- 2 days ago
This growth-focused panel brings together Iam Tucker (Integrated Logistical Support, Inc.), Carrita Tanner-Cloud (Creativity Justified and Carrita Cloud & Associates), Shamelda Pete (LED), and Stephanie Hartman (LED) -- four professionals deeply embedded in business development, economic empowerment, and entrepreneurial support. Moderated by Brandi Harris, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, the discussion will explore strategic pathways to scaling, from accessing capital and leveraging government resources to building networks that fuel sustainable growth. Panelists will share what's working, what barriers still exist, and how entrepreneurs can strategically position themselves for success.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00My name is Brandi B. Harris and I am here to lead the Power Grid Conversation
00:05hosted by Louisiana Economic Development. Give it up for these wonderful panelists.
00:09Y'all can all have a seat. Let me tell y'all, we're going to talk about strategy, access, and community.
00:16Three things that business owners, black business owners, black women business owners,
00:21fellas, I see y'all here, but that's as fast as for the ladies, okay?
00:25So for all of the lady business owners out there, we've got some lady business owners
00:29that are going to walk you through resources, access to capital, and community
00:33so that we can all do what? Make that coin, no?
00:36Can y'all give me a little? Come on, energy.
00:39Yes, that's what we're trying to bring into the building today.
00:43So let me first introduce you to my great friends from the Louisiana Economic Development.
00:47I've got Ms. Shamel DePete and I've got Ms. Stephanie here,
00:51and they're going to talk to us about some of the important resources that LED has to offer.
00:56So Stephanie, Ms. Stephanie Hartman, let's start with you.
01:00LED, y'all are here today to help connect business owners to those resources, right?
01:06We want everybody to do what?
01:08Make some money.
01:10Yeah.
01:10That's right. And y'all know how to make the money,
01:12or at least connect them to the resources for the information.
01:15So tell me, y'all have small business support.
01:17Which one should small business owners be looking for?
01:20And what resources are underused, not being used right now?
01:25Yeah, so I have to start with the underutilized question,
01:28because honestly, all of them are underutilized.
01:31I think what we want to do is stop these programs and these resources
01:34to support our small businesses from being the best-kept secret out there in small business
01:39and do more to connect folks like these ladies to these programs
01:43that can help them achieve their goals, do the great things that they're doing,
01:47but do it hopefully with a little bit more support
01:49and a little bit fewer barriers to be able to get there.
01:53Under you, did y'all hear what she said?
01:54All of them.
01:55So there are resources for small business owners.
01:58So, Shamelda, capital.
02:00The coins.
02:02Every business runs on revenue.
02:04They need funds.
02:05Talk to me about how y'all connect small business owners to some of that capital.
02:09Great question.
02:10So we have SSBCI program, which is the State Small Business Credit Initiative.
02:16So these programs are credit enhancement programs that facilitate the access to capital.
02:21That includes our micro-lending program for companies who need loans for startup costs,
02:27smaller financing needs.
02:29We also have a collateral support program.
02:31That is for companies who typically have a hard time providing sufficient collateral
02:36to actually obtain a loan.
02:39And our final program is our Small Business Loan Guarantee Program.
02:43This provides a governmental guarantee to increase your chance of a lender extending a loan.
02:49All of these are available for small business owners,
02:54and this can be used for startup costs, expansion costs, purchases of inventory, working capital.
03:00So it's excellent financing options to help grow your business.
03:06Now, I don't know if y'all have these cards, but some of the LED staff, they're going to have these cards.
03:11There's a QR code on the back that you can scan to get information about some of these resources.
03:16So you're definitely going to want to not leave here today before you grab one of these cards, okay,
03:20so that you can get all this information.
03:22Now, I know y'all have the resources over at LED, and we appreciate that.
03:26We do.
03:26We are very grateful.
03:28But I know a lot of people in here may be starting their business.
03:31Let's take a show of hands.
03:32Raise your hand if you own a business right now.
03:36Come on, entrepreneurship.
03:37I love that.
03:38How many of you are just starting out?
03:41We've got some newcomers.
03:43Congratulations.
03:43We're proud of you.
03:44How many of you are ready to scale up, to do more, to be bigger?
03:50We love that.
03:50Well, that's what we're going to be talking about today.
03:52And these two beautiful ladies over here have experience with that,
03:56and not just doing it as entrepreneurs, but working with LED to make it happen.
04:01So I'm going to start with I am tucking, okay?
04:03Second-generation business owner.
04:05Now, what I love about that is some people are just starting out.
04:08You've kind of been watching it for a while, but you've done some different things with it.
04:11And now, engineering firm, correct?
04:15Yes, ma'am.
04:15Talk to me about that.
04:17How do we get into that?
04:19So, second-generation business owner.
04:22Before this, I was a police officer, right?
04:24So background a little bit, grew up in a little bit.
04:26But my business is called Ilse Engineering.
04:29We are a civil engineering, construction management, and program management firm.
04:34We do mostly government contracting, also some private developer work.
04:38We also work in this building, and a little bit of that.
04:41That's a great segue.
04:42That leads right into my question.
04:44LED has resources to connect you to networks, to capital.
04:49Talk to me about the networks, because I'm sure, having watched the business,
04:54that you know it takes a network of resources and people to make it a success.
04:58It takes a village.
04:58How do you secure those contracts and those networks?
05:00Absolutely.
05:01So one thing that I really appreciate about LED, and that's been extremely helpful,
05:06and that I want to push, is two real things that really stand out for me.
05:10The CEO roundtables.
05:12To be able to expand your network, because people don't do business with businesses.
05:16They do business with people they trust, people that they know can provide a service,
05:21and people that they genuinely like to be around.
05:23The CEO roundtables with LED really help to put you in the same room
05:27with other people of different types of businesses.
05:30You know we talk about it, right?
05:32But to understand that you're not on an island, right?
05:35You have problems.
05:36A lot of other business owners have problems.
05:38Everything looks real smooth on the surface, but there's a lot of kicking and churning,
05:41and everything's like duck on a pond, right?
05:43Everything, it takes a lot of kicking and churning to stay afloat.
05:45The other program that I really appreciate from LED is the backing,
05:51the program that you talked about, about small business loan backing.
05:54I was able to purchase my building.
05:56I have a building right there on Chapatulas.
05:58By taking programs like that with a loan guarantee,
06:01because you bring that to the banker,
06:03and the banker understands that you have a little bit more trust from the state.
06:06You can combine that with other programs.
06:08SBA has programs as well.
06:10And you can combine that to make sure that you get that approval process for your loan.
06:15So it lets the bank know you're serious, you're bankable,
06:18and these people are kind of vouching for you in order to be able to do it.
06:22So those are my favorite two programs.
06:24I don't know if y'all heard that, but she's basically talking about scaling up.
06:28How can we go from where we were before to a bigger, more profitable, more expanded business, right?
06:34So tell me, what's in your network?
06:36In my network is a lot of different types of businesses.
06:41So I am a civil engineering company.
06:43It takes a whole lot.
06:44So what civil engineers do, a lot of people don't know,
06:47you want to build a building, the only way to be able to build that building,
06:49an architect draws a pretty picture.
06:51Civil engineers make all those pretty pictures go, right?
06:54We make it work.
06:55And so in order to be able to do that, there's a lot of different trades,
06:58a lot of different things that have to mend together.
07:00There's surveyors, construction companies, interior designers,
07:05all these different types of parameters.
07:07In government contracting, there are large scopes.
07:10Sometimes they're small.
07:11You have to, in order to be able to meet those scopes,
07:14you need to understand the people in your industry.
07:16So to be able to do that, the network, go to the conferences,
07:20go to the open houses where it is people inside of your industry,
07:25and network, meet people, tell people what you do, learn what they do.
07:29And you know what I do?
07:29And especially, you know, I like to make teams of all disadvantaged businesses.
07:34All those underutilized businesses that you're talking about,
07:36and a lot of people that kind of look like me,
07:38I like to get us all together on one team and go after something,
07:41because that means we're expanding our resources,
07:43we're expanding what we can do, and we're going after it like that.
07:47And remember, Louisiana Economic Development is our state agency
07:50that is literally made to help business owners get connected to those resources and networks.
07:56So it's super important, again, make sure you grab one of these cards
08:00from one of the folks out here and scan that QR code, okay?
08:02Ms. Corita Tannercloud, I love a three-name intro, okay?
08:06Corita runs a full-service advertising agency, correct?
08:11When I asked her, I told her, we talked about this backstage, right?
08:15We coordinated, and I asked, so tell me a little bit about yourself.
08:18She said, well, I started by myself in a closet seven months pregnant.
08:21And I said, well, that about sums it up, I think.
08:25So tell me about how you went from starting in your closet, seven months pregnant,
08:30I'm sure that was overwhelming, to where you are now,
08:33where you've got a whole team and a whole staff of people.
08:36So IRL, real life, starting in the closet, seven months pregnant,
08:41stepped away from corporate and knew nobody was going to hire me seven months pregnant.
08:46And so started building $300 websites.
08:49And here we are, almost 10 years later, and we're working with the NFL,
08:55we're working with Microsoft, we're working with the NBA.
08:58And I will say a lot of that has happened.
09:02Oh, yeah, love it!
09:04But a lot of that has happened through a lot of resources that were made available through LED.
09:10I'm a researcher, I love to research.
09:13And so, you know, I was on the computer 12, 14 hours, 16 hours,
09:17thank God for my husband and my kids that were patient with me,
09:21because it took a lot of sacrifice.
09:24But I did research and I learned about LED through my research,
09:28and started investing time, right?
09:31A lot of their resources don't cost money, but it does cost you your time.
09:36And a lot of times, as entrepreneurs, we're like, I don't have time for that.
09:41I don't have time for that.
09:43You know, I have to do this, I have to do that.
09:44You don't have time not to, right?
09:47Invest in the resources, the mentorship program, CEO roundtables was amazing.
09:53We've done a mentor-protege program where we were partnered with a huge Fortune 500 company.
09:59All of those resources helped to scale us up, allowed us to learn about certifications,
10:04it allowed us to learn about the networking opportunities,
10:07because a lot of the contracts we were able to secure starts with relationship building.
10:14And a lot of us don't know how to form and create those relationships,
10:18because we're scared to talk to people, we're scared to get in the rooms,
10:22we get in the rooms, and then we go in the corner and sip our little drink.
10:25And it's like, no, we walk up to a random.
10:28I'm looking in the audience now, and I know that there's Saints and Pelicans in the room right now.
10:33I know that there are corporate entities in the room right now.
10:36A lot of times, we don't even know who we're sitting next to, right?
10:39And so open your mouth, build genuine, authentic relationships,
10:44and LED position us to be able to do that.
10:46Now, Karida, you said NBA, NFL, what was the other one?
10:49Microsoft.
10:50And Microsoft, I mean, no brag, okay, but tutu.
10:54So those all sound like fields and industries that I know for a fact,
10:58I don't have the statistic in front of me, but I'm pretty sure they're male-dominated.
11:01There are definitely not a whole lot of black women in the room.
11:04We all know that black women face different type of barriers.
11:07So tell me, what did you do to overcome some of those barriers,
11:11whether that was innovation when you were solo dolo or community-driven ideas?
11:16I can tell you that I am very used to being the only one.
11:20I grew up in neighborhoods where we were the only family on the street that looked like us.
11:24So very early on in life, I got used to being the only one in the room.
11:30And what I had to realize is that the only difference in all of us generally is just the layer of color on our skin.
11:38When we learn to begin to embrace stories from people,
11:42then you get to build those relationships that open up doors for opportunity.
11:47And so for me as a black woman entering those spaces, it's like, what can I do to serve while I'm here, right?
11:55So service and servanthood is always at the front of what I'm doing.
11:58I believe that you can have everything in this life that you want if you help enough people get what they want.
12:04And so when you position your mindset to say, what can I get from this relationship?
12:09No, what can you do to serve in that relationship?
12:13And when you're going into those rooms, how can I be of service?
12:17But then couple that with, we're in an environment that is so tech-heavy right now
12:21that if you're not leaning into AI, if you're not leaning into technology, you will be left behind.
12:28And so whatever your business is, find a way to incorporate technology.
12:32Find a way to be innovative.
12:34What can you bring to that organization that they don't already have, right?
12:39And if you find a way to serve, if you find a way to solve a problem for them, you now become their best friend.
12:46And so I would say you have to do that, but then always never forget where you come from and reach back, right?
12:54And so that community impact piece, whatever project that we're working on,
12:58we're looking also for a way for it to impact our community in a positive way.
13:03How can we bring, I don't want to be the only one sitting at the table,
13:06so how can I bring another black vendor to the table with me, right?
13:10How can we collaborate?
13:11How can we connect so we can all get this bag together?
13:15I love that.
13:16Y'all make some noise for them because they are doing this.
13:19If you didn't hear all of that, the thing that I'm getting from this,
13:23we have two business owners who have scaled up their businesses, okay?
13:28We've expanded our business.
13:30We've gone from barefoot in the closet to a whole team of people and huge contracts secured.
13:36So let me ask y'all this to kind of start to button this up.
13:39What advice would you give to business owners, whether they're just starting out
13:42or maybe they're in that position where they too want to scale up?
13:45What would you tell them about scaling up and how can LED help?
13:48So these are difficult times we're in, no?
13:51Right?
13:51We turn on the TV every day.
13:53We find out that we didn't earn anything that we've already earned, right?
13:56And we also know that a lot of us have to work twice as hard to get half the distance.
14:01So the advice that I have right now is the same advice that I was giving during COVID.
14:04Find ways to pivot.
14:06Find ways to market yourself.
14:08And y'all, I market myself in just this year.
14:12I've been doing this for the past, I would say, eight years.
14:14I run a damn good engineering firm.
14:18We do damn good work, no matter where we are.
14:21And I just so happen to be a disadvantaged business enterprise.
14:24I lead with my qualifications.
14:26I lead with my experience.
14:28And that is the main thing to get me through the door.
14:30And the rest of it is Lanyap, right?
14:32So if people understand the services that you provide.
14:35Other thing too is we started providing outreach services to utility, Intergy, right?
14:41So we've broken into ways utilizing technology that we use for the engineering side and finding
14:47more ways to utilize what we have now to leverage other jobs to use it with the same staff.
14:52That is how you increase revenue is finding more ways to do more things with the current
14:58staff that you have now.
14:59That's the best, most money advice that I can give any of them.
15:03Now, if y'all from out of town, I am just got real Creole on y'all.
15:07And she said, Lanyap, okay?
15:08That means a little bit extra.
15:10A little bit on top.
15:10Like a cherry on top, okay?
15:12Like you didn't need it, but it was nice.
15:13I forget about it.
15:14Okay.
15:17Karina, what advice would you have for people to scale up?
15:19I would say first, be authentic.
15:21Know who you are.
15:22Because when you know who you are, you know what you're willing to do and what you're
15:27willing, what you're not going to do, right?
15:30So be authentic.
15:31Know who you are.
15:32Leverage the resources that's available.
15:35We're talking about resources here in Louisiana, but I guarantee you in every state that you
15:40all live in right now, there are resources available.
15:44Tap into them.
15:45Oftentimes we're in these spaces and it's just, it's not many of us at the table, right?
15:52We're watching our counterparts benefit from these programs and we can benefit from those
15:59programs as well.
16:00You said there's strength in being the only.
16:01I always said, if there was a TED Talk, my thing would be being the only in a certain
16:06room, right?
16:07Being the only.
16:07Is a strength to it.
16:08Right?
16:08There's a strength to it, but let's continue to build one another up.
16:12Let's continue to bring each other to the table.
16:14Build authentic relationships.
16:17When you build authentic relationships, then guess what?
16:20When that next opportunity comes available, guess who's at front and center of their mind?
16:24You are.
16:27So build those authentic connections.
16:29Lean into the resources that are made available to you, right?
16:33And hire.
16:36You can't do it all by yourself.
16:38You can't scale without people or systems.
16:42Period.
16:43You cannot scale without people or systems.
16:47So these resources help you to learn how to build those systems and it helps you to learn
16:51how to hire correctly so that your business can continue to grow.
16:55And nobody gets anywhere alone.
16:57Nobody.
16:58We love that.
16:59Teamwork make the dream work.
17:00Make sure you grab one of these cards.
17:03I'm going to keep reminding you.
17:04Louisiana Economic Development sponsored this today to make sure that you were being connected
17:08to the resources.
17:09There's a QR code on the back.
17:10There's a bag right there, actually.
17:12So they're going to be giving these bags out.
17:14Make sure you grab one.
17:15All of my business owners and entrepreneurs, make sure you grab one.
17:19Ladies, before I turn it back over to Stephanie and Shamelda, what advice would you have for
17:23the business owners?
17:23We had one young lady over there who said she was just starting out.
17:26She a baby entrepreneur.
17:28What advice would you have for them, especially with getting those resources and information from
17:32LED?
17:32Get the resources, first and foremost.
17:36Like, don't just get the resources, put it in your bag, go home, forget about it.
17:40Reach out.
17:41Monday morning, reach out.
17:43Apply for the programs, right?
17:45But two, don't give up.
17:47I've had a lot of fetal position moments where I crawl in the closet and cry, and I'm like,
17:53Lord, I know you told me to do this, but Lord, I'm about to go to Indeed and go find
17:58me a job, right?
18:00And Indeed was on my bookmark for a very long time.
18:04Like, Lord, I don't know.
18:05This money not coming.
18:06Find me a job.
18:08Don't stop.
18:10Be consistent in what you're doing.
18:13If God gave you the vision, if he gave you the dream, God's timing is not our timing.
18:18Sometimes we're looking at other people and saying, God, they're there.
18:21They're here.
18:21They have this money.
18:22They have this revenue.
18:24When it is your time, when it is your season, no one can stop it because only God defines
18:30it.
18:31I love it.
18:32I better pick up what she's putting down.
18:34So for business owners, just like you said, don't ever stop.
18:39Learn to get comfortable with the uncomfortable because nothing that is comfortable or quick
18:42or easy is sustainable.
18:45Hands down.
18:46If it's hard, it's meant to be hard for a reason, and you're going to get through it,
18:49and you're going to be stronger on the other side of it.
18:53Again, learn to open yourselves up to people.
18:58You're never going to get anywhere by yourself.
19:01Learn to introduce yourself.
19:03Know your brand.
19:04Know your elevator pitch.
19:06Know your quality for it.
19:07Know how to be of service to your customers.
19:09There's no better thing to ask people, how can I be of service to you?
19:14Giving other people value is what brings value to you, and I can't stress that enough, but
19:19y'all, it's tough times, but I'm just telling y'all, we have always persevered.
19:24We will always persevere.
19:25All they're doing, and some people are saying the quiet parts out loud, keep going.
19:31Keep going.
19:33It's time to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
19:36I live by that.
19:37Thank you so much.
19:38Stephanie, Shamelda, obviously, LED is here.
19:41People are getting their bags and their handouts.
19:43What information would you want to pose for them, just knowing what resources are available
19:47and what LED could do for their business?
19:50Definitely.
19:52There's also technical assistance programs.
19:55The capital programs are to help you facilitate access to capital.
19:59However, sometimes we're not always ready, and that's okay.
20:04A no doesn't necessarily mean it's final.
20:07Sometimes you have to get ready.
20:09You have to get in position to win.
20:11So be open to getting into the technical assistance, learning about your programs, learning about your finances.
20:18Financial literacy is one of the biggest problems that companies face.
20:23You have the business acumen, but you don't know your books.
20:26Know your numbers.
20:27Exactly.
20:28You decide you want to write off everything.
20:30Every time you went to Chimes, that's a business expense.
20:34It's not.
20:36And at the end of the day, you don't have any profit to show that you have a profitable business.
20:42So how can you go to a bank for a loan for a business that's not profitable?
20:47That's another thing that's commonly done.
20:50Stop.
20:51Invest in a bookkeeper.
20:52Taxes and death are the two constants in life.
20:58Let's just accept it.
21:00So don't shoot yourself by not wanting to pay your taxes and obliterating your income, because the decisions you make today will affect you two years from now.
21:10So position yourself to win.
21:12Prepare yourself now for 2027.
21:16All right?
21:17And also go to OpportunityLouisiana.gov.
21:19Come on, shameless plug.
21:21Yes.
21:22Stephanie, so tell me, what would you, closing thoughts, what would you tell these business owners about connecting with LED and how LED can help them with scaling up?
21:29Absolutely.
21:30And I'll pick up where Shamelda left off.
21:32OpportunityLouisiana.gov.
21:34You're in Louisiana.
21:35You have a business.
21:36We absolutely want you to visit that.
21:37There's a reason that our website is called Opportunity Louisiana, because it's about connecting you to those opportunities, whether it be with the Louisiana Growth Network and our small business programs to build capacity, accelerate growth, and increase opportunity, or with the SSBCI programming and accessing capital.
21:54You heard IAM and Corita bring up both of them about tapping into these programs and how much it means to know that you're not alone.
22:03With the capital programs, you're not alone going into a lender's office if somebody helped you work on your financial projections, helped you put together your business plan.
22:12You have that backing if you have the guarantee program.
22:16With our programs like CEO Roundtables or our Small and Emerging Business Roundtables, you know you're not alone in the closet, in the fetal position, because everybody is going through that moment, and you have people that you can reach out to and that you can connect with.
22:29There are so many things with trainings and peer-to-peer opportunities with these programs that we, like I said at the beginning, don't want to be the best-kept secret.
22:36We don't want you to have to spend hours on the computer to try and find it online.
22:40And money.
22:41It's free.
22:42Right, and money.
22:42Exactly.
22:42It's my favorite price.
22:43You don't have to pay anybody.
22:45You come.
22:45You show up.
22:46If you commit the time, we want to give you the services back.
22:50And in tapping in, walking into any of those doors, if it's just calling somebody at LED, we will make sure that we connect you to the right thing for right now.
22:59And hopefully as you move on in that business that there's more things that you can take advantage of that'll help you on that path towards growth.
23:05So for those of you that are not in Louisiana, you've got to do the work.
23:09Find the people, your small business development centers, your SBA, the folks that are in your area to help you.
23:15That support is there.
23:16You just have to make the commitment to go out and take a hold of it.
23:20Not just support, resources.
23:22On this little flyer, access up to $113 million in capital and credit boosters.
23:28So there are resources available.
23:30Stephanie started it off off the top.
23:31There are resources.
23:32None of them are being used.
23:33So let's all go take advantage of that.
23:35Please make some noise for our beautiful panelists this morning.
23:40Raise your hand if you feel like you learned something.
23:42You learned something.
23:43Awesome.
23:43Raise your hand if you're going to reach out to LED.
23:46You see that?
23:47There you go.
23:47Real-time survey.
23:49Thank y'all so much.
23:50Of course, all of these resources are here.
23:52Like she said, Corita said earlier, there's resources out here.
23:55So please make sure you're introducing yourself.
23:57And I hope everybody, I heard flex earlier.
23:59So I'm ready to get up.
24:00Y'all ready to go hit the dance?
24:01Come on, let's move on over there.
24:04I'm just kidding.
24:05Thank y'all so much.
24:06Thank y'all so much.
24:06Thank y'all.
24:07Thank y'all.
Comments