Latest news with #SmallBusinessDevelopment
CBS News
19 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Fort Worth City Council votes to eliminate DEI programs and establish small business funding program
The Fort Worth City Council voted on Tuesday to eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and to redirect funds to its new Small Business Development Program that it says aligns with federal requirements. The city said that recent federal executive orders prohibit DEI programs and that by ending these programs, the city will preserve $277 million in federal grants for things like public safety, utilities for low-income housing and funding for city workers. The city said it is shifting its approach on supporting business opportunities for all, helping ensure all small businesses can thrive without violating federal law. The new program is designed to increase business opportunities in Fort Worth for all business owners. It will become effective after Sept. 1. According to the city, its new program is designed to expand access and opportunity for local small businesses and bolster partnerships with the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Fort Worth Chamber. Trump signed an order on his first day in office directing federal agencies to terminate all "equity-related" grants or contracts. He signed a follow-up order requiring federal contractors to certify that they don't promote DEI. The city of Baltimore and other groups sued the Trump administration, arguing the executive orders are an unconstitutional overreach of presidential authority. The Justice Department has argued that the president was targeting only DEI programs that violate federal civil rights laws. Government attorneys said the administration should be able to align federal spending with the president's priorities.
UPI
6 days ago
- Business
- UPI
Former NFL players join BBB to launch Small Business Training Camp
1 of 5 | Tennessee Titans Keith Bullock arrives for the Hotel De Maxim Super Bowl party at the Sagamore Hotel on Miami Beach in 2007. As a successful entrepreneur, he will help teach students at the Small Business Training Camp. File Photo by Martin Fried/UPI | License Photo July 31 (UPI) -- The National Football League Alumni Association announced the Small Business Training Camp along with the Better Business Bureau Foundation for Better Business to help NFL alumni launch and run small businesses. Former NFL players who have become successful entrepreneurs play a key role in the program, a press release from the BBB said. Some players contributing to the program are: Tim Baylor, former Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Colts defensive back and founder and president of the JADT Development Group Keith Bulluck, former Tennessee Titans and New York Giants linebacker and owner of Just Love Coffee Café LeRoy Butler, former Green Bay Packers safety and owner of Leap Vodka Michael Griffin, former Tennessee Titans safety who co-owns Gigi's Cupcakes in Austin, Texas, with former NFL player Brian Orakpo and Bryan Hinson Terrence Holt, former Detroit Lions safety who co-owns Holt Brothers Construction with his brother Torry Holt, former wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars Dick Vermeil, former head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs, who is a long-time owner of Vermeil Wines Some NFL alumni are learning from and using the expertise and educational programming, like course content related to forming a small business, financial fundamentals and cash flow, sales and marketing, customer service and retention, compliance and risk management, and human resources management. They are also using the resources offered by the Small Business Administration, including Small Business Development Centers, and highly successful business leaders across the country, including former NFL players, to lend their key insights and support. The camp also aims to promote and support small business development in communities partnering with NFL Alumni chapters. "Supporting former NFL players in life after football is a core component of NFL Alumni's mission," said Brad Edwards, CEO of NFL Alumni. "Our continued partnership with BBB - Heart of Texas and its Foundation for Better Business enables us to provide retired players many of the resources they need to become entrepreneurs and both launch and grow businesses and contribute to the community."
IOL News
31-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
The tightrope between policy disruption and diplomacy at Startup20
(From left to right) Salomi Baloi, DIRCO Acting Chief Operations Officer and Lead Coordinator – G20 Engagement Groups; Kizito Okechukwu, Executive Head of 22 On Sloane and Co-Chair of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Africa; Honourable Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Small Business Development and Vuyani Jarana, Chairperson - SU20 South Africa. Image: Supplied The Startup20 (SU20) midterm engagement was, by all accounts, a success. It brought together taskforce members, youth leaders, global partners, and policy stakeholders in a high energy environment designed to move beyond rhetoric and into action. There was a shared sense of urgency and commitment to shaping meaningful, global policy proposals ahead of the G20 Summit in November. In her address, Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams highlighted the significance of South Africa's G20 Presidency under the theme "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability," calling for urgent reform of global trade and financial systems to better serve vulnerable economies and communities. She stressed the importance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in driving inclusive growth, innovation, and resilience, particularly within underserved rural and township communities. The Minister underscored the need to ensure MSMEs are not afterthoughts in policy, but rather strategic actors in economic development. She reaffirmed South Africa's proposal to establish a formal G20 MSME and Startup Working Group, positioning this as a potential legacy of the current G20 cycle. At its core, the gathering was a working session. It included breakout groups to refine taskforce policy drafts, synergy mapping across themes, panel discussions with key experts, and collaborative dialogue that challenged participants to think not only about what we say in policy, but how we say it. This was not a passive conference; it was a space of co-creation. After the midterm engagement, I've found myself reflecting not only on what we are building, but how we are building it, and most critically, how we are speaking it into being. Language in policy is not neutral. It can build coalitions or break them. It can open doors or slam them shut. It is a tool of inclusion and imagination, but also, at times, of division and misunderstanding. This became abundantly clear when one task force, in passionately critiquing restrictive global frameworks, used the term 'regulatory colonialism.' The intention, I believe, was to spotlight the disproportionate burden placed on African and Global South economies by rigid, one size fits all regulations imposed or incentivised by dominant global actors. In a space that aims to co-create solutions across the G20 and beyond, this word landed with the force of centuries. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading And here lies the tension. Africa has a long and painful history of linguistic erasure and imposed narratives. To reclaim language is to reclaim power. But we must also acknowledge the tightrope we walk in multilateral spaces, where the very policies we craft must be legible, palatable, and adoptable by stakeholders who do not share our histories. Terms like 'regulatory colonialism' may resonate deeply within African contexts. But they risk alienating potential partners or diluting the intended message if the room becomes stuck debating semantics instead of substance. This is not a call to silence bold language. On the contrary, it is a call to wield it strategically. Disruptive language can reframe and rehumanise policy. But to be effective, it must be grounded in clarity, in invitation, and not just indictment. What I've come to understand, perhaps even more acutely after this engagement, is that being disruptive with language is both an art and a responsibility. In a policy context, especially one as nuanced and high stakes as SU20, words must do double duty: they must challenge, and they must connect. We cannot afford to dull our messages into soft diplomacy. But we also cannot allow our most powerful insights to be lost in translation, or worse, rejected outright because of a single triggering phrase. The question is not whether to be disruptive it is how to be disruptive while remaining heard. How to honour our truths while expanding our reach. How to challenge systems while building the coalitions needed to change them. In the end, we must ask ourselves: are we speaking to be right, or are we speaking to create change? Because in spaces like SU20, our words don't just pronounce the world—they have the power to reshape it. Boitshoko Shoke, Research and Impact Manager at 22 On Sloane. Image: Supplied Boitshoko Shoke, Research and Impact Manager at 22 On Sloane. *** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL BUSINESS REPORT
The Star
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
South Africa calls for greater support for small businesses amid rising protectionism
JOHANNESBURG, July 23 (Xinhua) -- South Africa hosted the inaugural Global Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Ministerial Meeting at a time of mounting challenges for small businesses, marked by disrupted supply chains, shifting geopolitics, and rising protectionism, according to the country's business minister. "Global value chains are undergoing rapid changes, with rising trade protectionism posing a threat to markets for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially in developing and less developed countries," Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni said on Wednesday. Addressing the Global SME Ministerial Meeting in Johannesburg, Ndabeni noted that these challenges are having a direct impact on developing economies and emerging enterprises. Ndabeni said efforts are underway to enhance support for MSMEs in accessing markets and finance, and to position them as strategic actors in the global economy. "This is why we are advocating for the establishment of a dedicated G20 MSME and Startup Working Group, to be formally included in the G20 Declaration in November. Let this be one of the key legacies of our collective efforts," she said. Ndabeni said substantial work had been undertaken to support MSMEs in the lead-up to the meeting. She highlighted the vital role MSMEs play in driving economic growth and innovation, describing them as "engines of economies and incubators of innovation." The meeting, running from Tuesday to Thursday, is intended to empower participants with knowledge, facilitate the exchange of best practices, and promote the development of strategic partnerships at both bilateral and multilateral levels, in order to strengthen national MSME support ecosystems, Ndabeni said.
The South African
22-07-2025
- Business
- The South African
G20: Startup20 Engagement Group's FIVE priorities unveiled
Small Business Development Minister Stella Ndabeni has unveiled South Africa's priorities for the Startup20 Engagement Group – an official engagement group under the country's G20 presidency. The minister was delivering remarks at the midterm meeting held at Birchwood in Boksburg on Monday. Startup20 serves as a platform for startups and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to engage with G20 leaders on the challenges and opportunities they face. Foundation and alliance – with the focus on enabling policies, and ways to build a more supportive and resourced eco-system for early-stage entrepreneurs and scale-ups. Finance and investment – with the focus on addressing gaps in early-stage financing, cross-border financing, and ways to derisk investment, for underserved regions and groups like women and youth, including through pre-investment capital readiness support. Inclusion and sustainability – with the focus on circular economy models, green innovation incentives, and pre-investment business support for youth and women led enterprises to improve capital readiness. Market access – with the focus on facilitating international trade, enabling e-commerce, reforming public procurement systems and supporting regional integration Township and rural entrepreneurship – with the focus on strengthening local value chains, improving infrastructure and connectivity, and improving access to finance and eco-system support for supporting co-operatives and micro enterprises. 'Task teams made up of South African and international representatives have been established in these five priority areas. 'This Midterm Engagement Group Session provides the opportunity for these task forces together with others in the broader eco-system to develop policy recommendations that culminate in a clear programme of action to be finalised in the Startup20 Summit on 13-14 November. 'This summit in November will also include the inaugural Startup20 Awards, where the best startups and eco-system enablers from the G20 countries will be recognised. We will also, as DSBD, integrate our Presidential MSME Awards where we recognise and reward our best local talent,' Ndabeni said. She emphasised that South Africa would utilise its G20 presidency to champion 'issues of the Global South and Africa in particular, including issues of public debt, food security, market access, and the availability and cost of capital'. 'With the African Union's induction as a permanent G20 member in 2023, Africa's voice is now more prominent in global policymaking. South Africa plays a dual role: both as a sovereign G20 member and as a strategic member of the AU. As such we are well positioned to support the continent's startup and MSME agenda. 'This alignment allows for greater policy coherence, enabling South Africa to serve as a bridge between global discourse and regional development aspirations, particularly in areas such as startup financing, regulatory reform, and digital transformation,' the Minister said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
