Through the Get Ready Line of Credit Program, Jerry Grows From Maintaining to Sustaining His Business

Growing up in Haiti, Jerry’s mother was a chef and owned a catering business. He grew up surrounded by home cooking, large community gatherings, and connecting to others through food. “No matter the time or day, we were always surrounded by cooking.” Although Jerry loved growing up under his mother’s small business, he never thought it would be his path going forward until he met his wife. “I fell in love with a woman who loved to cook. When she met my family, my mom said she was an amazing cook. That’s when I knew she was legit.”

CREATING A COMMUNITY THROUGH FOOD

To Jerry, having the two women he loved the most as chefs was more than a coincidence; it was a fate that sealed his path going forward. “When I moved to the USA, I didn’t see Haitian food in my community. Whenever my wife and I would host dinners, people would tell others about our food. Our cooking ended up becoming a beautiful community experience where we could share our culture. In 2022, I decided to start a business, with my wife and my mother at the center as talented chefs.”

BUILDING CREDIT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Jerry’s business quickly grew, and in the past two years, he has participated in various food festivals and events and built a strong customer base. However, in order to expand further and grow his businesses, Jerry needed to qualify for a larger loan. To do this, he needed to increase his credit. “I enrolled in the Ascendus Get Ready Program to build my credit. Through the program, I feel like I have a big sister in Neysa, my loan consultant. She really took care of me, gave me good guidance, and helped me improve my credit score.” Jerry started off with an initial credit line of $500, and today he has graduated to a $5,000 line of credit and is eligible to take out larger loans. “Now that I can move forward with my business, I feel like I can do anything I want.”

Right now, Jerry is sharing a commercial kitchen with other small businesses. With the ability to access a larger loan, Jerry plans to expand to having his own food truck.  “I used my Ascendus line of credit to boost my marketing. Now that I have a brand presence, it is easier for clients to contact us. I don’t need to just maintain my business anymore. I can sustain it.” With expanding his business, Jerry’s main goal is to provide more jobs to those in his community and to eventually have something to pass down to his children. “From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Ascendus, because this is something that I was looking for. I have a sister at Ascendus who is helping me make my goals come true in my business, my family, and my community.”

To learn more about Jerry, visit: https://flynnme.com/