Woodlawn Entrepreneurs

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Profiles of businesses in the Northwest Quadrant of Woodlawn

• Sleek Hair Salon • Dreamsoleaddictiion

Quadrant News Northwest Quadrant of 1Woodlawn Newsletter Volume 2 | Issue 3

March 2017

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Social Entrepreneur

Resources for Small Business Development and creation.

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BIG is a special Woodlawn business that focuses on sustainable green spaces and helping to make Woodlawn a walkable village that is beautiful and environmentally safe.

The

SAVE THE DATE

#SHOP SMALL - #SHOP LOCAL SHOP LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES IN WOODLAWN

One of the suggestions that the Northwest Quadrant made in our Quality of Life Plan was to increase and foster the development of small businesses in Woodlawn.

Woodlawn has a rich history of businesses that addressed the various needs of the community. We had grocery stores, pharmacies, doctors, lawyers, dentist and a multitude of restaurants and eateries that satisfied the wide tastes of the residents and visitors of our community. In addition to small businesses, Woodlawn hosted many of the popular entertainment venues; that are still playing well in the hearts and minds of those that still remember the lively streets of our neighborhood.

Growing our businesses in the future means that we must support and nurture the businesses that are currently in our community. In order to better understand the needs of the businesses in the Northwest Quadrant, we interviewed a few entrepreneurs to get a better understanding of their current concerns and to help showcase some of their efforts. Brief profiles of these special entrepreneurs are on pages 2 and 3 of this issue. Look for more business profiles in future editions of this newsletter. We recognized that every good residency effort that strives to have a clean, safe and healthy living space must also include vibrant, prosperous and thriving businesses.

Northwest Quad Preservation of Affordable

Housing (POAH) 6144 South Cottage Grove

Monthly Meetings March 25 & April 22 11:00a – 12:30p

Woodlawn Community Summit University of Chicago

School of Social Service Administration

969 East 60th Street

Annual Event March 18 7:45a Registration For more information www.secc-chicago.org

NHS Woodlawn Trolley Tour Neighborhood Housing Services

For more information http://www.nhschicago.org

New Home Buyers March 18 12:00p – After the Woodlawn Summit

Andnow,yourCurbedCupneighborhoodoftheyear:WoodlawnTheSouthSideunderdogfacedstiffcompetitionbutreignedsupremeinthisyear’scontestBYAJLATRACEJAN3,2017,10:25AMCST

Review the complete article @ http://chicago.curbed.com/2017/1/3/14151092/chicago-neighborhood-of-the-year-woodlawn

Resources for an Emerging Business

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Northwest Quadrant of 1Woodlawn Newsletter March 2017

(www.dreamsoleaddiction@yahoo.com) My name is LaKeesha Poole, owner of Dreamsoleaddiction, located in Chicago's Woodlawn community at 604 E. 61st Street. An area that made me skeptical in the beginning, but learning it previously housed a church, was visible to walking traffic on a street where I felt safe, allowed me to move in with no regrets. This is where I belong. I've been in business 4 yrs. My first 3 years were Internet sales. Selling fashionable shoes at an affordable price. This is my first brick and mortar, which I've called home for my business for the past 8 months. Being here has opened a door where I was welcomed by smiling customers thanking me, letting me know they appreciate my being here, saving them time with the ability to find quality fashionable shoes and clothing within walking distance of their homes. My biggest concern is with proposed new development will I be able to stay and still offer high fashion shoes and clothing that is affordable to those who are contributing to my success. The young girls who purchase the high heeled open toe boots, the moms who may be a little more conservative and then the wonderful seniors who loves this, but buys that because it's more age appropriate. These are the people I have learned to love and appreciate. What happens to them if I can't afford to keep my prices in line with they can afford to pay. That is my biggest concern.

Angela Washington, owner and operator of Sleek Hair Salon, is located at 606 E. 61st Street in West Woodlawn. Ms. Washington has been a Woodlawn entrepreneur since 2010. I chose this location because I grew up in West Woodlawn, enjoying all the things that were available to me as a child. Bringing businesses back to the community, which I love, was/is important to me. My salon is a full service hair salon that focuses on hair care, corrective service, color and much more. We focus on the needs of our patrons while being respectful of their time. We don't overbook and pride ourselves on making our clients comfortable. Here they can enjoy a quiet place that is focused on them. At Sleek Hair Salon our services are community driven, providing everyone regardless of age, relaxation and a great experience. We're in the community taking pride in what we do. I love being here, it's safe and the people I see are friendly and caring. My major concerns at this time are the rise in cost associated with the prospecting of developers, and the proposed and new developments. I welcome progress, but the current community market does not support the rising cost. My goal is to continue to operate my business in Woodlawn, but the rent increases make it difficult.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed

him for a lifetime. Maimonides

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Northwest Quadrant of 1Woodlawn Newsletter March 2017

Explainer: What is Social Entrepreneurship?

Social entrepreneurship is the attempt to draw upon business techniques and private sector approaches to find solutions to social, cultural or environmental problems. “Put simply, it’s the use of new approaches to solve old social problems. Throughout history there have been social change agents and activists who have put their societies on a better path. But over the past couple of decades, a distinct, more entrepreneurial approach to alleviating the problems associated with poverty has emerged. That path-breaking generation of social entrepreneurs broke free of the false dichotomy between “it’s a business” or “it’s a charity” to experiment with business models, innovate new distribution and replication methods, and hold themselves accountable for results.” … “Creating the greatest impact requires leveraging market forces and business practices wherever possible. That means generating income from the sale of your products or services, yes, but it also means driving a relentless results-based focus throughout the organization, just as any commercial enterprise would. This requires strong accountability and auditing systems, robust strategic planning processes, the discipline to measure what’s working and what’s not, and the flexibility to adjust sales channels or product lines accordingly.” … “Finally, and most importantly of all, social entrepreneurs are driven by values: dignity, access to opportunity, transparency, accountability, equity, and empowerment. They are passionate about the problem they are trying to solve and keep their social mission front and center as they scale up their impact. In many cases they have left potentially lucrative careers to found their social enterprise, motivated by a desire for a more meaningful purpose or struck by an “aha” moment that compelled them to act.” “Excerpts” from the Source Article: Explainer: What is Social Entrepreneurship Written by: Katherine Milligan Director and Head, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Hilde Schwab Chairperson and Co-Founder, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/12/explainer-what-is-a-social-entrepreneur

BIG: BLACKS IN GREEN™ is a national network pioneering “the sustainable-square-mile” in a “city of villages,” where every household can walk-to-work, walk-to-shop, walk-to-learn, and walk-to-play – balancing environment, economics, and equity. They authored and teach The 8 Principles of Green-Village-Building™ and Grannynomics™ and serve as a bridge and catalyst among communities and their stakeholders in the design and development of green, self-sustaining, mixed-income, walkable-villages in black neighborhoods.

Current and emerging programs include 1) the West Woodlawn Botanic Garden & Village Farm Initiative, offering a worker-owned cooperative with gardening classes; commercial/residential landscaping; and garden supplies, materials, and gifts; 2) the Community Solar program offering electricity subscriptions; job training/placement; and installation/maintenance services; and 3) the Green Village Builders CDC program offering conservation homesteads for middle-income families; and training/hiring for local building crews.

Continuing sponsorships include The 61st Street Tree Canopy, Orchard of the Ancestors, Sustainability Teaching Garden, and Annual South Side Homesteaders Fair.

Naomi Davis, Urban Sustainability Expert Naomi Davis, Chicago Ideas Week

Naomi Davis, JD LEED GA

Founder & CEO BIG: Blacks in Green™ Box 378411

Chicago, IL 60637

773-678-9541 www.blacksingreen.org

Northwest Quadrant of 1Woodlawn Newsletter March 2017

The mission of the Northwest Quadrant of Woodlawn is to

pursue economic development through education, job training, partnering with community agencies and the

promotion of cultural diversity.

For more information about 1Woodlawn and the four coumunity quadrants visit the website.

www.1woodlawn.com/#aboutus

1Woodlawn Northwest Quadrant Leadership

N. Jeane Clark NW Quadrant Leader

enon@msn.com

Christine Valderrama Information Officer nwquadio@aol.com

For updates, please send your contact information

to our mailing list: nwquadio@aol.com

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES The City of Chicago Small Business Center City Hall 121 North LaSalle Street, Room 800 Chicago, IL 312.74.GOBIZ (744.6249) www.cityofchicago.org

The Law Project 100 N La Salle St., Suite 600 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 939-3638 www.thelawproject.org

Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) 8 S Michigan Ave, Fl 4 Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 853-3477 https://www.wbdc.org

Small Business Association Illinois District Office 500 W. Madison Street, Suite 1150 Chicago, IL Phone: 312-353-4528 https://www.sba.gov

SCORE Chicago Citibank Center 500 W. Madison St., Suite 1150 Chicago, IL 60661 (312) 353-7724 http://scorechicago.org

University of Chicago, Office of Civic Engagement Edward H. Levi Hall 5801 South Ellis Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60637 773.702.1234 www.civicengagement.uchicago.edu

Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce The Wrigley Building 410 North Michigan Avenue Suite 900 Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 494 6700 https://www.chicagolandchamber.org

City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) 121 N La Salle St., Room 800 Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 744-6060 www.cityofchicago.org/businessaffairs

Sunshine Gospel Ministries Business Incubator and Workshops 500 E. 61st St. Chicago, IL 60637 773-904-9800 www.sunshinegospel.org

Small Business Resource Guide City Level Office of the City Treasurer 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 106 Chicago, IL 60602 312-744-3356 www.chicagocitytreasurer.com

Forefront 208 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1540 Chicago, IL 60604 Administration Tel: 312-578-0090 Toll free: 888-578-0090 Library: Tel: 312-578-0175 https://myforefront.org

The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20230 Office of Business Development (OBD) - 202-482-1940 www.MBDA.gov