TSBDC Empowers Four Women to Become E-Business Graduates and Owners

Electronic business (e-business) and the Internet have the capacity to change lives profoundly. Four women were given the opportunity through a sponsorship with SiteSell.org to create a personally fulfilling and economically stable future by building their own Web-based businesses. The Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) at Southwest Tennessee Community College helped empower these women to leverage the Internet's potential and achieve financial security on their own terms, at their own pace.

To do this, in addition to scholarships from both SiteSell.org and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), TSBDC provided 15-week, business-building course sponsorships to the women who demonstrated a need and willingness to set up and grow their own profitable e-businesses. Along with one-on-one counseling from TSBDC, the group had access to a SiteSell.org facilitator for the tenure of the course.

Facilitator, Cozette Wallace, of Divine Solutions for Leadership in Business, and TSBDC counselors helped the emerging entrepreneurs bring their dreams of business ownership to budding fruition:

• Jasmine Garner is developing an online business that sells plus size fashions to teens and young women. "After much frustration trying to find stylish clothing to fit me, I wanted to build a business to make it easier for women to find plus size clothing that was stylish and appealing," Garner stated.
• Racheal Little's philosophy is that parents are a child's first teacher. She developed a website to help parents become more confident teachers for their traditional or home schooled children.
• Gloria Singleton is offering customized furniture online. She was the group's senior member who was initially challenged due to her computer inexperience. "However, her limited computer skills were no match for her perseverance and determination to successfully launch her website, another e-business success secret," said Wallace.
• Lasheka Orr, a registered nurse, is providing online and traditional instruction, as wells as in-service training for certified nursing assistants and other healthcare professionals.

David Doyle, executive director, TSBDC, says, "SiteSell.org and TVA provided a wonderful opportunity for these new women-owned businesses. Not often do you get the chance to develop a business idea, and fifteen weeks later you're in business. Just think, we've just created four new businesses and four new jobs."

For additional information on launching an online business, contact Cozette Wallace at (641) 715-3800, access code: 88300 or visit www.Divine-Solutions.com.

###

Photo caption: (L to R) David Doyle, Racheal Little, Jasmine Garner, Gloria Singleton, and Cozette Wallace.