{"id":9063,"date":"2017-02-19T18:00:48","date_gmt":"2017-02-20T01:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/?p=9063"},"modified":"2017-02-13T12:51:21","modified_gmt":"2017-02-13T19:51:21","slug":"early-assist-from-accion-helps-business-owner-train-next-generation-of-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/articles\/obtaining-a-loan\/early-assist-from-accion-helps-business-owner-train-next-generation-of-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Assist From Accion Helps Business Owner Train Next Generation of Entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Patrick<\/a>

Patrick Jenkins demonstration<\/p><\/div>\n

By Finance New Mexico<\/em><\/p>\n

In the early 2000s, Patrick Jenkins needed help meeting customer demand at his barbershop, A Better U, in Albuquerque\u2019s Southeast Heights. But good barbers were hard to find, so Jenkins decided to cultivate a younger generation of ambitious hair-care entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

He opened A Better U Academy in 2007 on Lomas Boulevard between Carlisle and San Mateo boulevards and incorporated his original business into the school. Of Albuquerque\u2019s 16 barber colleges, Jenkins said, it\u2019s the only one that trains students not just how to cut, style and shave hair but also how to run a business built on those skills. \u201cWe\u2019re committed to being the best,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>

An ABU student design<\/p><\/div>\n

The curriculum at A Better U Academy instructs students in the skills they\u2019ll need to obtain certification as barbers or beauticians. But they\u2019re also encouraged to strike out on their own by learning the risks involved in launching a business and how to mitigate those hazards. Since it opened, A Better U Academy has inspired more than 32 barbers to start their own businesses and take control of their professional lives.<\/p>\n

The school will celebrate Black History Month by participating in a number of events and award ceremonies, including awarding of the Entrepreneurship Leadership Award, which Jenkins himself has earned. \u201cI\u2019m very proud of the people who paved the way for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Besides feeling grateful for the opportunities opened up by black pioneers, Jenkins appreciates the financial support he found at Accion, the nonprofit lender that gave him his first loan in 1994 to purchase hair products he could sell in his shop. Accion helps business owners \u2014 especially those just getting started \u2014 obtain financing they might not otherwise get from a traditional bank. Accion also offers workshops and personal counseling; services that Jenkins said helped him when he obtained his first loan.<\/p>\n

In 2016, Jenkins returned to Accion for a loan to replace the original chairs in his shop that were worn from years of heavy use. This year he plans to launch his own line of all-natural, unscented or mildly scented shampoos, conditioners, styling gels and lotions. And soon the academy will expand its offerings to train cosmetologists to earn manicure and pedicure certification.<\/p>\n

Jenkins has some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, no matter what business they\u2019re in. \u201cRemain focused and understand that if you want to be great, you\u2019re going to make a lot of mistakes.\u201d His own biggest mistake, he said, was trying to do everything himself in the beginning rather than hiring skilled professionals to handle unfamiliar tasks. \u00a0Doing his own books and trying to learn accounting practices distracted Jenkins from his main objectives when he was starting out, he admits.<\/p>\n

Accion, headquartered in Albuquerque, is a regional nonprofit organization serving the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. It is a member of the Accion U.S. Network, the largest nonprofit micro- and small-business lending network in the United States. Accion offers loans ranging from $1,000 to $1 million to entrepreneurs whose circumstances don\u2019t fit the lending guidelines of a traditional bank.<\/p>\n

Reach A Better U Academy at 505-265-4777<\/a> or www.abuacademy.com<\/a>. To talk to an Accion lender, call 800-508-7624<\/a> or visit www.us.accion.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Download 490_Early Assist From Accion Helps Business Owner Train Next Generation of Entrepreneurs<\/a> PDF<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Finance New Mexico In the early 2000s, Patrick Jenkins needed help meeting customer demand at his barbershop, A Better U, in Albuquerque\u2019s Southeast Heights. But good barbers were hard to find, so Jenkins decided to cultivate a younger generation … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9063"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9063"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9069,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9063\/revisions\/9069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/financenewmexico.org\/sandbox\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}