09/17/2026
📣 Business Owners and Aspiring Entrepreneurs—You’re Invited!
Before you borrow money for your business, you need to understand exactly what you are borrowing, what it will cost you, and whether your business can afford it.
Join AEMC and the Small Business Growth Initiative for our FREE Capital Readiness Lunch & Learn!
📅 Wednesday, September 23, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM–1:00 PM
📍 Joliet Junior College City Center
235 N. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432 (venue location)
🍽️ Lunch will be provided
We’re going to help you answer the questions every business owner should understand before applying for financing:
✅ How much capital does my business actually need?
✅ What should the money be used for?
✅ Can my cash flow support the loan payments?
✅ How will my existing debt affect my ability to borrow?
✅ What will the loan really cost after interest and fees?
✅ How do I compare loan terms and identify the right lender?
We will also have a banker from Allies for Community Business joining us to explain available loan products and what lenders look for when reviewing a business.
And you know how we do things at AEMC—we do not want you to attend a workshop, listen to a lot of information, and leave without knowing how to apply it!
Every attendee will receive a practical Capital Readiness Workbook to use during and after the workshop. The workbook will help you:
📘 Define your financing purpose
📘 Estimate how much capital you need
📘 organize your sources and uses of funds
📘 Begin developing a cash-flow projection
📘 Evaluate your existing debt and repayment capacity
📘 Compare loan rates, fees, terms, and total costs
📘 Prepare questions to ask prospective lenders
📘 Leave with clear next steps for becoming finance-ready
This workbook is designed to become part of your actual business planning—not something you put on a shelf and never use again!
The workshop is free, but seating is limited to 40 attendees.
👉 Register today:
https://bit.ly/4iv06P7
Please share this post with your fellow business owners, friends, family members, and aspiring entrepreneurs. You do not have to be an existing AEMC client or SBGI participant to attend.
I’m excited about this workshop, and I would love to see you in the room!