The New Entrepreneur: Odyssey for a Dream will make its television premiere on December 25 on PBA 30. The documentary explores the lives of a handful of Clarkston, GA, residents who apply for a program that provides three loans of $10,000 each to start a new business. In a diverse town like Clarkston, where over 60 languages are spoken, the opportunities, risks, and hope are magnified for entrepreneurs.
The film, which is a production of Eventstreams, follows the VilCap:Start Business Accelerator where over 60 applicants are whittled down to 15 finalists over the course of 12 weeks as each candidate communicates their business plan. The film includes the personal stories behind a number of the applicants and concludes with the awarding of the loans.
Nate Haskell, the film’s Executive Producer said, “We had the skills, connections and the means to bring this story to life, I felt it was a good way to open people’s eyes in our region and beyond to a fascinating and important community that many don’t even realize exists.”
The film premiered to a standing room only audience on November 21 at Social Enterprise @ Goizueta (SE@G) at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Following the screening, Julie Grimm, the film’s director said “The whole process was very emotional and inspirational. I felt we got to know a heroic and inspiring group of Clarkson entrepreneurs from around the world that were pursuing a simple goal, to make their life and that of their families a better one for future generations.”
The VilCap: Start program offers the business tools, network access and financing they need to develop viable and sustainable businesses. The program addresses a key challenge for many communities – including Clarkston and others around metro Atlanta – in that it encourages and supports micro-entrepreneurs. These individuals then establish small but sustainable businesses that support themselves and their families, while collectively supplying a range of services and a sense of purpose and vitality to local economies. The Clarkston program is a collaboration of Social Enterprise @ Goizueta , CDF: A Collective Action Initiative, Refugee Women’s Network, Clarkston Community Center, Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE Loans) and Village Capital.
The film airs December 25 at 7:00 pm and January 2 at 8:00 pm on PBA 30.
CDF: A Collective Action Initiative, is a 501(c)(3) organization working in Clarkston to mobilize a community whose residents drive and direct the development of activities and services that benefit their community. Through facilitation, network building, and training, CDF partners with the community to be a catalyst for positive change. To learn more, visit www.cdfaction.org
Social Enterprise @ Goizueta focuses on integrating business principles and market-based solutions in order to achieve meaningful societal impacts. Students learn how business acumen can be applied to address a wide range of challenges. Through teaching, research and outreach activities, students and faculty gain experiences that deepen understanding of organizations striving to solve the world’s biggest problems while improving performance.