Shop Black Fest presents
The Stability & Growth Project
The Small Business Stability & Growth Project
A hands-on support initiative that helps small businesses set up their sales, marketing, and back-office systems — so event sales turn into long-term stability.
How We Support Businesses
We help business owners set up the systems behind their sales — not just show up to events.
We focus on marketing, sales, and back-office basics that keep businesses running after the event ends.
We work with businesses that are already selling but need structure to grow.
We deliver support through clinics, readiness programs, virtual selling, and city-level reporting.
How We Stay Aligned With Cities & Communities
Business, Community & Civic Round Table Series
The Stability & Growth Project includes a facilitated Round Table series bringing together business owners, community leaders, and civic partners to align on real needs, barriers, and solutions.
These conversations directly inform pilot design, program priorities, and the annual Stability & Growth Report.
Launching city-based pilots in 2026, starting with Nashville.
THE PROBLEM
Small businesses don’t fail because they lack talent
or effort.
They fail because they don’t have the systems in place to support continued growth.
Many business owners:
Sell well at events or pop-ups, but income drops afterward
Don’t have a clear sales flow or customer follow-up plan
Rely on manual work that eats up time and energy
Spend money on tools without knowing how to use them
The result is burnout, stalled growth, and businesses that never reach stability.
The Reality of Small Business
Access is not the problem. Sustainability is.
Across Tennessee and the mid-south, cities are investing in grants, retail space, and programs to help small businesses — but most entrepreneurs still struggle to keep their doors open after the opportunity ends.
No back-office systems
Inconsistent Marketing
Limited Cash Flow
Poor data-tracking
98.9%
of Tennessee businesses are small.
That’s over 640,000 small enterprises but 576,000 (90%) of those are microbusinesses with fewer than
5 employees.
40%
of new businesses close within 3 years.
This is due to weak operations, not lack of opportunity.
75% have no marketing plan.
Visibility drops after events or launches because there’s no system to attract repeat customers. Irregular income cycles keep owners in survival mode month-to-month.
80% of small business owners handle every role themselves.
The majority of small business owners manage operations, sales, and marketing by themselves — leading to burnout and missed opportunities.
What We’re Building
The Small Business
Stability & Growth Project helps businesses build what’s missing.
A technical assistance initiative focused on digital readiness, marketing + sales infrastructure,
and back-office support for small businesses.
The Stability & Growth Project is delivered through a set of connected programs that move businesses from exposure to readiness, stability, and growth.
We guide business owners through doing the work —setting up the tools, processes, and systems they need to operate more confidently and consistently.
Business Infrastructure Clinics
What it is
Hands-on technical assistance clinics where business owners actively work on the back end of their business with guidance.
Support includes:
setting up or improving websites or landing pages
building simple sales and follow-up flows
organizing customer and sales data
connecting payments, inventory, and basic automation
Outcome
Businesses leave with working tools, not notes.
Pre-Event Business Readiness Support
What it is
A scheduled, pre-event support layer for businesses preparing to sell at major events.
This helps businesses:
prepare pricing and inventory
set up payment and sales tools
plan customer follow-up
understand how to turn sales moments into long-term income
Outcome
Businesses arrive ready to sell well and capture long-term value.
Shop-Black-A-Thon
What it is
Shop-Black-A-Thon™ is a live, virtual selling event where small businesses sell their products in real time to a broad audience using live-streaming technology — similar to TikTok Live, HSN, or QVC.
Outcome
Businesses are featured in scheduled live segments where they demonstrate products, tell their story, interact with viewers, and drive real-time sales.
The event is streamed publicly and designed to expose businesses to larger audiences beyond their local markets.
Funding supports:
Program staff and implementation
Hands-on technical assistance delivery
Business tools and systems for participants
City-level data collection and reporting
Why This Works
We are piloting this work in Nashville in 2026 through a focused set of clinics, pre-event readiness support, and reporting.
Their dedication to making a difference is inspiring.
Dr. Contrecia, Community Leader
I am grateful for the educational opportunities they provide.
Rhonda, Cohort Participant
Experience Behind the Work
This initiative is led by a husband-and-wife team with over seven years of experience building and operating a multi-city business ecosystem.
supported over 4,000 businesses across 13 cities
built a six-figure business without traditional funding
led marketing, sales, operations, logistics, and technology in real time
worked directly with entrepreneurs, partners, and economic development organizations
Our team has supported thousands of small businesses across multiple cities through hands-on implementation and real-world business experience.
PREVIOUS PARTNERS
TRUSTED BY
Join the list
Be the first to see the 2026 Small Business Stability & Growth Report
Our goal is to help
3,000 additional businesses by 2030 through a combination of technical assistance, readiness programs, and scalable back office support.
Click below to get access to our 2026 Small Business
Stability & Growth Report
4000+
Businesses supported through our Vendor Success program
$3M
Cumulative
local economic impact
13
Cities where we have delivered training, activations and results
The Stability & Growth Project is designed to help businesses move from selling → stabilizing → growing, with clear outcomes at each stage.
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