What do a laughter therapist, grant writer and self-identified history nerd have in common? Each of them is a small business owner directly served by the Women’s Business Accelerator in El Paso, Texas. The first of its kind in El Paso, the accelerator focused specifically on the needs of women entrepreneurs and business owners. As part of the 2024 Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant cohort, NLC awarded the City of El Paso $20,000 to launch, train and graduate women entrepreneurs through the accelerator within a six-month timeframe.
Sixteen women entrepreneurs were able to receive expert training on how to expand their business, transition to digital marketing and gain assistance from a plethora of support organizations across the El Paso region. One of the entrepreneurs identified the accelerator as a way to streamline and apply the existing resources and materials to “build your house up.” Put another way, the accelerator provided a rock-solid foundation for women entrepreneurs to scale their businesses. For municipalities who want to replicate some of the successes of this program, these three key learnings can help to maximize your impact.
Leverage Local Expertise
As the city only had a few months to launch the training and graduate the cohort participants, the materials needed to be focused on the real-world needs of the entrepreneurs. To refine their curriculum, the city partnered with Pioneers21, a local business incubator, and connected with organizations in the Business One Stop Shop (BOSS) network. The BOSS network comprises more than 25 Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) offering expertise in business development, access to capital and workforce development. Leveraging these partnerships, the team developed a six-week course covering topics including marketing, community resources, creating a business plan and leveraging diversity for continued sustainability and growth. In addition, many of the ESOs attended specific sessions to answer questions, share resources and make continued, long-lasting connections for the entrepreneurs.
Leverage Your Municipal Power
While partnerships are vital to the work, don’t undersell your own municipal impact. To keep up the momentum, the El Paso team is leveraging specific staff liaisons who are responsible for reaching out and staying in touch with the accelerator participants. During these check-ins, the staff can provide more information the entrepreneurs might need, such as how to become a preferred vendor with the city through the Office of Procurement. In addition, municipalities can provide not only technical support but networking as well. As one participant identified, the accelerator provided “ … not only the tools to better manage my business and learn manage it correctly, [but] I also got to meet some other wonderful entrepreneurs.”
In designing your own programs, consider what services or connections you can weave into your engagement. As participants move through the program, identify what are the natural next steps on their growth trajectory. What will your participants need as they use the skills, tools and resources you’ve provided them? Incorporating future engagements can contribute to the impact of your program for years after.
Meet the Needs of Your Participants
Entrepreneurs are not only responsible for their business obligations, but also their personal, family and community responsibilities. Drawing from their experience with women-owned businesses, the El Paso team recognized childcare as a major challenge for their participants. To address this, they scheduled sessions on Friday mornings after school drop-off to accommodate working parents. If necessary, the program also allowed children to attend the sessions with their parents so the entrepreneurs would not miss any of the sessions.
When you develop your programs, be sure to design as many of your elements with the needs of your target audience in mind. Your participants may not need childcare but rather transportation, translation or flexible learning hours. Understanding your audience’s unique needs will foster a more engaged and fulfilling cohort.
Implementing These Lessons in Your Community
Each community is different so your program and policy implementation may vary from El Paso’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator. Despite those differences, municipal leaders can take an active role in the lives of residents to promote economic mobility, especially for those who are underrepresented in the local economy. Think about your community needs, institutions working in those areas of need and how you can foster relationships to reach more residents. As local municipal leaders, you get the opportunity to interact with your residents in nearly every facet of their life; leverage these connections to provide even more opportunities for your community.
Boost Economic Mobility in Your Community
NLC is now accepting applications for the 2025 Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant cohort. This is an opportunity for 12 municipalities to receive up to $20,000 to implement or support impactful economic mobility initiatives at the local level. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Don’t miss this chance to invest in your community’s future!
About the Author
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