Dream.build.rise Albion E-Program participants get to pitch their businesses for prizes Monday

By SYLVIA BENAVIDEZ

Contributing Writer
July 22, 2021

Monday, July 26 at 5:30 p.m. the future or current business owners will participate in Pitch Day at the Bohm Theatre.

Launched with a generous grant from the Albion Community Foundation and the support of the Albion Economic Development Corporation, the dreamers or entrepreneurial hopefuls participating in the dream.build.rise Albion E-Program have spent nearly two months participating in coaching and educational sessions in hopes to spur minority and women business growth in the city.

The dream.build.rise Albion E-Program team at Boss Up in Albion coaching and supporting current and future minority and women business owners in the city. In the back row are Christine Bowman, Ryan Showers, Justin Andert, Faris Alami. Front row Donisha Brewer and Mocara Ortiz. The team is prepping participants in the program for their big pitch day at the Bohm Theatre on Monday.

Entrepreneurs who successfully completed the 1st cohort of the program will deliver a 2-minute pitch to showcase their business or businesses ideas to a 3-person panel of subject matter experts. The panel will provide feedback then select the 3 best pitches that will receive free continued entrepreneurial support from ISM INC, the group providing the training model for the program, valued at over $10,000. International Strategic Management, ISM, has trained over 500,000 entrepreneurs globally.

Faris Alami, ISM Founder & CEO, and Justin Andert coach the dreamers of the dream.build.rise Albion E-Program at the Boss UP office in Albion.

The public is invited to come to show support for these entrepreneurs investing in themselves and in the Albion business community. Some of the local participants have been Dora Byrd who is grateful to get support for launching her tutoring company Rachel Muzquiz who operates an E-commerce clothing store is dedicated to her customers and has enjoyed the coaching from the program.

“I hope to gain enough knowledge to take my business from E-commerce to brick and mortar so I can have a physical location to shop at,” she shared.

Another participant is Sue Ott, a familiar face in Albion and business owner of the Jolly Green Junction. She provides Albion residents with fresh produce and specialty decorations and food snacks. Damarious Smith and O’Neal Warnsley own the relatively new auto detailing business in Albion, Inside Out. They have big growth plans for their business.

To meet all of the dreamers, come to the Pitch Party at the Bohm Theatre on Monday or visit Dreambuildrise on Facebook or dreambuildrise.com.

Photos by Sylvia Benavidez except as noted. Photos and story copyright, The Recorder.

This story is reprinted with permission from The Recorder.
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