A reunion of cohorts: HCC Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses alumni celebrate success

Nov 15, 2016

What do an architect, teacher, engineer, private investigator, and hairdresser have in common? They are graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program at Houston Community College (HCC) and they had the opportunity to share stories of survival and success in front of fellow alumni during the program’s year-end celebration.

Aptly titled “The Real Small Business Owners of Houston”, the 15 minute, TED-style talks highlighted the ups and downs of owning a business and the journey these entrepreneurs went through to grow their businesses.

“These presenters shared their hearts with the audience. They put it all out there. They bared it all,” said Rita Reed, alumni manager, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at HCC. “They talked about challenges and how making wrong decisions actually put them on the right track.”

The grant-based program started at HCC in 2011 and by the end of the year will have graduated 478 small business owners from 17 cohorts.

“The entrepreneurial mindset is something that many community colleges are really getting into and the initiatives here at HCC are very powerful,” said Catherine Landry, executive director, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at HCC. “The goal with our program is to help small businesses develop a pathway for growth to increase revenue, provide new jobs, and help build economic structure in the Houston area.”

In order to help build the economic structure, students learned the importance of creating a positive company culture, implementing a growth plan, pursuing your passion, and investing in your employees.

Kim Moore, owner of Leaps & Bounds Tutorial Center, is a teacher by trade. She learned the hard way about the rollercoaster of owning a business. Moore faced setbacks that included an illness and being forced to close a center because a bar and a gun shop moved in next door. She overcame those obstacles, took advantage of her second chance, and delivered valuable advice to her colleagues.

“Know your why and what you can do different to get a different result,” said Moore. “You can’t solve your problems with the same thinking you used to create them.”

To learn more about the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at HCC, visit hccs.edu/10ksb.