On Saturday afternoon, inside the Chase Community Center branch in Summerhill, ambition sounded like conversation.
Ten Georgia-based small business owners spanning fashion, food and beverage, media, child development, and retail gathered for the third annual Rookie Entrepreneur Community Program, a partnership between the Atlanta Hawks and JPMorgan Chase designed to equip first-generation and emerging entrepreneurs with the financial tools to scale.
The room carried a quiet intensity. Founders spoke candidly about sustaining their businesses, the early risks, the financial learning curves, and the weight that comes with betting on yourself. Though their industries differed, their realities aligned. Turning passion into longevity requires more than drive. It demands fluency in the language of capital, discipline in decision-making, and access that is not always guaranteed.
“This is our third year of pouring into rookie entrepreneurs with Chase,” said Alexis Roe, vice president of community impact for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. “Atlanta’s entrepreneurship ecosystem is massive, but many founders struggle to scale. Working with Chase allows us to provide tangible financial resources that help move them forward.”
The half-day program began with networking and professional headshots. From there, entrepreneurs moved into workshops centered on personal and business finances, including budgeting, credit building, access to capital, and cash flow management.
Mathilda Lambert, community and business development director for JPMorgan Chase serving Georgia and the Southeast, led a session on credit fundamentals, describing it as essential groundwork for long-term sustainability.
“One of the biggest misconceptions entrepreneurs have is not realizing that their personal credit directly impacts their business credit, especially in the early stages,” Lambert said. “Building it intentionally from the start is critical if you want access to capital later.”
Lambert said programs like Rookie Entrepreneur exist for founders who often begin with vision but without access to mentorship or structured financial guidance.
“For many of them, when they started, they didn’t know who to ask for help,” she said. “We’re helping close that gap.”
Among the participants was Katrina Sloan, owner of The PlayPad, an indoor playground and activity center in Southwest Atlanta serving children from infancy to age 12. Sloan said the credit workshop offered practical insight she could immediately apply to her growing business.
“I learned how a business line of credit really works, the advantages and disadvantages, and how important it is to pull my full credit report instead of just relying on an app,” Sloan said. “You need the right tools to grow. Growth does not happen automatically.”
Beyond the workshops, the cohort format created something less visible but equally powerful: solidarity.
“Meeting the other entrepreneurs and knowing I am not alone in this circle, that we all have challenges and wins, has been huge,” Sloan added.
The afternoon included a surprise appearance from guard C.J. McCollum, who spoke about his own entrepreneurial ventures and the parallels between professional sports and business, including preparation, discipline, and long-term strategy. Each entrepreneur also received a $2,500 investment to support business operations, whether for inventory, training, or expansion.
Roe said the alignment between the Hawks and Chase reflects a shared civic commitment to economic empowerment.
“We believe we are a civic asset to the city of Atlanta,” Roe said. “If we can equip people with the tools to build sustainable businesses, we are investing not just in them, but in Atlanta’s future.”
