Want to be more involved in helping our small biz community to thrive? EABA is actively seeking board and committee members. OPEN POSITIONS include Events Chair, Vice President, Fundraising/Grants Committee Members, Events Committee Members, Public Safety Committee Members, DEI Committee Members + MORE. Please submit nominations (yourself or others) to hello@eastatlantabiz.com. Elections will take place at the March General Meeting.

Open EABA Board Positions:
Events Chair
Co-VP

Open EABA Committee Chair Positions:
Events Committee
Marketing + Promotion Committee
Fundraising + Grants Committee
DEI Committee

Please reach out to hello@eastatlantabiz.com with recommendations! Board elections will take place at EABA's March General Meeting: 3.20.24 from 6-8 PM.

WHO CAN RUN?
To be eligible to run, your business must be a current member of EABA and you must be representing the business member. The owner of the company does not have to be the one to be on the board of directors as long as it is approved by the owner. Only 2 seats available for non business owners. 

• Members or associate members in good standing.

• Members are businesses and property owners that operate within the bounds of East Atlanta.

• Associate members operate outside of the bounds of East Atlanta.

If you are not listed in the directory, your membership has lapsed. 

Two Year Terms: Executive Officers and Committee Chairs make up the Board of Directors.

Board of Directors Time Commitments: 10 hours per month + Mixers & Events + Work Sessions

• The executive officers are the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. The executive officers govern EABA.

• Committee Chairs vote on major issues and manage each area of expertise.  Reports to the Executive Officers and works closely with the Director on action items and plans.

Required Monthly Meetings: 5 hours

Board of Directors may not miss more than 3 meetings total per term.

• Attendance at BOD meetings on the 1st Tuesday of the Month from 6-7:30 PM.

• Attendance at General Meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of the Month from 6-8 PM.

Working Sessions & Follow Up: 5 hours

• No more than 5 hours per month during normal EABA functions regarding preparation of agendas, follow up items and emails between the Board of Directors and the community.

EABA By-Laws

The Invest Atlanta Small Business Team has upcoming events to help grow your small business. Join us!

Thriving Together: A Guide to the Atlanta Commercial Down Payment Assistance Loan (webinar)

Unlock the doors to business growth with the Atlanta Commercial Down Payment Assistance Loan program. Invest Atlanta is proud to present a webinar designed to guide local small business owners through the process of securing low-interest financing for commercial property acquisition.

Date: Thursday, February 15
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

REGISTER HERE

Workshop: Commercial Real Estate Acquisition Program 

In Partnership with TruFund Financial Services
Joined by the SBDC, this conversation will shine light on the financial planning needed to be the best candidate for getting Access to Capital.

Date: Wednesday, February 21
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET 

REGISTER HERE

In-Person Mixer: Pittsburgh Yards

Join us for 90 minutes of networking with other small business owners, business associations and technical assistance providers. Sign up for a tour of Pittsburgh Yards, an Invest Atlanta Small Business Resource Center, pick up helpful resources and feel free to chat with an Invest Atlanta team member about booking an appointment for one-on-one small business guidance.

Date: Thursday, February 29
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

REGISTER HERE

Unlocking Opportunities: ATLinBusiness Marketplace is Your Gateway to Government Contracting

Join us for an enlightening webinar on Government Contracting 101 and the groundbreaking ATLinBusiness Marketplace powered by NowNetwork™. Discover the ins and outs of obtaining government contracts and learn how our B2B marketplace can connect your business with prominent buyers in the Atlanta metro area. 

Date: Tuesday, March 5
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

REGISTER HERE

Exciting news! 

The East Atlanta Community Association (EACA) and East Atlanta Business Association (EABA) are launching another inspiring project, this time focused on keeping the Village more tidy and clean, while uplifting our unhoused neighbors. We're entering into a partnership with Georgia Works, an Atlanta-based organization that aims to transform chronically homeless men into self-sufficient and productive members of society. They do this partly by giving them meaningful, paid work, while offering them everything from housing to workforce training, AA/NA classes, GED courses, help with driver's licenses, bank account setup, and life skills education. You can learn more about Georgia Works here.

This project isn't just about assistance; it's about transformation – for both the individuals involved and our neighborhood. As we help our unhoused neighbors rebuild their lives, we'll also enjoy the benefits of a cleaner, more vibrant community. The Georgia Works crew will visit the Village area three times a week and offer services including leaf pick-up, pressure washing of the sidewalks, weed-eating, glass removal, and other cleanliness-services, while also building relationships with our own unhoused community as they work. Our central commercial district will benefit greatly from a neater appearance, clean-up of tough-to-clean areas, and continued outreach to our unhoused community with the goal of getting them into housing.

Want to be part of this change? Check out our Go Fund Me HERE.

Whether you donate or simply share their story, you're making a difference. Our first goal (which was met in under an hour!) was to reach $2100 (the cost for one month of services), with an ultimate goal of $25,200 (a full year of cleanings). As an on-going project, we will continue to seek fundraising through the year for next year.

You can see the service area in the attached map!

Businesses in our community with surplus food can easily donate to Atlanta Community Food Bank through the MealConnect app. It's free and a super simplified process. 

The new MealConnect app makes it easy to rescue food. Download it today to help nourish your community!

HOW IT WORKS

Invest Atlanta is hosting an in-person workshop, where participants can apply for their business licenses on the spot, receive real-time assistance, have their documents notarized, and submit their applications within the span of 2 to 3 hours.

RSVP HERE

Key Features:

Application Assistance: Business owners can complete the application process during the event.

• Real-time Q&A: Questions can be answered on the spot, ensuring clarity and confidence in the application process.
• Notarization Services: On-site support for notarizing required documents.
• Financial Statements Support: Given the new requirements, accountants will be available to assist businesses with financial statement support.
• Business Consultant Availability: Our Business Consultants offering NO COST assistance to City of Atlanta businesses will be present.

  
  

This event is supported by the Georgia Micro Enterprise Network and the SBA.

Well, our January general meeting was a doozy! We shifted to zoom, and saw some interruptions due to power outages, but we carried on and were able to hear from a lot of our small business members. We discussed 2024 goals and pushed the topic of DEI to the forefront.

1.16.24 EABA General Meeting MINUTES

Please make plans to attend our next general meeting at Argosy on Tues, Feb 20 from 6-8 PM. Free food, drinks and networking with other small businesses!

Make plans to spend your Valentines Day in East Atlanta Village! We have so many offerings from multiple gift shops, salons + spa, yoga offerings, coffee shops and top-notch restaurants and bars. 

STUMPED? EAV VDAY IDEAS RIGHT HERE:

• Casual coffee date at Joe's, Bellwood or Buteco
• Spoil them with a new potted plant from The Victorian
• Find them a special gift at Kaboodle
• Make them feel special with a gIft card to Nail Shack or Honey Plzzzz
• Impress with a dinner out at Argosy, Gaja or Flat Iron
• Keep it casual with a bagel date at Emerald City Bagels
• Get a little tipsy at Midway and shoot some darts together
• Take them to a show at Metropolitan Studios
• Sweat together with a yoga session at Nectar Yoga or Village Fitness
• Show your pets some love with a visit to Park Pet Supply and some Big Daddy Biscuits

EABA Members: Let us know what specials you're running by filling out this quick form. We'll help you promote!

Make sure to follow our insta @eastatlantabiz for highlights on Valentines Day specials from our member businesses. 

The latest issue of the Moving Atlanta Forward Newsletter is out now from the Office of Mayor Andre Dickens. Topics include:

• Working towards goal of One Safe City with crime stats trending downward.
• The legacy of Mayor Maynard Jackson
• Atlanta's tech office officially launched
• 8,900+ affordable housing units build or being developed across Atlanta
• Transitional housing project, The Melody, is unveiled
• Expanded warming center efforts
• + MORE

Read the full issue HERE. 

The second season of Main Street Business Insights, a podcast featuring the stories of downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs, launched today with an episode featuring predictions for small business trends in 2024. Every Wednesday for the next 11 weeks, tune in wherever you get your podcasts as host Matt Wagner, MSA's Chief Program Officer, takes a deep dive into the personal journeys of Main Street entrepreneurs and the leaders that support them. 

Launched in August 2023, the first season of Main Street Business Insights featured downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs, highlighting the innovative ways Main Street business owners have overcome adversity and the advice they have for others on how to keep their businesses on track. In our second season, we'll widen our lens to cover macroeconomic trends, share advice from the community leaders, and feature economic development and small business marketing experts. 

Of course, we'll also continue to take deep dives into the personal journeys of entrepreneurs – this season, focusing in on overarching issues that small business owners grapple with that are too often overlooked, such as loneliness and burnout, digital marketing and AI, and more. 

Today's episode focuses on economic, societal, and technological trends that Matt believes will impact the work of Main Street leaders and the businesses we seek to nurture and support. Given the topics and guests coming up in Season 2, this episode is meant to lay out the issues, trends, and shifts that our business owners are likely to experience in the coming year.   

Matt breaks down his predictions from last year – the misses, the wins, and a push prediction from 2023. Plus, he uses data, stories, and anecdotal evidence to make his six predictions for the coming year. 

Listen to the new episode here – or wherever you find your podcasts. You can also watch an accompanying video breakdown of the episode to get extra insights through data visualizations, photo examples, additional case studies, and more. And as always, we encourage you to rate, review, and subscribe to get updates every time a new episode drops. 

Business License renewal season is underway. We want to make sure that you have all the tools you need to make the process as seamless as possible. In this edition of the Office of Revenue Newsletter you will find the dates for the annual renewal period, newly required documents, the deadline for payment and a schedule of fees and penalties. Your renewal can be completed online by logging into the ATLCORE Customer Portal, uploading your required documents, submitting your payment, and printing your license, all within minutes. As always, if you are having issues with the online customer portal, contact ATL311 customer service at 404-546-0311.

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