The Academy will partner with experts in the fields of business operations, accounting, marketing, and leadership to provide education and solutions to the common barriers faced by small business owners. Entrepreneurs who complete the Academy will receive grant money to be used to grow their business.

“The Academy fits a gap in the current business training market. We are excited to launch it for the entrepreneurial community,” said LaTorrie Geer, Chief Operating Officer for CW.  She continued, “At CommunityWorks, we believe that every entrepreneur should be equipped with the tools, knowledge, and resources needed to be successful and we are pleased to consistently develop avenues to help business owners.”

Academy classes will be held monthly at the Spark Center in Duncan, SC. Topics for the 2020 Academy cohort include: managing business credit, accounting tips, marketing strategy development, business law, handling human resource needs, retirement and succession planning, and more.

The inaugural class of the Academy is open to 30 participants and registration ends January 31, 2020. To qualify for participation, businesses should have been in operation for at least 6 months and have a business plan.  For more information on registering for the Academy, email Asha Nash- [email protected] or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/o/communityworks-3203317350.

About CommunityWorks

CommunityWorks was established in 2008 as a local housing trust fund through a partnership between the City of Greenville, United Way of Greenville County and Greenville County Redevelopment Authority. This group worked together to support affordable housing and community development as a critical vehicle for fostering stable families and healthy communities. Since that time, CommunityWorks has evolved into a non-profit financial organization and certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that is committed to empowering people to become financially stable through financial education, lending and investing. 

The organizations has created a safe place for people and entrepreneurs in the Upstate community and throughout South Carolina to access financial coaching, connect with one-on-one business coaching, access loans to build their small business or develop affordable housing, and build their credit and assets. CommunityWorks empowers families, individuals and businesses to become financially secure by focusing on financial education and providing tools that enable families to seek solution strategies in achieving economic independence.

Since its inception, CW has generated over $157 million in local economic impact and has provided 30,000 hours of training and coaching, served 3,612 families, provided over $2.6 million loans to startups and existing small businesses, and deployed over $5.1 million in affordable housing and community loans that have created or preserved over 445 affordable housing units. For more information, visit www.CommunityWorksCarolina.org.