Building Leverage for Underresourced Micro Enterprises

B.L.U.M.E.

Business success isn’t just about funding; it’s about connections. At B.L.U.M.E., we help small scale entreprenuers and micro businesses grow by building the social and capital they need to thrive.

Who We Are

At B.L.U.M.E. (Building Leverage for Under-resourced Micro Enterprises), we’re driven by one mission: to empower entrepreneurs and startups in marginalized communities. Founded in 2022, our 501(c) 3 nonprofit is committed to supporting the economic security and long-term success of micro enterprises. Believing that every business has the potential to thrive, we take an entrepreneur-centric approach and provide tailored support from pre-launch through the critical first five years.

We equip businesses with the tools, resources, and expertise they need to grow. We don’t just help close the gap between potential and success; we create pathways to lasting impact.

Our ethos is simple:  Grow the Individual…Grow the Business…

B.L.U.M.E.

Vision

 To create a place-based economic ecosystem where micro-enterprises thrive, and early-stage entrepreneurs have the resources, capacity, and opportunities to build sustainable businesses and generate long-term community wealth..

Mission

To drive inclusive economic development by equipping early-stage entrepreneurs and micro-enterprises in marginalized communities with the tools, capacity-building support, and opportunities needed to launch, grow, and generate lasting wealth through sustainable business ownership.

Value

We believe that what is valued is what gets done. That’s why we meet every entrepreneur where they are. We provide the tools, guidance, and capacity-building support needed to build resilient businesses, create generational wealth, and contribute to a thriving, inclusive local economy.

Meet Our Founder

Rosemari Hicks

Founder & Executive Director

B.L.U.M.E. (Building Leverage for Underresourced Micro Enterprises) began as a decade long vision of founder Rosemari Hicks; shaped by her deep experience in business consulting and her unwavering commitment to inclusive economic development. Over the years, Rosemari worked with micro to mid-sized firms and served on local, regional, and state boards, where she witnessed the systemic barriers that prevent underresourced entrepreneurs from accessing the support they needed and when its needed. In response, she launched B.L.U.M.E. to reimagine how microenterprises are recognized, supported, and funded.

Rosemari brings more than 20 years of cross-sector leadership experience spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Her career includes executive roles in Human Resources and consulting engagements with solo entrepreneurs, startups, and microbusinesses across a wide range of industries, including government agencies, education, healthcare, finance and banking, manufacturing, and cultural institutions. This broad perspective has shaped her systems-based approach to building sustainable and inclusive local economies.

Her leadership philosophy is grounded in the belief that when we build leverage for under-resourced entrepreneurs, we foster not just individual business growth but generational impact. Through B.L.U.M.E., she champions equity centered strategies that help micro enterprises access the capital, knowledge, and networks they need to thrive.

Rosemari holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) and continues to lead with both strategic insight and community-driven purpose.

What We Do

We are “Micro Business Centric”. Services are singularly constructed for early-stage up to growth ready entrepreneurs and micro enterprises. We are laser focused on changing the dynamic in which micro businesses are viewed, supported and measured. Everything we do is devoted to making economic parity a reality for the under resourced.

B.L.U.M.E.’s provides equity centered services and programs. We are committed to building an ecosystem. Our approach is to identify the gaps and create actions to bring about long-term economic sustainability. We create service models, programs, operational coaching, and direct advocacy to promote self-sufficiency for individuals, entrepreneurs and micro enterprises.

B.L.U.M.E. is dedicated to advancing the economic security and sustainability of micro enterprises. Through equitable, entrepreneur-centered programming, we help clients build visibility, strengthen operations, and access the funding and partnerships they need to thrive. As a connector, advocate, and catalyst, B.L.U.M.E. bridges the gap between systems and the smallest yet most vital engines of community economic growth.

Programs and Services

  • Opportunity to work with subject matter experts to guide, build, strengthen and grow client business. Sessions are individualized based on need of the individual or business.

  • Single, hands technical training sessions designed to build essential skills and knowledge for entrepreneurs, covering topics like finance, marketing, funding, digital tools, networking, and business planning to support sustainable growth.

  • Cohort lengths vary btw. 5 - 8 weeks depending on program focus. Designed to strengthen and expand existing skills through focused education in the Entrepreneurial and Workforce Development.

  • Provide community focused charitable events and programs that focus on personal development, education and community rooted engagements.

  • Champion the needs of entrepreneurs and micro businesses in marginalized and underfunded communities. Advocate and work to advance equity, access and opportunity.

We’d love to hear from you! Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking for support, a partner interested in collaboration, or simply curious about B.L.U.M.E., fill out the form below and our team will connect with you soon.