Did you miss our annual benefit? Want to learn how TAP has expanded to California, and is helping entrepreneurs across the country? Be sure to check out the replay below. 

SCARSDALE, NY (April 20, 2023) — On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, The Acceleration Project (TAP) will host its annual Spring for Small Business® benefit to support its efforts to empower under-resourced small businesses. The event will be held virtually, from 7:30 to 8:00 pm, and tickets are complimentary. You can learn about TAP and register for the benefit at this link.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. In these particularly challenging economic times, TAP serves underrepresented small business owners, thus helping to close income, gender and racial inequality gaps. We repeatedly see that supporting small businesses creates jobs, revitalizes communities, elevates families, and keeps Main Streets vital,” said Jane Veron, CEO of TAP.
The benefit is made possible with the generous support of “Presenting” sponsor PNC Bank, “Champion” sponsors RXR Realty, Goldman Sachs, SoFi and Jane Veron and Andrew Feldstein, “Visionary” sponsors Mastercard and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, “Leader” sponsors Purrington Moody Weil, Polar Asset Management Partners, Jefferies, Barclays and Latham & Watkins LLP, “Innovator” sponsors J.P. Morgan, Hudson Valley Credit Union, M&T Bank and “Entrepreneur” sponsors PCSB and Bank of America.

“We are grateful to our sponsors and partners who share our vision for creating a more equitable economy by delivering high-caliber and impactful services to under-resourced small businesses. It is their support that enables us to lift up and accelerate so many small business owners,” added Veron. “Our passionate, hard-working and inspiring clients motivate our work each day.”
This year’s benefit will also feature best-selling author Joanne Lipman as well as several TAP small business founders. Please see TAP’s SPRING FOR SMALL BUSINESS® webpage for more registration information.
About the Acceleration Project:
TAP is a female-founded, female-led nonprofit that is laser focused on creating a more equitable economy by delivering high-caliber and impactful services to under-resourced small businesses. Structured as a 501(c)(3) with an extremely lean infrastructure, TAP is supported by grants and donations that enable clients to be served at a cost well below market. To learn more, visit www.theaccelerationproject.org/.
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Contact: Rebecca Shalam, RebeccaS@theaccelerationproject.org 

Growing up, Asia Roscoe was influenced by the strong, hardworking women in her family, and she dreamed of creating an online beauty destination for Black women. After graduating from Howard University in 2020, Asia developed “Above the Baar,” an ecommerce business specializing in satin-lined headwear and other hair accessories.

Asia partnered with TAP because she needed help with her pricing, inventory management, and marketing plan.  She also wanted guidance revamping her website, and needed a better understanding of her finances. 

Above the Baar and TAP
TAP consultants, Susan Berman and Beth Dell’Orto, created a pricing model for Asia to ensure her revenues were covering costs and allowing for some profit. They worked with Asia to identify her brand and use it to guide her marketing plan and website changes. The consultants also provided a basic financial model to help Asia plan for Above the Baar’s future growth. Finally, they provided Asia with industry resources to support her business.

Where is Asia now?
As a result of TAP’s engagement, Asia’s sales are up roughly 15%, and she feels she has a clearer sense of who her ideal clients are. She adjusted her pricing strategy to ensure her costs were being covered while still remaining competitive with others in the space. Asia updated her website and is using email marketing to reach her target audience. Asia credits her TAP consultants saying, “Susan and Beth were awesome! They connected me with so many different resources and people that helped my business grow and helped me grow as an entrepreneur. TAP’s tools were very useful and helped out a lot with financial planning and organizing.” Asia is now better prepared to grow her business, and is more confident about the future.

​Meet Gessie, Owner of A&T Iron Works
A&T Iron Works, established in 1974, is located in an impressive 17,000 square foot facility in New Rochelle, NY. Gessie, as president, runs daily operations with her daughter Theresa. She is deeply passionate about the industry, the quality of her products, and growing the business. She was recently recognized at both the state and national levels for her efforts, strong leadership and impressive achievements. 

Why did Gessie need TAP?
Gessie partnered with TAP to improve cash flow management, streamline her operations and expand her business. She also needed help prioritizing time spent on soliciting sales. TAP stepped right in. 

How did TAP help? 
TAP consultants Angela Pearson and Tracy Grey focused on helping Gessie increase productivity by developing a time log to pinpoint inefficiencies. They helped her set growth targets by segment and identified sales and marketing opportunities to achieve them. The consultants encouraged a more proactive sales approach that would qualify potential customers and thus save staff time writing new quotes. This included a more efficient “contact us” format  that would help determine priorities and size of estimates. With the help of another TAP consultant, Amy Lai, they created a cash flow template so Gessie could ensure she had funds to meet daily business needs in an industry where working capital is tight.
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Where are they now? 
With TAP’s assistance and Gessie’s resilience, A&T has already begun to regain its position in the industry. They hired four new employees and are landing more high-end jobs within target segments. Gessie credits TAP with “helping us to take a step back and focus on the overall picture of the company. By doing this, we could increase sales, better manage our cash flow, and improve our website.” A&T is now more organized and efficient and thus able to bid on more projects. As a result, A&T has already been able to increase clients by 20%, and sales are up 30%.

With a BS in biology and chemistry, Rayshone Phillips channeled her scientific knowledge into a career as a professional hairstylist. She is the owner of The Head Spa Studio, a salon specializing in smoothing naturally curly “4C” hair. Rayshone provides services that improve scalp and hair health using organic essential oils. She works out of her home, but she reaches thousands more through her viral TikTok and Youtube videos.

Why did Rayshone need TAP? 
Rayshone partnered with TAP to get a better handle of her finances and to develop a cohesive marketing strategy for her existing products and services and the new online scalp care course she was launching. She also needed guidance applying for PPP loans to get funding during Covid. 

How did TAP help Rayshone and The Head Spa Studio? 
TAP consultants, Christine Rupp and Naomi Azrak, conducted a brand strategy session with Rayshone and provided input on marketing materials, including educational materials for her new Head Spa Studio class for stylists. They reviewed her website and overall business plan. They guided Rayshone as she applied for  PPP funding and created simple P&L and revenue projection spreadsheets so she could understand her profitability and better predict her cash needs. The consultants helped determine a reasonable marketing budget for Head Spa, suggested ways to attract new customers and created a Yelp presence to capture reviews.
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Where is she now? 
Rayshone has moved forward with her new class planning, and customer volume for her traditional services has increased an average of two new clients per week. She is seeing more referrals into her business from online listings- especially Google- and has been able to increase revenues from silk press treatments. Rayshone notes, “TAP was most helpful in building up my confidence. I feel more articulate communicating my brand in both my traditional business and the new HSS class business. Also, their financial projections encouraged me to make better, numbers- based decisions." Rayshone hopes that by applying TAP’s tools to her  specialized services for hair and scalp care she can improve her business and help others look and feel their best.

Maria was a journalist in Peru, but struggled to find work when she moved to Westchester because she didn’t speak English. After working miscellaneous jobs, she began freelancing for newspapers and radio shows across New Jersey and New York. Maria dreamed of owning her own Spanish-language newspaper; fourteen years ago, she opened Westchester Hispano to provide news to the Spanish speaking residents of the tri-state area.

Why did Maria need TAP?
Despite being Westchester's largest newspaper in Spanish, Westchester Hispano was struggling to attract the right salespeople and needed help with cash flow management. The niche media outlet was also in need of updated marketing materials and a stronger social media strategy. Due to the Covid pandemic, Maria lost some advertisers and needed ideas on how to pivot and conserve cash. For the longer term, Maria felt it was important to expand the newspaper’s use of digital media but she needed to navigate how this might affect customer behavior, particularly her readers in the hispanic community.

​How did TAP help Maria and Westchester Hispano?
TAP consultants, Claudine Kelly and Rebecca Shalam, created a customized tool to help Maria manage her cash flow.  They developed a marketing sales sheet and established weekly sales meetings for Maria and her team to coordinate geographies and goals. The consultants also created detailed job descriptions, provided Maria with recruiting contacts in the area to help her source additional staff, and brainstormed best compensation plans for the sales team. They discussed social media strategies and equipped Maria with the necessary tools to expand her presence on different platforms. The consultants presented the idea of reducing print cycles during Covid to reduce expenses, and lastly, TAP provided ideas for an eventual migration from print to digital for the newspaper.
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Where is she now?
By focusing her time and energy on her most responsive clients and hiring reliable salespeople, Maria has been able to expand her business. After three months of collaborating with TAP, sales have increased by 20% and profitability has improved. Maria has also implemented QuickBooks to manage her cash flows and improve financial health. “I’m very thankful to TAP for helping me in so many areas: marketing, accounting, cash flow management and digital media. They really made a difference in my business.” Maria is using her talents as a reporter, publisher, editor and salesperson to work through challenges, and is hopeful for the future.

Cross Culture Kombucha
Ian Ceppos decided to stop drinking alcohol in search of a healthier lifestyle. When traditional juices and sodas didn’t satisfy, he and his wife Liz began brewing kombucha at home. They founded Cross Culture Kombucha to share their newfound obsession and now offer many flavors like Mojito and Earl Grey. You can purchase their products on their website, visit their taproom in Danbury, or find their bottles lining the shelves of many New York and Connecticut cafés and markets.
 
Why did Cross Culture Kombucha need TAP?
Ian and Liz looked to TAP for guidance on how to develop a healthy growth plan and increase sales. They needed help constructing accurate revenue and production forecasts, establishing a relationship with a distributor, recruiting employees, and implementing a strong marketing plan.
 
How did TAP help?
TAP consultants Natalie Rawlinson and May Lee were eager to work with CCK to reach these goals, but first needed to help Ian and Liz navigate the pandemic. CCK established home delivery options, curbside pickups and partnerships with local companies. They also upgraded their website to accommodate online sales. The consultants worked with CCK on loan applications, contingency planning and PPP terms and devised plans to grow retail sales. They developed a forecasting model for budgeting and planning and made recommendations on distribution, physical space requirements, and market competition.
 
Where is Cross Culture Kombucha now?
With TAP’s help, CCK not only survived the pandemic, but has grown its business. They are now working with a distributor and hiring independent workers. CCK has also added a fun new flavor, Lemon Lavender, to complete their six regular kombuchas. To reach even more customers they will secure more vendors after their planned move to a new location.  They also worked to enhance their social media presence. The Ceppos’ determination to share their delicious products and promote a healthy (and tasty!) lifestyle paired with the new tools TAP has given them will ensure CCK’s continued growth and future success.