“I want to thank the Rock It Lab and Benito for the opportunity, and thank the people coming out to support the grand opening. I’m ready to serve the community with great authentic Chicago style food.” – Corey Nelson

One of these services is an intensive 12-week program where participants learn how to write a business proposal, apply for grants and loans and learn about the ins and outs of their potential businesses. These incubator classes have produced businesses like Keith Tucker Jr. with Truth Sauce, Serreta Boson with Sarge’s Famous Pickles, and Sergio Vildivia with Sergio Vildivia Art.

Corey Nelson graduated from the first Incubator class and opened Chicago Flamin’ Grill Express in his hometown of Beebe. The new location can be found at 1523 Dr. MLK Jr. Drive, in the Arkansas Baptist College Student Union building. His business is right at home among other businesses that have worked with the RIL, including H.O.M.E. Vegan and soon to join the building – Grind Bistro.

“I love the food. It’s so good! I was happy to see they offered a substitute for french fries. The onion rings were delicious.” Sheila Singleton told us while she enjoyed her lunch during the grand opening. The eatery offers a variety of Chicago dogs, chicken tenders, wings, fish, sandwiches, nachos, and assorted desserts.

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Owner and founder of Advancing Black Entrepreneurship, Benito Lubazibwa spoke at length on the challenges that entrepreneurs, specifically minority owners face and the tools that the RIL can provide. He emphasized that the RIL provides four kinds of capital- knowledge, financial, social and possibly, the most important, hope. When discussing the idea of barriers to funding, Lubazibwa went on to remark that often people say teach a man to fish; but then you discover that the lake is polluted and that the playing field is not set up equally for all who want to own a business. This gets to the core of what the RIL aims to do – build a more equitable and just entrepreneurial ecosystem here in Arkansas.
Statistics shared that night included over 350 entrepreneurs being served during the 2021 year, with 80% of those being women. And over 1,000 hours spent consulting entrepreneurs both through the Incubator class as well as one-on-one mentorships.

Lakeisha Sharpley, a graduate, spoke about what her time in the program meant to her. She was appreciative of the opportunities that have been provided, including the ability to sell products directly to customers through the River Shop without the overhead of her own shop, nor the costs typically associated with pop-up events. She values the community that has been created among her class as well as her newfound desire to take risks. She discussed the amount of knowledge she has been able to gain through guest speakers and how she has learned “the unvoiced information that is typically kept away from us.” She ended her speech by saying that she came into the program with a small toolbox and now she has a big toolbox, full of information. Sharpley is a teacher at the Little Rock School District and is the owner of Lux + Soul, where she sells home décor and self-care items including candles and loungewear.

Keynote Speaker and Executive Director of CALS, Nate Coulter spoke about the history of the RIL and how the program came to be. He discussed that initially, this entrepreneurial hub was going to be housed on the 5th floor of the Main Library and that some funds were even spent there to get the space created; but then the opportunity to instead locate the RIL in the Cox building was presented and it was agreed upon that this was where it should have always been. He surmised that much like the graduates in the room, the path to success is never a straight line but takes persistence and patience.

Twenty-three graduates were awarded certificates of completion of the program. Many of these faces will stay with the RIL as mentors for the next group, while some are already diving into their respective projects. For instance, Corey Nelson announced the opening of his restaurant, Chicago Flamin’ Grill in Beebe. Lubazibwa ended with an African proverb, “No person is born great, a great person is created while others are sleeping.”

The highlight of the night was the announcement of the Demo Day winner. Weeks prior, the graduates all pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges. One stood out above the others, despite the lack of a formal PowerPoint presentation, the judges were overcome by Hezekiah Pierce and his company, Hezekiah Lawn Care, LLC and the passion he had for it. A shining example of the positive effect of extending grace and second chances, Pierce has spent time in prison. He served his sentence and upon release, became a resident of Our House. During his time in the Incubator program at the RIL, he lived at Our House and spoke at length about his plans to open a business, never missing a class. He recently secured his first apartment and is now living on his own.

Pierce sat shocked while his fellow graduates and Our House staff cheered and stood for him. Lubazibwa then announced that in order to help Pierce with his lawncare business a zero-turn lawnmower, trimmer, blower and a trailer had been purchased for him. Everyone was invited outside to see him accept his prize.

Guests then returned to the second floor of the Cox Building for drinks, live music and food from AfroBites catering.
Congratulations to the Spring 2022 RIL Incubator graduating class! We can’t wait to see what you accomplish in Little Rock and across the state.

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In 2021, as part of a larger grant awarded to Arkansas from U.S. Small Business Administration, the small business center at UALR received 2.5 million dollars as a community navigator that will be distributed among six local entities – and CALS is one of those entities. Through this program, the RIL’s portion is $250,000, with $125,000 given in 2022 and the remaining $125,000 in 2023. The RIL anticipates using these funds to continue the efforts to help minority and women owned businesses to start or continue their path to entrepreneurship.

In October of 2021, they introduced their first class of entrepreneurs into the mentorship incubator program. These individuals agreed to a six-month commitment which will end this month and a new group of lucky people will be selected and move into their places. The graduates will be allowed to continue to use the RIL spaces, but now as members of the coworking community.

Just last month, the RIL has moved to the next phase of development and is seeking additional individuals who might be interested in partaking in the coworking space and other amenities that the building offers. This is the first time this free membership will be extended to those not participating in the incubator program. Amenities available include general business items you might expect, like meeting spaces, printers and copiers, and wifi, but there are other items that one might not expect, like access to creative tools and resources in the makerspace including sewing machines and art studio space, as well as an invitation to networking events and one-on-one mentorship opportunities.

If you’re not an entrepreneur in need of the RIL services, fear not, you can help support these up-and-coming businesses in a few different ways:

1. You can patronize them. The RIL has had a few public events where guests can come in and shop the wares, since April 16th, they have been open every Saturday from 10 am – 4 pm. Currently there are about fifteen vendors to shop from and you can find everything from shelf-stable food products and soaps to handmade jewelry and luxury apparel.
2. Become a mentor. The RIL is always looking for new mentors to help guide new members. A qualified mentor would be someone who has personal experience owning a business or C-level experience; is comfortable teaching and has the ability to share and relate; and has time to dedicate to an individual, we ask for a six-month commitment from our mentors to help see them through the program.
3. Donate. If you are unable to make a time commitment, the RIL would appreciate any donation you can send. These funds help to buy additional equipment, support future training, hire top-notch speakers and presenters, and more.
4. Follow the Rock It! Lab on Facebook.

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