Grants Available for Young Entrepreneurs
Harrison County, MS - October 9, 2016
Coast Young Professionals is offering help to young entrepreneurs with the 2016 Young Entrepreneur Grant program.
A total of $2,500 was given to small business owners in 2015, and marketing agency founder Eric Oliver was one of the recipients.
"It allowed us to print collateral material such as folders, business letter head, letters themselves. So, it allowed us to kind of give material to our clients, that's very important for an agency like ourselves so we can demonstrate that we can do it," said Oliver, founder of Future Design Group.
Oliver has received grant money through other groups as well, and says its been a huge help for his small business.
"A lot of small businesses don't take advantage of it, especially with Coast Young Professionals, just because most of the people when they're younger so there's a very good opportunity that you could win the grant," said Oliver.
Another recipient of the 2015 grant was Sondra Gayle Hicks.
"Being a small business owner – especially being a new business owner – any extra help I can get doing advertising getting leads, joining more memberships any of those things that I can do, help me get out there and help me get in the community," said Gayle-Hicks.
Gayle-Hicks says she used her grant money for advertising, and has seen it pay off.
"I do see it on a daily basis when someone says, ‘Oh I saw this' or ‘Oh I saw you're a member of' or ‘I saw on your website', said Gayle-Hicks. "Any of those things help."
Criteria and application can be found at www.mscoastchamber.com.
View WLOX Video of the Interview
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