If you didn’t know, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. So I hope everyone is wearing a mask, please do it’ll save all of us so much time, energy and efforts… and lives, can’t forget the lives.
It’s impacted all of our lives in one shape or another, but there’s no doubt that Small Businesses have been the hardest hit and if we’re being honest (which I hope we all can do in the age of misinformation) minority Small Businesses have been the hardest hit.
Through my company Inventrify, we’ve helped with a Pittsburgh Black Business Owners Relief Fund that has raised over $60,000 but we know it’s nowhere near enough. I’ve also helped push for the $225M in Small Biz relief grants going into Pennsylvania as we speak, if you haven’t checked that out yet it is being done through the CDFIs and I highly encourage all Small Businesses to apply.
We’ll need more, more relief grants, more loan options… more everything. Don’t get me started on PPP, if you don’t know my feelings on it then check out the talk I did on SiriusXM… I knew it would be bad, and well.. it didn’t disappoint. Same with the Main Street Lending Program, who even knows what that is? Poorly executed and definitely not for true Main Street Businesses.
I told you all this will really be to follow my journey and hopefully so I can be apart of yours. So with full transparency, one thing I’m looking to do is get a Venture Fund setup. One that targets underestimated founders, which I’d venture to say is the majority of the readers checking out this post. Will I be able to successfully do it? Who knows, one thing is for sure… I won’t be able to do so without all of your help. This is the time for all of us to work together, we have no choice. I’m always open to connect and to think outside the box!
Anyways, glad you all are here… I’m glad we’re trying to work together. Now, lets go make some ‘good trouble’ together.