entrepreneurs, which is on a mobile phone. We can’t thank Centro enough because they have been with us since we started, and they are still with us. They have been such responsive partners to feedback and they’ve made us better. We wouldn’t have been able to have the success we created without Centro” - Mpho

You can learn more about Women Enabled Enterprises, their mission, and their impact by watching this video:

If you want to learn more about how we can also help your organization, please contact us at esuite@centrocommunity.org. We are also happy to answer any questions about our current curriculum, learning and teaching tools, and the support we provide to organizations!

2022 Q2 Update & W.K. Kellogg Foundation Grant

Here are some big milestones we achieved during the second quarter of 2022! In addition to updates about entrepreneurs served, the Centro Business Planning App, access to capital, and one-on-one assistance, you can also see our latest impact statistics on our Overview page.

ENTREPRENEURS SERVED

During the first half of 2022, we served 640 entrepreneurs, and 172 of them graduated from our programs. Through our programs, Capital Hub and app, we are on track to help more than 1,400 entrepreneurs by the end of this year.

We would like to introduce you to Paola, who is the owner of Pao Craft Cocktails in East Palo Alto, California. She is an amazing Latina entrepreneur who went through our programs, and recently graduated from the Advanced Entrepreneurship Program.

ACCESS TO CAPITAL

During the last three months, the Centro Capital Hub helped 17 entrepreneurs access a total of $138,000 in interest-free loans through Kiva and we have a goal of helping 100 entrepreneurs receive $1,000,000 in Kiva loans by the end of the year. 

So far this year, we have helped six entrepreneurs access $45,000 in grants and four entrepreneurs access $675,000 in larger small business loans with local CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions).

ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE

Throughout this year, we provided 319 hours of 1-on-1 business coaching sessions to 127 entrepreneurs. 

Since 2021, we have provided 1,198 hours of 1-on-1 assistance to entrepreneurs, with most of them located in Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara, Stockton and other Bay Area counties.

W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION GRANT TO IMPROVE THE APP

We're excited to share that we received a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to invest in our technological infrastructure and scale our capacity to empower underserved entrepreneurs and families to have equal access to economic opportunity. 

Thanks to this grant, we will be able to integrate impact surveys onto the Centro Business Planning App to measure an entrepreneur’s progress in real-time and gauge how many entrepreneurs are positively impacted by the app. We will also connect underserved entrepreneurs with more local resources by integrating more microlenders, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and business service organizations onto the app.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch the Centro Business Planning App Demo video here:

"Look for help because there is support and you are not alone." - Paola

Para leer en español, haz click aquí

FOLLOWING HER DREAMS

Paola Alvarado is a Latina entrepreneur who changed her outlook on work and life in the midst of the pandemic, and take control of her own fate. Paola worked as a bartender until the during pandemic she lost her job and she decided to start her own mobile bar business Pao Craft Cocktails in East Palo Alto, California.

Paola comes from a family of entrepreneurs, with her parents owning a small shoe business in Mexico. Thanks to the experience with her family, she discovered at a young age that she wanted to have her own business one day.

LEAPING INTO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Although she dreamed about begining an entrepreneur, making the decision in the middle of the pandemic was a challenge for Paola, due to doubts about capital and administrative issues. Paola had 4 years of experience as a bartender so she had a lot of knowledge in the industry, but no business experience. Thanks to a friend’s recommendation, she decided to take Centro’s Basic Entrepreneurship Program.

"The program helped me get a clearer sense of my business: to understand the operations a little bit better, where each operation breaks down and how to work in each one of them. I have already implemented in my business a lot of what I learned in the Programs."

During the 9-week basic program, Paola created Pao Craft Cocktails' first Business Plan and consolidated the foundation to start her business. She also received one-on-one Business Coaching that helped her overcome her doubts and create goals for her business. Paola was aware that she needed capital to take her business to the next level with her business and buy a van that would help her work at events. With the help of the Centro Capital Hub she decided to create her Kiva fundraising campaign. Paola raised the $15,000 from her campaign and just bought the van for her business to transport more equipment and hold larger events.

Paola's strength and ability to overcome challenges and take a big leap with her business motivated her to take the Advanced Entrepreneurship Program while running her Kiva campaign. Thanks to this program, Paola worked alongside with entrepreneurs who were in her same situation and with whom she created important friendships and networks to support each other's businesses.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

Pao Craft Cocktails is a craft cocktail business that focuses on creating fun and different environments with a delicious drink tailored to the needs of its customers. Pao Craft Cocktails is a mobile bar and they serve their customers at the location of their choice. 

One of Paola's biggest challenges as a Latina immigrant has been the language barrier since she arrived in the United States at the age of 21. This has been an especially big challenge while creating her business, and it is one that she continues to face on a daily basis. 

When she began her journey as an entrepreneur, Paola had to trade in her bartender’s hat for a business owner’s, and it wasn't easy: "Another big challenge was figuring out how to sell my product and make the packages. I had to research everything that goes into making a bar because it's a lot of calculations and all that cost me months of research." In addition, she had to get special alcohol licenses and learn how to manage documentation and taxes.

Thanks to the daily support of her husband and her 9-year-old daughter, she has fought for her dream of being an entrepreneur and owning her own business. For her daughter, she is a great example of strength and sacrifice, as she sees how hard she works to train and establish her business. She is also an example of success for her Latina community and in the Facebook group, where she started writing posts to promote her business. No

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A GREAT SUCCESS

Her main goal in the coming months is to promote her business and build customer loyalty. She is also working on her prices and on improving her operations. She has 3 people working for her as contractors and is considering hiring them as full-time employees, due to her rapid growth and success.

"To entrepreneurs I would say look for help because there is support and you are not alone. Now thanks to Centro and Kiva I know, and I can tell you that."
If you want to enjoy her wonderful handcrafted cocktails in the Bay Area and support Paola Alvarado's business, visit her website Pao Craft Cocktails. You can also support her business on her social media Instagram and Facebook.

“Busca ayuda porque hay apoyo y no estás sol@” - Paola

To read in English, click here

SIGUIENDO SUS SUEÑOS

Paola Alvarado es una emprendedora Latina que cambió su visión del trabajo y vida en plena pandemia, y tomó las riendas de su propio destino. Paola trabajaba como camarera hasta que durante la pandemia perdió su trabajo y decidió emprender su propio negocio de barras móviles Pao Craft Cocktails en East Palo Alto.

Paola viene de una familia de emprendedores, con padres dueños de un negocio de calzado en México. Gracias a la experiencia de su familia, descubrió desde pequeña junto a sus 3 hermanas que en el futuro ella también quería tener su propio negocio.

SALTANDO HACIA EL EMPRENDIMIENTO

A pesar de estar convencida de que algún día tendría su propio negocio, tomar la decisión en plena pandemia fue un reto para Paola por las dudas sobre capital y temas administrativos. Paola tenía 4 años de experiencia como camarera por lo que tenía mucha experiencia en la industria, pero no tenía experiencia en negocios. Gracias a la recomendación de una amiga, decidió tomar el Programa Básico de Emprendimiento de Centro.

“El programa me ayudaró a tener un sentido más claro del negocio: a entender un poquito mejor las operaciones, en que se rompe cada operación y cómo trabajar en cada una de ellas. Ya he implementado en mi negocio mucho de lo que aprendí en los programas.”

Durante las 9 semanas que duro el programa básico, Paola creó el primer Plan de Negocio de Pao Craft Cocktails y consolidó la base para comenzar su negocio. También recibió Asesorías de Negocio uno a uno que le ayudaron a clarificar sus dudas y crear objetivos para su negocio. Paola era consciente de que necesitaba capital para llevar su negocio al siguiente nivel y comprar una camioneta que le ayudaría a trabajar en eventos. Con la ayuda de Centro Capital Hub decidió crear su campaña de fundraising de Kiva. Paola consiguió los $15,000 de su campaña y acaba de comprarse la camioneta para para transportar más equipos y realizar eventos más grandes.

La fuerza y capacidad de superación de Paola para dar un gran salto con su negocio, la motivó a realizar el Programa Avanzado de Emprendimiento mientras realizaba su campaña de Kiva. Gracias a este programa, Paola trabajó con otros emprendedores que estaban en su misma situación y con los que creó importantes amistades y redes de contactos para apoyarse mutuamente con sus negocios.

SUPERANDO DESAFÍOS

Pao Craft Cocktails es un negocio de coctelería artesanal, y se enfoca en crear ambientes divertidos y diferentes con una deliciosa bebida hecha a medida de las necesidades de sus clientes. Se trata de un bar móvil y atienden a sus clientes en el lugar que elijan.

Uno de los grandes retos de Paola como inmigrante latina ha sido la barrera del idioma, desde que llegó con 21 años a Estados Unidos. Este ha sido un desafío especialmente grande al crear su negocio, y es uno que continúa enfrentando a diario.

Cuando comenzó su trayectoría como emprendedora, Paola tuvo que cambiar su sombrero de camarera al de dueña de un negocio, y no fue sencillo. “Otro gran reto fue descubrir cómo vender mi producto y hacer los paquetes. Tuve que investigar todo lo que era todo lo que conlleva hacer una barra porque son muchos cálculos y todo eso me costó meses meses meses de investigación.” Además, tuvo que conseguir licencias especiales de alcohol y aprender a gestionar documentación e impuestos.

Gracias al apoyo diario de su marido y su hija de 9 años, ha luchado por su sueño de ser emprendedora y tener su propio negocio. Para su hija es un gran ejemplo de lucha y sacrificio, ya que ve lo duro que trabaja for formarse y establecer su negocio. También es un ejemplo de éxito para su comunidad Latina y el grupo de Facebook de su comunidad, donde comenzó escribiendo publicaciones para promocionar su negocio, y ahora otras latinas ven en ella un modelo a seguir y una motivación para seguir sus pasos como emprendedoras.

ESTO ES SOLO EL COMIENZO DE UN GRAN ÉXITO

Su objetivo principal en los próximos meses es promover suy negocio y fidelizar a sus clientes. También está trabajando en sus precios y mejorar sus operaciones. Cuenta con 3 personas que trabajan para ella como contractors y está considerando contratarlos a tiempo completo como empleados por su rápido crecimiento y éxito.

“A los emprendedores les diría que busquen ayuda porque la hay y no están solos. Ahora gracias a Centro y Kiva yo lo sé, y se lo puedo decir.”

Si quieres disfrutar de sus maravillosos cocktails arteranales  y apoyar el negocio de Paola Alvarado, visita su página web Pao Craft Cocktails. También puedes apoyar su negocio en sus redes sociales Instagram y Facebook.

Centro selected as one of MIT Solve X Truist Foundation Inspire Awards semi-finalists

We are honored to share that we have been chosen among the 15 semi-finalists of MIT Solve X Truist Foundation Inspire Awards. 

The Truist Foundation and MIT Solve partner in launching the inaugural Inspire Awards to identify innovative nonprofit-driven solutions that provide support to grow, develop, and sustain racially diverse and/or women-led small businesses in the United States. The Challenge is seeking organizations driving a new frontier for entrepreneurship across the United States. 

Centro Business Planning App project is supported by Solve, an initiative from MIT, and we are excited for the steps ahead. Finalists will be announced on the 1st of July.

With the Centro Business Planning App, we have successfully tested and deployed a scalable solution that can be used to promote entrepreneurship as a pathway towards employment, build economic resilience in local communities, catalyze growth of small businesses, facilitate access to capital, create jobs and grow household income.

You can learn more about the MIT Solve X Truist Foundation Inspire Awards here.

Centro Awarded with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Grant

We're excited to share that we received a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to invest in our technological infrastructure and scale our capacity to empower underserved entrepreneurs and families to have equal access to economic opportunity. We are grateful to Kellogg Foundation for supporting our mission and investing in us with a two-year $300,000 grant.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

Thanks to this grant, Centro will be able to develop our Learning Management System to scale our programs and services, offering access to underserved entrepreneurs regardless of their location. We will also be able to integrate impact surveys onto the Centro Business Planning App to measure an entrepreneur’s progress in real time and gauge how many entrepreneurs are positively impacted by the app. Finally, we will connect underserved entrepreneurs with more local resources by integrating more microlenders, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and business service organizations onto the app.

Quarterly Capital Hub Update

In this quarterly Capital Hub update we’ll share some of our accomplishments, and share the stories of two entrepreneurs who finished their Kiva campaigns and share their stories.

$1.5 MILLION IN KIVA LOANS!

In January 2020 we launched the Centro Capital Hub to connect Centro graduates and local entrepreneurs with different capital providers. We are excited to share that since Centro became a Kiva Hub in 2020, we have already helped 159 entrepreneurs access over $1.5 Million in Kiva loans through our Alameda and San Francisco Hubs!

Join us in supporting more entrepreneurs raising money through Kiva.

QUARTERLY UPDATE

Since the start of 2022, we have helped 35 entrepreneurs access a total of $336,000 in Kiva loans. We also helped 5 entrepreneurs access $40,000 in grants, as well as 3 entrepreneurs access $645,000 in larger small business loans.

ANDREA AND TRACY, ARE SET FOR SUCCESS AFTER GETTING THEIR KIVA LOAN!

Meet Andrea and Tracy, two amazing entrepreneurs who each received a $15,000 Kiva loan to grow their businesses in the Bay Area:

TRACY GHO, OWNER OF DAMANSARA RESTAURANT

Tracy was born and raised in Malaysia and she is the owner of Damansara, an upcoming Malaysian restaurant in San Francisco. 

“It started in 2013 as a series of small dinner parties in my one-bedroom apartment, which quickly expanded into larger dinner pop-ups at rented commercial venues. After serving a few thousand local guests at over 500 events in San Francisco, I continued to deliver nostalgic meals while homesick Malaysians were unable to visit home during the pandemic. Damansara has recently found its permanent location at Church St, San Francisco. The 1100 sqft restaurant is set to open in Spring-Summer 2022.” - Tracy

This Kiva loan was to help Tracy employ and train her three key employees in the opening team. Tracy hopes to join industry leaders in promoting equitable pay and good staff retention practices.

Watch Tracy’s video here.

ANDREA BARKLEY, OWNER OF THE HEART OF ART

Andrea recently founded a coaching business called "The Heart of Art: Coaching for Creatives."

“My passion for serving the Arts community came out of my lived experience as a creative. I have been a professional musician for over 20 years. Although I have had a life blessed with personal success, I struggled as many artists do along the way. The demands of creative life took their toll. Finding time to take care of my heart, body, and mind became more and more challenging as the years went by. Finally, after a period of deep reflection and education, I found a new calling to help my fellow artists in need through coaching.” - Andrea.

This loan was to help Andrea dedicate her energy and time to producing ad campaigns and organic content that will help her business attract high-quality leads, generate more business, and expand her brand.

Watch Andrea’s video here.

Please let us know if you or someone you know is interested in accessing a Kiva loan or have any questions. Verónica Gutiérrez, Capital Access Manager: KivaUS@centrocommunity.org.

Organización aliada destacada de E-Suite: Prospera

To read in English, click here

Hoy queremos destacar a una de nuestras organizaciones afiliadas de la Suite de Emprendimiento (E-Suite), Prospera. Prospera se alía con emprendedoras latinas en el Área de la Bahía para lanzar negocios que fomenten la cooperación, la independencia económica y el bienestar en las comunidades de inmigrantes. 

A través de sus programas con base cultural, las latinas acceden a las redes, las herramientas y el capital que necesitan para convertirse en propietarias de negocios exitosos y líderes de la comunidad.

PLANTANDO LAS SEMILLAS DEL ÉXITO

Comenzamos nuestra colaboración con Prospera en 2018, con nuestro primer Bootcamp de Plan de Negocios dentro de su programa Explora. Un año después, tras el éxito del primer programa, realizamos juntos nuestro segundo Bootcamp. En 2020, cuando se produjo la pandemia de Covid-19, impartimos otros tres Bootcamps. 

Gracias al éxito de los programas durante los tres primeros años, Prospera se convirtió en organización asociada de nuestro programa E-Suite. En mayo de 2021, hicimos cuatro Bootcamps y formamos a tres de sus facilitadoras.

TRABAJAR JUNTOS PARA LOGRAR MAYORES OBJETIVOS                                                    

El equipo de Prospera

Algunos de los principales objetivos de su organización antes de unirse al E-Suite de Centro eran apoyar a sus participantes en la creación de su modelo de negocio y formarse para entrenar a emprendedores y compañeras en la creación de sus planes de negocio.

Gracias al programa de Entrenamiento-a-Entrenadores que ofrecemos a los aliados de E-Suite, obtuvieron las herramientas y la formación que necesitaban para formar a las participantes de sus programas. Centro impartió esta formación en español, ya que Prospera se centra en las emprendedoras latinas.   

COOPERACIÓN COMO UNO DE NUESTROS PRINCIPALES OBJETIVOS

El equipo de Prospera valora mucho el apoyo personalizado que han recibido de Centro para ayudarles a implementar y adaptar los recursos de Centro a sus programas. “Me encanta la camaradería entre los entrenadores de Centro y espacio que hay para personalizar nuestro desempeño, además de que dan una retroalimentación muy honesta de los detalles en que podríamos mejorar”, comparten.

“La colaboración con Centro nos ha permitido fortalecer el acompañamiento a nuestras participantes. Uno de los valores que nos guían en Prospera es la cooperación, colaborar con Centro hace eco a este valor y nos recuerda que para hacer cambios estructurales es necesario la colaboración con organizaciones aliadas. Utilizando el app de Centro ha simplificado el proceso para que nuestras participantes puedan desarrollar de forma sencilla y rápida un primer borrador de su Plan de Negocios.¡Trabajar en conjunto en beneficio de nuestra comunidad!” - Claudia Arroyo, Directora Ejecutiva de Prospera

JUNTOS PODEMOS CREAR UN MAYOR IMPACTO

En Centro, estamos muy agradecidos por el nivel de compromiso de Prospera, tanto con las comunidades a las que sirven como con la construcción de una sólida alianza.

La confianza y la transparencia han sido los pilares de nuestra relación, la retroalimentación constante nos ha ayudado a mejorar nuestro plan de estudios, y ambas organizaciones nos hemos beneficiado enormemente del compromiso bidireccional.
Si quieres saber más sobre cómo podemos ayudar también a tu organización, ponte en contacto con nosotros en esuite@centrocommunity.org. Estaremos encantados de responder a cualquier pregunta sobre nuestro plan de estudios actual, las herramientas de aprendizaje y enseñanza, y el apoyo que ofrecemos a las organizaciones.

Featured E-Suite Partner: Prospera

Para leer en español, haz click aquí

Today we want to highlight one of our Featured E-Suite Affiliates, Prospera. Prospera partners with Latina entrepreneurs in the Bay Area to launch businesses that foster cooperation, economic independence and well-being in immigrant communities.

Through their culturally-based programs, Latinas access the networks, tools and capital they need to become successful business owners and powerful community leaders.

PLANTING THE SEEDS TO SUCCESS

We started our partnership with Prospera in 2018, with our first Business Plan Bootcamp as part of their Explora program. A year later, following the success of the first program, we did our second Bootcamp together. In 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we provided three additional Bootcamps.

Thanks to the success of the programs during the first 3 years, Prospera became an Entrepreneurship Suite (E-Suite) partner in May 2021, and we did four Bootcamps and trained three of their trainers by September.

WORKING TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE GREATER GOALS

Prospera’s team

Some of their organization's main goals before joining Centro’s E-Suite were to support their participants to create their business model and to train themselves to coach entrepreneurs and colleagues on how to create their business plans.

Thanks to the train-the-trainer program we offer E-Suite partners, they got the tools and training they needed to coach their programs’ participants. Centro provided this training in Spanish as they’re focussed on Latina entrepreneurs.        

COOPERATION AS ONE OF OUR MAIN GOALS

Prospera’s team highly values the personalized support they have received from Centro to help them implement and adapt Centro’s resources to their programs. “I love the camaraderie among the Centro trainers and the availability to customize our performance Plus they give very honest feedback on details where we could improve" they share.

“Collaborating with Centro has helped us work hand-in-hand with our participants. One of the values that guide us at Prospera is cooperation, collaborating with Centro echoes this value and reminds us that in order to make structural changes it is necessary to collaborate with partner organizations. Using the Centro app has simplified the process so that our participants can easily and quickly develop a first draft of their Business Plan, working together for the benefit of our community!” - Claudia Arroyo, Prospra’s Executive Director

TOGETHER WE CAN CREATE A BIGGER IMPACT

At Centro, we are super grateful for Prospera’s level of engagement and commitment, both to the communities they serve and to building a strong partnership.

Trust and transparency have been pillars in our relationship, and the constant feedback has helped us improve our curriculum, and both organizations have benefited enormously from the 2-way commitment.

If you want to learn more about how we can also help your organization, please contact us at esuite@centrocommunity.org. We are also happy to answer any questions about our current curriculum, learning and teaching tools, and the support we provide to organizations!

2022 Q1 Update & $1.5M in Kiva Loans!

We are excited to share some big milestones we achieved during the first quarter of 2022! In addition to updates about entrepreneurs served, the Centro Business Planning App, access to capital, and one-on-one assistance, you can also see our latest impact statistics on our Overview page.

ENTREPRENEURS SERVED

In the first quarter of 2022, we served 325 entrepreneurs, and 61 of them graduated from our programs. Through our programs, capital hub, and app, we are on track to help more than 1,500 entrepreneurs by the end of this year. Here are two amazing women entrepreneurs who went through our programs: Misty L. Franklyn and Jessica Muñoz.

ACCESS TO CAPITAL

We are thrilled to share that since Centro became a Kiva Hub in 2020, we have already helped 159 entrepreneurs reach over $1.5 Million in Kiva loans to overcome their challenges as small business owners!

During the first quarter of 2022, we helped provide access to 25 Kiva loans for a total of $255,000. We also helped three entrepreneurs access $15,000 in grants, as well as three entrepreneurs access $645,000 in larger small business loans with local CDFIs (Community Development Financial Institutions).

ONE-ON-ONE ASSISTANCE

In Q1 2022 we provided 219 hours of 1-on-1 assistance to 67 entrepreneurs. Since 2021, we have provided 1-on-1 assistance to entrepreneurs in many locations, with most of them located in Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara, Stockton and other Bay Area counties.

CENTRO BUSINESS PLANNING APP

We continue our work on improving the Centro Business Planning App, and we have recently released an App Demo video. With this video, entrepreneurs and organizations can see how easy it is to use the app and all the features it offers, from helping entrepreneurs create their Business Plans to connect with local organizations that can help with funding and business resources.