Small Business Opportunities from HCC

Open for Business

Credit Reports & Credit Scores

TODAY on ZOOM! - Log in November 9 from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm

Have Lunch and Build your Credit!

HCC Fall PitchFest & Student Showcase Expo

HCC West Loop Campus

HCC Fall 2022 PitchFest - Apply til Nov 30

Finals & HCC Student Showcase - December 10

HCC FALL 2022 PitchFest competition & Expo is designed for students to share their creative ideas and innovation projects. The HCC PitchFest Competition aims to provide financial and institutional support for students who want to impact the world through entrepreneurship. HCC is eager to harness the creativity and passion of Houston's student body to catalyze social change.

During the PITCHFEST: individuals or teams compete in the competition by delivering a pitch to a panel of industry judges. Students will pitch a product or service that explores innovative approaches to answering pressing sustainability and societal needs.

The semester's competition is open to all Houston Community College Students!

All IDEAS & INNOVATIONS welcomed!

Apply Now through November 30

Offered by the Center for Entrepreneurship - HCC Southwest in collaboration with the

 Speech and Communications Department of Houston Community College

For More on the PitchFest and Student Expo:

https://www.hccs.edu/hcc-in-the-community/entrepreneurial-initiatives/elevator-pitch/

Creating a Successful Business Plan

6 Weeks Access - 24 Course Hours

Online - Choose Instructor Led or Self-Paced Class

Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan not only increases your chances of obtaining financing, but also in keeping your business strategically focused. You will work through all the major components of writing a business plan and emerge with your first draft in hand. And most importantly, you will have completed the first-and most difficult-step on the path to small business success.

This Creating a Successful Business Plan (CASBP) class also fulfills the program pre-requisite for applying for the Spring 2023 HCC Business Plan Competition in January. If the Small Business Success Series by HCC^© program above does not meet your schedule, this CASBP class can be taken instead.

The Instructor Led Classes provide interaction with the instructor and class participants. The Self-Paced Class is not interactive but it is the most flexible of all, in that you can start anytime and finish quickly or have up to three months.

Instructor Led Class - 6 Weeks Access - Classes Starting on Nov 16 or Dec 14

Self-Paced Class - 3 Months Access - Start Anytime.

Register Now by clicking this link:

https://www.ed2go.com/hccs/online-courses/creating-successful-business-plan/

Digital Marketing Clinic

2022 Recap & Wrap-up - Digital Marketing Strategy

Our Format: Open Discussion – Ask questions of our expert relating to your business about this month's special topic as described above or these general ongoing clinic topics: 

• Social Media 
• Web Design  
• Videos  
• Local Search Engine Optimization 
• Convertible Key Words – How to Make Sales 
• Analytics & Conversion Management  

To Register Now - http://tiny.cc/HCCc4e-DMC

Join Beth Guide and Sandra Louvier with the Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship at Houston Community College Northwest and SCORE for our Monthly Digital Marketing Clinics; running now for over three years and building a loyal following of entrepreneurs seeking to continuously improve their digital marketing effectiveness. 

Holiday Market

December 1 at HCC Eastside Campus

No Need to Register to attend our Holiday Market

Walk-ins Welcome! - Come Join Us!

Lender Matchmaking Event

December 8 at HCC Eastside Campus

For More & to Register:

https://HCClendermatch.eventbrite.com

Alumni Success Story

HCC Business Plan Competition

Arneisha Sadler

Founder and CEO

Emeniss Call Center

HCC Business Plan Competition, Finalist, $1,000 Prize, 2020

Small Business Success Series by HCC Graduate, 2021

HCC Open For Business Programs Alumni 2021-2022

HCC Mattress Mack School of Selling Graduate-March 2022 

Emeniss™, LLC is a Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) in Houston that provides a call center where businesses outsource their customer service calls. We help businesses focus on their core aspects, reduce overhead expenses, and streamline call operations that increase productivity. 

We take care of your calls while you take care of your business.  https://emeniss.com/

From Domestic Violence Victim to Entrepreneur

Arneisha Sadler left a women's shelter for domestic violence victims in mid-2017 and started her business that Fall while staying in a motel room with her daughter. She began attending workshops, classes and programs at HCC in January 2018. She opened a brick and mortar location in 2018, and quickly realized she should go back to being a home-based business in 2019.

Arneisha had been persistent in applying for our annual HCC Business Plan Competition and got chosen in 2020.  Then, the pandemic hit!  All of the entrepreneurs going through the competition's spring training and advising made the most of the opportunity to build pandemic pivots and strategies into their business plans. She made the finals and won $1,000 in prize money. Since then, she's soared, moving through many HCC entrepreneurial programs to continue her growth; while along the way, winning three Houston Business Journal Awards: 40 under 40 Award - Spring 2021,  Women Who Mean Business Award Fall 2021; and Most Admired CEO Award in 2022.

CLICK THIS LINK FOR 

Arneisha's HCC Convocation Speech - 3 minutes

http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/01qpz

Hear from Arneisha about her entrepreneurial journey, how she pivoted her business during the pandemic and pursues continued growth.

CLICK LINK FOR HCC TV INTERVIEW - ARNEISHA SADLER - 8 minutes

http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/0cbb7

Ms. Sadler gives back by mentoring high school students in the HCC Alief Early College High School who are moving through the Junior Achievement program. She also served as an advisor in the 2022 HCC Business Plan Competition paying it forward to help other entrepreneurs.

She seeks continuous learning and sets her sights on more HCC programs. We are proud to be a part of her journey!  Arneisha proclaims "I've moved from victim to victor!"

More News

From

Junior Achievement High School Program Kicked Off

HCC Hosted Ignite the Spark Event for High Schools City-Wide

Fifty-five high schools from around the Greater Houston area kicked off the 2022-2023 JA Company Program at our Ignite the Spark event. HCC worked with Tania Daniels, Sr. Director of Entrepreneurship Initiatives, JA SE Region, to host them at our West Houston Institute at HCC Alief Hayes. All present thanked event sponsors, Worley, Vertiex Bank, Microsoft and HCC. From September through May, Junior Achievement (JA) representatives, sponsors, instructors, and volunteer business mentors will guide high school student teams throughout Houston as they plan, start, run and dispense proceeds from businesses they create between now and next May.  Volunteer mentors deliver training sessions from now through November and business plans are due in early December. The students will launch and operate their businesses January through March. Year end reports are due in April and top students and teams will be celebrated in May!

Kim Roxie, Founder & CEO of Lamik Beauty Inspired All in the Power Interview

Kim Roxie is a business icon and role model with an amazing bond to HCC.

She earned her Aesthetician/Esthetician License at HCC while launching Lamik Beauty. Years later she graduated from Cohort 3 of the HCC Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in 2012; and then from HCC's annual Business Plan Competition in 2014. Kim shared her entrepreneurial journey from her high school years through now with the teens in the audience and gave advice about how to keep finding your courage to pursue your dreams.

Her troubles were as inspiring as her triumphs. She grew up in Houston, had a rough time in high school and was considered "at risk." Her mom believed in community service and Kim volunteered assisting the elderly and feeding the homeless. She had relatives in Atlanta where there was a cluster of historically black colleges. She went there to get her degree, while also working part-time at the mall in a makeup store. Her employer saw she excelled at her job selling more makeup than her peers. Kim had fallen in love with making women feel good about themselves. Upon graduation, she decided to "go for it" and moved back to Houston to get started. She went from selling others' products and doing eyebrows to making her own products. She recounted her journey which has led to many ups & downs and also to great success!

For More about Kim Roxie and Lamik Beauty: https://lamikbeauty.com/pages/story

Kim's part of our alumni family at HCC. There's more to come! Look for another article and video clip in a future newsletter with more about her entrepreneurial journey, pivoting, sustaining and growing Lamik Beauty, while also nurturing her soul and her customers!

HCC Awards $300 in Prize Money to

Microsoft Innovation Pitch Challenge Winners 

The Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship – HCC Northwest awarded $300 in prize money to three high school teams who pitched and won the Microsoft Innovation Pitch Challenge at our JA Ignite the Spark Day Event.

Congratulations Winners!

·        1st Place - Clements High School

·        2nd Place - Alief Early College High School

·        3rd Place - Memorial High School 

Thanks to Microsoft's Mitch Kuy for leading the Challenge and thanks to our judges, David Regenbaum, Jordan Carswell and Bebe Gonzalez. Thanks also to Robin Nagy for delivering the design thinking exercise during the program.

The JA high school teams continue to pitch and compete to improve and win funding throughout the Fall at pitch competitions delivered by The Ion, Rice University; and HCC with the

Fall 2022 HCC PitchFest & Expo running now through December 10: https://www.hccs.edu/hcc-in-the-community/entrepreneurial-initiatives/elevator-pitch/

Best wishes to all high school teams!  

SBA Holds Lender Matchmaking Event

at HCC Alief Hayes

The Houston District SBA & HCC hosted 13 lenders on October 19 for speed dating style appointments with borrowers. Entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to meet with two to three lenders each to pitch their funding needs and plans.

Wallis Bank provided breakfast in the reception area as borrowers mixed and mingles and visited with resource partners.

Entrepreneurs were given the opportunity to meet with two to three lenders each to build relationships and learn which lender might become the one who funds their business now, or when the time is right. Entrepreneurs from HCC programs attended in addition to others from the area.

Wallis Bank

Frost Bank

Exhibitors included Wallis Bank, SCORE, The University of Houston Small Business Development Center, METRO and the Port Authority of Houston and HCC.

Click Here for a Photo Web Album of our 10/19 Event: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QHM6B9Xv1hG98iiG6

HCC is Hosting an SBA Lender Matchmaking Event

at our HCC Eastside Campus

December 8, 8:30 am - Noon

For More & to Register:

https://HCClendermatch.eventbrite.com

HCC Thanks Sponsors of our

2022 HCC Business Plan Competition

Gold, Silver & Bronze Sponsors

BPC Alumni Circle Sponsors

In-Kind Sponsors

Dates will be announced soon for the

2023 HCC Business Plan Competition!

The application period opens in January!

About the Glenda & David Regenbaum Center for Entrepreneurship

HCC Northwest

OUR MISSION: To help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses.

We do this by offering workshops, seminars, summits, classes and competitive training and advising, while also providing practical knowledge, resources and connections. We are also known for three Signature Programs: the Annual HCC Business Plan Competition, now in its 15th year; the Small Business Success Series by by HCC^©; and the HCC Mattress Mack School of Selling^©. More About Us



Contact us at c4e@hccs.edu or 713-718-6650

Houston Community College Wins 2022 Bellwether Award for Entrepreneurial Initiatives

Houston Community College has won the 2022 Bellwether Award for its outstanding and innovative workforce development program: HCC’s Entrepreneurial Initiatives. The Bellwether Awards are widely regarded as one of the nation’s most competitive and prestigious recognitions for community colleges. Dr. Maya Durnovo, HCC’s chief entrepreneurial initiatives officer leads HCC’s mission of helping entrepreneurs start and grow businesses to bolster the local economy, create jobs and build Houston’s ecosystem by starting and growing small businesses, including minority-, veteran- and women-owned businesses. Dr. Durnovo said. “I am so fortunate to have a highly motivated and passionate team that strives for excellence in everything they do.”

Houston Community College Receives 2021 Diversity In Business Award from the Houston Business Journal!

Congratulations to all students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs (aspiring & existing); and to all our community participants, supporters, volunteers, partners and sponsors who collaborate with us to make awards like this possible! Congratulations also to all of the other honorees and awardees! 

#WeAreHCC # HoustonStrong #HBJDiversity

Houston Community College 

2020 Entrepreneurial College of the Year

The Houston Community College System was selected as the winner of the 2020 Entrepreneurial College of the Year award by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) at NACCE's annual conference, where entrepreneurial colleges from across the U.S. gather to share best practices. On behalf of all of our entrepreneurial programs and staff, we thank all of the entrepreneurs, partners, sponsors, volunteers, students, and HCC faculty and staff who have contributed to our efforts! Without your support and dedication to our programs, this wouldn't have been possible!