Alma Martinez wanted to expand her 5-year-old business, Quetzali Spanish Immersion Child Care located in Oak Park from a Home Day Care to a Day Care Center, but didn’t know how until she learned about The Resurrection Project’s Entrepreneurship Training Program (ETP), a free eight-week course designed to help business owners launch a business or expand an existing one.  Participants work with TRP’s experts to learn the basics of starting, funding, and operating a successful business by learning about topics ranging from writing a business plan to financing, to marketing and promotion.
This past spring, through the Entrepreneurship Training Program, Alma developed a financial plan to expand her business, but she needed to improve her credit in order to obtain a loan that would allow her to make the necessary changes to her current business.  She then enrolled in Lending Circles, a social loan created by TRP in collaboration with Mission Asset Fund (MAF) and Chase Bank.   The program is designed to help underserved families save money, establish a credit history, and improve their credit score.  Participants are required to create a savings plan and meet with a TRP financial coach to establish and accomplish financial goals.
After completing the Lending Circles program in January 2017, Alma will have reached her savings goal and improved her credit score.  She expressed that TRP allowed her to have a better understanding of her finances and the importance of having a good credit score, which gave her the confidence and resources she needed to expand her business.
For more information about our Entrepreneurship Training Program, please contact Mary Kuhn at [email protected] or visit https://trpsmallbiz.eventbrite.com for a list of upcomming seminars.
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