Navigator Notes
In June, we showed up
July 2026 Edition
A monthly look at the Birmingham entrepreneurial ecosystem. What happened, what's working, and where to plug in.
Where Network Navigator showed up in June
June was a month of being in the room. We opened doors with the PC Empowerment Center, celebrated five years of Prosper, joined The Future Exchange Young Entrepreneurs Forum, and cut the ribbon on a new cafe born from Birmingham's own small business ecosystem. This is what navigation looks like in practice: showing up for the operators, the partners, and the milestones that move the ecosystem forward.
Alongside the in-person work, the platform kept doing its job. 2,475 visits, 17 new sign-ups, 48 founders started the C.O.R.E. Business Evaluation, and Capital Readiness kept its top spot with a 61 percent save-through rate.
Where we showed up in June
Prosper turns 5
Celebrating five years of Prosper
We joined Prosper and their sponsors, partners, and members to mark five years of building an inclusive business community in Birmingham. Prosper has been a steady force in this ecosystem, and it was an honor to celebrate a milestone that represents thousands of small business owners lifted up along the way.
Learn about our partnersIdeas to Impact BHM 2026
The Future Exchange: Young Entrepreneurs Forum
Naila joined The Future Exchange Young Entrepreneurs Forum, part of Ideas to Impact BHM 2026: Mastering the Marketplace, presented by Polaris and powered by Vanguard with support from PNC. The conversation centered on young entrepreneurs and what it takes to master the marketplace: building a business that can compete, sell, and sustain itself. The future of entrepreneurship is not five years away. It is sitting in classrooms, community centers, and rooms like this one.
Read our insightsRibbon cutting
NOIR Cafe opens at the Hoover Library
Our 2026 Small Business of the Year, Pauline's, teamed up with finalist LaFleur Coffee to open NOIR Cafe inside the Hoover Public Library. We were on site to cut the ribbon with them. This is what happens when the ecosystem works: recognized operators partnering with other recognized operators to build something new that serves the community.
See the Small Business AwardsWhat is working on the platform
Top tool
Capital Readiness kept the top spot in June
Sixty-one percent of founders who started the Capital Readiness tool saved their results. That is the highest completion rate of anything on the site. The pattern is clear: when a tool answers a specific question a founder is asking right now (Am I ready to apply for capital?), they finish it. The lesson we are carrying into July is to keep tools tight, plain-language, and tied to a decision the founder is already trying to make.
Try the Capital Readiness toolFront door
48 founders started the C.O.R.E. Business Evaluation
The homepage evaluation is doing its job as the front door. Forty-eight founders opened it in June and started answering the twelve questions that produce a stage assessment and a three-step plan. We shortened the first step to three fields (name, email, and what you need help with first) so more of that traffic converts into a full profile the platform can actually match.
Take the evaluationC.O.R.E. story of the month
Success story
From overwhelmed to unstoppable: Ryan Graham
Ryan Graham came into the Navigator C.O.R.E. Program with a growing business, a strong reputation, and real momentum. What she needed was not more ambition. She needed the infrastructure to support what was already working. Through C.O.R.E., Ryan worked with MPA Financials and Tide & Bell to implement financial reporting, build operational workflows, and strengthen her brand positioning. She filed her first tax return as a business, gained visibility into performance, and freed up time to focus on clients and strategy. Every Navigator Notes will feature a C.O.R.E. story. Real operators putting Capacity, Operations, Resources, and Execution to work.
Read the full outcomes reportFree tools worth a look
Bookkeeping
Wave Accounting: free invoicing and bookkeeping
Wave gives solo operators free invoicing, income and expense tracking, and receipt capture. No trial, no credit card. A good first step for founders who are still running the business out of a personal account and need to separate the books before applying for capital.
Open a free Wave accountLegal
Bradley Small Business Legal Clinic
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings runs a free legal clinic for Birmingham small business owners. Attorneys volunteer time on entity formation, contracts, employment basics, and IP questions. If you have been sitting on a legal question because the answer felt expensive, this is the door.
Request a clinic slotBrand protection
Meta Verified for Business
Meta now offers a free tier of Verified for Business on Facebook and Instagram. You get impersonation protection, basic support access, and a verified badge once your business is confirmed. Worth thirty minutes for any operator who runs customer relationships through Instagram or Facebook.
Apply on MetaOpportunities for you
CARA and PNC Financial Literacy: How Businesses Use Credit, July 1
8:30 AM at the North Jefferson Innovation Center. A practical workshop on how small businesses use credit, what lenders look for, and how to strengthen your position before you apply.
Register on EventbriteWeekly Office Hours at the Network Navigator Hub
Every Tuesday at 10:00 AM. Drop-in time with the Network Navigator team. Bring a question about your stage, your next step, or a specific resource. Open to founders, providers, and partners.
See event detailsAlabama Fintech Summit 2026, July 23
9:00 AM at Innovation Depot. Alabama's fintech community gathers to talk capital, infrastructure, and what is next for financial technology in the state. A strong fit for operators building or partnering with fintech.
RegisterBlack Small Business and Nonprofit Community Clinic, July 23
12:00 PM, virtual. Free legal clinic hosted by Legal Services Alabama for Black small business owners and nonprofit leaders. Bring your questions on contracts, entity structure, and compliance.
Register at Legal Services AlabamaComing up in August
Two things on the August calendar worth planning around now.
- 1
CARA and PNC Financial Literacy: Making Budgets Work, August 5 at 8:30 AM at the Hoover Chamber of Commerce. A working session on budgets that actually get used, not just built.
- 2
Weekly Office Hours continues every Tuesday at 10:00 AM at the Network Navigator Hub. Bring a question, leave with a next step.
If you are ready for what is next
Find your stage, your plan, and your next step
Purpose-Led. People-Focused. Platform-Powered. The fastest way to figure out where you fit in the Birmingham ecosystem is twelve questions. We will give you back your stage and three specific things to do this week.
- Plain-language readiness diagnostic
- Matched to local programs and people
- Funding paths sized to your stage