Bpeace EDGE - Engage, Discover, Grow, Excel

Our solution, Bpeace EDGE, is co-created with small businesses and volunteer business experts, leveraging cutting-edge technology, skills, and knowledge to develop resilient, digitally equitable learning systems that can be scaled to create adaptable learning environments in preparation for any future disruptions.

We deploy human-centered technology that prioritizes historically and systematically excluded small businesses and their employees. Digital tools have the potential to widen talent pools for employers and strengthen the capabilities of entrepreneurs. Adopting a human-centered approach ensures that Bpeace EDGE, its content, advisors and resources align with the needs and preferences of its users. By conducting extensive consultations and engaging with the minority-owned small business owners who have previously completed our programs, we leverage their firsthand experiences and insights. By actively seeking feedback throughout the platform's development, we ensure that it remains responsive and continuously improves to address the evolving needs of our audience. 

The benefits of this approach are multi-fold. Firstly, it fosters an inclusive learning environment, promoting diversity and empowering underserved communities to access opportunities for growth. Secondly, integrating access to pro bono consultants on the platform enhances its value. These experts can provide personalized feedback and guidance tailored to the specific business needs of users. This not only fosters skill development but also empowers minority-owned small businesses to overcome challenges and maximize their potential for growth. Lastly, by involving past program graduates in the design and content creation process, the platform ensures relevance and effectiveness.

Bpeace EDGE (Engage, Discover, Grow, Excel) is comprised of these core technology elements:  

Learner Experience Platform (LXP): Powered by LinkedIn Learning Hub, Salesforce, and AI, the LXP is an interactive online platform that serves as a centralized community and resource hub for small businesses. 

Business owners gain access to an array of essential information, including tutorials, digital content, and industry-specific insights. LinkedIn Learning offers a library of 16,400+ on-demand courses covering a wide range of topics, including business, technology, leadership skills, AI, and more. These courses are taught by industry experts and are available in seven  languages. Additionally, the Bpeace Community creates customized content, in a variety of formats, to meet the unique needs of small businesses.

The LXP is tightly integrated with the LinkedIn platform, allowing businesses to add completed courses and digital credentials to profiles, making them visible to potential professional connections and giving these small businesses and leaders opportunities to be recognized for their skills. 

Leveraging the technology of these platforms and LinkedIn’s integrated AI, we ensure that small businesses have equitable, on-demand access to crucial resources, empowering them with knowledge and tools to navigate challenges and make informed decisions. The integrated AI-powered tools analyze learner data and behavior to deliver customized course suggestions. This level of personalization can increase completion rates and boost learner engagement.

The LXP also supports an opportunity for user-generated content, placing the power of knowledge sharing in the hands of learners and leaders. Administrators, course creators, and small businesses can easily contribute to the creation of content, fostering a sense of collective learning and advancing the voices and expertise of traditionally excluded communities.

Bpeace EDGE fosters virtual connections and collaborations among small business owners,, industry experts, and potential partners. Through virtual communities and discussion forums, businesses can share knowledge, learn from each other's experiences, and access a broader network of support and opportunities for growth. Both the LinkedIn and Salesforce ecosystems, provide opportunities for users to connect with professionals and participate in various groups and discussions related to the courses they take.

Data Analytics and Insights: Salesforce, Bpeace’s main CRM platform, integrates advanced data analytics capabilities, enabling small businesses to gain valuable insights into their operations and growth trends. With access to dashboards showcasing key performance indicators, businesses can identify areas for improvement, optimize strategies, and make data-driven decisions. This empowers them to enhance their resiliency by adapting to changing market conditions and customer needs. 

Alchemer, industry-leading survey software, is integrated to provide learners a mechanism for continuous feedback, and offers analytics and insights that enable Bpeace to track learner progress, identify knowledge gaps, and measure the effectiveness of training initiatives.

Bpeace EDGE creates an ecosystem that drives small business adaption, growth, and sustainability, resulting in businesses that thrive in an ever-changing landscape, and contribute to the overall economic well-being of their communities. The experience will be responsive and optimized for various devices, including smartphones and tablets, to reach a broader audience and improve the overall user experience.

Bpeace EDGE serves minority-owned small businesses, with a focus on those that have historically been underserved in accessing specialized pro bono business advisory, capital and networking resources. The target population consists of Black, Latino, Pan Asian, Veteren, Indigenous people and White-women-owned businesses.  

Currently, these minority-owned small businesses often lack the financial resources and networks to access professional business advisory services, which are crucial for strategic planning, market expansion, and overcoming challenges. This underserved population may also face systemic barriers in accessing business opportunities and resources, contributing to disparities in their business success.

To understand the needs of this target population, we engage in comprehensive outreach efforts and collaborate with Community Development Financial Institutions and community organizations that have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by minority-owned small businesses. By conducting surveys, interviews, and focus groups, we gather valuable insights directly from the entrepreneurs themselves, ensuring that the solution is tailored to their unique needs and circumstances.

By serving this diverse group of minority-owned small businesses, our solution aims to directly and meaningfully improve their lives. It seeks to bridge the gap in access to business advisory services, networking opportunities, and resources, empowering these entrepreneurs to unlock their full potential and contribute to their communities' economic growth and job creation. Through targeted support and equitable access to resources, the solution addresses the unique needs of this demographic, fostering a more inclusive and thriving business landscape.

"The Bpeace program has allowed me to find what my vision was, because sometimes. . . you want to throw all kinds of wonderful things in there. But I needed it to be something sustainable, I needed it to be something that’s quality. Bpeace coming on board helped us to take it to the next level.” Tracy Jefferson, small business owner.

The problem we are addressing aligns with the challenge of business development and procurement, financial readiness, scaling and employee advancement. 

Bpeace EDGE is an innovative digital platform designed to empower minority-owned small businesses by providing access to specialized pro bono business advisory and networking resources vital for growth and success. We are serving a population of minority-owned small businesses, including Black, Latino, Pan Asian, and White-women-owned businesses. These entrepreneurs often face barriers in accessing finance and business development opportunities, hindering their ability to scale and achieve internal financial health.

Our solution directly addresses these challenges by connecting small business owners to pro bono consultants who offer expertise in finance, loan acquisition, and understanding credit and assets. Additionally, the platform fosters a community that transforms their ability to do business by facilitating connections with vendors, suppliers, and potential clients.

By providing access to specialized advisory services, our solution supports scaling through long-term business and financial planning. We empower entrepreneurs to make informed financial decisions, improve financial record-keeping, and manage human resources for employee advancement.

Overall, our solution aligns with the challenges by directly addressing the financial readiness, business development, and employee advancement needs of minority-owned small businesses. By providing tailored and accessible support, we aim to foster equitable growth and empower entrepreneurs to thrive in their respective markets.

Bpeace has a long-established theory of change that we have adjusted over time as we have grown as an organization. Our core strategy as defined by our theory of change is to accelerate the ability of business owners, especially minorities and underserved populations including women, to create jobs and strengthen their local economies.

The impact we seek to accomplish through the activities listed in our theory of change are:

• More local jobs, especially for women and underserved communities. 
• A greater numbers of family members supported through jobs
• More minorities and women participating as leaders in their business and community
• Increased revenue and profitability that leads to more sustainable businesses that keep growing and creating employment
• A community multiplier effect as more jobs increase purchasing power and at other local businesses

This link provide access to our Theory of Change which is in a table format.

The pilot version of our solution is already helping the small businesses we serve in the United States and overseas access information and personalized advice from international experts.

Just within the United States, our solution currently serves 26 businesses and over the next year we plan to expand our reach by an additional 20 U.S. businesses. Looking ahead, as we scale over the next five years, we aim to increase our impact and reach 300 additional U.S. businesses.

Our impact also extends beyond the U.S., with current programs in El Salvador, Guatemala, and soon in Honduras. Currently, our solution reaches over 200 businesses across El Salvador and Guatemala, over the next year we anticipate supporting 70 additional businesses in Central America, and we hope with scale driven by this solution and our continued commitment to demand-driven programs and content, our solution will serve an additional 600 businesses outside the U.S. within the next five years.

Combined, this means that our goal is for Bpeace EDGE to directly serve and positively impact a 1,200+ small businesses in five years, which in turn will have a multiplier effect for the leadership teams and employees of those businesses. We estimate the multiplier effect to include over 60,000 employees and 240,000 family members of employees.

In the United States, Bpeace supports a vibrant community of small and growing businesses, with a special focus on empowering and elevating minority-owned enterprises. Our beneficiaries are established businesses led by Black, Latino, Pan Asian, Veteran, and women entrepreneurs. Additionally, we support small businesses in El Salvador, Guatemala, and soon in Honduras. These businesses are well positioned for accelerated growth with the assistance of Bpeace experts.

The employees at each of these businesses play a pivotal role in their success and are a critical component of Bpeace’s mission to create jobs. By supporting these businesses, we aim to not only foster economic growth but also create meaningful employment opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. Through training, mentorship, and access to resources, including using technology in new ways, we empower small business leaders to build sustainable businesses that, in turn, generate more jobs and contribute to the prosperity of their communities. 

At Bpeace, building trust within our community of small business leaders is at the core of our programs. We prioritize personalized outreach to form meaningful connections. By being responsive to their needs, we establish trust and credibility, making it evident that our organization is invested in their growth.

Our engagement strategy involves deploying experienced volunteer business experts who work closely with the small business leaders, tailoring their advice to address their unique barriers to growth. We emphasize active listening, ensuring that we genuinely comprehend their aspirations and concerns.

We also partner with established local community-led organizations. Those partnerships include ACE, Georgia's Largest Small Business-focused Community Development Loan Fund, SBAC Savannah, a CDFI, AEO and Knox Studios. We look to expand these types of partnerships with strong community roots and relationships.

Post-program, we maintain ongoing relationships with the businesses, offering continued access to our network of experts.

In 2022, the businesses in our portfolio created 870 new jobs for a total of 13,000 people employed which support 53,000 family members. With our support, these businesses grew on average by 10% (compared to 2-4% GDP growth).

Our impact goal is to scale, which means reaching more small businesses and creating more formal and quality jobs. We are focused on expanding our footprint nationwide in the United States, in other countries where we already operate, and to new geographies where our particular services fill a gap. Our solution's transformational impact lies in its ability to create a ripple effect in communities. By supporting small businesses, we catalyze job creation which fosters sustainable development not only for the businesses but also their employees and their families.

Specifically for our portfolio of U.S. businesses, we expect all current 46 businesses to use the platform after one year, 100% to increase their confidence in their leadership, negotiation and communication skills, 50% to secure new financing, and at least 80% to create jobs and grow revenue. With our support, we estimate their positive impact to include preserving 180 jobs, creating 80 new jobs, upskilling 135 employees, and creating $1 million of incremental revenue. With our goal to scale by 300 U.S. businesses after five years, our target is to help them preserve a total of 1,350 jobs, create 280 new jobs, and grow $7.5 million in additional revenue. With the implementation of Bpeace EDGE globally, this impact will be further amplified.

Partnering with MIT Solve and the Truist Foundation would add tremendous value to Bpeace. It would allow us to bring our tech-based platform to more small businesses more quickly and build our internal capabilities to ensure effective learning delivery.

Specifically as it relates to the growth of Bpeace EDGE, additional funds would allow us to more efficiently build new resources and specialized learning content from our experts on the platform – content which is proven to help small businesses grow based on our years of experience delivering this content. 

As a growing organization, we recognize the need to invest in ourselves in order to scale our impact effectively and support more small businesses. A needs assessment would help us identify gaps and ways we can improve our team’s capabilities and implement programs more effectively. Some of the areas we have already identified as critical improvements needed to accelerate our growth are: 

Making adjustments to our business model that allow us to expand the quantity and geographic reach of our programs while not jeopardizing our strongest value-add which is our personalized approach; 

Seeking external advice and validation of the technology we current use, what affordable options should we consider, how to incorporate their use into our program and operational activities including staff training or hiring of new staff; and

Effectively addressing gaps in our team by improving how we identify the optimal profile for new positions and generally increase our human resource management capabilities as we grow as an organization.

Bpeace's partnership goals revolve around collaborating with stakeholders, such as corporations, governments, non-profits and local communities. Our goals partnership goals include:

Expanding our reach: partner with more organizations to increase our access to small businesses nationwide. 

Increasing resources: Partnerships can help us access additional funding, expertise, and resources that can enhance the effectiveness and scale our programs.

Developing tailored solutions: By partnering with corporations and local businesses, Bpeace can gain insights into specific industries or markets and design tailored solutions that address the unique challenges faced by those communities.

Capacity building: Bpeace might collaborate with other organizations to strengthen their capacity to implement programs and initiatives, including training and mentoring efforts.

As for the ways Bpeace might need help achieving these goals, here are some possibilities:

Financial support: Bpeace relies on funding to carry out projects and expand our reach. Financial assistance from partner organizations can help sustain and scale our initiatives.

Expertise and resources: Partner organizations with specific skills, knowledge, and resources relevant to Bpeace's objectives can contribute valuable insights and tools to improve program effectiveness.

Networking opportunities: Partnerships can offer access to new networks and communities, enabling Bpeace to establish connections with a broader range of stakeholders.