A new business course for minorities is coming to Gaston in early September through LAUNCH Gaston.
The LAUNCH Gaston entrepreneurship program is a 10-week course for adults who are interested in starting a business or have already started one. This class aims to validate and expand an individual’s business idea through topics such as how to develop a business plan, financial planning, marketing, social media, and more.
This program is meant to provide education to those who may have little access to the benefits LAUNCH Gaston provides. This includes underrepresented entrepreneurs and minorities such as Hispanics, women, and people of color.
The course will cost $100 per person and is expected to take place two to three times a year. LAUNCH Gaston intends to have these classes take place in person, but a location has not yet been announced.
Applications for LAUNCH Gaston will open sometime in August.
At the end of the 10 weeks, graduates will receive business support and access to business coaching.
“Ongoing mentorship is the goal,” said LAUNCH Gaston’s program director, Osvaldo “O.B.” Batista. “Just because you leave doesn’t mean you have all the answers yet.”
Batista said that 10 weeks is not enough to learn all the nooks and crannies of the business world. To solve this, the program pairs graduates with mentors who follow up with them between course periods. Graduates are always welcome to come back and ask questions.
Batista, who is more commonly called “O.B.,” had a modest upbringing in Maniabón, Cuba, before he moved to the United States. His mother would work multiple jobs just to pay for rent and food without having time left for herself.
Batista formed a partnership and co-owned his first business, Top Martial Arts, in 2012 with his mentor, Jae Lee, while working a full-time job. Six years later, Batista started his second business, Unity Financial Coaching, to educate people about finance.
Many people are afraid of starting a business because there is no safety net, said Batista. He said that, although you must work hard, you can start a business while working a full-time job and that it is OK to start small and have a microbusiness. “You don’t have to quit your job,” he said.
Batista believes God gave everyone a specific set of abilities He gave no one else. Batista is looking for motivated individuals so he can help them grow their business ideas from a dream into a reality to better the community.
“[People] have good ideas, they just need to be encouraged into launching or building on those ideas and they will see success in their commitment,” he said.
LAUNCH Gaston is mostly funded through internal fundraising by finding organizations or individuals who are interested in the growth of the program and may be willing to provide grants.
This program started with City Church in Gastonia when Pastor Dickie Spargo saw a need to cultivate the dreams of potential entrepreneurs. This is the first church to partner with LAUNCH, but Batista said that a church should encourage people to be successful not for the money but to be able to give generously.
The first version of LAUNCH was originally thought of by Hal Bowling, who co-founded LAUNCH Chattanooga in Tennessee. LAUNCH Gaston has been working with Bowling to specialize it for the people of Gaston County.
Now, 71% of LAUNCH-supported businesses are owned by African Americans and 65% are owned by women, generating an estimated $11.5 million in annual revenue.
Luc Séguret, a rising senior at Western Carolina University, is working as a reporter for The Gaston Gazette until he returns to school in August. He can be reached at 828-206-2544 or email him at LSeguret@Gannett.com.
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