December 2018 Newsletter: Join the growing movement and invest with your values

Jay OwenCommunity Development Solutions, SRI/ESG News

Introducing Angels of Main Street

As the movement to invest in mission-aligned small businesses grows, we realized that folks new to this type of investing may not be sure where to start or how to go about evaluating investment opportunities. That’s why we are so excited about our newest program—Angels of Main Street—a nationwide investment community for ANYONE who wants to learn about investing directly in the businesses they care about.

When you join Angels of Main Street you will have access to online trainings led by lawyers, investors, and successful entrepreneurs; receive early notice of investment opportunities; be invited to online and in-person events for mission-driven investors; join a community of like-minded investors; and much more…

If you become an Angel now, you will receive a QuickStart Orientation call with one of our investment experts to jump start your Main Street investing! In addition, December 2018 is FREE—your annual membership will start now and run through December 2019. Please visit www.angelsofmainstreet.com to join the movement and start supporting businesses that are creating jobs within your community and making the world a better place.

If you’re an entrepreneur and would like to raise money from Angels of Main Street, complete the form at jennykassan.com/strategysession and we’ll contact you if we feel it’s a fit.

Client Corner

At Jenny Kassan Consulting we are privileged to work with inspiring mission-driven entrepreneurs. Each month we feature a few of our clients to celebrate their success and learn about the challenges they face.

By Lynda Ronaldson, Vice President, Marketing—Eagle Protect

Eagle Protect is a leading global supplier of disposable gloves and clothing, specializing in the supply of food safe certified and sustainably better products. Through our transparent supply chain, Eagle is proud to be the world’s first and only B Corp and Child Labor Free certified glove supplier. Eagle’s ongoing mission is to improve the food safety and sustainability practices of our customers, and make the world a better place one glove at a time!

“Our company was founded 12 years ago in New Zealand, and currently supplies around 80% of NZ’s primary food industries,” explains Eagle Founder and CEO Steve Ardagh. “We are now taking this experience and focusing on improving the US food industry.”

This year Eagle’s customer base has grown rapidly, including becoming the preferred supplier of gloves and clothing to the second largest food retailer in the US. As a result of this growth, Eagle US is now looking for funds to increase inventory and hire new team members for operations, logistics, sales, and customer support positions.

“We launched a crowdfunding campaign to expand Eagle’s impact on the US food industry,” says Ardagh. “Already we are saving millions of pounds of waste across the US through better glove choices. Our goal is to make this hundreds of millions of pounds!”

Find out more about our company and our campaign here. Thanks for your interest!

By LaManda Joy, President—City Grange

I left my corporate job in 2011 to run a nonprofit I’d founded—Peterson Garden Project—with a goal of teaching everyone (yes, everyone) how to grow their own food.

It started in theory—I thought people might like to get together in community spaces to learn how to grow food organically. If 20 people were interested, I thought it would be fun. That first garden became the largest organic food garden in Chicago at the time. And I’d stumbled upon my life’s calling.

In 2011 the idea emerged for a for-profit social enterprise where education and commerce were combined. That was the genesis of City Grange—a revolutionary destination garden center designed to teach, inspire, and empower today’s urban gardens.

It was my parents’ service in the “Greatest Generation” that motivated me to start the Peterson Garden Project in the first place. My (now) 91 year-old mother always has lots of great advice. Growing up, I’d heard repeatedly, “If you don’t like something, change it.” Once the idea for City Grange introduced itself in 2011, I could hear my mother say, “Nothing worth having is easy, honey!”

City Grange #1 is opening in April 2019, and we’re breaking ground on City Grange #2, our “flagship” location, which will open in 2021. If you’d like to be part of the journey, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.CityGrange.com.

Announcements

Join Jenny Kassan next month for a FREE VIRTUAL TRAINING and Q&A on what you need to know if you are thinking about raising funding for your business. The training will take place on Tuesday, January 20 from 11am – 12:30pm PDT, and there will be plenty of time for Jenny to answer all your questions. To register for this free training, click here.

2019 could be YOUR year to design an investment offering that perfectly suits your business and then go out and raise funding from the right investors.