The U.S. Small Business Administration’s South Florida District Office is one of 27 cities and communities across the country chosen for SBA’s 2014 Emerging Leaders (formerly e200) executive-level intensive entrepreneurship training initiative. Entering its seventh consecutive year, the initiative has trained more than 2,000 promising small business owners in underserved communities, and continues to expand its impact helping small businesses grow and create jobs.
The Emerging Leaders initiative has been a catalyst for expanding opportunities for underserved communities. Surveyed Emerging Leader graduates have created nearly 2,000 new full-time jobs have been created since the program’s inception. These graduates also reported having secured more than $73 million in new financing for their businesses, and an increase in confidence when competing for government contracts. After participants in the Emerging Leaders training graduate, companies have reported they were awarded federal, state, local and tribal contracts, worth more than $1 billion. Sixty-two percent of surveyed participants reported an increase in revenue while 72 percent of those surveyed reported maintaining or creating new jobs in their communities.
The seven-month executive intensive entrepreneurship education series includes approximately 100 hours of classroom time per participant and provides the opportunity for small business owners to work with experienced mentors, attend workshops, and develop connections with their peers, city leaders, and financial communities. The deadline to apply is March 21.
To participate in the 2014 SBA’s Emerging Leaders Initiative, the business must:
• Be located in Miami-DadeCounty
• Have been established for at least three (3) years. (This curriculum is not for start-up companies.)
• Have annual revenues between $400,000 and $10 million per year.
• Have employees. (i.e. at least one employee besides the owner).
• Be represented by the key decision maker of the qualified business
• Participant must be able to commit to attending 13 training sessions and complete required homework. (about a 100 hour commitment)