North Charlotte Today

Eric Halili, a Charlotte entrepreneur, and the owner of Rebrand Lifestyle Group is committing to mentor minority business owners through the city’s AMP Up program.

“I got an idea of being part of the solution as opposed to being reactive,” Halili said in a Bay News 9 report.

The program, now in its fifth year, helps build up businesses of color and assist them with the development of a strategic plan, Bay News 9 reported.

“Content, in general, became more important after the pandemic, so we are seeing a lot of businesses come in that need our services,” Halili said in the report.

After the COVID-19 pandemic started, a Queen City small business group awarded his company a grant to install portable handwashing machines. According to the report.

Halili views Charlotte as a city of opportunity.

“I looked at Charlotte during that time and thought, Charlotte’s cool,” he said. “It’s kind of outdated a little bit, so all they need to do is rebrand and remarket themselves.”

When the opportunity came up to participate in the AMP Up program, Halili jumped at the opportunity to mentor young entrepreneurs.

“Focus on what you are good at and build a team around you that are good, if not better than you, and that way you can do it as a team because you can't do it by yourself,” he told Bay News 9.

Applications for the AMP Up program are open until April 1, the report stated. More information about the program can be found on the AMP Up Charlotte website.