Entrepreneur Launches Onyx Business Consulting, Fueling Local Female-led Business Growth Amid Pandemic

Entrepreneur Alyce Herndon announces the opening of new consulting firm aimed at helping emerging small business owners scale and develop companies for sustainable growth

St. Louis, MO— St. Louis, MO—Alyce Herndon, former Women’s Business Center Director at Grace Hill Women’s Business Center, is announcing the launch of Onyx Business Consulting for emerging entrepreneurs and business owners looking to accelerate company development and growth. Onyx Business Consulting offers a variety of services broken up into three key stages: launch, grow, and pivot. In addition to comprehensive consultative sessions, the new consulting firm empowers small business owners with the training needed to increase stability, prepare business plans, apply for grants, attract potential investors, and create operational strategies to drive success. The company was created to address an urgent and timely need for entrepreneurs and business owners rebuilding the local St. Louis economy.

A culmination of Herndon’s expertise in business coaching, teaching, and efforts to support minority business owners, Herndon’s Onyx Business Consulting targets women business owners to impact the St. Louis region and economy. Launch, grow, and pivot are the three pillars to Herndon’s approach and include the following:

• Launch: This includes the IDEA SPOT, a 4-week session where entrepreneurs will develop foundational pieces including an elevator pitch, procedural and operational materials, a plan for hiring, pricing services, and more. An initial deep dive and strategy sessions include an assessment of the business owner’s 3-6-9-12 plan.
• Grow: The next phase of the consultative process includes one 90-minute session and two 60-minute follow-up sessions where clients will take a more direct approach for growth, putting ideas into action. The growth phase introduces clients to the WIBO (Workshop in Business Opportunities) program to further build on the development of their new businesses.
• Pivot: Here, owners evaluate and review in order shift and evolve accordingly. This phase includes a group session of up to three team members, one 90-minute session, and two 60-minute follow-up sessions. In this stage, clients are introduced to peer facilitated groups in the community.

“This is time to focus on business ownership,” said Herndon. “Entrepreneurs will be the ones to jumpstart the economy during this tumultuous period. Onyx Business Solutions and Consulting was created to provide tools to navigate through an unexpected world and elevate toward the highest potential available. As we continue to move through a global health crisis, Onyx will be helping companies adapt to change, inspire, and transform.”

Herndon believes the need to invest in women-led and minority owned businesses is now. During the recovery period after the 2011 recession, it was female-owned and black-owned businesses that helped to stabilize the economy. According to the Brooking Institution report, across the nation, these businesses contributed 1.8 million jobs to the economy from 2007 to 2012, while firms owned by white males lost 800,000 jobs, and firms equally owned by white men and women lost another 1.6 million jobs. During this time of uncertainty, Herndon believes it is vital that emerging businesses entering the market be given the resources to succeed.

“I have a responsibility to nurture those that will truly make a difference in our economy,” said Herndon. “I am excited and humbled to be a part of this catalyst for change.”

For more information about Onyx Business Consulting, please visit: https://www.onyxbusinessconsulting.com/.

About Alyce Herndon
Alyce holds a bachelor’s in Psychology, a master’s in Management and Leadership, and a Certificate in Not for Profit Management from Webster University, and is currently completing a Doctorate in Business from Walden University, specializing in Organizational Leadership. Her passion for helping and inspiring people led her to start her own solo business consulting practice in 2018, launching in 2020, where her mission is to provide the tools to maneuver through challenges and elevate towards the highest potential available for new and small business owners.

About Onyx Business Consulting
Onyx Business Consulting (OBC) was founded in 2018; clients are individuals and businesses seeking assistance and resources to launch, grow, and pivot. Their mission focuses on the “entrepreneurial spirit” and services are for initial- and early-stage entrepreneurs. To learn more, visit: onyxbusinessconsulting.com