Consulting

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Elmseed offers project-based, individualized small business consulting. Consulting clients are assigned personal Elmseed consultants, who are available to meet on a weekly basis. Our consultants work to develop close working relationships with their clients and clients are encouraged to contact consultants by phone or email whenever a business question or problem arises. Our client relationships are extremely important to us, and they are at the heart of Elmseed’s social mission.

Elmseed consultants work with clients on a wide variety of projects. Our consultants are equipped to help clients create financial projections, develop business plans, and conduct market research, just to name a few. No two Elmseed clients are the same, and our individualized consulting model allows us to tailor our approach to fit your needs. Many of our successful consulting clients go on to apply for loans through our loan-track program.

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Client Snapshots

Tahania Cunningham

She recently opened “Symbol of Love”, a childcare center. With four children, no stable employment, and rapidly expiring welfare payments, Tahania knew that she needed to make a change - and contacted Elmseed for help. Elmseed’s board knew that she was a high-risk client, but concluded that her determination, ambition, and the potential impact of a loan far outweighed the risk of default. Elmseed consultants guided Tahania through applying for the proper insurance, meeting state childcare requirements, passing licensing inspections, and opening a business bank account. Tahania received an Elmseed loan, which she used to renovate a church basement for her childcare business.

Antoine Scott

“Our goal is to give the drivers a chance to really make a living for themselves and their families. With most ground transport, and not just the cab and shuttle business, they tend to exploit the drivers by paying very little.”

Entrepreneur Antoine Scott with 2012 Elmseed COO Sinye Tang

Antoine Scott, an entrepreneur with over thirteen years of experience in the transportation industry, had always aspired to own his own business. In 2010, Scott was working as a limousine driver when he realized that there was a large and underserved market for transportation between New Haven and major airports serving New York City. He wanted to start a business to meet that need, but wasn’t sure how to start or where to obtain the necessary funds . He turned to an organization he had read about in a newspaper that seemed to offer the help he needed: The Elmseed Enterprise Fund. 

Working with Elmseed consultants Noah Sheinbaum and Dan Friedman, Scott refined his business idea, crafted a business and marketing plan, and developed his independent contractor business model. He was then approved for an initial $2,000 Elmseed loan to start QCONNShuttle , a service offering fast and reliable transportation between New Haven, Bridgeport, and New York. 

After repaying the first $2,000 loan, Scott also applied for and received a second $5,000 loan in early 2012 in order to purchase a third vehicle to meet the growing demand for QCONN’s services. Thus far, Scott has made each one of his loan payments on time and is on track to fully repay the loan by 2013. The business is small but growing, and Scott plans to expand it to include more airports and destinations in the future. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, supplemented by the funding and assistance provided by Elmseed, Scott now operates a successful small business that gives him greater independence, personal satisfaction, and financial security