According to a new 10-year study by Opportunity Insights, part of Harvard University, the Charlotte area no longer ranks as the worst city in America for economic mobility, rising from #50 on the list to #38 in recent years.
One of the main findings of the study was that economic mobility depended on community-level variables more than it did on family-level variables or even race or class. For example, employment rates across areas were better predictors of children’s future economic aspects and reflected “community-level change.”
As a lead partner in the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative (MREI) Digital Divide Priority Area, the CDE was not surprised, as digital equity efforts—made possible with funding through the initiative–have formed the cornerstone of broader racial equity work in Charlotte.
Economic and workforce development goes hand-in-hand with entrepreneurship, which is why these are areas of focus for digital equity initiatives. There is a strong entrepreneurial spirit in our area, but today’s small businesses need access to resources and opportunities—and that access is increasingly becoming digital access.
Catching a Break: One Entrepreneur’s Voice
Stevon Outing, a hopeful entrepreneur from the area, shares this sentiment best: “I’m just a person that was born and raised here in Charlotte. and I see Charlotte has grown so much, I see all the opportunities here…”
The barriers preventing that opportunity have to do with getting a foothold in the local area. Outing’s company works with apartment complexes, and though he has met with different managers, few of them have been willing to give up their contracts with national vendors—even though they are dissatisfied with the services those vendors provide. “I see people coming into Charlotte and see them making money and I’ve been here all my life and can’t seem to get to that point.”
Outing’s story is not unique. There is opportunity here, but local entrepreneurs need the resources to be able to compete. This is where the R.I.S.E. platform can be a game-changer.
Regional Innovation and Support for Entrepreneurs (R.I.S.E.)
To ensure the entrepreneurs have access to helpful resources, the CDE has teamed up with the CLT Alliance Foundation, creators of the Regional Innovation and Support for Entrepreneurs (R.I.S.E.) platform. The CLT Alliance Foundation is a non-profit that recognizes the unique strengths and abilities aspiring entrepreneurs can bring to the table and seeks out ways to help those individuals use their skills to make an impact in their community. The R.I.S.E. platform is the CLT Alliance Foundation’s digital resource hub, empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Charlotte region to better navigate the entrepreneurial ecosystem and connect with other businesses, events, and resources.
Tools like R.I.S.E. can make all the difference for an entrepreneur like Mr. Outing, who is just starting out. But if a would-be entrepreneur lacks the digital skills or connectivity needed, it is as if that resource does not exist. And that is where the CDE’s Digital Navigators come in.
Connecting with Local Entrepreneurs
The CDE’s Digital Navigators met Mr. Outing at a financial literacy seminar hosted at a local branch of Ernst & Young (EY). EY has been a long-standing partner with the CDE and is continuously exploring innovative ways to thread digital equity across industries and communities. Through this partnership, a collaborative opportunity was created with Common Wealth Charlotte to host a financial and digital literacy event. At the event, Digital Navigators shared resources with participants, including the R.I.S.E. platform.
“[Part of] our role as Digital Navigators is to kind of guide them through [the R.I.S.E. platform] to let them know where they can look for different things and to help them with signing up, kind of creating their profiles,” says Naimah Martin, one of the CDE’s Digital Navigators who was present at the event. “[We] have met residents who have a desire to start a business but simply don’t know where to go, who to speak to, or how to do certain things, like getting an LLC. R.I.S.E. can help with that, but some might need help navigating the platform.”
Martin and other Digital Navigators were also present at Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), specifically helping with an interactive summit on pitching a business, which was created in partnership with Truist, hosted by Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, and supported by the CLT Alliance Foundation and the CDE. This was yet another opportunity to help promote the R.I.S.E. platform and also encourage entrepreneurs to sign up for digital skills classes.
Entrepreneurship and the Digital Divide
For entrepreneurs who lack sufficient digital skills, devices, or access to the internet, starting a business and keeping it running can be nearly impossible in today’s world. Understanding how to connect with people through social media, how to properly advertise online, and how to run a website are not just skills for influencers: These are skills that all business owners need to have knowledge of–and there is a growing recognition of these requirements.
As an ambassador for digital equity, the CDE is well aware of these needs, and we aim to provide assistance to entrepreneurs in a variety of ways. In addition to assistance with R.I.S.E. in conjunction with the CLT Alliance Foundation, our Digital Navigators can assist with:
- Getting access to free or affordable laptops.
- Finding workshops on digital skilling and financial literacy.
- Getting free or discounted internet access through Access Charlotte.
- Helping people find and navigate helpful and trustworthy online resources.
As for Mr. Outing’s story, Martin is following up to help him create an account on the R.I.S.E. platform and encouraging him to take further digital skills classes. The hope is that, through the platform, Outing will be able to get some local exposure (getting on lists of local contractors, for example) and perhaps land a client or two.
With a little guidance from the CDE and our partners, we believe that anyone should be able to achieve their goals in starting and maintaining a successful business.