Access to capital

As the owner of a catering company, Nicole Jordan has seen an extreme decline in contracts and income since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately for this Illinois-based small business owner, as a former banker she is well connected to the financial resources in her community.

Small Business Majority’s Outreach Team advocates for entrepreneurs on two fronts: It supports policies that would benefit small firms, and it offers workshops and events that help small business owners grow their companies. We have found this work to be even more important during this global health and economic crisis. 

This week we are spotlighting Rachel Shanklin, Small Business Majority’s new Georgia Outreach Manager, to let small business owners know how our team members can assist them.

Derreck Johnson is painstakingly aware of how the current global health crisis has impacted not only his small business but the entire small business ecosystem in Oakland, Calif. 

Derreck has been an entrepreneur for the past 30 years and has always had a passion for identifying a community need and filling it with a business. His entrepreneurial journey started with a small car washing business, but now he is a restaurateur and the proud founder of the now employee-owned restaurant Home of Chicken and Waffles.

Tammy McDaniel started working in travel management after serving in the Iowa National Guard for five years and the U.S. Air Force for more than two years, but she’s always had a curiosity and passion for the travel industry. As a young woman who vacationed with her family every year, she found travel booking to be an interesting way to make a living. She sought opportunities to help her learn more about travel management, and eventually she opened Tammy’s Journeys in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. 

Guana Stamps, owner of Keep it Moving & Associates LLC in Chicago, Ill. opened her limousine service with the idea of offering a safe, reliable way of transportation for her clients. Keep it Moving is a pet friendly car service, which is an uncommon feature in the transportation business and sets her apart from the local competition. 

After working as a public school teacher in Los Angeles during the height of the 2008 recession, Corissa Hernandez was inspired to launch her first mission-driven company to support her local community in Covina, California. Through Legacy Full Circle Financial & Insurance Services, Corissa educates low to middle-income families about financial literacy and planning. But she didn’t stop there.

Rob Lightner and his business partner Chris Coomber opened East Brother Beer Company, a brewery and taproom in Richmond, California with the idea that beer can be a democratizing force—by being more accessible to those who wish to try new “potions,” enjoy some downtime and foster relationships in an inclusive community.