Chocolatier Uzma Sharif had reached a pivotal point in her small business’s growth. She’d been successfully selling her handcrafted chocolates at a single retail location on the South Side of Chicago, and wanted to start selling on a larger scale.
With the economic outlook uncertain, however, Sharif wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. She wanted guidance so she could start selling in stores like Whole Foods, but lacked the resources to hire the help she needed. That’s where Full-Time MBA student Jennifer Olson stepped in.
This year, Sharif’s company, Chocolat Uzma, was one of 10 small businesses on Chicago’s South and West Sides to get hands-on consulting services from Booth students through the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s Small Business Growth Program.
The program helps businesses on the city’s South and West Sides grow and scale. It’s supported by funding from JPMorgan Chase and is part of the nationwide Ascend program, which partners with top universities and institutions to support minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses.
Click here to read the full story.
This story was first published by UChicago Booth.
