Chicago Community Ventures Blog

Preparing for Investment: May 19 workshop held by CCV and JVS

Are you a small business owner looking to obtain financing? Do you need more money to buy equipment or hire more employees?

CCV is partnering with JVS to host Business Capital Workshop. This workshop will cover entrepreneurial financing from a number of angles. Every entrepreneur must have an idea of basic building blocks they should have in place before they look for funding. This workshop teaches you what your business needs in order to obtain financing and outlines the process of preparing for different types of investment (equity, debt and angel).

Business Capital Workshop
Event Details
9 a.m.-12 p.m., Thursday, May 19
Citicorp Center, 500 W. Madison, Chicago
3rd floor check-in (starts at 8:30 a.m.)
Sponsored by CitiBank, this event is free for attendees but pre-registration is required. Please click here to register.

This workshop begins to answer questions of how you can obtain financing for your business, but in order to apply this knowledge to your business, CCV recognizes that you will need more than just information. We will be hosting a Financial Empowerment Training Program, where small business owners can attend workshops and create actionable plans to apply what they learn to their own businesses. Program dates are scheduled for June. To find out more about the program, contact us at 312.960.0320 or email cfreemon@chiventures.org.

 

                

City of Chicago Facade Rebate Program Launched

City launches 2011 Facade Rebate Program and its a great alternative for those who are not eligible for SBIF to get some repairs done to the facade of their businesses.

On April 26, 2011 the City of Chicago launched the 2011 Facade Rebate Program. The 2011 Facade Rebate program is funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which funds projects in low- to moderate-income communities only. Over the past three years, this program has assisted 44 businesses with grants totaling $500,000.

The program, meant to facilitate façade improvements for neighborhood businesses through financial and technical aid, offers rebates in the form of matching grants of up to $20,000, to eligible commercial and industrial businesses and property owners who complete qualified facade rehabilitation projects. An eligible "facade" is the front face or elevation of the building which typically faces the street and contains windows and the principal entrance to the building.

The guide, application, map of CDBG-eligible areas and other application documents can be found on HED's website, www.cityofchicago.org/hed by clicking first on the Economic Development link under Service Providers. Click here to apply.

Program applications are due by 4 PM on Friday, June 3, 2011

Applications and/or questions should be directed to Annie Coakley, Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development, 121 N. LaSalle, Room 1006, Chicago, IL 60602. Ms. Coakley can be reached by phone at (312) 744-8280.

CCV heart Small Business: Food Edition-Success!

This past Tuesday night, Mr. Brown's Lounge was packed, not only with people there for the game but with a room of food business owners and service providers.

Our expert panelists Cleetus Friedman of City Provisions, Darius Williams of Cupcake Gallery and Uptown Pie Company, and Dominic Melone of Frontera Foods shared their experiences (a few of which were pretty crazy) and gave practical tips to small business owners on different aspects of their businesses.

Attendees (both business owners and service providers) were able to make connections with one another over some incredible jerk chicken and patties.

Much thanks to all who participated and made the event a success! Special thanks to our panelists for sharing their knowledge. Thanks to our exhibitors and service providers; take some time and check them out below.

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Interesting reads: news and resources for small business

A round up of interesting news and articles giving tips for small businesses. We want to post resources which are helpful to you, so comment and let us know what topics are interesting to you!

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Better business plan can lead to more customers. Read more.

Five bookkeeping tips for business owners. Read more.

Philanthropy as business model? Read more.

How to use video to market your business. Read more.

Facebook and Amex offering business makeovers. Read more.

 

Check Out CCV Hearts Small Business Exhbitor: New Equity Business

New Equity Business will be an exhbitor at CCV Hearts Small Business - Food Edition on Tuesday, April 26 from 6:00-8:00pm.

What is New Equity Business? New Equity Business (www.newequitybusiness.com) is the nation’s premier site for entrepreneurs to find small business financing products, learn about important news and information, and connect to qualified financing specialists. The site hosts a free, searchable database of over 1500 public and private financing products from over 420 funders/lenders/investors. Through New Equity Business, entrepreneurs can also connect to financing specialists – “NEB Navigators” – who help small business owners assess their financial readiness and apply for financing. The site also features a rich and growing collection of news and features articles on small business financing and financial health.

Read recent articles on the sustainable food industry and local businesses:  Social Enterprise Financing: Investors take a chance on doing well by doing good & USDA Rural Development is Fertilizer for Locally Grown Agribusinesses and more at New Equity Business.

If you are interested in learning more about New Equity Business, visit their website or come to CCV Hearts Small Business - Culinary Edition on April 26th. Register here.