HustleSBE Cohort Three

On May 20, 2021, the South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership concluded its third HustleSBE cohort, a business bootcamp aimed toward providing support and assistance to minority and women entrepreneurs across the five-county region.

Participants gathered for interactive learning and one-on-one coaching with their business coach and HustleSBE facilitator and heard from guest speakers from across the region that provided their expert knowledge and willingness to foster connections. HustleSBE focuses on creating resiliency and strengthening business strategies for both during a crisis like COVD-19 and beyond.

“Being an entrepreneur can be lonely and difficult, says Cohort Three Graduate and CEO of Write Connections Jess Koscher, “While we are dreamers and risk-takers, we are also working every spare minute in our business. HustleSBE granted us the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs and build a community, so we are not alone. Our facilitator, Celena and her portfolio of guests shared tools to allow us to grow and dream bigger while keeping our feet on the ground and rooted. We learned to figure out how to carve out time to work on our business and not just in our business.”

This cohort was comprised of 56% African American or Black business owners, 22% Asian American and 32% Multiracial, Hispanic or Latino, or Caucasian or White business owners, with 60% female and 40% male. Fifty percent have established businesses in South Bend, 22% in Elkhart, and the remaining 18% consists of businesses in Niles, Mishawaka, and Goshen. Collectively, the graduates are on track to see a 65% increase revenues over 2020, equipped with the tools and network HustleSBE provided. Cohort 3 included businesses from farming, health and wellness, retail, food industry and marketing services. To read the full press release, click here.