It was pretty cool to see the JKC logo displayed at the Goldman Sachs headquarters!

Last year JK Creative was selected as one of 150 businesses from across the country for National Cohort 20 of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. This amazing initiative provides business curriculum backed by Babson College over the course of several months. Julie has been busy with classes, homework, and group meetings and the whole cohort had been anxiously awaiting the final step of the program. This month business owners from all over the country traveled to New York City to be hosted at the Goldman Sachs headquarters for a week of in-person classes and a graduation celebration! Here are some highlights from the week:

Welcome to New York

The group settled into our rooms at the New York Marriott Downtown (Which by the way, highly recommend this beautiful property in the financial district!) where we received some goodies from Goldman Sachs, including products from past program graduates! Throughout the week Goldman Sachs provided meals and even networking events for us to mingle with other classmates. We certainly ate well all week!

The Final Week of Classes

While all of us classmates has seen one another on Zoom many times, it was amazing to get together in person for some more learning. The curriculum kept us busy with classroom time, guest speaker sessions, and group activities. It was great to put faces with names and meet some new connections too! Throughout the course everyone worked with an assigned small group regularly. My powerhouse group included:

Shelley Anderson from Cage + Aquarium
Joy Duncan from NW Friends Inclusion
Steven Hollabaugh from Native Strategies
Charity Kimes from PA Home Healthcare
Krista McDermid from Zara Environmental

I also wanted to give a huge shoutout to our amazing Business Advisor Darryl Parker and Lead faculty Phil Zuckerman!

Team Trifecta all together in New York City!

Exploring New York City

We had some pockets of free time to go explore the city too. We were able to hang out with classmates and grab some nice meals or even some famous New York pizza! Being in the financial district we were walkable to some sights like the 9/11 memorial, the charging Bull, and Pier 16. Some classmates even squeezed in Broadway shows or a Yankees game!

The Final Assignment

The final project for class was to prepare a pitch presentation about our business. Everyone had to prepare slides and speaking points to present to the group. It was great to share JK Creative with the class and learn about all the other businesses a little more too. You could tell everyone had worked hard over the course of the class.

Presenting a pitch about JK Creative to the class.

Goldman Sachs 10KSB Graduation

Then it was time for graduation! It was so cool to see so many businesses representing so many states and different industries. Everyone was able to walk across the stage and receive their certificate. Then we had a lovely reception to celebrate a job well done. What an amazing week in New York City and I’m so honored that JK Creative was selected to participate. We look forward to staying connected with this community and Alumni group too. A huge thank you to Goldman Sachs for providing this program and helping so many small businesses continue to grow. We can’t wait to see where we keep heading from here!

A Certificate of Entrepreneurship from the 10KSB program.

A big group picture of Goldman Sachs 10KSB Cohort 20, Cohort 21, faculty, and staff.

About the Goldman Sachs 10KSB Program

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is an investment to help small businesses grow and create jobs by providing them with greater access to education, capital, and business support services. To date, more than 12,800 business owners have graduated from the program across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

The 10,000 Small Businesses National Cohort is a 10-week program delivered online and culminating in a final 4-day, in-person session in New York. This 10-week business program provides small business owners with a practical business education focused on business growth. Learn more and apply here: https://10ksbapply.com/

JK Creative Founder Hosted by Goldman Sachs at NYC Headquarters for National Program