Atlantic City, NJ- LAEDA in partnership with the Atlantic City Mayor's Office hosted its first nine-week program. Men and women from the Atlantic county area joined to gain knowledge of how to effectively start and grow their respective businesses. The series titled, Atlantic City Small Business Academy, began on March 24th with the “ABC’s of Starting a Small Business” as a way to inform budding and existing entrepreneurs about what it takes to succeed in a competitive market. Mayor Marty Small was on-hand during the kickoff event to discuss the need for this type of program. “We want to see more businesses in the community so I knew we had to provide information and resources that would help entrepreneurs start and grow here in Atlantic City,” stated Mayor Small.

For the May 2021 Business Byte, LAEDA’s Program Associate Alexandra Kyros shares some facts about mother entrepreneurs, or “mompreneurs” as well as tips to attain a healthy work-life balance.

Through our partnership with United Way, LAEDA's Individual Development Account (IDA) program offers small business owners the opportunity to put aside savings for their business. Additionally, the IDA program is a Savings Match program. This means that for every $1 the owner saves, United Way contributes, or "matches" this with an additional $2. IDA program participants can save up to $1500 to which United Way adds $3000. This contribution is a grant; there is no interest nor any expectation to pay it back. At the end of one's saving period, the business owner has access to $4500 to invest in one's business. This video is LAEDA's interview with our first IDA program graduate, Mr. Rashaan Hornsby, founder and CEO of Health Nutz, a new enterprise providing a healthy snacking alternative to Camden residents on the go.