South Bend Entrepreneurship and Adversity Program (SBEAP)

We focus on helping you think and act like an entrepreneur—especially how to do more with less, solve problems creatively, and build something sustainable.

The sessions are interactive and practical. You’ll be encouraged to bring your business ideas and real-world challenges into the discussion so you can get advice and feedback from peers and mentors each week.

You’ll be paired with a successful entrepreneur - ideally someone from your industry - who can provide real-world guidance and encouragement. Plus, you’ll have access to a wider network of mentors with expertise in critical business areas. Throughout this step, you will also have the opportunity to participate in:

• Special Training Sessions: Monthly workshops on specialized topics to deepen the skills you learned during bootcamp.
• Community Connect: Join a biannual networking event where you’ll meet local business leaders, potential customers, and fellow entrepreneurs. Through our co-marketing platform, the community is encouraged to support and buy from SBEAP entrepreneurs.

You’ll benefit from personalized support from our team of faculty, students, and experienced business partners will help you tackle specific challenges in their businesses. You’ll also have access to the following benefits:

• Microcredit: Through partnerships with local organizations and financial institutions, you’ll have the opportunity to apply for low-interest or no-interest loans and grants designed for entrepreneurs like you.
• Community Connect: Join biannual networking events where you’ll meet local business leaders, potential customers, and fellow entrepreneurs. Through our co-marketing platform, the community is encouraged to support and buy from SBEAP entrepreneurs.

After stepping away from a career in sales, Janice Purnell decided to revisit creative passions she had been exploring since childhood: painting and quilt-making. Eager to share the positive influence of art with her community, Janice began to re-exhibit her paintings and quilts in 2018. Her pieces, which often contain bright and bold colors, portray positive themes and references to African-American culture. As Janice continued to exhibit her paintings and quilts, South Bend residents approached her to express their heartfelt connection to her artwork. She soon recognized her creative side-hustle had the potential to grow into something larger.

Through support from the SBEAP program, Janice refined her business skills and invested in proper equipment. Janice is especially grateful for the networking and mentorship aspects of SBEAP: “Before I completed SBEAP, I didn’t have a website, marketing materials, stable exhibition spaces, an art studio or proper art tools. Analogy-wise, I felt like I was Dorothy and the SBEAP folks were Oz!”

While pursuing welding full-time, Raymond Barbour fostered his love of cooking through a barbeque side-hustle: K.O.’s (“Knockout”) Port-a-Pit. After several years of catering community events and serving on the local pop-up circuit, he built a strong reputation within South Bend. Repeat customers raved about his dishes, and through word-of-mouth, he experienced an exponential increase in demand. Raymond eventually decided to resign as a welder and develop K.O.’s Port-a-Pit into a full-scale venture.

Today, K.O.’s Port-a-Pit is housed within a mobile food track and serves customers across Indiana. Appreciative of community support, Raymond measures success by customer satisfaction instead of number of plates sold. In the future, he hopes to continue feeding South Bend by moving his business into a physical storefront.

As a child, Lucretia Marsh was introduced to coffee by her late mother, and she developed a deep emotional connection to the drink. Thus, while ill with COVID-19, Lucretia remained committed to enjoying her daily cup of coffee. Although she had lost her sense of smell, she swore she could taste the comforting beverage. As the phantom smell of coffee continued to linger, Lucretia began to wonder whether her coffee fixation held deeper meaning. She grew certain that her love for coffee was God's vehicle to deliver a vision of her future. After recovery, Lucretia decided to leave her role as a full-time nurse to launch a coffee business: Coffee and Me.

With support from the SBEAP program, Lucretia has developed Coffee and Me into a successful venture. By selling ground coffee, coffee beans, and K-Cups, the business has flourished and physically expanded to other areas. However, Lucretia still primarily serves the South Bend community: “It’s important to keep my roots and appreciation for small communities at my business’ core. The neighborhood is where the love is."

For more than two decades, Jannyell Hines has served South Bend’s elderly and disabled communities as a professional caretaker. Although caretaking requires personable and communicative service providers, Janyell has noticed that caregivers often fail to meet these basic standards. Hoping to provide “services in excellence” to South Bend, Janyell decided to launch her own home care firm in late 2024: HeartServ Home Agency.

Amie Dworecki is determined to “look back at life as an adventure instead of a grind.” After leaving her corporate job to focus on personal wellness, she embarked on a cross-country fitness journey, ultimately breaking three records for marathon completion on every continent. Upon returning from her international running pursuits, Amie launched “Running with Life” to support middle-aged women with online fitness coaching.

As an individual with anxiety, Adell Badgett struggles to navigate social spaces. After using a virtual reality (VR) headset in a therapy session, Adell realized that he could be more self-expressive in virtual spaces. He appreciated the ability to socialize in a carefree and low-pressure environment, and he soon identified virtual reality as an inclusive business opportunity. In 2021, Adell decided to introduce South Bend to VR’s therapeutic benefits by launching Dellstar VR, an indoor virtual-reality arcade.

Today, Dellstar VR has expanded service offerings through a mobile gaming trailer. However, through a partnership with Indiana's Recovery Works program, Adell has connected justice-impacted individuals with innovative VR-based therapy. Within this judgement-free program, he also offers participants Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training, proudly pairing mental-health support with opportunities for career development.

Alejandro Saucedo is a proud descendant of migrant field workers. As a child, his identity was shaped by his family’s perseverance and aspirations as they navigated seasonal farm labor. After receiving professional development opportunities as custodial workers, his family transitioned out of manual labor, taking their strong work ethic with them.

Once he became a teenager, Alejandro suffered from addiction and was incarcerated. Recognizing confinement as a self-growth opportunity, he entered a substance recovery program and earned his associate’s degree. Alejandro reconnected with his family’s entrepreneurial legacy upon his release by founding a janitorial business: Indiana’s Elite Cleaning (IEC).

Since inception, IEC’s services have expanded to include pressure-washing, carpet installation, waxing, concrete repair, and painting. As IEC continues to grow, Alejandro strives to support under-resourced communities by hiring employees from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Joe Luten, co-owner of Importin’ Joe’s Ethiopian Coffee, exemplifies a business model rooted in compassion and cultural authenticity. Based in Northern Indiana, Joe and his wife, Afomia, have built a 3rd wave coffee company that delivers more than just expertly roasted Ethiopian coffee—it delivers hope and equity to marginalized communities. From donating 3,000 cups of coffee to teachers to tackling child homelessness in East Africa, Importin’ Joe’s has proven its dedication to meaningful social change.

Now operating out of a 5,000-square-foot production facility in South Bend and selling in 35 Meijer stores, the business reflects a deep commitment to economic empowerment and community transformation. With 30% of profits reinvested in social equity initiatives, Importin’ Joe’s is truly a catalyst for change.

Sanaa Chocolates was founded by Yvonne Kasimbi with her husband, Oscar, in 2019. The chocolate confectionery shop is dedicated to quality creations and is passionate about bringing the finest flavors to every one of its customers. It takes pride in the local sourcing of the best quality 100% Fair Trade cacao. Ingredients are organic and seasonal, with unique flavors inspired by the various regions of the world. Owner Yvonne has been through numerous challenges in her entrepreneurial journey, from navigating the impact of COVID not long after opening her storefront to balancing life as a new mother and working around an injury caused by the intensive manual labor required in making her chocolates by hand. In each situation, Yvonne has found a way to turn adversity into opportunity.

Laquisha Jackson, a wife and mother of eight, is the founder of Soulful Kitchen LLC, a catering company serving the Michiana area. With 19 years of experience in the hospitality industry—including roles as a server and manager—Laquisha earned her associate degree in Hospitality Administration from Ivy Tech Community College in May 2019. She is a certified ServSafe Instructor and registered Proctor, and she brings that same spirit of hospitality to her leadership at church.

Laquisha’s passion for helping families facing food insecurity inspired her to launch Hope for the Hungry in 2020, a nonprofit focused on feeding the hungry and providing education. Through both Soulful Kitchen and Hope for the Hungry, Laquisha is creating spaces where hope, compassion, and community come together to make a lasting impact.