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Where finance meets impact.
These Maine CDFIs Are Showing Mainstream Lenders How to Open Doors For Muslim Borrowers
When Yassin arrived in western Maine in 2008 as a refugee from Djibouti, he knew that he wanted to start his own business one day. In recent decades, Maine has become a destination for a growing population of immigrants like Yassin, who are seeking to build a life for themselves in the U.S. According to…
Meet Danielle Mahon, The Entrepreneur Whose Company, Topsail Steamer, Has The Wind At Its Back
Although Danielle Mahon identifies as a late-in-life entrepreneur, she’s more of a waiting-for-the-right-idea entrepreneur. Danielle grew up in southern New Jersey, and she spent her summers on the Jersey Shore with friends and family. Danielle pursued a career in sales, but it was her husband’s job that took her and her children to Raleigh, North…
How Deshonda Charles Turned Her Dream Of Becoming A Lawyer Into A Successful Small Business – The Tackett Firm
When Deshonda Charles, Esq. was a little girl, she wanted two things in life: to be a singer and to become a lawyer. According to her, she was attracted to the legal world thanks to Clair Huxtable, the matriarch at the center of The Cosby Show. A young Deshonda watched the television show during its…
How These Boba Tea Entrepreneurs Went From Working Street Festivals To Opening A Successful Restaurant – The Melt Bistro
When Josh Houeye and Magen Hearn went on a date at a local Vietnamese restaurant in 2018, neither of them anticipated that a small business idea would blossom out of their boba tea. However, that’s exactly what happened. The bubble tea was so good that Josh pulled out his phone and Googled the ingredients. Impressed,…
How Leslie Rosella Turned Her Passion For Four-Legged Friends Into A Growing Doggie Day Care
For as long as she can remember, Leslie Rosella has loved animals. Pursuing a bright career in the restaurant industry, it never occurred to her that she could turn her childhood love into a profession. That was the case, at least, until she got Brixx: a purebred Rottweiler that Leslie and her boyfriend, Chris Cooley,…
Meet Harlem Entrepreneurial Fund, the CDFI Aiming to Become ‘Harlem’s CDFI’
Although Hamil Douglas self-identifies as a reformed banker, he’s appreciative of his extensive experience in the world of finance. Without it, he likely would never have become the president and CEO of Harlem Commonwealth Council (HCC), where he also serves as the managing director of Harlem Entrepreneurial Fund (HEF), HCC’s investment vehicle. Hamil got his…
Meet Cortaiga Collins, Whose Quest For Quality Childcare Led Her To Open The Good Shepherd Preschool
Cortaiga Collins never intended to open her own business, let alone her own early childhood education center. Instead, Cortaiga received her bachelor’s degree and was on track to become a CPA. However, when she had her second child in 2000, everything changed. After having her first child as a senior in high school, Cortaiga felt…
How Fern Street Circus is Bringing Social Change to the Streets of San Diego
When most people think about social justice, they don’t think about circus arts; however, for John Highkin, social change is at the center of his community arts nonprofit, Fern Street Circus. John grew up in Los Angeles and became a musician before moving to England to get a master’s degree in English. In 1987, while…
How a Cancer Diagnosis Gave Ethel Brooks the Strength to Start Her Own Business
For many people, a cancer diagnosis can derail them. For Ethel Brooks, it ignited her. It was January 2017 when Ethel learned that she had breast cancer. Her mind instantly concocted the worst-case scenario, and her first thought was about what she was going to leave behind for her three daughters and seven grandchildren if…
How McAuley Residence and The Genesis Fund are Redefining (and Rolling Out) Recovery Centers Across Maine
For over 30 years, McAuley Residence has been a safe place for women in need in Portland, Maine. When the opioid crisis hit 13 years ago, however, the residence — a longstanding project of The Sisters of Mercy — needed to rethink its services. “We were seeing a significant need for women with children who…