One and All

One and All is an eight-week program designed to support more equitable access to successful entrepreneurship and small-business ownership through a combination of webinar-based learning, networking, mentorship, business coaching, engagement with subject matter experts and access to an extended resource network.  

Over the course of the program, participants receive support from the LEAP team and program partners, the Fledge and the Refugee Development Center, via open office hours and periodic group check-in engagements. Each participant is paired with a professional mentor, receives one-on-one business coaching from a dedicated consultant with the Michigan Small Business Development Center at Lansing Community College and will graduate with a new or refined business plan. 

Who is One and All for? 

One and All aims to enhance equity in entrepreneurship by focusing on populations historically underrepresented among small-business owners such as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), women, people with disabilities, immigrants and refugees, military veterans and formerly incarcerated people whose household income falls at or below the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) Threshold. 

 “Underrepresented” means the percentage of people from these groups who own small businesses is far less than their respective share of the population would predict. This is most often due to systemic under-resourcing and discrimination. ALICE households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level but less than the basic cost of living for their state, representing some of the most economically vulnerable people in our community. 

The February-April 2023 program is only open to entrepreneurs and small-business owners in Ingham County, Michigan. Applicants can be at any stage of business, from idea to physical location ownership, but must have an idea they intend to bring to market. 

Program Benefits

• No cost to participate.
• A unique combination of business and communication training, coaching and mentoring including a 2-month curriculum of practical and intensive sessions about business challenges, which also connects participants with a professional network and business resources.
• A team of dedicated mentors to guide each entrepreneur to take a business idea or growth strategy to the next level.
• $2,500 seed money following successful program completion.
• Lifelong membership in the One and All community!

Eligibility

• The applicant must fall below the ALICE threshold:
  • Single-adult households: annual income $23,400 or less.
  • Senior households (65+): annual income $26,244 or less.
  • Family of 4 or more: annual income $64,116 or less.
• Applicants must be in the idea stage of starting a business or looking to pivot and grow an existing business to adapt to the current business environment.
• Business must be founded or registered in Ingham County, Michigan. 
• Business must not be a franchise nor affiliated with a national chain.
• Nonprofits and sole proprietors are eligible to apply.

Why only Ingham County? 

The February-April 2023 One and All program is generously funded by the Ingham County Board of Commissioners with dollars specifically reserved for small-business owners in Ingham County. Entrepreneurs from Clinton and Eaton counties can continue to follow LEAP on social media and sign up for our monthly entrepreneurship newsletter to learn more about future regional opportunities.