Then an opportunity presented itself. As a member of the Harlem Business Alliance listserv, Yvette learned about a $25,000 NAACP Powershift Entrepreneur Grant, presented by Chase for Business. The grant, designed to help up-and-coming Black entrepreneurs grow their businesses, seemed like a perfect fit for Vinatería. With just a few days left to apply, she pulled together an application.
“I wanted to apply because we could have definitely used the funds, and I knew I had a business worth investing in,” Yvette said. “It had such good bones and such a good foundation, and I felt like we were a meaningful business in our community— one that could definitely use a timely financial lift.”
To make her submission as heart-felt and personal as possible, Yvette spoke to the camera as if she was talking directly to Daymond John, co-star of ABC’s Shark Tank and the brainchild behind the grant, which is awarded to up-and-coming Black entrepreneurs. She spoke about her business and did a walk-through of her restaurant, showing off what her team had already built and what was in the works.
In her submission, Yvette also said she hoped revitalizing her restaurant would help her surrounding community. “Yvette knew if she could just stay open, she could help provide meals to our essential workers,” recalled Diedra Porche, Managing Director, Business Banking, at JPMorgan Chase. “She shared her plan to continue her partnerships with local stakeholders and keep the community running in a very difficult time.”