ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) The Black Economic Leadership League, or B.E.L.L., announcing its next BELL-PRIZE Program. This year’s programs will include BELL-PRIZE boot camps and workshops as well as an online that could provide 20 business owners with small $500 grants.
A new crop of entrepreneurs will get to grow their businesses through the BELL XPrize competition. The first XPrize started in 2018, announcing its winners in 2019 — just before pandemic shut downs. Now, leaders say they want to give more business resources and support to strengthen the local economy.
Dawn Johnson, with the B.E.L.L. XPrize, says, “Basically it’s a way for us to bring together people who are either just starting a business or they’ve been in the business for a while and want to take their business to the next level.”
B.E.L.L. focus on helping black entrepreneurs grow their businesses and leaders say that black businesses are more likely to fail, and less likely to grow. Working within the Saluda Corridor along side the Clinton ConNEXTion, leaders say they hope that these business owners want to expand across the city.
Dawn Johnson saying, “We saw so many people just kind of floating out there and do you see the signs we all see them at different things that you don’t know or understand set this created a safe place.”
Kimberly Mood started her business in 2017. She says she joined the XPrize’s 10 week program to learn more and to gain more resources. She says she never imagined she’d be one of four to split winnings of a $100,000 prize.
“I found that it was going to be an opportunity for me to be taught or to be supported in my learning process by other people that have been in business.”
Now, just moving into her own space she says she continues to plan and use her mentors as a resource.
“That plan, was probably the biggest thing that I got from… As far as accountability that I got from the competition, resources, support, and like Dawn said a community,” says Mood.
“You know it’s not easy to say I don’t understand this, or this is a challenge that I’m having and to share your weaknesses. So, it was a safe place where people begin to network and we were so excited to see everyone continue to network, to help each other, to reach out to each other with questions and you know that’s the biggest thing,” says Johnson.
In the video above, CN2’s Rachel Richardson is speaking with XPrize leaders about the second round of the competition.
