Accion: The Job Creators

Starting a business is not an easy thing to do. Especially in low-income communities devoid of the resources and capital an entrepreneur needs. For some, finding startup loans, business education tools, or basic job coaching can be straightforward. For those in Englewood, Austin, and many more neighborhoods throughout Chicago, it’s next to impossible.

What if you’re someone who has poor credit history? Maybe a criminal background? Educated in an underfunded school district? What if you’re a woman or immigrant who lacks the institutional access of your male or American-born counterparts? Any of these factors can be the difference between business success, or getting started at all. That’s where Accion Chicago comes in.

Accion offers credit options, small business lending, coaching, and more, to underserved entrepreneurs who help build the businesses and generate the jobs in their communities. From the neighborhood barbershop that employs ten, to the local nail salon that has served the community for 30 years, and many small & neighborhood shops in between. Accion and it’s partners exist to help level the playing field and increase opportunity & access for overlooked small businesses.

Throughout the month of November, every Flowers for Dreams bouquet will support Accion Chicago and their job-creating efforts in Back of the Yards, Austin, Pilsen, North Lawndale, and many more neighborhoods throughout our great city. We’ll be sharing the stories of three local business owners who started with little and overcame many odds to create meaningful jobs in their communities and successful companies in the Chicago area – all with Accion’s help and capital support.

From a nail salon on the city’s far south side, to a popular cafe in west Pilsen, to a now Zagat-rated restaurant in Uptown, each of these establishments are success stories in Accion’s long history of job creation and economic improvement in communities in need. For more on Accion Chicago, their impact, and how to get involved, visit accionchicago.org/impact.