Camden, NJ- On Wednesday, November 15, 2023, LAEDA hosted the final class of its Entrepreneurship Development Training Program (EDTP) Session 97. The class brought together eight highly motivated and dedicated entrepreneurs, representing a vast variety of industries including pest control services, special event catering, beauty industry, independent artists, frozen fruit, juice, and vegetable manufacturing, and marketing consulting services. Over the course of the nine-week program, participants received 72 + hours of training from industry professionals as well as business planning education and business counseling. Jamila Powell, Program Manager of Women’s Business Center concluded the session by bringing back the first day’s conversation and asking the class to reflect back on what they have learned. “So is it the light of opportunity or are you going to get run over?” Jamila asked while displaying a picture of a tunnel with a light in the far distance, “Congratulations on finishing I admire each and everyone one of you and remember at the end of the day it’s you.”

Camden, NJ- LAEDA held an event called Turning Your Hobby Into a Business series, which consists of 6 seminars to gain the most benefit and to help entrepreneurs and or small business owners navigate the swerves and curves of the journey and transitioning from designing and creating for friends and family to producing for customers beyond their inner circle at Saint Joseph’s Carpenter Society in Camden, NJ.

Tashelle Ball is the owner and operator of Specialized Quality Care LLC, which provides individualized supportive services to individuals with Developmental Disabilities. We had a chance to sit down with her to ask about her experience with entrepreneurship and LAEDA's training program.