Now Accepting Applications | Cohort 1 | Opens May 1, 2026
You Have Built Something Real. Now Build the Structure That Holds It.
The Growth Lab is a six-month small business owners development lab for Birmingham's most established solo entrepreneurs built around AI and technology enhancements to help you add your first W-2 employee and scale beyond solo.
Serving North Birmingham, Northside, Pratt, and Smithfield
What is The Growth Lab ?
Six months. Real systems. A path to your first hire.
The Growth Lab is a 6-month small business owners development accelerator 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, Pratt, and Smithfield.
The Growth Lab is a structured, high-accountability implementation experience that uses AI and technology enhancements to assist solo-operating established entrepreneurs with adding at least one W-2 employee. Participants also build management capacity through access to short-term virtual assistance.
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 transitions from solo entrepreneur to employer, 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 10-12 small business owners. Selection is based on eligibility and readiness. You are the right candidate if:
Your business is located in North Birmingham, Northside, Pratt, and Smithfield.
You have been operating full-time for at least 2 years.
Your business generates $100,000 or more in annual revenue.
You are currently a solo entrepreneur with no full-time employees.
You are actively preparing to hire your first team member.
You are open to integrating AI tools into your 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.
Not sure if you qualify? Join us May 5 for an in-person interest meeting - or attend a free Technical Assistance session May 27 or May 28.
Program Focus Areas
The Growth Lab is built around outcomes, not curriculum. The six core areas of focus are:
Strategic Business Plan
A documented roadmap for your next level of growth
Marketing and Sales System
A defined lead-to-client process and CRM infrastucture
HR and Hiring Infrastructure
Tools, templates, and processes for making your first hire
KPIs
Visibility into the numbers that drive your business
AI Integration
Leverage AI to plan, build, and reduce owner dependency so your business can run without you running it into the ground
Leadership Capacity
Leadership Capacity
Mindset and skills for moving from operator to leader
Progress is tracked monthly through the Optimization Business Health Assessment (OBHA™), a proprietary diagnostic that measures your business health across five dimensions from baseline through graduation.
The Six-Month Program
Key Dates
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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, Pratt, and Smithfield with a single goal: helping established solo founders add their first W-2 employee 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. peopleoptimumconsulting.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
Program Producer: People Optimum Consulting
Program Collaborators: Auxilio X · JT Educates
Ready to Apply?
Applications open May 1 and close June 8. The cohort is limited to 12 small business owners. If you qualify, do not wait.
The Growth Lab
structure | growth | legacy
Get in Touch: Questions about the program, the May 19 interest meeting, or partnership opportunities? We would love to hear from you.
Office:
People Optimum Consulting
1500 First Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203
Call
205.539.3064
Email:
website:
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