Success Story: Taneisha Brooks

Entrepreneur at Heart

An entrepreneur at heart with a go-getter spirit, Taneshia Brooks was determined to become her own boss one day. Unsure of where to start, but confident in her abilities, Brooks enrolled in Goodwill of North Georgia’s GoodBIZ training program. GoodBIZ is a 15-week training program offering prospective business owners assistance in developing and implementing a business plan. The program covers a myriad of business topics designed to equip entrepreneurs to persevere through business growth and changes.

While enrolled in the program Brooks focused on grant writing, which mirrored the courses she was taking at Athens Technical College. She hoped to apply her knowledge from both programs to enter a field she found inspiring. A grant writing business was something she believed would be fulfilling and the best application of her skills.

A stand-out participant in the program, Brooks engaged fully in class discussions, often offering valuable insights to her peers. “I really loved the class,” she says. Her hard work earned her Goodwill’s Spirit Award, a recognition of her motivation and thirst to learn.

Brooks still had to support herself and her two children while chasing the entrepreneurial dream. To make ends meet while she trained at Goodwill and Athens Tech she took a job at Taco Bell. Without even thinking about it, she applied the leadership and entrepreneurial skills she was honing in GoodBIZ to her job at the restaurant. As a result, she advanced into a managerial position there. Staying busy as a single mother, a new manager and an aspiring business owner, Brooks credits Goodwill’s program for helping her anticipate the unknown. “I learned a lot of my networking skills from GoodBIZ and how to handle unexpected costs. The class really forces you to think your idea through,” she says.

Since completing the program, Brooks has officially launched her business, Taneshia Brooks Consulting. In the first year of her entrepreneurship journey, Brooks generated awareness of her services and secured numerous grants. “I was able to purchase some marketing pieces and business tools, including my own laptop,” she says. The investments were well worth it; her new marketing supplies have helped move her forward with writing and obtaining grants for prominent agencies and churches in the Athens area.

Beyond the certificates of completion and awards that Brooks has acquired, she has a growing list of references and clients. She is an advocate for the program and a mentor to current GoodBiz participants. “Never give up,” she says. These words were a mantra Brooks followed in pursuit of her own career dreams, and she believes they will inspire others to go just as far.