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Make a Difference | |
Making a Difference in the life of an entrepreneur means helping a talented individual build a business that will sustain his or her family, provide jobs, and keep cash circulating in our communities. Every penny counts. Show your support for our entrepreneurs today! |
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Upcoming Programs Activities |
Community Business Academy Ninety-four entrepreneurs started the Spring CBA session on February 28. Classes are held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings in Jersey City, and on Thursday evenings in Orange.
Interested in the Fall CBA session? Click here to find an upcoming CBA orientation date near you!
Business Acceleration Services
The next six months will be filled with seminars, workshops and resources to give small business owners the skills they need for business success! Click here to find out about upcoming events and activities! |
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Celebrating heroes during Black History Month
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During my travels, I have had the opportunity to step back and reflect on all the ways Rising Tide Capital has grown since the Community Business Academy first opened its doors to Jersey City in 2006. This week, over 90 entrepreneurs will embark on their journey with Rising Tide Capital. They will join a growing network of Rising Tide entrepreneurs throughout northern New Jersey who are supporting their families and changing their communities through entrepreneurship. Not only that, they will join a family of hundreds of supporters and volunteers, like Rob Jelinski, who commit their talent and time year around to make high quality programs, like the Marketing Master class available to all Rising Tide entrepreneurs.
This February, while we recognize the heroes of the past for Black History Month, I encourage you to read about some of my modern heroes- entrepreneurs like Bernard and Qiyamah who are pursuing their dreams despite the uncertainties of today's economy. In March, with the support of the Citi Foundation, we will kick off the Rising Tide Exchange so that you can learn more about the accomplishments and needs of these entrepreneurs.
I'm looking forward to returning to Jersey City and our bustling headquarters on Martin Luther King Drive.
See you soon!
Alfa Demmellash
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Rising Tide Capital to unveil Rising Tide Exchange in 2012 |
Look out for the Rising Tide Exchange!
Rising Tide Capital is set to launch the Rising Tide Exchange next month. The new website- which is funded by a grant from the Citi Foundation- will provide a platform that will allow Rising Tide Entrepreneurs to connect directly with one another and the general public.
"This is a project that comes directly at the request of our entrepreneurs. After getting their businesses started, one of the biggest challenges our entrepreneurs face is figuring out how to market their business online," said Chief Operations Officer Alex Forrester, "With this website we hope to increase the visibility of Rising Tide entrepreneurs in business." Read more |
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Qiyamah Singletary: Making Beauty Her Business
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 In a sea of beauty products, Immaculate Collections stands out with natural ingredients like African shea butter, mango seed extract and essential oils which founder Qiyamah Singletary hand-selects from an organic farm in Illinois and traditional markets in Egypt. Today Immaculate Collections products are sold at several stores around Northern NJ, but the eco-friendly business began with a personal commitment to a holistic lifestyle and a haircut. "After years of using chemicals to straighten my hair, I decided to go all natural. I cut off my hair and let it grow out naturally," said Qiyamah, "That's when I started experimenting." As her hair grew back, Qiyamah experimented with natural ingredients to create products that would keep her hair healthy and beautiful. She drew on personal research as well as lessons she'd learned from her mother, who for more than two decades created natural beauty products for the family store, The All Body Shop in Newark, NJ. Read more
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Volunteer Highlight: Rob Jelinski shares his experience at Marketing Master Class |
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Designer Rob Jelinski coaches Rising Tide Entrepreneurs during Marketing Master Class on February 23, 2012 |
Every day, Rising Tide Capital is helping to write business success stories by uniting professionals and entrepreneurs in training classes that address the basic pitfalls on the road to success.
Have you ever wondered how to file taxes for your newly founded company? How to package your handmade products for the retail market? How to market your company to make it stand out from the competition? How to make your story a success story? These are just a few of the questions that kept me up late at night as a young entrepreneur. Sure, we love reading success stories in Inc. Magazine about startup companies that overcame all obstacles to "make it big," but do we ever wonder how many more of those stories there would be if each one of us helped
someone else to reach their dreams?
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Entrepreneur Spotlight: Bernard's Unlimited Possibilities |
 The owner of Unlimited Cleaning, Bernard Hendricks, has been a longtime client of Rising Tide Capital. Born and raised in Orange, NJ, Bernard settled in Jersey City with his wife after getting married. Before his current job with New Jersey City University's (NJCU) housekeeping department, Bernard held a variety of jobs, but always wanted to open his own business.
"I worked for a number of supermarkets in the past. The warm atmosphere and the people led me to want to open my own store," said Hendricks. "I didn't know where to turn or how to get started; opening a store wasn't as easy as it seemed, but I never gave up on it."
Read more |
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Donor Appreciation Month Is Around the Corner | |
Look out for a special Thank You from our team!
With your support we have been able to expand the Community Business Academy into Essex County and serve 58% more entrepreneurs this year than last. As a result of this joint effort, there are 233 additional live businesses and many more on the way. In March, Rising Tide Capital will celebrate the donors- both big and small- who have made these success stories possible.
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Rising Tide Capital is Starting Something in March
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Two events are coming up in March to help entrepreneurs Start Something to strengthen and grow their businesses in the new year. Look out for:
Words That Sell: Writing Effectively to Market Your Business
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 440 Hoboken Ave., Jersey City, NJ
March 8, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Money Talk: Debt Reduction, Credit Improvement and Financial Planning
Citibank, 520 Main Street, East Orange, NJ
March 22, 6:30pm-8:30pm
To RSVP, contact Jay Koo at 201-432-4316 ext. 111 or JayKoo@RisingTideCapital.org
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March Calendar of Events
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Click on the calendar icon to find out about our Program events and activities in March.
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