This is Michael’s story in his own words.

At age 60, while living in a sober living house (a house for folks recovering from either an alcohol or drug addiction), I met Liz Joiner, a coach with Operation HOPE. The thought of someone supporting me in becoming successful in business and handling finances seemed like a really good idea for me and my recovery. I promised her I would schedule an appointment to meet. I was not aware of the impact she would have on my life.

Two areas of my life were about to improve significantly: financial maturity including credit building, and business development.

Regarding financial growth — financial literacy was not taught in my family. Even though my father had grade-A excellent credit, it was not something he taught me. Before meeting Liz, I had never been able to save money beyond a single two-week pay period. I never had any savings. I have never carried an active credit card account past six months without it being canceled due to nonpayment.

As for business development — over my adult life I attempted several businesses that never got off the ground. From selling Malcolm X tapes and books by African American authors in the late ’80s out of the trunk of my car, to creating a nonprofit organization that addressed social justice concerns during the summer of George Floyd’s death, I never had the ability to create something sustainable.

Since February of 2025, I’ve been working with Liz as my coach. In that short period of time, I’ve become a published author, created a YouTube channel focused on spiritual wellness content, and developed a workshop that guides people through a journaling process that leads to healing and wellness. I have the beginnings of a faith-based spiritual wellness coaching business. In January 2026, I facilitated my first Fortitude Foundations Workshop as a Recovery Wellness Coach, hosted by the Salvation Army Jacksonville Area Command. The plan is to continue growing my faith-based coaching business through book sales, facilitating workshops, and personalized wellness coaching — primarily through virtual platforms and YouTube.

I am experiencing the longest period in my life of maintaining a checking account in good standing. For the first time, I have built savings exceeding $2,000 and have begun investing in stocks, even on a small scale. I currently maintain two credit cards in good standing — one of which I’ve held for over a year — and my credit score is steadily improving from fair toward good.

The most significant addition to my financial lifestyle is that I now regularly have conversations with my adult daughters about generational wealth, savings, and investing.

Through encouragement, leadership, and consistent coaching, my life is better. I’m grateful to Operation HOPE and Liz Joiner for their investment in me, which has helped place my life on a purposeful path.

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

The post From Receiving Support to Becoming the Support: Michael’s Success Journey appeared first on Operation HOPE.

“I first reached out to Operation HOPE to discuss credit building,” she explained. “My credit score had dropped immensely from what I had in prior years.”

Like many in the aviation industry, Arianna’s income down-shifted during COVID. As her pay decreased, her reliance on credit cards increased. One balance transfer led to another. Eventually, two credit cards were fully maxed out. Then came additional financial responsibilities including a new car co-signed with a significant other. By 2023, the weight of it all was hard to ignore.

Rather than avoid it, she sought help.

Arianna learned about Operation HOPE through Delta’s wellness and financial wellbeing team, as a part of the HOPE Inside the Workplace program. She was connected to Financial Wellbeing Coach Nikki Jones in Marietta, Georgia.

What started as credit repair quickly became something deeper.

“One of the big things that really helped me was doing budgets and being accountable for those budgets,” Arianna said.

Budgeting wasn’t new to her. She had created budgets before. But this time was different. With Nikki’s guidance, the process moved beyond intention to implementation.

“I made sure I had a budget before the month started and understood where my problem areas were,” she said. “Then I was able to look back each month and see how I actually did.”

That follow-up — looking back at how she actually spent her money — was transformative. “That level of accountability helped me make choices and be more responsible… so at the end of the month I wasn’t so embarrassed about how I spent my money.”

One expense stood out immediately: “How I spent my money to eat out was insane,” she said.

The shift wasn’t about cutting everything out — it was about understanding where her money was going and making more intentional choices. Instead of imposing rigid rules, Nikki helped Arianna build a plan that worked with her lifestyle. Given the nature of her work and how frequently she was on the move, eating out was part of her reality. The goal wasn’t to eliminate it entirely — it was to bring it under control.

“Nikki really listened and let me talk it out,” Arianna said. During her first full month working with Nikki in April 2024, Arianna was spending approximately $900 eating out. One year later, that number had dropped to $150 or less per month.

Over the course of a year and a half, Arianna’s small, consistent financial decisions added up. She saved more than $11,000 and increased her credit score by 61 points. The numbers are impressive — but what excites her most is what they represent.

“I’m excited to spend my money wisely,” she said, “and to be able to share that knowledge with other people and get them excited about being able to be financially free and debt free.”

Now, with her credit steadily improving and savings growing, Arianna has her sights set on a new goal: saving for a house down payment.

Her journey is proof that financial transformation doesn’t always begin with a windfall or a dramatic turnaround. Sometimes, it begins with a hard look at the numbers — and someone willing to help you stay accountable to them.

For Arianna, the breakthrough wasn’t just budgeting. It was taking ownership and building momentum month after month.

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

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“I only understood labor,” Gregory explains. “I knew how to do landscaping… I had the experience, but I didn’t know or understand business.”

The turning point came in April 2021, when Gregory picked up a book titled Up from Nothing by Operation HOPE Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant. The message resonated deeply, sparking a desire to move beyond manual labor and into the world of building a sustainable business.

Determined to educate himself, Gregory began joining local organizations like the SBA’s “Boots to Business” program and the Memphis Minority Business Continuum (MMBC). It was through the MMBC that he was referred to Operation HOPE to help him achieve his ultimate goal: scaling his business to secure large-scale commercial contracts.

Gregory enrolled in Operation HOPE’s Small Business Development program, where he was paired with Small Business Coach Angelic Mister. Together, they began the work of transforming Gregory’s Lawn Service from a labor-intensive operation into a structured enterprise.

“Learning from Operation HOPE and MMBC, it taught me how to be more hands-on in business itself — the management side, the contract-seeking side, the bookkeeping side,” says Gregory.

One of the most critical hurdles Gregory faced was financing. Despite his decades of experience, he found that securing capital to purchase commercial equipment was a “difficult process that could either make us or break us.”

Under Coach Angelic’s guidance, Gregory focused on a key pillar of business health: credit. “Your credit has to be at a certain level,” he notes. “We had attempted several loans… unsuccessfully. But after teaming up with Operation HOPE and getting our credit squared away, we were able to secure a loan for $25,000.”

Gregory credits much of his success to Coach Angelic’s professional yet personal approach. “Miss Angelic was very professional. She was patient, she was caring,” he recalls. “She seemed to be the type of person that’ll dig until she finds answers.”

Beyond the classroom and coaching sessions, Operation HOPE provided something Gregory hadn’t expected: networking opportunities. During his graduation from the program in September 2025, Gregory was introduced to Angelic’s network partners, giving him a chance to communicate directly with potential clients about their landscaping needs.

Today, Gregory’s Lawn Service is unrecognizable from its purely labor-focused beginnings. Armed with new funding, the company has implemented modern computer and networking systems to manage operations efficiently. While they continue to serve a growing residential base, they are also pursuing — and securing — commercial contracts.

But for Gregory, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and Certified Master Gardener, success isn’t just about “astronomical profits.” It’s about adding value to humanity. This June, Gregory plans to bring on 10 new staffers through a youth program, providing young people in Memphis with vital work experience.

Reflecting on his journey from the mower to the manager’s chair, Gregory is quick to offer his gratitude. “Sometimes in our jobs or in our walks in life, we don’t know if we’re really making a difference, but you guys are making a difference, and I thank you.”

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

The post From the Mower to the Manager’s Chair: Scaling a 41-Year Landscaping Legacy appeared first on Operation HOPE.

Operation HOPE was founded on a simple but radical belief: that financial dignity is not a privilege reserved for the few, but a right that belongs to everyone. For more than three decades, that belief has driven our work, connecting underserved individuals and communities to the financial education, coaching, and partnerships they need to build real, lasting stability. We call it the Silver Rights movement: the idea that the unfinished work of civil rights in America is economic, and that access to capital, credit, and financial knowledge is the frontier of that work. 

That work doesn’t happen abstractly. It happens in specific rooms, between specific people, through relationships built one conversation at a time. It happens because of the bank partners who choose to treat financial inclusion as a core value. Because of the coaches who show up for the hard conversations. Because of the clients who refuse to give up on a vision even when the rejections pile up. 

This Women’s History Month, we want to show you what that looks like in practice, through the stories of three women who represent that ecosystem from the inside. Not as a list of accomplishments, but as what it actually is: one continuous thread, running from the institution to the coach to the client and back again. Pull on any part of it, and you feel the whole. 

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She Builds the Framework 

Aimee Hamilton has spent more than 30 years thinking about risk — what it is, how to measure it, and what it costs when it isn’t managed well. As Chief Risk Officer at FirstBank, she oversees the systems that protect the institution: compliance, information security, fraud management, loan review. It is serious, technical, demanding work, and she is very good at it. 

But inside her portfolio sits something that doesn’t always live in a risk function: community development. The work of making sure FirstBank’s relationship to the communities it serves is one of genuine access, not just proximity. That’s not incidental to Aimee’s role. It’s central to how she understands it. 

This is the thing about risk management that rarely gets talked about: the question it’s always quietly answering is who gets protected, and who gets let in. Thirty years of experience with organizations ranging from $800 million to $50 billion in assets gives you a particular clarity about that question. You see what happens when the answer is too narrow. You see what it costs — to the community, and eventually to the institution itself. 

FirstBank’s partnership with Operation HOPE lives inside that answer. It is one expression of a belief that HOPE has always held — that financial dignity and institutional health are not competing priorities, that the bank which helps build a financially literate, stable community is the bank that earns and keeps that community’s trust. For HOPE, partnerships like this one are not a footnote to the mission. They are how the mission reaches people at scale. Aimee Hamilton understands this not as a policy position but as a professional conviction, built across decades of work. 

She builds the framework. And the framework, when it’s built right, is what makes everything else possible. 

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“We wear many hats — doctors, accountants, lawyers, teachers, mental health counselors, maids, chauffeurs, and chiefs. We do it all because we know it must get done.”  

— Bridget Wells, Financial Wellbeing Coach, Operation HOPE 

__________________________

She Builds Dignity 

Shakiera Carter doesn’t always know what someone is going to say when they sit down across from her. Sometimes they come in talking about credit scores or debt-to-income ratios. Sometimes they come in with something heavier, harder to name — a sense that the financial decisions they’ve made, or the ones that were made for them, say something permanent about who they are and what they deserve. 

Her job, as she understands it, is to be in the room for both conversations. 

“Many times, those conversations come with tears, vulnerability, and hope for a better future,” Shakiera says. “Being able to guide clients through those moments and help them build confidence in their financial decisions shows me that the work we do is truly changing lives.” 

What Shakiera is describing is not financial coaching in the narrow sense. It’s something closer to restoration — giving someone back their sense of agency, their belief that the future is something they can participate in shaping. It requires a kind of presence that can’t be scripted or systematized. It requires someone who is willing to sit in the hard room and stay there. 

“Every client we serve,” she says, “represents an opportunity to restore dignity, build knowledge, and create a pathway to financial stability.” 

That word — dignity — is doing important work. It reminds us that financial empowerment is not fundamentally about numbers. It’s about what people believe is possible for them. Change that, and you change everything downstream: the decisions they make, the risks they’re willing to take, the futures they’re willing to imagine. Shakiera Carter changes that, one conversation at a time. 

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“When you empower a woman and her children with financial knowledge, you create the opportunity to change the trajectory of an entire generation.” — Lorene Rochez, Financial Wellbeing Coach, Operation HOPE 

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She Builds Homes 

In 2020, Jamie Rae Wright founded a company. She had no outside funding, no institutional backing, and no roadmap. What she had was a decade of personal experience — as a domestic violence survivor, as someone who had experienced homelessness, as a woman who had watched HGTV feature her own story of buying a house in Houston and thought: what about the women who can’t do this alone? 

Her mission was clear from the beginning: to build safe, affordable housing for domestic violence survivors and their children. The vision was real. What she needed was the strategy to match it. 

That’s where Operation HOPE came in, and specifically, where Coach Pamela Sanford came in. 

“Coach Pamela challenged me, encouraged me, provided resources, and would not allow me to play small,” Jamie says. They met at least once a week for months. Coach Pamela asked the questions that forced precision: What goal are you trying to achieve? How would you sustain this? Did you think about this? She pushed Jamie toward grant funding when Jamie wasn’t sure it was possible. She refused to let the vision shrink to fit the fear. 

The results speak in the plainest possible terms: a $4.1 million grant from the State of Oklahoma to build 13 homes for domestic violence survivors. An additional $250,000 grant to provide financial literacy, homebuying coaching, and supportive services for the families who will live in those homes. A model that doesn’t just solve for shelter, but also for stability, for the next decision, and the one after that. 

“I absolutely could not have achieved the $4.1 million grant and an additional $250,000 grant without Coach Pamela and Operation HOPE,” Jamie says. “Despite facing numerous rejections, I persevered. My HOPE experience is directly responsible for the funding we were awarded.” 

Thirteen homes. Thirteen families. The children who will grow up in them, with a different story than the one their mothers were trying to escape. That’s what it looks like when the framework holds, when the coaching is real, when someone refuses to let another person play small. 

She builds homes. But what she’s really building is the proof that this works. 

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The Thread 

Aimee Hamilton. Shakiera Carter. Jamie Rae Wright. Three women, three different roles, three different cities and one continuous story about what Operation HOPE’s mission looks like when it’s working. 

It looks like institutions willing to treat access as a core value, not a footnote. It looks like coaches willing to sit in the hard room and stay. It looks like clients who persist through the rejections and keep going anyway, because someone refused to let them play small. This is the Silver Rights movement in action.  

At its heart, the movement is but a set of relationships, sustained over time, that move real people from financial exclusion to financial dignity. Operation HOPE’s job is to hold all of it together — the framework, the coaching relationship, the proof point, and the next person who walks in the door. 

Women’s History Month may end on March 31, but the work doesn’t. And in many ways, it’s just begun. 

That’s why we’ll be celebrating April as Financial Literacy Month, and we’re bringing back Green Socks Day! It’s all the same thread, similar conversations, and the next chapter. Because financial dignity is not a destination you arrive at once. It’s something that gets built, and maintained, and passed on. By women like these. And the many more who show up every day to do the work that doesn’t always announce itself. 

Learn more about Operation HOPE’s programs →  
Join us for Green Socks Day → 

The post She Builds  appeared first on Operation HOPE.

HOPE Inside Disaster coach Andrew Avina has been working with Los Angeles fire survivors for over a year now as a part of Project Restore HOPE – Los Angeles.

He recently received the following letter of gratitude from a client that he has worked with for almost the entire year. Together, they turned many obstacles into successes, including moving her FEMA case forward when other support groups ran into issues; securing grants, rent support, utilities, and grocery coverage through partnership organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army; as well as a most recent $500 gift card from Vida Mobile Clinic.

She wrote:

“It was really humbling for me to be on the other side of the desk after the fires. As a social worker, I’m usually the one helping people, and it’s hard for me to ask for help. The fires affected our income, place to live, and devastated us financially—so much so that I needed to learn to ask for help.

The day I had to walk into the WIC/food stamp office was so emotional, with tears of embarrassment and humility that it had come to this point—that we couldn’t do it alone any longer, could no longer support our two kids under the age of 3 at the time. It was loss after loss, and we thought we were going to be able to return home and kept paying rent for an apartment we couldn’t live in due to smoke damage. After we received a report that our entire apartment had high amounts of lead and other heavy metals, FEMA declared our place not safe to live, and our landlord stopped responding about remediating the apartment, we made the difficult decision to move to Nashville to start over.

It was right in the middle of all this that I went to the Disaster Recovery Center in Altadena and met Andrew at the Operation HOPE table. It meant so much to talk to an actual human and schedule a time to meet with him virtually. He remembered my name and story. We set up times to meet, and honestly, he and a few others are the ones that have kept me moving forward in recovery.

I really appreciated how Andrew would listen to my issues without judgment and with a massive amount of empathy. But it wasn’t just the listening ear—it was his actionable steps—how he actually had great connections in places that I needed help with. We would talk about an issue, and he would send an email DURING our meeting to a person who could make a difference. I left our meetings feeling like my family was being advocated for and that things were being accomplished, rather than hitting my head against the wall with no after no.

I met with him from all sorts of locations (garage, car, coffee shops, playgrounds, living room, etc.), all while trying to keep talking while kids needed my attention at the same time. I’m super thankful we can meet remotely!

Another thing I appreciate is that it is a holistic approach, focused on not just FEMA but also getting the right info for insurance claims, resources for legal and government services too. He was also able to inform me about small business coaching through Operation HOPE, and my husband was able to take advantage of this resource!”

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

The post Turning Obstacles into Success through Advocacy, Empathy, and Action appeared first on Operation HOPE.

Bobby Lockhart enrolled in coaching with me, Kiva Akoto, Small Business Development Coach at Operation HOPE in Memphis (HOPE Inside powered by Truist Bank – Crosstown Concourse/Uptown Branch), initially seeking guidance on launching a small product-based business. At the time, he was exploring ideas in the hair care space and was looking for clarity on how to move forward. However, through his participation in the Small Business Development Cohort and exposure to broader entrepreneurial strategies, his vision evolved beyond a single product into building a sustainable business infrastructure.

Through coaching, Bobby was introduced to foundational business development strategies, including formal business structuring, branding, and operational systems. He fully engaged in the program and further expanded his perspective by attending the HOPE Global Forums 2025 gathering in Atlanta. This experience became a turning point, helping him transition from simply exploring ideas to building a scalable enterprise. With guidance and the resources gained through the program, Bobby established Lockhart Legacy Group, LLC, secured his EIN, implemented business banking, and developed brand assets and systems to support long-term growth.

As a result of his progress, Bobby moved from theory to full implementation. He successfully self-published his first book through Amazon, developed 20 voice-narrated workbooks, and built a premium digital platform supported by modern tools and AI-powered systems. He also secured federal trademarks for UNSTUCK: Rise and Build, Power • Love • Discipline, and PLD, solidifying the foundation of his brand. Notably, he accomplished this while maintaining a full-time leadership role in healthcare operations, demonstrating discipline and commitment throughout the process.

Bobby shared, “Operation HOPE helped me move from having ideas to building a real structure. The coaching and exposure to broader entrepreneurial thinking gave me the clarity and discipline to go from exploration into implementation—and to build a platform designed to help leaders get unstuck, create clarity, and turn vision into systems.”

Through coaching and the structure provided by Operation HOPE, Bobby has transformed his mindset from simply starting a business to building a legacy-driven enterprise designed to grow and serve others. His work now focuses on empowering leaders to move forward using AI as a strategic resource, while maintaining human leadership at the center. Today, his business is fully structured, actively growing, and positioned for long-term impact—personally and professionally.

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

The post How This Entrepreneur Turned a Product Idea into a Scalable Enterprise appeared first on Operation HOPE.

That’s when his father stepped in.

A retired fireman who had long emphasized the importance of financial literacy, he introduced Kyle to the work of Operation HOPE through founder John Hope Bryant’s books on the topic.

After absorbing Mr. Bryant’s guidance, Kyle decided to explore Operation HOPE’s Credit and Money Management program.

“I came in first just for overall understanding of budgeting,” he explained. “I knew anything that I wanted to get is going to cost money, so making sure you’re not overspending and tracking where your money is going in or going out.”

Working with Financial Wellbeing Coach Syreeta Lewis helped translate those general goals into practical steps.

As Kyle began reviewing his budget, one issue became immediately clear: he was overspending by several hundred dollars each month on eating out.

“It would be a lot of DoorDash orders for lunch at work or fast food for dinner,” Kyle said.

With Syreeta’s guidance, Kyle began grocery shopping, meal prepping, and using an Instant Pot to cook meals throughout the week. The shift made an immediate difference.

“That saved me an extra $100 instead of just always going out to eat,” he said.

Small adjustments added up quickly. But Syreeta’s support didn’t stop with budgeting. She also helped Kyle take a closer look at his credit report—something many young people overlook until they are trying to get a loan.

Kyle discovered that an inactive Pandora account opened years earlier was negatively affecting his credit score, so he worked with Syreeta to have it removed from his credit report.

“I didn’t realize that does affect your credit score,” Kyle explained.

Just as important as the tactical guidance was Syreeta’s coaching style.

“She was very patient, very understanding,” Kyle said. “If there were certain topics I didn’t understand, she would always take her time to explain to me, give me different analogies.”

That openness also made it easier for Kyle to talk honestly about past financial missteps:

“Being able to be vulnerable—admitting I didn’t know certain topics well or that I was making negative financial decisions—but knowing there’s still time to correct them and do better.”

Over time, those efforts made a measurable difference. With the support of Syreeta, financial education tools from Operation HOPE, and staying consistent with on-time payments, Kyle’s score climbed from 558 to 723.

With improved credit and reduced expenses, his focus has shifted to growing his savings for a car and an apartment. He’s also exploring opening an account with a credit union to continue strengthening his financial foundation.

But perhaps the biggest shift has been in mindset. Learning financial literacy, Kyle said, feels like gaining a new kind of power.

“It does feel somewhat of a superpower,” he shared. “You have more of the power to control your goals and your destiny.”

Instead of “walking through a dark tunnel,” Kyle now says he feels equipped with “an ultra-bright flashlight” to choose his own path forward.

For someone just beginning their financial journey, that confidence may be the most valuable asset of all.

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

The post Making Financial Literacy a “Superpower” with Operation HOPE’s Help appeared first on Operation HOPE.

“I got a grant to do it and I just took off running,” she said.

What she didn’t have, however, was something equally essential: a real business plan.

A SCORE mentor pointed her toward Operation HOPE, where a free five-week virtual business planning webinar was being facilitated by Small Business Coach, Brooke Ratliff. Jenny enrolled immediately, unsure of exactly what to expect.

What she found was transformational.

“The information that Brooke disseminated over the course was invaluable to me,” she said. “It really gave me a good read on what I needed to do to develop a solid business plan.”

At first, Jenny had viewed a business plan as something to show investors—a formal document meant to check a box. But during Brooke’s course, her understanding deepened.

“Understanding the numbers was key for me,” she explained. “Brooke bringing out that it was a vehicle for securing capital from banks—it really was a light bulb moment for me.”

The business plan wasn’t just paperwork. It was leverage.

For Jenny, who identifies as a BIPOC founder, that realization carried even greater weight.

“Being a BIPOC founder… it is difficult for us to secure capital for our business ventures. And so having a really solid, well-rounded out, well-thought-out business plan… I thought was great to learn how to do.”

Instead of walking into funding conversations with passion alone, she would be equipped with preparation, strategy, and proof.

As she worked through the curriculum and refined her thinking, her vision for the venture became clearer and more ambitious. Today, her venture has evolved into a digital upskilling educational platform designed to serve adult and student learners in Detroit—and eventually far beyond—helping them move from low-wage work toward economic mobility and security. That evolution was guided by the discipline of building the business plan from the ground up.

Working with Brooke made the process approachable rather than intimidating.

Jenny explained, “She was absolutely our coach, but she was very relatable. She seemed like she came from a founder’s background. So she understood what our positions were.”

Brooke didn’t simply deliver information and move on. She extended sessions when participants had questions and created space for dialogue.

“She would extend the time so we can ask… things that we weren’t clear about,” Jenny said. “It was absolutely a wonderful experience.”

Now, armed with a refined business plan and deeper understanding of her numbers, Jenny and her team are preparing to build a working prototype—grounded in real-world feedback from customer discovery sessions—before seeking additional capital. Investors, she learned, want more than enthusiasm.

“We have our passion,” she said. “But we now have our proof as well which is great.”

That distinction—passion plus proof—has changed how she approaches fundraising.

“Now we’re at the gate where we have to start asking people to give us money,” she said. “It’s daunting… but we are armed with the tools that we need to show them, hey, this is what we’ve done.”

For founders who ask how she built the foundation for her venture, her answer is immediate.

“Operation HOPE is the first thing out of my mouth,” she said. “Find them. See if you can tap into one of the sessions and really invest in the time… so that you can get the most out of it.”

For Jenny, Operation HOPE didn’t just help her write a business plan. It helped her transform passion into proof—and proof into possibilities.

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

The post From Passion to Proof: Turning Vision into Capital with HOPE’s Help appeared first on Operation HOPE.

Catrina first learned about Operation HOPE through the Brooklyn Public Library’s PowerUP! Competition. “They had mentioned Operation HOPE in one of the Business Plan Competition’s required courses,” she explained. “Somebody they were mentioning a lot was [Operation HOPE Coach] Walid Morad.” When she looked it up and realized Walid’s coaching—through the Small Business Development Program and the 1MBB Initiative—was free, she decided to sign up.

At the time, she was building a comprehensive business plan for ProManage Services, her construction management firm focused on supporting small contractors. Her company acts as a bridge, helping subcontractors and general contractors navigate the paperwork required to get paid on time.

The PowerUP! competition required a full business plan, covering everything from marketing and finance to creating a sustainable business within Brooklyn. Catrina went into the process completing it largely on her own. But when she enrolled in Walid’s 8-week program, something shifted.

“The first day I went in that course, I’m like, ‘This is the best spent time of my day of learning more about becoming a small business and entrepreneurship overall,’” she said. Unlike other programs she had taken, this one felt practical and personal. “Everything was focused on small businesses and creating the business plan.”

Walid’s style resonated with Catrina immediately. “He relates each class to what we may have or will soon encounter in the world of business and he’s a straight shooter,” she said. She appreciated that he spoke from experience, often saying, “This is what I’ve been through. This is what I’ve done in business. This is what failed. This is what went successfully.” More than instruction, Walid’s teaching style felt familiar. “I literally feel like I was talking to a family member, like speaking with my own brother,” she said.

After the course ended, Catrina didn’t hesitate. “I knew I wanted to continue working with Walid, regardless of the outcome of the competition,” she said.

When she was selected as a finalist for the PowerUP! Competition, the business plan moved from document to dynamic strategy. Together, they refined her presentation and pitch. “He was a great sounding board,” she said. “He filled in the gaps for me.” From recommending procuring an accountant and lawyer to reminding her about a using a teleprompter app to practice her speech, Walid’s support was both strategic and tactical.

“Walid became an exceptional coach, keeping me motivated, offering honest and constructive feedback, and sharing his trademark humor that made every meeting engaging,” she remarked.

Equally impactful was how Walid pushed Catrina to think bigger. Initially, Catrina had focused exclusively on public sector clients—housing authorities, transit agencies and state entities. Walid encouraged her to expand her list of prospects to include private developers and contractors. He also suggested exploring federal opportunities through sam.gov.

“He definitely opened up the pool a little more and encouraged me not to silo myself there just yet,” she said. “He kind of reshaped that strategy for me.”

Instead of treating her business plan as a finished submission, Walid treated it as a working tool—something to test, expand, and refine in real time. They created prospect outreach lists, strengthened marketing materials, adjusted positioning, and built momentum all the way through competition day.

Catrina was named a top 8 finalist out of 200 applicants, received a merit award, and won the People’s Choice Award—earning $2,000! “It was an amazing time,” she said.

More importantly, she proved something to herself.

“I was up there presenting by myself,” she said. “If I could do this, I can do anything. That means I do make good business decisions. I have the discipline to focus and conquer all my goals.”

The wins didn’t stop there. With Walid’s guidance, Catrina secured a consulting contract with an organization focused on helping young adults enter the construction trade—work that positions her to qualify for Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) certification in New York City and New York State.

“Walid has been a tremendous coach, an excellent educator, and an overall outstanding person to work with,” she said.

Today, her next goals are clear: secure three more projects and complete her M/WBE filing.

For Catrina, the difference wasn’t just writing a business plan. It was learning how to let it guide her decisions long after the competition ended. With the right coaching, what started as a competition requirement became a living, breathing roadmap—guiding her decisions, expanding her vision, and helping her succeed.

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

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At the time, Nyanna was living in Massachusetts and working in politics. She was actively seeking spaces that aligned with her values and was eager to learn from others committed to uplifting their communities. Kendrick, meanwhile, was building his life and leadership in Alabama, centralized in community engagement.

Kendrick and Nyanna met on the second day of the 2022 Forums gathering during a refreshment break, and the conversation quickly turned meaningful. They discovered that they shared a deep commitment to helping others. Nyanna spoke about her family’s nonprofit, The Focus Is Our Children, and her own initiative, Move in Love—both centered on providing community resources and spreading kindness. Kendrick shared his work organizing an annual anti-bullying event that brings together city leaders, mental health professionals and local families. In fact, the Phenix City Mayor was the one who introduced him to his Operation HOPE Coach, Mike Lainez.

For Nyanna, the Forum’s power was in its diversity and reach. “It was amazing to be around so many people of color of different descents…doing amazing work in their communities,” she said. Just as impactful were the ideas attendees could take home. “You can go to conferences and learn a lot, but it’s really about what you bring back to your own community to help it flourish. That conference helped me see things more clearly—it gave me more insight, and honestly, it gave me hope.”

Kendrick found inspiration in the unexpected moments—especially watching Operation HOPE Founder and CEO John Hope Bryant on stage. Seeing Bryant confidently ask for sponsorships and partnerships in real time shifted Kendrick’s mindset. “Watching him ask for help like that really opened my mind,” he said. It reframed how Kendrick viewed leadership, showing him that asking for help wasn’t a weakness, but a necessary part of scaling his work to benefit the community.

After they went home to their own states, they stayed in touch and eventually married. In 2025, they returned to the HOPE Global Forums together—and brought their one-year-old son! “It felt like an anniversary gift,” Kendrick said.

While the conference helped bring them together around shared values and community impact, it also sparked personal financial growth. One message from John Hope Bryant resonated deeply with both of them: homeownership as a pathway to building wealth. They began to see buying a home not just as a milestone, but as a strategic step toward long-term stability and generational opportunity—and they committed to working toward it together.

Through Kendrick’s success working with Mike, Nyanna was inspired to enroll in Operation HOPE’s Credit & Money Management Program, where she partnered with Coach Syreeta Garrick. Through their individual financial coaching journeys, they were able to position themselves well to buy a home together in Alabama.

Today, Kendrick and Nyanna are looking ahead with the same curiosity and openness that first brought them to the HOPE Global Forums. They’re focused on building emergency savings, traveling, and eventually building a new home on land Kendrick owns. For them, travel isn’t just about seeing new places—like that first HOPE Global Forums gathering, it’s about the experiences that stretch their thinking. “You never know who you’ll meet when you get out of your comfort zone,” said Nyanna.

For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

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