David Akindele, the leading Houston online sales and marketing advisor is the featured sales and marketing instructor for Capital One’s 2014 Getting Down to Business Program
Capital One Bank and SCORE Houston Invite David Akindele to Teach Sales and Marketing to Houston Business Executives
David Akindele, the leading Houston online sales and marketing advisor is the featured sales and marketing instructor for Capital One’s 2014 Getting Down to Business Program.
Designed to help small businesses grow and thrive, the innovative technical assistance training program focuses on small businesses with annual revenues of less than a million dollars. Getting Down to Business features a multi-course, in-depth curriculum, offered over several months, that addresses the core needs of small businesses.
Workshops include: creation of a business plan, sales and marketing, addressing personal as well as business credit, savings, accounting best practices, insurance, legal issues, networking, and much more. The program includes a matched savings component up to $2,000 that the business owners can use for operations, staffing or the purchase of supplies – upon completion of the program. In addition, participants are paired with knowledgeable professionals and volunteers who serve as mentors and coaches from SCORE during and post completion of the program. Each small business owner will have also have a Capital One Small Business Banker and a personal Financial Advisor.
The Getting Down to Business Program debuted in Houston in 2009, and has expanded into several other cities since then, including New Orleans, Dallas and Baton Rouge, La.
To date, 152 small business owners have graduated from the program.
The following are exaamples of the program’s outcomes:
• 84% have significantly improved an operational problem. 46% have hired new employees or sub contractors
• 70% have increased their sales revenues and profits
• 83% have implemented a new business or marketing plan as a result of the GDTB program
• 93% are still in business
• 28% has received new loans
• Credit Scores increase on average 54 points per class
Additionally, Capital One has partnered with the People Fund in Dallas and ACCION in Houston, New Orleans and Baton Rouge to provide each small business graduating from the GDTB program an opportunity to secure a loan up to $10,000 for their business.
About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A., and Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., had $204.5 billion in deposits and $297 billion in total assets as of December 31, 2013. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients through a variety of channels. Capital One, N.A. has more than 900 branch locations primarily in Louisiana, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “COF” and is included in the S&P 100 index.
About SCORE
For nearly 50 years, SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. SCORE is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and a network of 11,000+ volunteers, is able to deliver services at no charge or at very low cost. 320+ chapters hold events and workshops locally across the U.S. and its territories, and match up entrepreneurs with local, volunteer mentors.
SCORE is headquartered in Herndon, VA.
