HUSTLE Winston-Salem
Non-profit organization in Winston-Salem, NC
- Address
- 486 N Patterson Ave Second Floor, Winston-Salem, NC, 27101
- Website
- hustlews.org
About HUSTLE Winston-Salem
HUSTLE Winston-Salem is a nonprofit organization built to grow the local economy by accelerating underrepresented entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on women, people of color, and business owners in marginalized districts of the city. Rather than selling a single product, HUSTLE offers a four-part support system for small business owners: shared physical spaces where entrepreneurs can operate and collaborate, one-on-one mentoring from experienced professionals, structured networking events that connect founders to the wider Winston-Salem business community, and educational resources and training programs. The organization runs monthly, quarterly, and larger annual programming, publishes HUSTLE Reports tracking the state of inclusive entrepreneurship locally, and operates an Entrepreneur in Residence program alongside a recurring Business of the Month recognition that spotlights local founders. HUSTLE partners closely with regional institutions including Forsyth Tech, Wake Forest University's Center for Private Business, NC IDEA, Self-Help Credit Union, and community development corporations, positioning itself as a connective hub between entrepreneurs and the stakeholders who can help them grow. Its work is organized around the idea that inclusive entrepreneurship strengthens the whole regional economy, not just the individual founders it serves directly, and its programming is designed to meet business owners at very different stages, from idea formation through established operations.
HUSTLE Winston-Salem grew out of the Inclusive Entrepreneurship cluster of the EmcArts Community Innovation Lab, a process convened locally by the Kenan Institute for the Arts, the Winston-Salem Foundation, and the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County. When that lab concluded, the participants in the cluster felt the response from the community was strong enough, and the need great enough, that the initiative should continue as its own standing organization rather than end with the lab. HUSTLE was founded by six entrepreneurs from different backgrounds: Magalie Yacinthe, Kellie P. Easton, C. Fay Horwitt, Daryl Shaw, J. Matthew Williams, and Tonya Sheffield. Since its founding, the organization has continued operating with the mission of helping underrepresented entrepreneurs access space, mentorship, networks, and resources, working toward what it describes as a vision of a thriving city where all citizens have an equitable opportunity to achieve economic prosperity through entrepreneurship. The organization's continued existence past the initial lab reflects a community-driven decision, made by the founders themselves, that Winston-Salem needed a standing institution dedicated specifically to inclusive entrepreneurship rather than a one-time initiative.
Services
- business mentoring
- networking events
- entrepreneur training
- shared workspace
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