ReShonda and Nia have both lived the reality of launching their own businesses as black female business founders in Waterloo.  Learning from her father helping run his manufacturing company, ReShonda founded Popcorn Heaven and eventually franchised the business to several other locations.  She most recently took on the role of Program Facilitator to launch the Black Business and Entrepreneur Accelerator (BBEA) in Waterloo, in addition to working as one of the founding partners of the Bank of Jabez, a Waterloo, IA based full-service CDFI that will intentionally focus on servicing the community’s underbanked, low-income, and minority populations.

Nia, more recently taking on the title of entrepreneur, is the owner of ShnDgg, photography, videography, and merchandise brand based in Waterloo.  She recently graduated from the BBEA program and secured a partnership with Hy-Vee to carry her brand.  We talk about the difficulties of getting started, accessing capital, and the networks of trust that can be the difference between welcomed client or unwelcome outsider – and how the BBEA and other initiatives are taking a shot at real, generational change for founders.