By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – Help’s available for women – particularly women of color – who are trying to start up their own businesses.
Women Employed, a nonprofit organization, has collected resources and networking opportunities under one banner: WE Hub.
Barriers, says Women Employed director of business development Ibie Hart, include “lack of social capital, the connections you might have, the credit score you might have to get those loans, fear of (whether I can) pay back this loan, it’s the personal-professional connection, the informal knowledge you might get from being around other business owners, mentoring, lack of access to info, navigating to where it is, which one’s correct, how do i start off, isn’t easy.”
A business, said Hart, could be as simple as a quilter monetizing her hobby.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]