YBI WE Grow Class Graduates First Class

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Youngstown Business Incubator’s Women in Entrepreneurship Program last night completed its first WE Grow class with a graduation ceremony and the awarding of a $1,000 grant to one of its participants.

WE Grow is is a four-week program designed for women entrepreneurs who are eager to take their business to the next level, says Carmella Williams, YBI director of diversity and inclusion. Participants attend lectures and complete coursework pertaining to marketing strategy and tactics, basic accounting and audience research. The program is open to women who have worked in business for at least two years. For this first cohort, the WE program graduated nine woman-owned enterprises.

“This is our first WE Grow class and we did this class completely different from our other accelerators,” Williams notes. “Instead of sending the women home with a strategic marketing plan outline, we worked on the various sections in class. This allowed the women to ask questions specific to their plan. The women who graduated from WE Grow are more prepared to present their company to new and existing clients, venture capitalist, bankers, and angel investors.”

The event took place at the downtown branch of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County. The four-week program was sponsored by Medical Mutual.

At the conclusion, participants pitched their plan for growth for a chance to win a $1000 grant to be used for marketing purposes. Britney Robinson, owner of Nails by Binq, was selected. She has been a licensed manicurist for 13 years and is planning to use the funds to develop a greater online presence to promote her services and products she will sell to a growing client base.

Pictured at top: Carmella Williams, right, presents Britney Robinson with a $1,000 grant to fund marketing efforts.

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