Hi, I'm Jeff Rea, your host for Economic Outlook.

Welcome to our program.

We're back in the studio today for another great show.

We hope you make plans each week to join us as we discuss the region's most important economic development initiatives with a panel of experts At the Women's Business Center in Berrien County that are helping women, people of color, veterans and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals start and grow businesses in southwest Michigan.

We'll take a closer look at their work and share some lessons learned from their success.

Coming up on economic outlook.

In Berrien County, leaders believe that developing and nurturing homegrown businesses is key to their community's economic future.

For the past 19 years, the Women's Business Center has been helping small businesses start and grow in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties by providing critical resources such as business counseling and financial education.

Today, joining me to talk about inclusive entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency opportunities are Kristin Patzer, the director of the Women's Business Center at the Cornerstone Alliance, and Christina Frank, the vice president of external affairs, also at the Cornerstone Alliance.

Ladies, thank you for joining me today.

Appreciate this.

Thanks for having us.

Yeah.

So first time for both of you.

I'm really grateful.

I'm sorry that I haven't had you before, but we'll have just a kind of a fun time talking today.

So, Christine, I'm with you.

Come your way first.

So if somebody is not familiar with Cornerstone, tell us a little bit about the work that you're doing up there.

Yeah.

So Cornerstone Alliance is the leading economic development organization in Berrien County.

We service all of Berrien County We've got about 34 municipalities.

We are an investor driven organization.

So every dollar that comes into our door is turned directly into back into the community in order to work on things like development, attracting businesses to the area, working to keep our existing businesses there and support them.

And then we do a number of other things outside of that kind of traditional economic development scope.

Kristen is going to talk a little bit about our entrepreneurship and WBC branch.

We also do some talent assisting with talent attraction for our local employers.

We have a first choice program, which is really a way to get people acclimated to our community.

We all know that when you accept a job kind of that, you know, bottom line, what your salary is going to be is really one of the deciding factors, but it's not the main factor.

You want to know where you're going to live and and where your kids are going to school.

So that program does that.

And we have several other programs.

We just closed out a Move to Michigan program where we're incentivizing people to move to the great state of Michigan.

Southwest Michigan, to be exact.

So, yeah, we do a number of things to market our community and really get out there and compete for business.

Great.

So, Kristin, I'm coming your way.

So tell us, for people not familiar with the work at the Women's Business Center, tell us a little bit about the women's business there.

Thank you Jeff for having us today.

So the Women's Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance is part of a national network of entrepreneurial support organizations.

We focus primarily on women.

However, that is not all that we serve people of color, veterans and low to moderate income individuals.

That's what differentiates us from SCORE and SPDC is which are our other SBA resource partners.

However, we cover Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties.

There are only three WBCSs in the state of Michigan, so we're very proud that we have one in Benton Harbor.

We were also recognized last year by the small business Administration as the WBC of the year in the state of Michigan.

And what we do is very wide ranging from talking to people as they're formulating their ideas, helping them to understand if it's marketable, viable, maybe if they're really cut out to be an entrepreneur, because we all know there's this sort of.

Sorry, I just meant Yeah.

There's this tremendous risk and uncertainty and glamor.

That was the word.

I apologize.

Yeah.

Glamor.

Yeah.

To being an entrepreneur.

And everyone always thinks of the positives about it, but it really is hard work.

It's not all not having your own boss and making up your own schedule.

So we help flush out ideas.

We help with technical assistance.

And by that I mean filing.

L.L.C and EIA numbers and where you go for licensure and also a wide array of programing and events as well.

Right.

Christine, I would come back your way, so maybe we're going to continue to talk talking in the Women's Business Center, but give us a little state of the economy, just sort of what's happening in really southwest Michigan.

How is the economy going?

How is the environment even for for entrepreneurs these days?

Yeah, So I think, you know, it's an interesting time we're in.

It's such an interesting time we're in and we saw with the pandemic, you know, a lot of that still kind of comes back to that and we saw people changing the way that they work.

I think spending some more time at home realizing like there's more to.

There's more to, you know, this this life that I want to do than go to the office every day.

So I think we saw an uptick in entrepreneurial interest then.

Now we're starting to see, you know, we've had some big tech announcement layoffs.

So that kind of trickles down.

People are like, wow, if I'm not working for corporate America, what will I be doing?

That's the I think it sparks, you know, innovation and ingenuity.

People want to then decide, okay, if I'm not in this box like I have created, then what else is out there?

What else can I do?

And a lot of people are interested in being their own boss and all of those things.

But as Kristen said, there's there's a lot more work to it.

But that entrepreneurial aspect of the economy is hugely important to any ecosystem.

And in order to have a healthy functioning economy, you have to have entrepreneurs, you have to have people that are out there innovating and creating things and bringing new opportunities to the market.

And so we talked offset just about the number of small business owners.

They are always going to be the backbone of every community.

So we have to support them.

And that's why Cornerstone thinks it is so important to have the WBC in House to be able to offer programs that you know, elevate our entrepreneurs and give them a fighting chance out in the big world.

So, Kristin, come your way to just to expand on that thought a little bit.

So so post pandemic is, as Christine said, it has changed a lot of things.

Talk a little bit about just sort of recent history of the WBC, what you're seeing or experiencing, you know, almost daily with interest from from entrepreneurs seeking to start or grow their business.

But we really see a wide range of businesses, and that's the fun part of the work.

And we truly have so many talented, intelligent people in our the three counties that we serve.

So, I mean, we see everything from what you think traditionally, retail, restaurants, we have people, artists, creative people that need assistance with starting their own, you know, marketing services.

I mean, it's really a wide range.

Some home based businesses, child care, beauty related businesses, tech.

I mean, it really runs the gamut of what's the interest that's out there and what people want to do.

Yeah, So, Christine you talked about being the backbone of the community a little bit.

Obviously, Southwest Michigan has a great history of some entrepreneurs who have who have done some terrific things, you know, make the pitch to somebody who's watching, who who knew why they'd want to do it in southwest Michigan versus somewhere else.

Boy, I would say it's really it's about foundation and what we have set in front of us.

So we have, you know, big names, Whirlpool, we have the Upton's, we have, you know, Merlin Hanson.

We have all of these amazing innovators who have left a legacy in southwest Michigan where it really has become this is the place to come, innovate and create.

And so I think that, you know, to anyone out there watching you, those are huge, trailblazing names that have paved the way that you now have this wonderful opportunity to come in and and really take advantage of all the groundwork that's been laid.

Right.

So Kristen back your way as we're talking just even the resources.

So so somebody sitting at home there, they're watching this.

They've had this idea again, help You talked a little bit about just kind of the counseling and some of the stuff that you do.

But but but help somebody understand what to do, how to how to do this.

How do I plug into this resource that's out there?

Sure.

And just to reiterate what Christina just said and to tell Southwest Michigan, we really have a wonderful support of entrepreneurs.

And what I mean by why would you want to start a business in southwest Michigan?

Because of the camaraderie that's there.

I genuinely see people rooting for one another.

We don't really have a competitiveness that I see among the WBC clients or other businesses.

What I see is they really want to help one another succeed and figure this thing out.

And that's where the WBC comes in as well, that we're really the conduit to connect people to resources to one another.

Our services are free to low cost.

It's very easy to get started in our program and we do serve everyone and that's what I've enjoyed the most really, is watching the relationships form and see over time how those that really get involved with us flourish.

And again, we have an advantage.

Our Women's Business Center, I feel, because we do have the resources of Cornerstone Alliance and the Small Business Administration, so we're able to connect to additional resources and work with our business development team at Cornerstone Alliance to really ensure we get them what they need.

So someone asked the hard quite another hard question and actually maybe for either of you.

So we may have we talk entrepreneurial resources and we're thinking about, you know, counseling.

How do I write a business plan and how do I do my books and that kind of stuff.

But the other critical questions on the resource side, I have this great idea.

I need money for that.

I think sometimes there's this perception that there's big buckets full of money just waiting for entrepreneurs.

That's not always the case.

Just talk to us a little bit about somebody who's who has that idea, is looking for resources, what might be what might be available or how you might direct them.

I going to start with some of our you know, a lot of our clients come to us with different situations and as Kristen mentioned in the opening, you know, we we try to focus on assisting kind of the underserved populations so individuals who don't have resources and a lot of them come to us that, you know, don't have a great credit score, don't have a lot of collateral.

So we actually are lucky that we have a revolving loan fund.

So we are allowed and able to give out microloans to our client, to the WBC client And the goal of that is to really help someone who may not be bankable in a traditional lending sense, to help them get that seed money, get on their feet, get up and get going with their business, take classes and learn skills to be able to be financially independent, to get them to be bankable.

That can go into a traditional lender, to have a lot more opportunities and access to finance.

So that's a tool that we have that I'm I'm excited about.

We've seen it help individuals and clients.

And, you know, sometimes it's just everybody needs just a little something extra.

So we have that in place.

And then, Kristen, if you want to talk about other opportunities as well.

And Jeff, I think you make a great point.

I think that's my number one question, right?

Everyone thinks there's free money to start a business and that's just not the case.

And I like to be very direct about that.

But like Chris said, there are microloan programs and other ways maybe that is we connect you with a credit counselor and we like, you know, hey, you may not be able to get it today, but maybe in a year.

If you do A, B and C, you'll be able to get a small loan.

And there are ways to go about it.

But is there just free money?

And that's what you are getting at.

But I think back to why it's important to sort of plug in and then you can help advise them through this process and right the different processes.

Right.

And we've seen at work, we've seen people that come in that are thriving now and I think it takes patience and it takes some grit.

We're going to actually leave the studio for a second.

George Lepeniotis.

My co-host is out in the field.

He's going to show us one of those entrepreneurial success stories associated with the Women's Business Center.

George, let me toss it to you.

Thanks, Jeff.

I'm in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

I'm joined by Lashonda Smith, owner of Unique Elegance.

Lashonda, thanks for taking the time to show me around this awesome facility that is so unassuming.

Right?

I drove up here and the last thing I thought I was going to find is this amazing event space.

Before we kind of get to how this all happened, let's talk a little bit about you.

You are a lifelong Benton Harbor area resident, born and raised here, and your life took some turns and there is maybe a little bit of tragedy.

You lost your parents and ended up having to go make ends meet and you put some dreams aside.

Yes.

What was that dream?

What did you want to do?

Well, my initial dream was to become an interior decorator.

So that was my initial dream.

Like you said, during my younger years, I took it took a turn.

My life took a turn for the worse.

And I lost my mother After losing her, we kind of got rocky for me.

So with the help of a lot of different resources, it kind of put me in an area where I could start doing what I needed to do.

Yeah, yeah.

And you went through a career that in cosmetology that you liked doing, loved doing, but really still had this kind urge to do something in that interior design space.

And I can tell that you have that love because the space is so well designed.

I love it as I'm doing what I love and I like what I'm doing.

All right.

So let's get to how you got there.

So you were you decided the time was right in life for you to explore this dream, to try to be an entrepreneur.

What was it about entrepreneurship that attracted you?

Well, pretty much.

I've been an entrepreneur all my life because I did hair, so I've always been my own boss.

Pretty much with a little bit of working outside of that.

Just just doing what I love to do was my biggest goal in life in that that's what I'm doing now.

And in our talks before we went on the air, I really got the sense that you enjoy the autonomy and the individuality that comes with owning your own business.

So as you approached this business, this is a big jump from what you were doing.

Yes.

Yes.

it was a very big job, especially the space itself.

But yeah, a big jump.

So it is an event space.

Well, before we went on air, you said something about one of the biggest things that are kind of really taking over your book.

You're booked out quite, quite a ways.

Yes, I am.

Is baby showers, baby showers, weddings, anniversaries, pretty much the graduations.

Definitely.

That that season is coming up.

So it's pretty much whatever a person wants me to do, whatever their vision is, That's what I pretty much do.

I bring it to life.

And you now help them coordinate the party, coordinate catering, coordinate beverages, coordinate all of the various things that will go into making a successful event for these families.

Yes.

And how this space how did you come about this space here?

Well, I came about this space.

I was this way.

I was around the time of the pandemic.

So that's when everything was taking place.

I did a lot of my events out of local hotels and different things like that.

So I just told my husband I was just ready.

I was ready to find something.

It's a lot easier when you don't have to maneuver all over the place.

So we just started looking for somewhere to go, and this was one of the locations that we looked at.

And from what I understand, Cornerstone Alliance came to be a resource to you.

Yes, Cornerstone Alliance actually was the first resource through Margaret Adams.

Margaret, basically, walk me through every step of the way in the beginning that I needed to get myself established for my business.

And these programs do.

Cornerstone are there to promote entrepreneurship in general, but also females becoming entrepreneurs and finding value in that.

That is correct.

And now I'm working with Jackie and Christian and they are amazing.

They have helped me with marketing, they've helped me with finding different locations if I need it.

They've helped me with networking, they've helped with a lot of different things that you definitely need in order to make it.

Did you find that process difficult or intimidating?

I know a lot of times entrepreneurs or people that could use the help, right?

Don't ask for it.

And maybe because they think it'll be difficult, there'll be a real steep process, paperwork, that sort of thing.

I was that is funny that you mention that because that's a conversation that me and Jackie just had for me.

It was difficult for me because it was hard for me to ask for help.

I've always did everything on my own, so it was hard for me to reach out to get the help that I needed.

Now that I that I do have the help, it is a lot easier being able to go to resources and be able to be brought resources to actually help me get where I'm going to.

Awesome.

Now, before we finish up, I did want to talk a little bit about your future because you've got some plans to grow.

This is a great space, but you're you're looking the next step at maybe owning your own space, expanding size, getting better quality of of decorations and materials, and putting on your what you call it quality over quantity.

Yes, quality over quantity.

That's my favorite saying.

Everybody knows.

That's what they hear me say all the time.

I'm a quality individual, not necessarily quantity, because I know that quality gives you that vision that you really, really, really enjoy.

Well, Lashonda, thank you for showing us around.

I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us and show us how this has been kind of a cool success story in your entrepreneur story.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Jeff, back to you in the studio.

I'm sure you're going to talk more about entrepreneurs and the different categories of our society and how they're finding ways to succeed at their very own businesses.

George, thank you.

Appreciate the chance to look at one of your great success stories.

Kristin we are out in the field.

We get a chance to see one of the success stories, an entrepreneur that you've had a chance to to work some with.

So so give us an overall picture.

Talk to us a little bit about this success you've been the center's been at this for a little bit long.

Give us a feel for just kind of how many businesses it's impacting as well.

Our program started in 2004 and we just recently celebrated a milestone of starting our 250th business.

And as I said, we cover Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties.

So we're very excited about that.

To give you an idea, in 2022, we started 19 businesses we've counseled and trained close to a thousand individuals.

So, you know, I think those are some terrific numbers.

As you said, the backbone and imagine of 250 businesses hadn't started in Southwest Michigan.

So an important piece there.

So, you know, as we look at the number, about 40% of all businesses are women owned for various reasons.

I think this is a great example of like, let's try to drive that number up and such.

But we're also doing some other things in Berrien County to empower women leaders in the area.

So talk a little bit about some of those efforts.

Yeah, so we actually have our kind of signature event coming up on March 2nd, and it's called Flex Female Leadership Excellence.

And this program, it's a panel style program where we bring in four just insanely powerful, inspiring, amazing female professionals to come in and talk to the audience.

And and it gives the audience an opportunity to really focus on those real world, real world questions or situations that they might have when it comes to their own personal and professional journeys.

And that's coming up, as I said, March 2nd.

And it's really we aim to have a panel who represents the entire room.

So our goal is to be anyone sitting in that room would be able to have something relatable to someone on that panel.

So we've done a really excellent job of that.

This is our second year.

It sold out within a week of tickets being on sale last year.

Tickets just went on sale this week.

And I've noticed I think there's like 60 tickets left.

So tickets are going really fast.

It's a well-received, amazing event.

We do a free option as well because so many times you have these events, it's like, Oh, we're going to be inclusive.

Tickets are a couple hundred dollars apiece.

Well, then you've just cut out an entire group of people that you know don't have the time and the money and to do that.

So we do have a free option as well.

We really want this to be inclusive.

We really want to support our female leaders in the community.

All females can be leaders.

So we want to support that.

And then we also want to be sure that our local employers understand, as we're all in this war for talent, we have this population we should really be looking at because they are coming with knowledge and skills and talent and all of the things.

So that's really what we're working on right now, is promoting those female leaders in that community.

Very exciting.

So it sounds like some some terrific programing there.

So we're in our last about 4 minutes or so.

So Kristin, come back your way as we begin to wrap up a little bit again for for folks sitting, sitting on the couch, that that I'll be honest, I never have been brave enough to be an entrepreneur.

My my parents were entrepreneurs.

My grandparents, my great grandparents are entrepreneurs.

I've always worked for somebody else.

So it is a big it's a big risk.

It's a big leap.

But sometimes it just needs the encouragement or support.

So help, help, help move somebody from from the couch or out of the the chair here into the entrepreneurship space.

Well, I would say just come and talk to us.

It's free.

It doesn't obligate you to necessarily do it, but we can help you figure out that this idea in your head, whether it's viable, whether it's doable, and then at least by exploring it and making that step, you'll know either way.

So it's a win win and really there's nothing to be scared of because it's it's not.

It's just exploring the idea.

And hey, I've seen people do it too, that are hesitant.

They talk to us, they realize the resources out there.

Sometimes you don't know.

I mean, I wouldn't know if I were just sitting on my couch.

What was out there to help.

So I'd say, Hey, give us give us a call and Christine will come your way.

So.

So Cornerstone's been such a critical catalyst to the revitalization in Benton Harbor with partners like Whirlpool and others.

But but somebody who's unfamiliar or with sort of the activities going on help help them understand why.

Why St. Joe, Benton Harbor, Berrien, any of the 34 I think, you know, communities you mentioned in Berrien County or all of southwest Michigan, why why that would be what they should be thinking about as they're thinking about starting a business here.

Well, you know, I think money speaks to everybody.

And so we are the 10th highest per capita income in the entire state of Michigan.

So come to Berrien County, where you will make more than almost everyone else in the state.

First and foremost.

Right outside of that, I would say the quality of life.

You know, we've got amazing communities.

We have a lot of sort of small towns, but you have such access to big cities, right?

We're 90 minutes from Chicago.

You can be the Grand Rapids, you can be to Detroit.

All within, you know, a couple of hours drive.

Not a big deal.

So if if you need that big city excitement every now and then, jump in your car and here you go.

But really it's about, you know, good school miles, great communities.

And we all we have opportunities, as you mentioned, you know, we've got Whirlpool, Corwell Health, we have Bosch and you name it, we have a ton of manufacturers still in our community.

So there are opportunities for everyone.

And and we would love to have we'd love to have people come along.

Check it out.

Great.

Kristin, Just as we leave for people wanting more information about the Women's Business Center, where should we send them?

The easiest is to visit our website, CornerstoneWBC.com we also have a Facebook page to search Women's Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance.

Ladies, thank you so much for your time today.

Appreciate it.

This is great.

So great program.

We look forward to have you back for some updates in the future.

So that's it for our show today.

Thank you for watching on WNIT or listening to our podcast to watch this episode.

Again, any of our past episodes, you can find economic outlook at WNIT.org or find our podcast on most major podcast platforms.

Listen, you like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter I'm Jeff Rea.

I'll see you next week.

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Thank you.