Black Business Training Institute

Registration for the next cohort of IBS's Black Business Training Institute has closed.

For more than 53 years, IBE has been helping businesses with business management training, procurement opportunities, and networking to enhance their capacity and growth.  In partnership with KeyBank, and others, IBE will offer a robust 12-week business management program, free of charge.  The second cohort will take place in April. The training sessions will focus on practical business skills that can immediately be applied by small Black business owners.

A $5,000 award will be provided to the top business owner/business in each cohort that excels in the program.  Businesses will also be eligible for growth grants after completing the program. In partnership with the Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, each participant will receive technical support and business advice throughout the program.

Program Details

Goals of the Program

The goals of the program are (1) to ensure that participating business owners have sufficient knowledge, opportunities and relationships to sustain and grow their business; (2) to upskill entrepreneurs and provide supports that ultimately help increase their revenues; and (3) to develop community wealth to help close the racial wealth gap.

Cohort Training Topics

The 12-week cohort session will consist of the following topics:

Week 1: Program Overview

Week 2: Business Development and Planning

Week 3: Financial Management – Part 1

Week 4: Financial Management – Part 2

Week 5: Operational Management

Week 6: Marketing and Branding

Week 7: Technology

Week 8: Procurement – Doing Business with the Public and Private Sector

Week 9: Access to Capital – Part 1

Week 10: Access to Capital – Part 2

Week 11: Program Conclusion/Technical Assistance

Week 12: Networking Reception

Eligibility Requirements

The following is a list of criteria, not exhaustive and eligibility requirements:

  • You must own a Black-owned business.
  • Only the business owner is eligible to participate.
  • If a business owner operates more than one business, only one application for a single business will be accepted.
  • The business name on the application must match the records with the state, county and city. Your business must be in good standing with the state, county and city.
  • The business must have a Certificate of Good Standing.
  • The business must have a business address in Central Indiana.
  • Agree to share financials and other essential information.

What businesses are NOT eligible to apply?

  • Businesses that are franchises and chains.
  • Liquor stores, cannabis, etc. (per SBA guidelines).
  • Independent contractors operating multilevel or network marketing businesses (such as Avon, Mary Kay, 5LINX, Pampered Chef, etc.).
  • Independent contractors working on gig platforms such as Airbnb, Fiverr, Uber, Lyft, Instacart, etc.

Is the information and data within my application held private?

  • Yes. Individual applicant information and data will not be shared beyond the purposes of review during the selection process. Applicant data will not be sold. Aggregated applicant data may be reported for evaluation and knowledge-sharing purposes.

Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact us at Communications@indianablackexpo.com

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