One local dance studio is able to remain open after months of struggling to stay afloat.
“So, like everybody else that was a brick and mortar business where people came in for services, we were trying to figure how to do we keep this 39-year-old business that we worked to build," said CEO Hamilton Academy of the Arts, Grace Hamilton-Mayfield.
After enrollment dropped to nearly 50 at the Hamilton Academy of the Arts, CEO and founder Grace Hamilton began applying for numerous grants.
“I looked for things like minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, the type of programs to help sustain themselves.”
After a few months of submitting applications, Grace was able to land a grant through the US Black Chamber of Commerce, which allowed them to provide scholarships to students.
Her grant application not only helped her students but qualified her for a partnership with Ureeka, a single platform that dedicates itself to bring small businesses to the next level. This is a mentorship program that over a dozen other small minority-owned businesses are now a part of.
“We work in collaboration with a Ureeka Coach who is helping us scale and expand our business and I’m learning all kinds of new stuff that I had not known before.”
As Grace is able to gain more hope for her local business she says she encourages other owners to keep sending out those applications.
“There are a lot of options out there, so just apply for everything because some of the things I applied for I got and others I didn’t. So, I think I would advise anyone to keep trying and don’t give up.”
