Atlanta Urban League

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Upcoming Events
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Entrepreneurship Center Orientations
Please register to attend program orientations. Once you register you will be contacted and registered to attend the next scheduled orientation.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE TODAY


One on One Business Coaching
If you need counsel from professionals that understand what it takes to start a business or how to succeed as a business, you have come to the right place. Our staff of seasoned professionals will be glad to help research and answer your business resource questions. Best of all, there is no fee for our counseling service.

To set up an appointment simply call The Entrepreneurship Center (TEC) info line at 404-969-5572 and leave a message.

OR

CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE COACHING REQUEST FORM


Small Business Development Workshop Series
LEVEL I - Start-up Essentials for Entrepreneurs
LEVEL II - Mapping Your Success: Your Business Plan
SPECIAL EVENTS - Managing Your Business for Profit and Growth: Lessons Learned on the Way to the Top

To learn more about the program and how you may qualify for a scholarship, click on the registration link below to register with our program. Once your information has been received you will be contacted to attend the next scheduled orientation. Please call the TEC Info Line at 404.969.5572 if you have any questions.

For more business resources visit www.aultec.org


CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE TODAY



















Founded by the National Urban League * Business Roundtable * Stonehenge Capital LLC
* Small Business Administration * Urban League of Greater Cleveland


Welcome to the Atlanta Entrepreneurship Center
The Entrepreneurship Center (TEC) works with private, public and nonprofit resources to build strong, sustainable and successful minority businesses. The result will be wealth creation, job creation and better economic health in the minority and urban core communities of Atlanta.

What does the The Entrepreneurship Center do?
The Entrepreneurship Center assesses the needs and capabilities of minority business owners in the Atlanta area. Then those aspiring or current business owners are linked with resources, classes, training and counseling that will help them grow to the next level of success. Each person contacting the TEC will receive an initial assessment of their needs. Then they will be matched to the appropriate resource or service that meets those needs.

Who sponsors it?
The AUL Entrepreneurship Center is part of a national program that represents a partnership between the National Urban League, the Atlanta Urban League and Stonehenge Community Development, LLC which is a subsidiary of Stonehenge Capital Company created to provide flexible forms of debt, equity and mezzanine financing to businesses located in low-income communities nationwide. In addition, the Georgia Pacific Foundation has also provided support for the program.

How can I get assistance with my business?
Simply contact the Atlanta Urban League through our Hotline number, 404-659-1150 or through our online Resource Navigator.


What kind of services are offered?
Many resources are available in the Atlanta area to help start or expand businesses. The list below highlights the most frequently requested services:

Business planning
Financial resources and assistance
Franchising
Legal services
Libraries and research organizations
Management issues and training
Manufacturing, high tech and life sciences development
Marketing
Networking
Nonprofit development
Office, laboratory and meeting space
Product development
Regulatory compliance
Selling to the government and large corporations
Tax services
Technical assistance
How much do services cost?
Counseling is free of charge. There may be fees for training classes, seminars etc.
Membership has it's advantages. Urban League Members may attend select classes free of charge, and realize substantial discounts on various seminars.

Do I have to meet a certain set of standards to get help?
Our program is designed to address a wide range of clients -- from current business owners, to those that are contemplating starting their own business. No matter where you find yourself in the process The Entrepreneurship Center can help.

Latest News from the Region

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The Entrepreneurship Center Founders







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Rent vs. Own

Rent vs. own ratio to flip in 2011?

Many Americans are content to rent after witnessing the crumbling housing market in recent years. But with rents on the rise and home prices continuing to fall, a reversal is in sight.

It wasn't hard for many homeowners to bid adieu to 2010. It was the year where, in many metropolitan areas across the country, rents surged as home prices fell, leading a growing chorus of skeptics to question the so-called American Dream of homeownership.

Perhaps not surprisingly, it makes more financial sense to rent than buy today in many U.S. cities, according to the latest data from Moody's Analytics. After declining during the depths of the latest recession, prices for rentals nationwide increased modestly by about 3% in 2010, partly driven by a record number of homeowners looking for new digs after foreclosing on their homes. In Moody's latest list of rent ratios (which is the price of a typical home divided by the annual cost of renting that home) for 54 U.S. metropolitan areas, 39 fell into the 'better to rent' category -- roughly the same level it's been for the past year.
But that may finally be about to change. Moody's chief economist Mark Zandi expects the trend to reverse this year in many major cities. This would be a positive development, as a healthy housing market typically puts renting and owning at more equal footing.
"By mid 2011 and certainly by end of 2011, buying will be superior to renting in most parts of the country," Zandi says.
A few factors will be at play. For one, home prices are expected to fall further, with some economists expecting a 15% to 30% drop this year. This might be bad news for household finances and current homeowners fearing that their most prized asset stands to lose more in value. On the flip side, this makes homes more affordable and might finally spur more home sales, especially at a time when the rate of home construction has been the lowest since before the Second World War.
Just last week, the S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values reported a 0.8% fall in prices from October 2009 – the biggest year-over-year drop since December 2009. Eighteen of 20 cities showed a drop in prices in October. This was led by a 2.1% decrease in Atlanta, followed by a 1.8% drop in Chicago and Minneapolis. What's more, six markets, including Atlanta, Miami, Tampa and Portland, Ore., reached their lowest levels in October since prices started to retreat.
Indeed, the housing market continues to suffer from too much supply. Though rent prices are generally expected to continue rising modestly this year, the overhang will probably help keep prices from rising too much. "Expect more declines in home prices and more rent stability," Zandi says.
Still, the comparative costs between renting and buying will largely depend on individual market conditions. For instance, cities in Florida and Arizona, which continue to experience high foreclosure rates, falling home prices and widespread unemployment, will be areas where homeownership will likely be more affordable than renting, says Daisy Kong at Trulia, a San Francisco-based real estate data provider. Meanwhile, renting will probably continue to make more financial sense in national and regional job centers such as New York, Omaha and Seattle, she says.
And while it could become more attractive to buy than rent this year, it's anyone's guess how long it could take before a flurry of home sales transpires. Household finances have improved only modestly and are still quite a mess. Also, lending standards for new mortgages have tightened considerably and many economists have said a housing rebound will likely fall mercy to the unemployment rate, which is expected to improve some but still hover over 9%.
Will the American Dream return to your town?

Location	Price-Rent Ratio
Atlanta, GA	12.82
Austin, TX	21.08
Boston, MA	17.71
Baltimore, MD	17.42
Charlotte, NC	25.98
Chicago, IL	15.09
Cincinatti, OH	13.74
Cleveland, OH	11.43
Columbus, OH	15.61
Dallas - Fort Worth, TX	16.98
Denver, CO	22.08
Detroit, MI	12.32
East Bay, CA	35.06
Fort Lauderdale, FL	15.19
Hartford, CT	18.52
Honolulu, HI	34.72
Houston, TX	16.01
Indianapolis, IN	14.68
Inland Empire, CA	14.75
Jacksonville, CA	15.12
Kansas City, KS	14.4
Las Vegas, NV	13.89
Long Island, NY	21.09
Los Angeles, CA	14.99
Memphis, TN	17.92
Miami, FL	14.57
Milwaukee, WI	22.36
Minneapolis, MN	14.04
Nashville, TN	23.88
New Orleans, LA	15.66
New York, NY	15.43
Norfolk, VA	19.88
North - Central New Jersey	24.69
Oklahoma City, OK	16.11
Orange County, CA	27.14
Orlando, FL	13.1
Palm Beach County, FL	16.64
Philadelphia, PA	15.94
Phoenix, AZ	12.35
Pittsburg, PA	11.71
Portland, OR	25.74
Raleigh, NC	24.39
Richmond, VA	22.18
Sacramento, CA	15.85
Salt Lake City, UT	18.05
San Antonio, TX	17.77
San Diego, CA	21.75
San Francisco, CA	27.17
San Jose, CA	32.27
Seattle, WA	26.96
Bridgeport, CT	18.49
St. Louis, MO	14.04
Tampa, FL	13.08
Washington - Northern Virginia - Maryland	18.48
Manhattan, NY	28.34
Metropolitan Area Average	14.85
U.S.	10.42

Source: Moody's Analytics, price-rent ratio for third quarter of 2010. As a general rule of thumb, you should often buy when the ratio is below 15 and rent when it's above 20. If it's between 15 and 20, lean toward renting.

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