When she was 14 years old, she gave birth to her son in a group home setting, and as overwhelming as that seems, it did not hold back Dr Nicole Farmer.
“I was living an impoverished life as a single teenage mom, battling homelessness and hunger, but my hunger for my success outweighed my circumstances,” said Dr Nicole.
By 2006, Dr Nicole, also known as the business doctor, became the first African American woman in the United States to own a Tuffy Auto Center. After being successful in that venture which was located in Detroit, she became interested in helping others reach their entrepreneurial dreams by teaching them what she had learned and helping them identify potential funding sources.
Grand Innovation is a 501c3 nonprofit created in 2016 to provide entrepreneurial training courses, coaching and business technical assistance services targeted to low-income and minority youth, women and families in Detroit. Grand Innovation’s work grows out of the work of LifeLine Business Consulting. LifeLine Business Consulting Services is a women-owned small business launched in 2010. It is a full-service business planning and consulting firm serving small and medium sized companies with an emphasis on minority and women owned businesses. LifeLine has helped over 5,000 individuals bring their business ideas into reality, through coaching, training, connecting entrepreneurs with resources, and continuous support of their endeavors.
Since 2010 our clients have received over $3 million in loans, grants and technical assistance dollars.