Detroit Means Business Summit draws hundreds of entrepreneurs to Ford Field
(CBS DETROIT) - Detroit Means Business is a coalition dedicated to the needs of growing small businesses in the city.
On Tuesday, the organization brought more than 300 entrepreneurs together to expand their network.
Mamba Hamissi, the co-owner of Baobob Fare, an East African restaurant in Detroit, says he wants to share his message about concept creation and marketing with other business owners to help them grow.
"For me, those are the key components to the business," Hamissi said. "The money is the last thing. You have the concept, you have the network, and you can put all this together you can open a business and the money will follow after."
The Second Annual Detroit Means Business Summit was held at Ford Field, where visitors engaged in panel discussions and break-out sessions to learn about funding opportunities and best practices for operation.
"We come together, we do collaborations," said Ashley Logan, the owner of Detroit Collaborative. "This summit is one of them, which is a wonderful resource where small business owners can come and get all of the information to get their business to the next level."
Jerome Brown, the co-owner of Detroit Soul, a restaurant located in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood, says the summit helps him connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs.
"We understand the costs of food going up, we understand the costs of products going up and so we can relate to them," Brown said.
Detroit Means Business also awarded $20,000 in cash grants to help small business owners reach new heights.
The organization is also offering fellowship opportunities where entrepreneurs can learn more about their industry from seasoned leaders.
"It's a 10-month experience where they get to their next level," said Dr. Marlo Rencher, president of DMB.
"We're giving them the platform, helping them to amass the power that they need to be business legacy leaders."