“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for opportunities to come. Get up and make them!” — Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919), first member of her family born free, entrepreneur, philanthropist and self-made millionaire.

More than 100 years after Madam C.J. Walker began building a fortune by marketing hair care and beauty products to African American women, her self-help message and advocacy of entrepreneurship still rings true
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Perhaps now more than ever, entrepreneurs and the promotion of entrepreneurship are critical to the development of our local, state and nation’s economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses (independent businesses having fewer than 500 employees) represent more than 99 percent of employer firms and have generated 60 to 80 percent of new jobs over the past decade.

Understanding what these statistics mean to our local community, representatives from three east side community organizations and Comerica Bank are excitedly looking ahead to 2008 for the launch of the Comerica Bank East Side Business Development Series.

In partnership with East Warren Business United, Jefferson East Business Association and Mack Avenue Business Association, the series will address topics that are vital to small business success including:

• Tax Accounting/Tax Law for Small Business
• Business Banking Basics
•How to Prepare to Borrow Money
•Micro Loans
•Importance of Customer Service
•Real estate Finance / Façade Improvement Grants / Leasing Strategies
•Protecting Your Business Security
•Marketing Toward Success
•Lines of Credit/Advanced Business Banking

“We want to provide the participants with more of a working knowledge of how to run a business from the ground up,” said Rachel Edwards White, a small business development officer for Comerica Bank. “We also want to dispel the belief that financial institutions are more for the larger corporations. We want our community to know that we are small business friendly and solution-oriented.”

The seminars, which will be held at locations on Detroit’s east side, are open to the entire community.

“We put our heads together and realized that we really can do more by working together,” said Robin Duncan, business development program director for Jefferson East Business Association. “We definitely want the participants to come away with the skills, resources and necessary contacts that will help them in building their business. And by rotating the locations, we can introduce new people to different business districts within the east side community.”

Officials from Comerica bank involved in the planning of the seminars say the series provide a unique opportunity to build relationships and work directly with the community it serves while tackling the challenges of the economy head-on.

“We want to help these businesses employ more people in the community and we want to help that business corridor be more visible,” said Comerica Vice President Hubert Wiley, who manages the bank’s Renaissance Center branch. “And it’s been proven that small businesses that can find the right niche are actually growing.”

It’s a view shared by Edwards White: “Everything that falls must get up. This is the ideal time to prepare for what’s coming. People are investing in the city and this provides an excellent opportunity for small business owners to sit down, review their business plan and let us assist them in getting where they want to go. We’re not product pushing, we’re offering banking solutions.”

For additional information on the Comerica Bank East Side Business Development Series, please contact Rachel Edwards White at Comerica Bank (313) 222-7016, Robin Duncan of Jefferson East Business Association (313) 331-7939, Bill Swanson of East Warren Business United (313) 882-8920 or Scott Benson of Mack Avenue Business Association (313) 267-1107.