St. Louis County Library Small Business Launchpad program gives second chances to formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs like Matthew Palmer, founder and owner of Squeak Key Clean Mobile Detail and Oil Change.
Palmer has been a part of the 6-month program since its inception in August 2023. The mobile car wash owner learned about the program after seeing the announcement on the St. Louis County Library website.
“After reading about the Launchpad program and how it helped people who had past incidents with law enforcement and who are now trying to start their own business, I knew it was something I needed to be a part of for my self-improvement as an entrepreneur,” said Palmer.
Megan Phifer-Davis, manager of the reference department at St. Louis County Library, leads the program; she describes Palmer as “a great guy.”
The program leader helps Palmer and the other participants through community partnerships find resources needed to start their business. She learned about the program at the Public Library Association Conference in 2022, Phifer-Davis immediately wanted to implement that program for the St. Louis County Library.
According to Phifer-Davis 60% of inmates cannot find employment for up to four years after being released from prison.
“If they do find employment former incarcerated employees are paid significantly less because of their record,” she said.
With a sort of sadness in her tone “I can help them get their resume and cover letter together, help with interview presence, but I can’t change the culture of some of these employers.”
She smiled and said, “But I can help them get their business started and work for themselves.”
Her department receives a lot of letters from the Missouri Department of Corrections inmates, and many inquire about starting a business, some even show interest in wanting to move to St. Louis once released from jail/prison to start their business.
To be considered for the program: one must be formerly incarcerated and write an essay on why they should be picked to join the program. The Small Business Launchpad program meets twice a month, Phifer-Davis proudly says the program offers a numerous number of resources to future entrepreneurs to get their businesses started.
“St. Louis is filled with all sorts of resources that can help small business owners,” she added.
“It has a very large eco system for small business development.” The program also received a grant from the Missouri State Library, which provided laptops for each participant.
“Being exposed to people with ambitions and goals similar to myself, I have taken an endless amount of notes as well as gained a fair share of advice and knowledge,” said Palmer.
“A few things I really took heed to are the importance of having a proper strategy, using all the resources available to me and most importantly, having a never-dying faith that I am capable of starting and growing a successful business. Literally, nothing is impossible if you work hard and believe in yourself.”
The first day of class for Palmer was beneficial; it set the standard for the following courses. He says Dan Lauer, UMSL Accelerate program executive director, provided a wealth of knowledge on developing the mindset of a successful entrepreneur.
During those 6 months, participants learn how to write a business plan, market their product/service, find funding through SBA loans or grants, and the legal side of owning a business. The group started an accountability session, learning how to overcome a variety of challenges and barriers. Holding each other accountable makes sure each participant is staying on track with getting their business started.
Phifer-Davis also said, “Programs like the Small Business Launchpad help reduce the number of inmates returning to prison, 40% of inmates don’t return to prison who have been a part of programs like this one.”
According to Phifer-Davis the highest range nationally is between 92% to 100% of inmates not returning to prison when they have participated in programs like the one at the St. Louis County Library. However, in the state of Missouri 30% of inmates don’t return to prison.
However, for the next round she plans to condense the six-month program to two months having the participants meet weekly instead of monthly. The application to join will be available in June 2024 on the St. Louis County website.
In March participants will have a pitch competition and will receive professional feedback from public speakers at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley.
Phifer-Davis is very hopeful about the program, “The biggest takeaway for me is to squash the stigma about formerly incarcerated people.”
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.
