Renasant Roots Entrepreneurial Success Series with Antonio Henson, Renasant Bank; Donna Wise, InXpress Roswell; and Amber Woolfolk, Solve Tutoring LLC (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 684)
The Renasant Roots Entrepreneurial Success Series is a capacity-building program designed to assist small business owners with business development, marketing, networking, and many other benefits. On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray was joined by Antonio Henson, Community Lending & Relationship Director, Renasant Bank, to discuss this program, how entrepreneurs are selected, grants available to participants, and more. Two business owners from last year’s program, Donna Wise, InXpress Roswell, and Amber Woolfolk, Solve Tutoring LLC, also joined the show. Donna and Amber discussed their respective businesses, why they signed up for last year’s Renasant Roots series, what they learned, why they encourage fellow entrepreneurs to participate, and much more.
To apply for the Renasant Roots program, you can email RenasantRootsCapacityBuilding@renasant.com for more information.
North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton Studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Renasant Roots Entrepreneurial Success Series
Renasant Bank is proud to bring the Renasant Roots Entrepreneurial Success Series to the Atlanta market again this year. The capacity-building workshop is a four-week program customized to help small business owners sharpen their business development skills and fill gaps in their knowledge and experience to make their enterprises stronger. Renasant Roots was created in partnership with the Birmingham Business Resource Center five years ago.
With the program having great success in the Birmingham market, Renasant’s Birmingham team and the BBRC are sharing the Renasant Roots template with the Atlanta Renasant team to share with small business owners in Atlanta. “We are excited to bring the Renasant Roots program to the Atlanta market. After watching the success and growth of the program in Birmingham, we decided that it would be a great opportunity to share these business resources with the Atlanta community as well,” said Zennie Lynch, Atlanta Market President. “In addition to the skills development and powerful information these participants will receive, they will also be provided with a small business development grant of $2,500 when they complete the program.”
The workshop will focus on business development and planning, marketing and branding, accounting principles and tax preparation, funding options, and resource development. Speakers for the sessions will be provided by Invest Atlanta, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, LiftFund, and Atlanta Black Chambers.
There is no cost to participate in the program other than committing 10 hours over five weeks. 10 participants will be selected through an application process.
Company Website | LinkedIn | Facebook
Antonio Henson, MBA, First Vice President – Community Lending Relationship Director, Renasant Bank
Antonio Henson has over twenty years of experience in business and banking. He has facilitated training sessions for staff aimed at enhancing product & credit knowledge and regulatory procedures.
Antonio has structured project financing designed to spur neighborhood revitalization efforts in the low-income communities throughout the State of New Jersey and Metro Atlanta. This action involved community outreach and working with elected officials, government agencies, quasi-public agencies and the private sector to promote revitalization and commercial development.
He has provided expertise and assistance to various community-based organizations, to assist them with meeting the financial needs of their respective organizations.
Donna Wise, Owner, InXpress Roswell
InXpress Roswell is a full-service shipping concierge platform, providing complimentary education and discounts on shipping and freight of all kinds, from envelopes and small packages to heavy equipment and machinery. InXpress offers both domestic and international services and differentiates by understanding customer needs in order to provide personalized services.
Owner of InXpress Rosswell, Donna Wise, has sales, marketing, and strategy experience in complex environments across multiple industries that helps in strategic business planning. Her goal is to learn something new every day and to energize those around her to take positive action.
Specialties: international shipping, domestic freight, business consulting, global business development, marketing strategy, innovation, communications strategy, and tactical prioritization
Industries: Logistics/Supply Chain, Wholesale & Retail Trade, Manufacturing, Food, Healthcare, Technology, Nonprofits, Media, Hospitality, Consumer Products, and more
Company Website | LinkedIn | Facebook
Amber Woolfolk, Founder & CEO, Solve Tutoring LLC
In 2017, Solve Tutoring opened its doors to offer affordable tutoring and academic assistance services to student-athletes in areas surrounded by Title One public schools. Solve Tutoring provides tutoring, test prep, academic coaching and executive functioning resources in-person and virtually for students in grades 3rd-12th in STEM and Foreign Language subjects up to 7 days a week.
With over five years of experience as the Founder and Director of Solve Tutoring, Amber leads a highly utilized tutoring and test prep program for 3rd-12th grade student athletes in underserved communities. She has a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Mercer University and an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Shorter College. Her passion is to close academic gaps and cultivate learning in STEAM and foreign language fields, while empowering students to achieve their personal and professional goals.
At Solve Tutoring, Amber collaborates with coaches, counselors, trainers, educators, recruiters, and parents to develop individualized strategies and programs that support student success, critical thought, college readiness, and goal setting. She also manages the operations and logistical components of business activities, from contract negotiation and data analysis to project management and human resources. In addition, she fosters a sense of volunteerism and community engagement among our staff and students, as part of our mission to advocate for equity in education.
Company Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
Questions and Topics in this Interview:
General:
- Antonio Henson’s role at Renasant
- Renasant Roots and its success
- The skills and strategies each guest learned through Renasant Roots
Donna Wise, InXpress Roswell:
- Why would a business or nonprofit need a shipping concierge?
- How are you different from other providers in your industry?
- What does it take to get started with you?
- What is the biggest challenge to shipping in today’s environment?
- Where do you see the industry going in 3-5 years?
- What advice would you give to entrepreneurs interested in joining this industry?
Amber Woolfolk, Solve Tutoring LLC
- Why is your focus mostly Student-Athletes?
- How did the Renasant Roots accelerator impact your business over the duration of the program?
- How has funding or lack thereof impacted y our small business and the communities/students that you serve?
- What tips or strategies would you share with parents as they enter the school year?
- What challenges are you seeing with students currently?
- What are your thoughts on AI technology and the impact it could have on students?
North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.
Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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