Supporting small businesses in Charlotte, North Carolina | Local news
With National Small Business Month approaching, Charlotte is hoping to shine a light on entrepreneurs in the Queen City.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As National Small Business Month approaches, the city of Charlotte is preparing to showcase local entrepreneurs through its “31 Days of Biz” campaign, featuring businesses like Juiiced Up Reesy, a cold-pressed juice company with a story of personal transformation.
“We use a process that presses the fruit and extracts the fruits and vegetables, so it does not kill the alive nutrients in it, like bioflavonoids, enzymes,” said Reesy Daniel, demonstrating the equipment at her Charlotte-based business.
Daniel launched Juiiced Up Reesy in June 2020 after experiencing health benefits from her own juicing regimen.
“The moment I knew these juices were helping, I wanted others to experience that same juicing experience,” she said.
Her business journey began as a personal health quest.
“I was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome and I was overweight. A lot of people are obese and they normalize it. I was not healthy,” Daniel recounted. “I was experimenting on myself with juicing. I’d take fruits and vegetables and put concoctions together and consume it to see the reaction to my body if I got benefits, results, or even side effects.”
The self-proclaimed “Juiiced God” has since utilized resources provided by the city of Charlotte that are specifically designed for small businesses to scale her operation.
“We try to connect small businesses to our resource partners out in the community to help them start and grow,” said Christi Floyd from Charlotte’s Economic Development Department.
According to Floyd, the city’s campaign will highlight one local small business each day in May while sharing information about practical tools and resources available to business owners.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. People don’t know it, but there are over one million small businesses in North Carolina alone,” Floyd noted. “Small businesses employ more people than these larger companies so they are very important to our community in terms of wealth and employment for other people.”
The city will also host a small business networking event in May to connect owners with community partners. The event is open to current business owners and those considering entrepreneurship.
Daniel emphasized the importance of community support for local ventures.
“It’s important to support us, because you’re helping us help you. You are keeping the community open, helping to build things and so much more,” she said.
The free networking event will be held May 5 at The Market at Seventh Street from 5-7 p.m. Those interested in attending must RSVP by Wednesday, April 30. More information about Charlotte’s Small Business Month events and registration for the kickoff networking event can be found on the Charlotte Small Business Month Calendar.
Contact Lisa Washington at lisawashington@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.