It’s impossible to talk about Village Launch without throwing in the cliche—because it actually does take a village. A sidearm of local nonprofit Mill Village Ministries, VL offers a ten-week business academy, mentorships, networking, and even a monthly market. But it’s more than that. It’s a haven for hustlers and entrepreneurs with big dreams but small resource buckets. Run by Jeanette Brewester and Rhonda Rawlings (yes, that Rhonda), these women are no strangers to the entrepreneur game. Jeanette is a web designer, photographer, and hosts her own podcast, The Heart of Chat. And while much of Rhonda’s career has been with SummitMedia Greenville producing the Tom Joyner Morning Show, she’s dabbled in politics, and still hosts her Sunday Community Affairs Show. We sat down with the two of them to learn how VL helps invest in the Westside community by supporting burgeoning small businesses.
Jeanette, tell me your story. How did you get involved with Village Launch?
Jeanette: I actually came to the program as an entrepreneur. I went through our ten-week BEA class spring of 2019. I’m a web designer and photographer. They hired me to come back and do headshots for the next class. . . . When our director left, they offered me a position as the new director for the program.
So as director, what does your role entail?
Jeanette: (laughs) I’m so glad Rhonda is here now. It’s everything from coordinating facilitators, having them trained, setting up our classes, speaking with every single potential participant. Everything. Finding guest speakers, and then keeping up with our alumni and bringing them back in for our additional programming.
That’s a lot! Why don’t we talk about the Business Entrepreneur Academy? Tell me what that looks like.
Jeanette: Currently we do three cohorts a year, spring, summer, and fall. They’re ten-week programs and . . . we have mentors who are in class with our entrepreneurs all ten weeks. We have a finance night and then we cover everything from knowing yourself, getting your messaging right, finding your pitch, figuring out what your numbers are, how to start small, and then working in partnership with Community Works to help them get funding and access to low-interest loans.
Rhonda, you’ve spent the last 13 years in radio and TV. How did you make the transition into the nonprofit realm?
Rhonda: I left radio full-time because I was offered the position of South Carolina communications director for Senator Cory Booker for his presidential campaign. Once that political season was over . . . I felt like it was time for a transition but I knew I wanted to still keep a position where I had a platform to assist and help inform the community. . . . I just happened to mention to Dan Weidenbenner, who is the executive director, “if you ever have a position available, I’m really interested in working in the nonprofit field.” Maybe another couple weeks went by and he came up to me and said, “I want to start a position called neighborhood engagement director and I really would like for you to do it. So it was really a blessing, an answer to prayer, because I’d been praying, “God, place me in a position where I’m with people I can be inspired by and enjoy, and still have that platform.”
I love it.
Jeanette: Me too! She’s amazing. The community knows her, they trust her, and I think it just helps spread the message even more.
So who is the BEA for?
Jeanette: Anyone can apply, right, but our target focus is the Westside communities—West Greenville, West End, and Southernside. [It’s for] entrepreneurs who are just starting out, people who may have been side-hustling in their home. A lot of people have a misconception of what an entrepreneur really is. It’s not just a tech startup, it can be a service-based business, food, product, or retail. Although it’s open to everyone, I will say that ninety percent of our entrepreneurs are women, and eighty-five percent of those are Black female entrepreneurs. That’s just inline with what is happening nationally.
Can you highlight a few of your graduates?
Jeanette: Michelle Muhommad, she has Pound 4 Pound Sweet Treats. It’s a mobile dessert food truck. A part of her story is that she got furloughed during COVID while she was going through the program. It forced her to run her business full time. She hasn’t looked back. She’s got so much business over COVID. Chef Tyler’s facilitating our current class. He does private catering, meal plans, all kinds of things. Same Day Custom Printing, Michelle Terry Elrod, they have their own shop. They’re doing really well; she’s gotten some big contracts recently—Bojangles, Rick Erwins, she’s done some stuff for Furman. I’m really excited for them.
And that’s another part of the class, the mentorships and connecting participants to people who can help them or use their services?
Jeanette: I don’t want our mentors, because a lot of them have been successful in their businesses, we don’t want them to financially fund these people. Just supporting them, listening to them, giving them guidance, access to their social capital, because they have access to people our entrepreneurs don’t have access to. One of our young ladies who is going through the program now, she’s developing her own shoe for . . . women whose feet swell. Her mentor got her a call with someone from Clarks Shoes to be able to ask questions. It’s inspiring to them, it gives them confidence that they have a good idea.
What do you hope Village Launch will provide to this community?
Rhonda: I think really to just make the community aware, I think sometimes, we’re so geared that if we need something, we go to bigger, more established stores. I think it would be great to have the community think more locally.
Jeanette: Showing people they have other options to support themselves and their families. And that it’s possible to create something sustainable. My hope is that they all create these businesses that can increase their income, as well as provide other jobs in the community. Because that’s a lot of the issues with the West Greenville area is that so many businesses are pushed out, and the businesses that come in are not creating jobs for the community. So Michelle is hiring someone to help her on her food truck. Tyler is hiring another chef to help him.
Rhonda: I think too, for a lot of people it does work out to leave your primary job. But sometimes it’s about creating a second form of income. Right now multiple streams of income is almost a necessity.
In addition to the business academy, Village Launch offers a Get Started Saturday Workshop, as well the Third Thursday Market at Poe West each month. For more, or to become a mentor, visit villagelaunch.com
Watch out for these Village Launch Graduates
Emerald Plate – Need a new food plan, catering, or private chef for an event? Chef Tyler is your man. emeraldplate101.com
Pound 4 Pound Sweet Treats – This is way more than a mobile dessert food truck. From funnel cakes to every cookie in the book, Michelle Muhammad offers nostalgia in a sugary bite. p4psweettreats.com
Same Day Printing & Embroidery – We’ve all had that last minute special gift idea or special event need, and Michelle Terry’s same day T-shirt prints, and more, are the answer. samedayprintingembroidery.shop
Bake Your Mark – “Sugar Maven” Stufona Latta creates decadent treats branded specifically for your event, company, or gift. bakeyourmark.com
Photograph by Will Crooks
