The Harlem Commonwealth Council (HCC), HSBC Bank, and West Harlem Development Corporation (WHDC) launched the second cohort of ‘Growth Path; a free business advisory service for entrepreneurs of color in Harlem. To kick off the second cohort, HCC hosted a fireside chat with Chris Collins, entrepreneur, model, and creator of Chris Collins Alchemy of Fragrances to speak about the successes and challenges of being an entrepreneur of color. Chris will be joined in conversation by Julee Wilson, Fashion & Beauty Director of Essence Magazine.
In its second year, Growth Path will provide local entrepreneurs with intensive hands-on advice from subject experts in sales and marketing, financial management, or human capital — a service sponsored by West Harlem Development Corporation. Complementing one-on-one consultations, Growth Path will expand to offer a tailored educational series including a tax workshop, legal clinic, and marketing workshop to further develop the knowledge and technical skills of local firms sponsored by HSBC. “As Harlem continues to evolve, Growth Path’ services will be pivotal in ensuring businesses owned by women and people of color remain competitive, build wealth, create local jobs, and assure the vibrancy of our community,” said Kelvin Collins, President of Harlem Commonwealth Council. “We are delighted for the support of West Harlem Development Corporation and HSBC bring to this endeavor – it highlights the power of collaboration.
“HSBC’s involvement in this initiative is the result of our employee’s desire to give back to the community which has been led by the volunteer work of our colleagues involved in our African Heritage employee resource group, in partnership with our Corporate Sustainability and Retail Business Banking teams,” said Mike Macintyre, Head of Retail Business Banking, HSBC Bank USA N.A. “Providing our financial support and business expertise to entrepreneurs based in Harlem through ‘Growth Path’ is a great example of our commitment to supporting small businesses, and it goes well beyond just opening an account. We are here to help small business thrive.” ‘Growth Path’ is a signature program of the Harlem Entrepreneurial Fund. Firms have to be in operation for at least one year and located in Harlem to be eligible with an annual revenue of $150,000 to $10 million. To learn more about ‘Growth Path’ and to apply, visit www.harlemcommonwealth.org/growthpath.
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