By Press Release Submitted to OnMilwaukee.com Published Jan 13, 2021 at 12:01 PM Photography: Dan Garcia

The Milwaukee Bucks and The Lonely Entrepreneur (TLE), a New York-based non-profit that empowers individuals with entrepreneurial skills and support, have partnered to give Black entrepreneurs free access to the knowledge, tools and the ongoing support they need to start or grow a business.

Through the Milwaukee Bucks’ partnership, TLE will be able to provide an unlimited number of signups for free for one year of its entrepreneurial platform to Black entrepreneurs nationwide, beginning today. This offer is part of TLE’s Black Entrepreneur Initiative (BEI), which currently empowers more than 100,000 current and aspiring Black entrepreneurs across the country. Entrepreneurs can sign up today through Wednesday, Jan. 20, at www.lonelyentrepreneur.com/bucks.

“Dr. King shared one thing with all entrepreneurs – a dream. But Black men and women face social and economic injustices that make that dream difficult,” said Michael Dermer, founder of The Lonely Entrepreneur. “We want to thank the Milwaukee Bucks for giving the dreams of Black men and women a better chance of coming to life. We hope to make a lasting and significant impact on their lives and their communities.”

Locally, TLE and its BEI will make its entrepreneurial platform available to three Wisconsin-based organizations: the Milwaukee Chapter of the National Black MBA AssociationMKE Black and the Madison Region Economic Partnership. Black entrepreneurs from each of these organizations will receive TLE’s foundational business-skill-building tools and resources to help them advance their businesses.

“We’re thrilled to partner with The Lonely Entrepreneur to help advance its Black Entrepreneur Initiative nationwide and here in Wisconsin,” said Milwaukee Bucks Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Arvind Gopalratnam. “TLE’s entrepreneurial platform is a fantastic resource for aspiring business owners, and we’re hoping to extend it to as many Black entrepreneurs as we can beginning today.”

For more information on The Lonely Entrepreneur and its Black Entrepreneur Initiative, or to become a sponsor or ambassador, please visit www.lonelyentrepreneur.com/bei.