While August was National Black Business Month, Invest Atlanta's commitment to Black-owned small businesses extends throughout the year, recognizing their crucial contributions to Atlanta's vibrant economy and culture. Through small business loans, commercial downpayment assistance, improvement grants, business consulting and technical resources, Invest Atlanta is helping Black businesses launch, scale and succeed.
Lakeisha Jones is just one of the many Black business owners supported by Invest Atlanta. She is the founder and owner of Pink Pothos, a brick-and-mortar plant shop in Pittsburgh Yards that offers maintenance, installation, consultation and a range of workshops. Invest Atlanta not only provided Lakeisha with a small business loan to build out her space but also assisted her with the application process.
“There are a lot of documents and reports required for a loan,” says Lakeisha. “With me being a first-time business owner, I didn’t have all information I needed to provide without this assistance.”
Ashley Maltbia-Burgess was able to purchase an office in the King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta’s West Midtown with help from the Invest Atlanta Commercial Down Payment Assistance Program.
“I’m a person who believes in equity. If you are going to be a business that serves the community, you should also have a say about what happens in the community by owning a piece of it,” says Ashley, who founded the Maltbia Agency, an insurance agency specializing in auto, life and home insurance. “The Commercial Downpayment Assistance Program did that for me. They allowed me to have the capital that I needed to purchase my space.”
From researching Invest Atlanta’s available resources to sitting at the closing table, Ashley says the process was smooth from beginning to end. “I created an online account within Invest Atlanta’s website where I kept track of all my paperwork and all my to-dos – it was very straightforward,” she says. “I just love the program.”
Learn more about all the ways Invest Atlanta helps small businesses reach big potential.