The Rock It! Lab (RIL) is a partnership between the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) and Advancing Black Entrepreneurship (ABE) that offers a variety of programs and services, including the twelve-week incubator, a co-working space for both office workers and a maker’s space that includes easels, a screen printing machine, and a set of sewing machines, as well as the opportunity for one-on-one business coaching and access to capital.  

Eighteen individuals graduated, including Morgan Perry who gave the student commencement speech. Perry is the owner of Me.Marie Style, a clothing company that makes made to measure couture clothing with hopes to hire a seamstress and begin offering a ready to wear clothing line. Perry was the youngest participant of the night, at 16, she’s juggling creating a business while still finishing high school.  “From a young age, I have always known what I wanted to be, I began sewing at age 7. My mom enrolled me in a fashion school at age 9.” Perry already has 450 hours of fashion school under her belt, and now, she and her mother, April Phillips-Perry, have completed Rock It! Lab’s twelve-week intensive business incubator.  

Perry was one of five graduates that participated in the RIL Pitch Competition, where the entrepreneurs were tasked with giving an elevator pitch for their business and “sell” the panel of judges on their respective businesses in a Shark Tank-style competition. Each entrepreneur had 5 minutes to explain their business and convince the panel of judges to pick them. On the line? A $5,000 prize.  

The panel consisted of Monique Carswell, Director of the Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity, who also served as the keynote speaker; Bruce James, who teaches incubator classes at RIL; and Benito Lubazibwa, the Executive Director of ABE and Remix Ideas.  

Graduates that participated in the pitch competition included Jerald Mitchell, a new father who realized a need for safe TV mounting solutions to assist families, started TV Mounting Pro where he not only installs televisions, but is working to expand into his own line of television mounts. Next was Madison Pitts with Nina’s Touch, a business that offers medical-grade skin care products that range from daily use to items that are created for eczema and psoriasis. Prince Hollidy pitched his idea for his custom jewelry line, Coils, Crystals, and Culture, where he hand-makes sophisticated jewelry at an accessible price by working with a variety of materials. 

Whitney Easterling spoke passionately about her business, The Guideline by WhitneyE, that provides cranial prosthesis for women who have suffered hair loss, something that she has struggled with from a young age. She described the high-quality products she creates and announced a blossoming partnership with a local cancer institute. She capped off her pitch by pulling an individual from the crowd and revealing that the woman was wearing one of her pieces. After graduation, when it was announced that Easterly had won the pitch competition and the $5,000 prize, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. In her parting speech, she told the group, “Don’t give up on yourself; hold on…I love my classmates, you’re beautiful, you’re amazing, keep going.” 

During the event, it was announced that the Rock It! Lab was awarded a $75,000 grant from Walmart to continue assisting aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their dreams of business ownership.  

When Benito Lubazibwa addressed the group, he told them that they needed three things, “Courage – you must have courage to imagine a different future. Curiosity – always be a part of your life. Be a student of the world, continue to learn. When you stop learning, you stop living. Compassion – be sure that it’s not all about the money, you need to make a difference in the community.” He went on to tell them that more than 200 people applied for a space in the cohort. He cited that many former students have moved from five figure businesses to six figure businesses, and one has moved into seven figure business. He spoke about his love of libraries and reiterated that all of the RIL services are free thanks to the Central Arkansas Library System. 

Eighteen new business owners left that evening with a sense of accomplishment and the tools to help them become the entrepreneurs they want to see in the world. Each of the pitch participants spoke not only of future desires for themselves but they all earmarked where they would like to create cultural impacts and give back to their respective causes. For the members of the Rock It! Lab, it’s about not just improving their own place in life, but also lifting up those around them.  

The graduates were gifted with parting advice from Monique, “The great thing about being part of a cohort is that you are not alone. You have people with you on your journey. Don’t let others place limitations on who you can be.”

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“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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The Rock It! Lab is a place where under-resourced entrepreneurs are given the tools, guidance, and training necessary to start, grow, and scale their businesses.

• technical assistance
• mentorship
• marketing and promotion
• networking opportunities
• business education
• one on-one consultations
• access to capital
• a 6-month incubator program
• multi-use coworking space

Do I have to be in the incubator program to use the co-working space?

No. Individuals can take advantage of the co-working space and all the amenities it provides without being in the incubator program. Simply fill out the co-working application and complete an in-person screening interview.

Can I join the incubator program at any time?

The incubator program runs twice a year and is a six-month commitment. The program runs during the fall and spring from . Participants are chosen the month prior to start of the program and must complete the full six months.

What are the costs to participate?

RIL services are provided free of charge to business owners. This is made possible by the partnership between CALS and Advancing Black Entrepreneurship and funding from a number of organizations (see our partnership page).

What can I expect to get out of the incubator program?

When our graduates leave the program, they should have a solid business plan as well as field-tested research to know if their ideas can be successful in the real world. For individuals who sell physical products, they are able to utilize the space on the first floor of the Cox building, in the River Shop, to sell their items.

Are there other resources available besides the co-working space and Incubator program?

The RIL is like a restaurant menu, there are full-service options like the incubator program, a step-down option with the co-working space and then there are ala carte options where you can have a one-time one-on-one consultation or even be assigned a mentor from the business community. We encourage you to reach out to find the level of service that best fits your business’ needs.

Do I need a library card or have to live in the CALS service area?

RIL services are not limited to CALS card members, but we do have an emphasis on helping individuals who are interested in starting or have recently started a business and are from an under-resourced demographic (for our program this means from the Black or Latinx community along with women and veterans).

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Once approved, members can utilize the space on the second floor that includes high-speed Wifi, the copy and print center, flexible workspaces including open collaboration space, and access to a break area with coffee, snack and a refrigerator. There is also access to the conference room on the third floor, which must be reserved. There is also access to creative tools and resources in the 501 Makerspace area, including sewing machines and art studio space.

In addition to the physical spaces, there are opportunities for personal business growth through mentorships, one-on-one consultations, free or reduced prices on workshops, and access to valuable networking events. With the Rock It! Lab, you can choose the path to success that best fits your needs.

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The Rock It! Lab has three distinct areas: on the first floor, guests walk into the River Shop where entrepreneurs who have finished products can sell their wares. Current vendors range from packaged foods to stationery and clothing. The second floor is the Village Coworking Space where entrepreneurs can conduct meetings or use it as a general office space. Downstairs in the basement – is the 501 Makers Makerspace which offers creative entrepreneurs access to workspace. Here there are easels for artists, a screen printing machine plus sewing machines.

During the ribbon-cutting event, guests were invited to enjoy refreshments provided by businesses that have worked with Lubazibwa and ABE. There were plates of BBQ, mini cheesecakes, kettle corn, coffee and other drinks available. People were invited to purchase items from the vendors in the River Shop as well. In the 501 Makers Makerspace, artists worked on their projects and guests were invited to paint on a large canvas that one Rock It! Lab artist will later turn into a commemorative piece.

Read more about the event here, including an interview with the Arkansas Times featuring Benito and Leah Patterson, Rock It! lab Coordinator, as well as this feature from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Or watch a segment on Fox 16 here and on THV 11 here. Find out more about the Rock It! Lab here, where you can follow the latest events, sign up to be a mentor within the program, or get a consultation to see if your business has the potential to be successful.

Benito Lubazibwa cuts the ribbon before inviting everyone inside.

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