Last week, Comcast hosted an intimate gathering with a group of RISE recipients at an Oakstop location in downtown Oakland in partnership with The Oaklandside and Heritage Bank.
The networking event that gathered more than a dozen small business owners is part of a series of events designated to support and create community with like-minded small business owners in Oakland.
The event featured a panel of experts that talked about the current uncertain economy and the best ways to navigate it. The panel moderated by Eve Batey, NOSH editor, highlighted Rita Forte, Founder and Manager of The Olive Street Agency, Erick Bell, Accounting and Financial Wellness Professor at Golden Gate University Masters Program and Landon Baines, SVP Regional Market President at Heritage Bank of Commerce.
“The advice that I give to small business owners is to take a business class at community college,” said Bell. “I teach at Las Positas Community College and my best students are the ones that come into the classroom with experience. When I’m teaching a 19-year-old about earnings before interest tax they are just listening, but you (business owners) are engaged and asking questions and now we have a real conversation.”
To find a Comcast RISE business near you, visit the California RISE Map and Directory.