Month: August 2023

August 10, 2023 /3BL/ – As National Black Business Month shines a light on Black-owned businesses, SkysTheLimit.org, an innovative digital platform committed to fostering the growth of historically excluded entrepreneurs, is proud to connect mentors to the resources they need to enhance their commitment to empowering Black founders.

Producing $141 billion in revenue annually and 1.3 million jobs in the U.S., Black-owned businesses make a significant impact supporting the American economy and the needs of our communities.

Bo Ghirardelli, Co-Founder and CEO of SkysTheLimit.org, says, “Over half of the visionary entrepreneurs on Sky’s the Limit are Black founders. One of our goals is to create an environment of mentoring excellence, where our business mentors and peer mentors have the tools to support entrepreneurs to get the guidance they need through their entire journey, so that they can build thriving, sustainable businesses.”

Here are five ways people interested in supporting entrepreneurs can engage:

Become a Sky’s the Limit mentor: By joining Sky’s the Limit as a business mentor and advisor, you can help make a significant difference by offering encouragement, listening, coaching, and sharing valuable business skills and perspectives that entrepreneurs may need to overcome business challenges.Increase mentorship excellence by listening to and sharing “The First Buck” podcast: “The First Buck” podcast, hosted by Sky’s the Limit Co-Founders Nic Cary and Bo Ghirardelli, offers inspiration for mentors, emerging entrepreneurs, and established business leaders. Each episode features success stories and insights from accomplished entrepreneurs, providing listeners with tools and motivation to thrive in the dynamic world of business. Tune in here to be equipped with the knowledge to better support entrepreneurs.Help entrepreneurs tune and amplify their business funding pitches: Throughout August and beyond, Sky’s the Limit entrepreneurs have the chance to vie for startup grants ranging from $2,500 to $30,000 by submitting online video pitches. Kickstart their businesses by helping them develop their pitch and business strategies to access these funding opportunities.Gain and share inspiration from entrepreneurs with transferrable experiences: Join Sky’s the Limit for episode 8 of the Limitless! Web Series featuring two inspirational founders, Erick Donaldson, Founder of 99 BXNG, and Chris Harvey, Founder of Harvey Media, LLC and Blackwood Tulsa as they engage in a virtual conversation. This episode provides valuable insights into the experiences and strategies of two successful Black entrepreneurs. Registration is available here.Collaborate with easy tools that help founders move their businesses forward. SkysTheLimit.org offers four free digital workbooks for mentors and entrepreneurs to work on together to get unstuck and move their businesses forward. These resources aid in business planning and strategy development. Here’s the link to download all four.

This Black Business Month, Sky’s the Limit takes pride in celebrating the accomplishments of the thousands of entrepreneurs who have tapped into the nonprofit’s services to help advance their businesses, and the mentors who provided guidance and encouragement along the way.

“The mentors were instrumental in helping to refine my pitch deck for funding, my business plan, website, and social media, and placed us on a better trajectory toward achieving our goals,” said Mark Wright, Founder of TRANUTRA

“Business plans are the foundation of any company. With the assistance of the volunteers, I was able to build on a solid foundation,” said Risha Brown, Founder of Vera Organix, describing how mentors helped her.

Read more inspiring stories and transformative experiences from entrepreneurs, including Mark and Risha, here.

Sky’s the Limit offers opportunities for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs – typically those who identify as LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, women, veterans, disabled people, and people from low-income backgrounds – to connect with mentors to come together to foster, grow, and shape modern and future enterprise. The organization has also provided over $450,000 in startup grants and educated tens of thousands of diverse entrepreneurs.

For more information about partnerships and how to get involved, please visit skysthelimit.org/partnerships.

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About SkysTheLimit.org: SkysTheLimit.org is a digital platform that connects young, historically excluded entrepreneurs with one-on-one support from experienced business advisors and mentors, entrepreneurship training, and community-voted startup grants. SkysTheLimit.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. 

The global corporate reporting system continues to evolve and there is promise that the result will be a global cohesive corporate reporting system that consists of two distinct perspectives and purposes on materiality.

The European Commission has adopted the 1st set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), that cover “double materiality” and will be the disclosure standards associated with the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The CSRD will require more than 50,000 European companies to report on double materiality using these standards, as well as at least 10,000 companies outside the EU, including approximately 3,000 US companies and 1,300 Canadian companies. The EU Commission has confirmed that they will ensure a ‘very high degree of interoperability’ between EU standards and global standards set by GRI, after GRI served as co-constructor of the impact-related standards.

The recent launch of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)’s inaugural set of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) S1 General and S2 Climate-Related Disclosures also represents a significant step in the pursuit of a global cohesive corporate reporting that consists of financial and impact materiality to serve all stakeholders. Under the Memorandum of Understanding between GRI and IFRS Foundation, both organizations have agreed to collaborate and work towards the interoperability of their standards.

To continue their work, ISSB is currently soliciting input on its priorities for the next two-year work plan. To gather feedback, they have released the Request for Information Consultation on Agenda Priorities, which will remain open until September 1st. The consultation aims to collect opinions on potential projects, which include exploring sustainability-related risks and opportunities concerning:

Biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services;Human capital; andHuman rights.

We are pleased to see ISSB’s interest in these topic areas that are also impacts represented in GRI Standards. These topics remain areas of critical work of GRI and the Global Sustainability Standards Board, as can be seen with the recent work to revise GRI 304—Biodiversity, the launch of the GRI Topic Standard Project on Labor, and Human Rights disclosures embedded in the GRI Universal Standards.

We strongly encourage all stakeholders to participate in ISSB’s request for Information Consultation on Agenda Priorities. Your input is critical in ensuring representation of all interested parties and contributing towards the convergence of a global corporate two-pillar reporting system.

Note that the content disseminated via this newsroom pertains to information concerning the North America perspective. For global updates regarding our organization, please visit GRI’s global newsroom.