New Podcast Episode: Revisiting Resilience With Sirena Moore-Thomas

Resilience is not about being fearless. It’s about overcoming the fear. Joining us for another episode is entrepreneur, speaker, and author Sirena Moore-Thomas. After our first conversation, we decided there was too much to unpack and have her back for another fantastic conversation. In this episode, she goes more into her recent endeavors as an entrepreneur, including how she became the COO of a 100-million-dollar company. Sirena also shares her 4-step The W.A.L.K. Method™ on how to overcome fear, setbacks, and self-doubt from her book, Water Walker: How To Embrace Uncertainty And Do What Seems Impossible. There’s a lot to learn and gain from this episode so make sure to tune in.

Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (NAHCC) Celebrates 23rd Annual Membership Meeting at Entrepreneur Center

NAHCC held its 23rd Annual Membership Meeting Tuesday, April 19. Members had the opportunity to engage (in person since early 2020), not only in dialogue but in learning about the challenges faced by our small business community and the impact of Covid-19. In an effort to address some of these challenges, “NAHCC/NPL Means Business” is a joint business partnership program, with the Nashville Public Library, to provide guidance to Hispanic entrepreneurs through a seven-week workshop based around Who Owns the Ice House: Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur.

NISOD International Conference on Teaching & Learning

We are excited to sponsor and present at this year's NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence. The event is a gathering of community and technical college educators passionate about teaching and learning. Over the years, NISOD’s annual conference has provided faculty, administrators, and staff with the resources, ideas, and solutions that drive excellence in all areas of community and technical college campuses.

Deshpande Symposium

The Deshpande Symposium is an annual gathering of like-minded professionals focused on accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship within higher education institutions and through partnerships with private, public and non-profit organizations. We are excited to be gathering in person in Cleveland, where we will learn best practices for developing entrepreneurial ecosystems. Also, the importance that diversity, equity and inclusion plays in their success.

Gaining a Sense of Usefulness and Ending the Cycle of Poverty Thanks to a Cincinnati Nonprofit

When the nonprofit Greater Cincinnati Microenterprise Initiative noticed that the individuals it serves needed an extra push beyond the typical business courses to get their ideas off the ground, it introduced the Ice House model to develop their entrepreneurial mindsets. 

That addition started a series of shifts within the organization. A community development financial institution or CDFI could help would-be small-business founders access capital and gain skills. Ultimately, it changed how Executive Director Willie Hill III view his organization’s role in supporting individuals to make changes in their lives. 

“We’ve seen firsthand how an entrepreneurial mindset helps with confidence and makes people more curious about how they can solve problems,” Hill said. “Feeling like you can solve problems is a fundamental aspect of addressing poverty.”

That’s key because 90% of the individuals GCMI serves have low or moderate incomes and have experienced the cycle of poverty.

“Being an entrepreneur helps you realize your usefulness in the world,” Hill explained. “Purpose is big, but usefulness is more relevant to how we interact with the world and how the world sees us. I try to remember that as we create a safe environment for people to learn and talk about their ideas without any judgment.”