- Omaha 100 has served the community for 50 years and has expanded its focus on business lending over the past 5 years.
- Capital Conversations connects aspiring Black entrepreneurs directly with successful business owners who can share real-world experience — not just classroom theory.
- Representation is a driving force — hearing from Black business owners who have built multimillion-dollar companies is making entrepreneurship feel attainable for the next generation in Omaha.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Omaha 100 is creating space for the next generation of Black entrepreneurs, growing their capital based off of a conversation.
At the latest Capital Conversations event, dozens gathered to hear from successful Black business owners, including Lorenzo and Desarie Ball, owners of Capitol View Winery & Vineyards. The couple shared the journey that led them to business ownership.
"It's an investment. It's gonna be a legacy for children," they said.
For entrepreneurs like Deji Adesola, owner of Immigify, hearing those stories is a reminder that success is possible right here in Omaha.
"I enjoyed that fact that they also moved here, they established a business, they've grown, and I also heard that they were their businesses valuated in millions of dollars. So, um, I think that was encouraging for me, um, being also a black founder in Omaha," Adesola said.
Omaha 100 has been serving the community for 50 years. In the past 5 years, the organization has expanded its focus on business lending.
Leaders say conversations like this give aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to learn directly from people who have already walked the road they're on.
"These are real entrepreneurs, so it's not just sitting in a class, having somebody talk as people who went that, walk that road, and give them ideas that, okay, what worked for you, what didn't work for you," Ernest White, board chair of Omaha Hundred, said.
"I think sometimes we don't always get to see ourselves as the millionaire, as the billionaire, but hearing how they were able to obtain it, and how they were able to take that on for themselves, really does make it attainable, and makes it seem like it's something that we can all do," Eliana Nichols said.
For Adesola, whose business is still growing, the opportunity to learn from entrepreneurs who have already built lasting businesses is invaluable.
"I think growth is one of the things that made me interested in the conversation," Adesola said.
For more resources about business loans, to see upcoming conversations, you can visit their website at Omaha100.org.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
