With Help From Kiva & Capital One, Entrepreneurs Like Elizabeth Can Keep Dreaming...and Start Doing.
Life changed in an instant for Elizabeth when her husband passed away. The mother of three was now the family breadwinner, a role she wasn’t fully prepared for.
“Something’s different about your whole focus to life,” she says of her husband’s passing.
Elizabeth, who lives in Charlottesville, Va., knew she had to work but she found that traditional forms of employment weren’t readily available. So she decided to rely on her own skills and pursue her dream of opening a tomato sauce manufacturing company.
“You have to believe in what you’re doing,” she says. “The passion I had for this business gave me the courage and strength to take that first big leap and say, you know what, I’m going to open up a business and tell everyone about it.”
She found help through Kiva City Richmond, an initiative by Kiva.org and Capital One that brings crowd-funded loans to entrepreneurs in the region who want to start or expand their business. Through Kiva City Richmond, anyone can lend $25 to an entrepreneur of their choice at Kiva.org/Richmond or become a Trustee and vouch for entrepreneurs they know and trust in their community.
