On Dec. 8, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and the Alabama Power Foundation will host the finale for the latest Alabama Launchpad competition for startup companies. This round of the Launchpad is focused on companies intent on making a positive impact in the community. Ten finalists are competing for a combined $75,000 in funding. 

Today’s article highlights two of the Alabama-based finalists: Rachel Fry Consulting and VB Ideas, LLC.

Rachel Fry Consulting

When working in the legal profession, a lawyer is expected to deal with the pressures and demands that come along with a high-stakes career to find success. Over the past two decades, Rachel Fry has made it her mission to combat this narrative, helping high-performing professionals discover how to achieve success without sacrificing their health and well-being to do it.

“When lawyers start practicing, most of them are not aware of specific challenges within the legal profession, and seeking outside help is seen as a weakness,” Fry pointed out in her application for the Alabama Launchpad Social Impact Competition. “The legal culture can be toxic at times, while firm demands mixed with high internal expectations can lead to crisis situations quickly. This prevents individuals from engaging in consulting and other opportunities that can help them be a more productive, joyful lawyer.

Rachel Fry (contributed)

“Rachel Fry Consulting aims to close these gaps by providing essential tools lawyers need to be successful in their careers and beyond,” said Fry. “The real-world impact comes from fostering more productive, happier lawyers that can contribute to the community economically and via civic involvement.”

The Birmingham-based startup provides individual and organizational consulting services, including firm training, associate training and one-to-one coaching. In addition to these services, Rachel Fry Consulting is looking to expand into the online industry with a focus on “gaps” within the legal profession. This online programming will provide learning modules and ultimately promote wellness and leadership development while also informing lawyers about essential tools needed to thrive in their careers.

“Lawyers are overwhelmed consumers. Information needs to be available in smaller, bite-size formats that are easy to process and apply,” Fry said. “An interactive online program provides an opportunity to meet their specific needs while delivering information in a creative and interesting manner.”

Through her work, Fry hopes to continue to create positive changes within the legal profession. “I truly enjoy what I do and being a part of social change means a lot to me,” Fry said in her Launchpad application. “Making an impact to help someone live a little easier, become more productive and experience more joy is important to me and this is what drives me every day. Life is short and I don’t believe it should be wasted.”

Learn more at rachelfryconsulting.com.

VB Ideas LLC                            

Pursuing educational goals can be easily derailed when students have low expectations and lack preparational skills, especially when it comes to ACT and SAT scores. These factors can prevent many students from getting into college or training programs needed to achieve their goals.

For the past 15 years, Valencia Belle has made it her job to address this issue through the creation of S.C.H.O.O.L.S., a five-week ACT or SAT test preparation program that can be delivered online or in a hybrid online-classroom setting.

Valencia Belle (contributed)

“S.C.H.O.O.L.S. is a proven game-changer for individuals, school systems and those responsible for preparing kids to succeed in college and beyond,” said Belle. She said students who have graduated from the program average composite score increases of 5-10 points on the ACT and 100-200 points on the SAT.

Originally, S.C.H.O.O.L.S was intended to focus on high school athletes seeking eligibility for NCAA recruiting. However, Belle expanded her business through VB Ideas to help underserved students as well.

“S.C.H.O.O.L.S and VB Ideas deliver significant benefit to some of the most underserved individuals and populations in the state of Alabama,” said Belle in her Alabama Launchpad application. “This program and business model is having a direct and substantial positive effect on the lives of students and on the education system in the state. It helps individuals break the cycle of generational poverty and reduces the negative effects of that scourge for the benefit of these individuals, their communities and the state itself.”

Through her efforts, Belle has become a recognized leader in education technology and transformational change related to ACT and SAT performance. She is also in high demand as a speaker, sharing the need, benefits and results that come from S.C.H.O.O.L.S.

Learn more at schoolstestprep.com.

The finale for the Alabama Launchpad Social Impact Competition takes place at 5 p.m. Dec. 8 in the Pearl River Room at Regions Field, 1401 First Ave. S. in downtown Birmingham. The event is open to the public, but attendance is limited. To secure a seat, please register here.

To learn more about Alabama Launchpad, click here. To learn more about the Alabama Power Foundation, visit powerofgood.com.