Why: Be prepared to complete your 2011 Taxes and understand revenues and expenses for business planning. In this workshop you will learn that Quickbooks offers these advantages:

• Easily and quickly create professional reports for management use and tax preparation purposes
• Ability to print checks, track sales, sales taxes, and customer payments
• Download bank and credit card transactions directly into software
• Automatically populate and print 1099s for independent contractors
• Enable your accountant to review and make changes electronically
• Discounted one-on-one advising sessions on tax prep and book-keeping with professionals

Who: Workshop led by Cory Ng, Accounting Faculty at Community College of Philadelphia, licensed certified public accountant, Principal and founder of CRNG LLC (http://www.crngllc.com), a professional services firm specializing in accounting, tax, and consulting services for small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals.

Register Here!

For more information or if you have questions, please contact Andrew Toy at (215) 243-4101 or email him at andrewt@theenterprisecenter.com

The teens who are a part of the Executive Incubator at TEC celebrated another successful night as they racked up profits at their Annual Holiday Gift Sale on Thursday, December 15, 2011.  The sale, which is in its 2nd year, was held in The Enterprise Center’s lovely Atrium, which is adjacent to The Business Event Center.  Students were poised to provide their products to the many people who were attending various events held at TEC that day.  The Atrium was a buzz, as shoppers purchased cosmetics, clothing, hair accessories, jewelry and cookies, and consumers were motivated by the need to purchase last minute holiday gifts, a desire to support teen entrepreneurs or plain old hunger.  In fact, Ricardo Burton’s Delicious and Nutritious organic cookie business sold out of over 100 cookies in less than 2 hours.  What an evening!

For more information about The Enterprise Center’s Business Education programs, please contact Malyka Sankofa at (215) 895-4071.

On November 30^th, The Enterprise Center held a student business exhibition to highlight the success and importance of youth entrepreneurship in Philadelphia. The Executive Incubator business launch party, “Lights, Camera, Business: Teens in Action” was an opportunity for teen entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses while selling their goods and services.

The youth entrepreneurs are students in the Executive Incubator after school program. This program equips high-school students with the resources needed to launch a small business, such as seed capital, technical assistance, and business plan coaching. This rigorous after-school class involves two years of training designed to foster participants’ entrepreneurship skills through the realization of their business plan and personal initiative. The first year, high school entrepreneurs (Executive Incubator 1.0) sold goods and services during the event. The second and third year entrepreneurs (Executive Incubator 2.0) planned the launch party while gaining skills in event management, budgeting, and marketing.

For more information about this event, please contact Aleea Slappy at (215) 895-4010.

For more information about The Enterprise Center’s Business Education programs, please contact Malyka Sankofa at (215) 895-4071.

Desi Village, 4527 Baltimore Avenue

When? This Workshop takes place on November 17th from 6-8pm here at The Enterprise Center. Get Directions

What? Visual merchandising is creating visual displays and arranging merchandise within a store to improve the layout and to increase traffic and sales. Your presentation can be a key differentiating factor that makes you more competitive, and more profitable. Learn simple, cost-effective ways to make the most profitable use of every square foot in your store.

Why? In this workshop you will learn:
» How and why customers shop – how you can profit from this knowledge.
» How to create a three dimensional “planagram” including: store displays, windows and overall store design
» How to best display products to capture customer interest.
» How to create inexpensive displays that will attract attention.
» How to position your shops fixtures to improve store “shopability”.
» What types of fixtures work well, where to get them and how much they cost.
» Real life examples of what works and how to improve your store set-up

Who? Presenters will include:
Anne Cecil, Program Director & Professor of Design & Merchandising, Drexel University
Iola Harper, Retail Marketing Expert, Executive Director, SCI West
Diana Nicholas, Architect & Designer, On Design LLC; Instructor, Drexel University
Kathy Gilchrist, Visual Merchandising specialist, M Fried Store Fixtures

For more information, call Andy Toy at 215-243-4101 or andrewt@theenterprisecenter.com

Register Below:

Thank you for attending and supporting Passing The Torch 2011! The Enterprise Center is committed to encouraging, promoting, and honoring minority entrepreneurship.

Congratulations to all of the honorees:

Paul Beale’s Flowers
Celebrating 40 years of Success!

503 Corporation
James Brown Legacy Eternal Flame Award

Robert Thomas of Milliwear
Lighting the Torch Award

Mario Zacharjasz & Ray Yabor

Paul Beale & Paulette Beale Harriss

Della Clark, 2011 Passing the Torch Honorees and MC's Dyana Williams and MoShay LaRen

Robert Thomas & Malyka Sankofa

Chester Riddick, Mario Z., Ray Yabor and Terrill Brown

Robert Thomas, Lighting the Torch Award Honoree & Jannie Blackwell

2011 Passing the Torch Honorees

Della Clark & Jannie Blackwell

Dwight Evans and Ray Yabor

Dwight Evans and Della Clark

Obtain the Key to Financial Growth

Attend one of the Minority Business Development Agency Business Center of Pennsylvania’s customized Business Financing Workshops.

• LEARN the essentials of business, loans, and financing from experts
• CREATE a complete, credible loan package
• IMPROVE your loan closing potential with a free one-on-one financial consultation meeting after the workshop
• CONNECT with lenders that best match your needs at our Lenders Forum

All Events Held at The Enterprise Center.  Click here for directions.

Business Financing Workshop #1 on September 8 from 3:00-4:30pm with Baron B. Holland of Citizens Bank.  Register.

Lenders Forum on September 29 from 3:00-5:30pm with lenders (banks, CDFI’s, microlenders, and venture capitalists).  Register.

Business Financing Workshop #2 on October 13 from 3:00-4:30pm with Marcus Knuckles of Hawk Eye Management.  Register.

For more information, please contact Calvin Tucker at 215-895-4045 or ctucker@theenterprisecenter.com.

Business Nomination Eligibility

• For profit enterprises only
• Located in the Greater Philadelphia area (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Burlington Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, Salem, New Castle counties)
• Must be at least 51% ethnic minority-owned (African-American, Hispanic American, Spanish-speaking American, Aleutian, Asian Pacific American, Asian Indian, Native American or Eskimo heritage)
• Must have revenue of over $1 million*

All business enterprises are encouraged to apply including franchises, retailers, professional services firms, manufacturing, construction, etc.

Click here to register to be on The Enterprise Center 100 List.

For questions or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Carissa Jones at
carissaj@theenterprisecenter.com or at (215) 895.4016.

*An independent panel will verify all revenue & business information submitted to determine eligibility.

All nominations must be received by August 11, 2011

Summer TEC-LAB

The Enterprise Center’s Leaders About Business (TEC-LAB) proudly presented their youth Summer Camp, which is  the successor to Business Boot Camp.  Summer TEC-LAB hosted over 100 students, ages 13-18 years old students and took place from June 27th-June 30^th.  Participants  learned about business and leadership from guest speakers, case studies, group presentations, and interactive activities.  They gained crucial business and entrepreneurial skills, which are key to succeeding in today’s world.

New to this year’s camp was a service component highlighting the value of community service and the importance of staying engaged and interested in bettering ones neighborhood.

Learn more or spread the word by downloading the flyer.  You can also read about other opportunities to support TEC-LAB.

For more information, please contact Nafeesha Mays at 215-895-4051 or e-mail her at nafeesham@theenterprisecenter.com

You can register online for notifications about next year’s Summer TEC-LAB.

The 2^nd Annual IT Summit provided many capable minority-owned IT firms with extended access to decision makers at the City of Philadelphia’s Division of Technology, IBM, Oracle, HP, Modis, University of Pennsylvania, IBX, Grant Thornton, Gartner, and Proficient.  The Summit is expected to lead to more contracting opportunities in the years ahead.

The MBDA Business Center, Pennsylvania also hosted a federal procurement workshop on May 23, 2011, led by Harold Causby at Black Wall Street (BWS).  BWS is a small business resource firm, which specializes in the procurement of Federal, State, and Local contracts for minority, disadvantaged and women-owned small businesses. The firm provides the necessary foundation for securing larger contracts by leveraging the resources of several small businesses in the same area of expertise.

These workshops connect entrepreneurs to all sorts of contracting opportunities and play an integral role in matching businesses and creating long lasting, beneficial partnerships.  It allows area companies to grow and expand their businesses.

For more information about the IT summit, please contact James Nelson at jnelson@mbc-pa.com or (215) 895-4009.  For information about the MBDA Business Center, Pennsylvania and our other procurement workshops and events, please contact Jacqueline Hill at jhill@mbc-pa.com or (215) 895-4032.

The event was held at The Enterprise Center’s business event center.  This location was “a great selection” for this event commented by representatives from Gilbane.  The historic landmark location held the 60 plus contractors and other attendee’s comfortably.  Gilbane provided an overview of the project and each available trade that will become available for bid over the next 30-60 days.  Contractor from various trades, like drywall, concrete, general construction, construction management, telecommunications, and many more were in attendance.

As an added benefit, the MBDA, Business Center of PA invited strategic partners for the benefit of the contractors.  Our core mission is to foster the growth of minority business through contracts and financing.  To achieve this goal we invited several strategic partners to this event for the benefit of our clients.  The strategic partners in attendance were; Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), represented by Ms. Marla Hamilton, Wells Fargo Bank, and Penn DBE Supportive Services, represented by their director, Mr. Kyron Robinson.

The MBDA, Business Center of PA will be hosting construction events featuring various projects in the near future.  For more information please contact our office at 215-895-4046.