TAMPA, Fla. — According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses have generated more than 12 million new jobs over the last two decades, accounting for two out of every three jobs added to the economy.

The Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Incorporated (CDC of Tampa, Inc.) is hoping that its business incubator program will have a positive impact on East Tampa. To ensure the survival of new small businesses beyond their first year, $2 million in grant money has been invested.

Dr. Jeffery Johnson, the director of Strategic Initiatives, has stated that its Impact Mondays program is helping entrepreneurs navigate through some of the current challenges business owners face, such as inflation.

“FifthThird Bank did an initiative called Empowering Black Futures, in which they selected nine different cities across the country with over a $200 million impact," Johnson said. "Tampa was one of those cities."

"The CDC of Tampa was the lead agency to help with $20 million of economic impact in East Tampa. A part of that was $2 million of grants towards small businesses," Johnson continued. "That's how we've met (small business owner) Kathleen (Jeanty).

"One of our programs is entitled Impact Mondays. It’s the first Monday of every month, pulling together with a great level of synergy, Black executives and entrepreneurs into the same room to talk about business strategies, proper communication, marketing, and finances for their business. It's an opportunity for business owners to network and entrepreneurs to be in a safe space, to hear those who have done well and who have upscaled their businesses."

"We work collaboratively, with the Small Business Development Corporation of Hillsborough County and other entities and we look at them from a full scope," Johnson added. "We take those persons who feel marginalized. No one cares about their business. How do we help you upscale? How do we give you the tools that are needed in order to make your business an impact?"

Living an American Dream that is inclusive of one’s roots

That’s Wat’Sub business owner Kathleen Jeanty has already adjusted to her new workflow since opening in November.

“We just had a big order,” she said.

Jeanty’s business is one of several benefiting from the $2 million incubator program in East Tampa.

Small businesses and sole proprietors have been on the rise in recent years. In 2022, 5.1 million applications were submitted, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Jeanty says she took a detour from her original business plan. She founded one of the first smoothie chains in her native country of Haiti.

“We supplied all the grocery stores in the capital with fruit cups,” she said.

“This is the smoothie business that we had in Haiti,” she said, sharing a photo. “It was called Bèl Fwi, which means beautiful fruit in Haitian creole, and we were at an outdoor affair and in the middle, there is the Haitian president.”

President Jovenel Moise was assassinated less than two years after the photo was taken at Jeanty's business.

“We had grown to five locations, but the situation in Haiti was so challenging that I had to leave,” she said.

After resettling in Tampa, she says it was a struggle to relaunch her smoothie business from the ground up, so she and her sister, who is her business partner, purchased an existing business instead.

“When the sub store became available, we said, 'Why not?'” she said.

After attending Impact Mondays by CDC of Tampa, Inc., she connected with others who shared her new vision.

“In being there were able to make some amazing connections in terms of vendors and suppliers we work with,” Jeanty said.

She has added smoothies to the menu, which include ingredients sourced from Haiti.

“We want to give people the option to mix it up with fresh food,” she said.

Experts say East Tampa is considered a food desert, but Jeanty said she aims to make healthier food options available to the community.

“I’m very grateful, because I’ve been able to accomplish some things while I’ve been living in the U.S. that I know I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish in Haiti, at least not anytime soon," she said. "I’m also grateful that we have an opportunity to bring in some of those products from Haiti and expose a new audience.”

Jeanty says she’s now living an American Dream that is inclusive of her Caribbean roots.