Now Accepting Applications | Cohort 1

You Have Built Something Real. Now Build the Structure That Holds It.

The Growth Lab is a structured, high-accountability entrepreneur development lab for established Birmingham entrepreneurs with 0 to 7 employees who are looking to grow their teams. We help you build the systems, infrastructure, and business-based tools- including AI- that let you grow beyond your own capacity.

Serving North Birmingham, Northside (including north of Morris Avenue), Pratt, and Smithfield

What is The Growth Lab ?

The Growth Lab is an entrepreneur development lab produced by People Optimum Consulting in partnership with the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence (ECGE). It is funded through Reinvest Birmingham, an initiative powered by the federal Recompete Pilot Program. designed specifically for small business owners operating businesses in North Birmingham, Northside (including north of Morris Avenue), Pratt, and Smithfield.

The Growth Lab is a structured, high-accountability implementation experience for entrepreneurs with 0 to 7 employees who are looking to grow their teams. Participants build the operational systems, workforce infrastructure, and business-based tools — including AI — required to grow beyond their own capacity, and build management capacity through access to short-term virtual assistance.

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Why This Matters

Birmingham has no shortage of talented, hardworking small business owners. What too many of them lack is the structure to scale: the systems, the infrastructure, and the support built specifically for someone at their level. The Growth Lab exists to close that gap. Not through generic training, but through implementation work that goes inside your business and stays until the work is done. When a small business owner in North Birmingham adds a job their first, or fifth they do not just change their business. They change their block. Every new job created in these communities is a direct investment in Birmingham's future. That is why this program exists. That is why it is selective. That is why the work is serious.

Who This Is For

The Growth Lab cohort is limited to up to 25 small business owners. Selection is based on eligibility and readiness. You are the right candidate if:

Rising Employers- you operate solo and are building the foundation to bring on your first team members.
Growing Employers- You already have a team and are ready to scale how it works.
Your business is located in North Birmingham, Northside (including north of Morris Avenue) , Pratt, or Smithfield.
You have been operating full-time for at least 2 years.
Your business generates $50,000 or more in annual revenue.
You have 0 to 7 employees and are looking to grow your team.
You are open to integrating business-based tools, including AI, into your daily operations.

Your business must be physically located in an eligible community. You are not required to personally reside there. Visit the eligibility map to confirm your business address.

Check Business Area Map

Applications close Sept. 18. Interest meetings: Aug. 26, Sept. 4, Sept. 8 - RSVP

Program Focus Areas

The Growth Lab is built around outcomes, not curriculum. The six core areas of focus are:

Future-Aligned Strategic Planning Process™

A documented roadmap for your next level of growth

Tech Stack, CRM + Marketing

A defined lead-to-client process and CRM infrastructure

HR Tools and VA Capacity

Tools, templates, and processes for hiring and keeping good people

Business Health + KPI Tracking

Visibility into the numbers that drive your business

AI Leverage

Practical business tools- including AI- to plan, build, and reduce owner dependency, so your business can run without running you into the ground.

Leadership Capacity

Coaching + Development

Sales/ Operations/ Mindset

Progress is tracked throughout the program through the Organizational Business Health Assessment (OBHA™), a proprietary diagnostic that measures your business health across five dimensions from baseline through graduation.

The Growth Lab Experience

Recruitment & Selection

Applications open. Cohort of up to 25 selected.

Week of Sept. 21, 2026

Orientation

In-person, required.

Sept. 30, 2026

Let's Creait™ Strategic Retreat

Two-day immersive strategy and planning experience.

Oct. 9-10, 2026

Labs & Coaching

Biweekly implementation sessions and coaching support.

Oct. 12 Oct. 26 Nov. 9 Nov. 23 Dec. 7 Dec. 21

Graduation & Demo Day

Cohort showcase.

Dec. 29, 2026

Post-Cohort Follow-Up

Data collection, ROI reporting, and 90-day check-ins.

January-March 2027

Powered by Partnership

The Growth Lab™ is produced by People Optimum Consulting in partnership with the Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence (ECGE), made possible through the support of the Recompete grant. This program serves established entrepreneurs operating businesses in North Birmingham, Northside (including north of Morris Avenue), Pratt, and Smithfield with a single goal: helping them grow their teams and build businesses that keep wealth, jobs, and opportunity right here at home.

Funding for this initiative is provided by the Recompete Pilot Program via the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

People Optimum Consulting is a Birmingham-based strategic advisory and organizational development firm. Founded by Mildred Black, People Optimum Consulting works with senior executives, boards, and entrepreneurs across Fortune 100, global manufacturing, public sector, and energy to build clarity, coherence, and sustained performance. The firm brings that same rigor directly to Birmingham's most established founders through The Growth Lab experience. peopleoptimum.com

The Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence supports Birmingham-area entrepreneurs through programming, resources, and ecosystem connections designed to help founders grow businesses that create lasting economic opportunity in their communities. ecbham.com