May 18 • 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Secrets of All Successful Business Owners: Business Planning 101
Whether you are a new, existing or scaling business in Baton Rouge that would like to learn about how to strategically develop a business plan for your small business this is the training for you.
A good business plan helps you set clear goals and guidelines for how you will manage your business and can also be needed to set employee goals or obtain funding in the future.
The event will is being hosted by the Advancing Cities partnership between JP Morgan Chase, MetroMorphosis and TruFund Financial Services.
Grow Your Business
We actively recruit small and emerging businesses, assess their strengths, needs and gaps and develop a customized support and coaching plan to help the business acquire what it needs to excel. Businesses gain access to coaching, training, technical assistance and information on upcoming bid opportunities.
Diversify Your Suppliers
We build relationships with large purchasers of goods and services to understand their business needs and spending goals. Through the Baton Rouge Procurement Opportunity Partnership (BR POP), we help businesses to diversify their supply chain while strengthening the community and the economy.
Connect Verified Small Businesses
We vet small and emerging businesses to identify their assets and verify their credentials so that when we connect them to large purchasers and capital lending institutions, everyone is assured that it is a good fit.
Our small business work is held in our LaunchBR container which is focused on expanding business ownership and ultimate business success within underrepresented populations and under-invested communities by providing them with access to training, coaching, mentoring and contracting support.
LaunchBR uses multiple strategies to accomplish this:
- Comprehensive entrepreneurial education
- Connections to working capital
- Stand-alone courses in targeted fields
- Connections to mentors and coaches
- Referrals to other resource providers
- Connections to larger contracts
- Opportunity to compete to win start-up capital
- Connecting procurement officers with diverse suppliers
The LaunchBR program focuses on companies that commit to hiring from and/or perform services in North Baton Rouge, desire to build capacity, and are considered small and emerging because the business has less than $1M net worth or at least 51% ownership by persons with individual net worths of less than $400,000.
In 2022, we launched a new LaunchBR opportunity, the Revolving Loan Fund. Through a partnership with Essential Federal Credit Union, this fund is available to local businesses looking to grow in capacity, recover from the impact of disaster or crisis, or pivot their services to reflect innovation in their sector.
Learn more here and select the “Revolving Loan Fund” opportunity in the LaunchBR application below.
AdvancingCitiesBR
The Advancing Cities BR Small Business Development Series includes a free 5-week training course, individualized business coaching, and access to lending up to $100,000 for small businesses and entrepreneurs located in or connected to North Baton Rouge and the Plank Road corridor. Entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners who are interested in these opportunities should apply using the application form below.
Once applications are received, business owners can share their needs and goals in a one-on-one conversation to determine whether they are "Pre-Lending" or "Lending Ready." Businesses that are designated as pre-lending can take advantage of individualized business coaching as well as a free 5-week virtual business course that covers risk management, certifications, financial literacy, and other important topics.
If you have questions about the Advancing Cities Business Development Series, you can contact us directly at LaunchBR@MetroMorphosis.net.
What is BR POP?
BR POP is a voluntary program for public entities and private businesses to enhance diversity and inclusive practices in their procurement of goods and services from area vendors. So far, major universities, hospitals, industrial companies, and engineering firms have signed up to participate, with more on the way!
Who is eligible?
Veteran, women, and minority-owned small businesses in the Capital Region are encouraged to engage with BR POP for procurement opportunities.
How do I get involved?
Eligible small businesses may email info@brpop.net for an initial consultation and introduction to the LaunchBR suite of services, designed to help small businesses succeed through training, coaching, mentorship, and connections to procurers.
BR POP is a collaborative initiative of the Office of Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, MetroMorphosis, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, and the East Baton Rouge Parish School System Fair Share Program.
Previous EVENTS & Classes
Testimonials
“I've been able to scale my business by using the information from the Green Technology Business Academy. The team also helped me gain access to capital and coached me through securing different certifications. Now I have expanded to a 3 man crew and I've grown my revenue. ”
“All the classes were very informative and helped my business grow and become more profitable.”
“The power of Patch LA partnering with LaunchBR is that it gives us an opportunity to work on projects that otherwise we may not be able to have access to. It exposes communities and projects and stakeholders to green infrastructure and ways to use the landscape that otherwise they may not have been exposed to.”
