LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Thursday night, several minority business owners in Louisville were celebrated as they graduated from a program focused on helping them succeed.
AMPED, a local organization that provides a free music program for kids and a technology training program for adults, hosts a year-long program called The Russell Technology Business Incubator (RTBI).
Thursday marked its second class of graduating entrepreneurs. AMPED reported that only two people in the 2022 class did not complete the course.
Aaron Williams, owner of Chicago Jerk Tacos, was among the roughly 40 graduates. He started his restaurant in a food truck and expanded into a brick-and-mortar in February of 2022.
“Food to me is more than just feeding somebody,” Williams said. “It's more a connection with people. [Cooking is] all I've ever done in my entire life. I grew up with my mother, a single mother, and so I always just used to help a lot in the kitchen with her.”
Even though the passion was always there, just like a chef needs the right tools in the kitchen, a business needs an actionable plan. That’s why he applied to the RTBI.
Williams said he was connected with financial advisors, lawyers and more.
“AMPED is a wonderful program,” he said. “It's like that best friend that you never knew you needed.”
Now, he's focused on building a lasting legacy.
"I do plan on the business to expand and to be here when I'm gone," Williams said.
VaShaun Mosby is the owner of a woman-owned tech start-up and several other businesses. She’s been a part of eight entrepreneurship programs designed like RTBI, but said none of them have compared to the amount of resources it provides.
“I’m feeling inspired. I’m feeling empowered,” she said. “My goal is to partner with larger organizations in the city that offer social services and give them a solution to the problems that they have.”
The 2023 class will kick off soon.
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