UC grad harnesses education to support women entrepreneurs
Lindner alum coaches small business owners on road to success
Most small business owners struggle to navigate the long and winding road to success, especially entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities.
Yet, while an increasing number of banks and nonprofits are creating small business assistance programs, they need help identifying the professionals who could use their support.
That’s where University of Cincinnati alumnus Isa Shakir can help. As program manager for the Economic and Community Development Institute’s (ECDI) Women’s Business Centers, Shakir serves as a liaison, connecting his clients to the training, coaching and capital they need to start, run and grow their businesses.
Connecting the dots
Isa Shakir, right, presents an award for entrepreneurial excellence to a client at the Women's Business Center of Greater Cincinnati at the Economic and Community Development Institute. Photo/ECDI
Shakir's primary focus is addressing the entrepreneurial knowledge and disparity gaps commonly found in underrepresented groups. He helps empower aspiring and seasoned women business owners in entrepreneurial ecosystems like the Cincinnati Innovation District (CID). The Women’s Business Center of Greater Cincinnati where he works is located in Norwood within the geographic boundaries of the CID.
From assisting women business owners in creating government profiles and completing contract applications to ensuring they meet specific certification requirements, Shakir guides his clients through various aspects of business development, including:
- Navigating human resource protocols
- Securing financing
- Developing websites
- Crafting business plans
“The key lies in connecting the dots for small businesses and helping those in leadership positions who express support for small and minority-owned companies but need help locating them,” Shakir said.
I took a course called New Venture Planning, which brought together everything we had learned throughout the entire curriculum to build a business. The breadth of knowledge I acquired through these courses deepened my understanding of the essential needs of entrepreneurs.
Isa Shakir UC alumnus, Carl H. Lindner College of Business
Prototyping a solution
Isa Shakir, left, and statewide Women's Business Centers team at the 2022 Association of Women's Business Centers Conference. Photo/ECDI
Shakir’s path toward entrepreneurial advocacy began during his undergraduate days in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business. Drawing inspiration for his capstone from his professors as well as his parents, who were accomplished minority entrepreneurs, Shakir sought to tackle disparities in small business contracting. His prototype, a business-to-government platform called Profinder, is designed to connect minority contractors with available work.
"I took a course called New Venture Planning, which brought together everything we had learned throughout the entire curriculum to build a business," he said.
Determined to validate the efficacy of his capstone tool, Shakir identified the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) section 3 program, which calls for a portion of HUD federal funding to the city of Cincinnati's be used to support community and economic development programs, as the optimal entry point to serve underrepresented populations.
Later, while interning at the Jurisdiction-Wide Residence Advisory Board (JRAB), Shakir uncovered a critical statistic related to the HUD section 3 program.
"Since its inception, nearly 13% of yearly funding set aside for extremely low-income minority businesses and workers for contracting had not been fully fulfilled on a national scale,” he said. “A contributing factor is that low income and minority businesses lack a comprehensive understanding of the process and criteria necessary to secure contract work or access available resources."
Sharing the fundamentals
Shakir credits his participation in the startup ecosystems of Cincinnati and the state of Ohio, along with his position at ECDI, to the comprehensive education he received.
He said Lindner’s entrepreneurship curriculum, particularly the new venture course and Introduction to Entrepreneurship, gave him a fundamental understanding of small business ownership — something he said is often lacking among aspiring entrepreneurs. It also helped him understand the importance of advocacy in helping business owners succeed.
“The breadth of knowledge I acquired through these courses deepened my understanding of the essential needs of entrepreneurs,” Shakir said.
Featured image at top: Isa Shakir. Photo/provided
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Most small business owners struggle to navigate the long and winding road to success, especially entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities. Yet, while an increasing number of banks and nonprofits are creating small business assistance programs, they need help identifying the professionals who could use their support.