NLBT Entrepreneurs

DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, May 17, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center is excited to announce the continuation of their Next Level Business Transformation (NLBT) Master Class Series this Spring. The program provides invaluable training in the areas of Management, Business Financials, Technology Tactics, Marketing Mechanics, Business and Sales Strategies. Participants received a grant, supported in establishing a line of business credit, and are aided in obtaining additional business loans as needed.

The NLBT Series has spawned several success stories since it launched in 2020. Kelli Mumphrey, a proud United States Navy veteran, is one such story. In 2018, Mumphrey created MilkSpace, LLC, a business that provided event planners with a service solution to accommodate nursing women during events. Her own experience as a nursing mother inspired her to launch the business, “I often found myself in situations where I had to resort to pumping and dumping breastmilk in public restrooms. I was so frustrated by the lack of access to convenient and sanitary spaces to express breastmilk while away from home, I was determined to create a solution for other breastfeeding mothers.” With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mumphrey had to transition her business from an in-person business to an e-commerce business offering MilkMama Sanity Kits filled with breastfeeding essentials that focus on sanitation and convenience to keep women sane and smiling while on the go. It was during this time, she enrolled in the VWEC’s NLBT program. “The NLBT program was the missing link needed to take the business to the next level. Unlike traditional coursework, the NLBT program model provided tailored training sessions applicable to my business,” Mumphrey explains. “I was able to receive essential business information in a small welcoming group setting and receive one on one feedback from industry experts. The sessions compelled me to “think outside of my box”, and “get granular” in finding the true value of my business, defining my different customer segments, developing the community impact I desired which was to serve Black women in their breastfeeding journey, and formulating a realistic sales strategy to generate revenue.” In addition to the wealth of knowledge she received, Mumphrey was also awarded a $5000 grant and assisted in establishing a business line of credit!

The NLBT program has also helped participants re-examine how to do business and continue to thrive while many businesses are closing their doors due to the pandemic. The training program proved to be a guided path to not only weather the catastrophic effects of the coronavirus outbreak, but also establish a way to even greater success for Cherron Covington, Owner and CEO of Covington’s Consulting & Services, LLC, and a military spouse. Though Covington had been in business for over 20 years, she realized she needed a more hands on approach in some aspects of her business and to get in step with the times. She explains, “The NLBT program helps businesses, no matter what stage they are in, it brought my business into the 21st century. Technology, the first class, was an amazing class. Technology was broken down like a fraction, piece by piece, and explained in laymen’s terms. Now, I have my Webroot Firewall set up, my cloud business phone number, my CRM, I am ready to go! Because of VR’s program and an email she sent to the VWEC network about the LISC grant, I applied and received a $20k grant enabling my business to purchase critical equipment and effectively conduct my first virtual training program by providing tablets and hotspots to attendees to use from home. In addition, VR encouraged everyone to apply for the Dallas B.U.I.L.D business grant, and I received an additional $3000 and via the VWEC Coffee & Contracts program I obtained my woman owned business certification with the Women Business Council, Southwest.”

Angela Van, Retired Chief Warrant Army Officer 3, shares that at the beginning of 2020, she thought her business Keisha’s Kare Learning Academy, was doing well and she was headed for greater things in her personal and business life; but then came March 2020, COVID-19 the great pandemic of our time. Van explains, “March 2020, I went from 100% enrollment of my learning center to 30% enrollment for 5 months. I had to lay off my staff and was not sure if I was going to be able to survive this pandemic. Then came the Veterans Women Enterprise Center and the NLBT. “The NLBT has transformed my way of thinking about my business and how I can make it succeed throughout this pandemic. This vigorous 4 week Cohort has helped me transform my busines in the areas of technology (protecting my data, backups, creating business processes to name a few); truly understanding financial terms and their applications to my business profit and loss, cash flow, balance sheets, equity, and dividends; sales and the relevance of forecasting monthly sales goals and lead generations to expand my client base; and finally marketing with a focus on analytics and how use that data to drive business activities for the learning center.”

Small adds, “The VWEC’s slogan ‘Connecting You Is What We Do: Get Connected’ and the part of our mission statement that reads ‘ensuring access to the personal and professional resources they need to succeed’ are not superficial marketing slogans, the VWEC lives these concepts daily, and our clients reflect our efforts to keep them informed and connected. We’re not just building businesses, we’re transforming lives!”

The VWEC remains committed to putting their mission in action daily by helping Entrepreneur Women Associated with the Military (EWAM) inclusive of veterans, active duty, reservists, and female military spouses scale for success. They continue to establish strategic alliances, leverage public/private-sector opportunities, advocate for relevant research, services, and funding, while simultaneously providing on-site the personal and professional resources female veteran entrepreneurs need to succeed. For more information on upcoming Next Level Business Transformation Master Classes, visit www.veteranwomensec.org.

Vivian Fullerlove
VLF Media & Promotions
+1 2145643359
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