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Looking to build an exclusive bridal studio from scratch, Veatrice Conley turned to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Urban Vision Initiative program. The program aims to connect local entrepreneurs and student consultants in underserved communities to help chart a path to economic viability.
Conley and eight other would-be entrepreneurs recently reached their first milestone, a six-week bootcamp consisting of 24-hour sessions focused on stabilizing startup businesses and strengthening business plans. graduated from
Conley, 39, owner of Unveiled Bridal Studio on Cherry Street in downtown Chattanooga.
“The Entrepreneurial Network has not been as good as any past business program I have attended, and I owe many of my recent business relationships to UVI.”
The philosophy behind the Urban Vision initiative is that “everyone can be an entrepreneur and entrepreneurship can be a way out of poverty,” said the program’s director, UTC. said Mike Bradshaw, the first entrepreneur of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It is housed within the Gary W. Rollins College of Business.
Now that the boot camp is complete, entrepreneurs will be assisted by seven UVI-trained UTC student consultants. They coach them in specific areas such as web design, cash flow, and marketing.
Since 2021, Bradshaw has been building the foundation for UVI. UVI is an entrepreneurial program aimed at reducing poverty and wealth inequality in Chattanooga’s underserved communities. Nearly one in five of her in Chattanoogan lives in poverty.
The UVI program is made possible by the Jack and Charlotte Frost Family Foundation, which covers student salaries and other expenses. Other program collaborators include the Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union through the Idea Leap Grant Competition and his LAUNCH Chattanooga, whose work promotes entrepreneurship, technological advancement, capital formation and workforce development. increase.
“If the business is not stable and predictable, which may never be the case, it is important for entrepreneurs to determine if and when it is the right time to leave their day job. It helps us do that,” said Bradshaw.
“Rising tides don’t lift all ships. They have to pump water to those communities. We connect UTC to that aspect of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
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