Minority entrepreneurs often face obstacles they can't overcome alone. The Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce wants to help.

The chamber is starting a fourth round of its Intensive Entrepreneurship Training program for 25 business owners of color who need a little help, or maybe a lot of help, in navigating the often-complex path toward establishing a successful venture.

The chamber's Intensive Entrepreneurship Training program, which kicked off in 2021, provides four weeks of training and six more weeks of coaching and mentorship for new and existing minority-owned business owners and entrepreneurs.

The chamber is inviting people interested in participating in the program to attend an orientation at Savannah River Brewing Co., 813 Fifth St., at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The program is free. Even business owners who have been operating for several years have participated in past chamber programs, said GABBC President Ronic West.

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"Some of them have changed their insurance after going through our business courses, added trained CPAs, leveraged grant funds to acquire a vehicle or equipment," she said. "Some business owners still haven't established their own bank accounts. Some of them establish business credit for the first time."

The program is funded through partner Bank of America.

For this fourth iteration of the program, experts leading the activities will be particularly mindful to address issues with business owners who are still coping with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as supply-chain snarls and labor availability.

"Still, businesses are recovering from the impact of the pandemic, whether they lost revenue those two years or they transitioned their business," West said. "I think we have a lot of new business owners in the market, so training courses like these are very critical for those businesses that are one, two years in business."

West said she expects the program and its varied offerings will provide something for every participant.

"I hope they get what they were looking for," she said. "Every bsuniess has a different unique quesiton that’s particular to their business."

For more information about the program or the chamber, visit mygabc.org.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Black Chamber reopens program for Augusta-area minority businesses