Our Story | Status For Startups

Under the previous moniker, The College Readiness Workshop (CRW),  Status For Startups (SFS), was founded in 2017 under the leadership of Tenita L. Strand.  Initially the organization focused on closing the disparity gap in educational resources and career prep available to low-income, minority, and ethnic students. College and career readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship were core initiatives.

In a short time, our programs and events organically expanded and appealed to disadvantaged women in our local community who were interested in financial literacy and business ownership.  The demand for business development and mentoring for  women-owned startups continued to grow.  The Covid-19 pandemic was a wake up call for SFS to revamp, revise, and rebrand our mission to become the non-profit initiative of Status Co. Leather Studio.  Our SFS mission is to grow the spirit of entrepreneurship in underserved communities,  build professional acumen, and connect entrepreneurs with resources that facilitate success.

"Status For Startups and Status Co. Leather Studio are entities founded through my own experience of being a black woman, divorced,  raising daughters in a lower-income rural community and experiencing continuous employment rejections despite having two advanced degrees.  Entrepreneurship was my solution to gain financial stability and ownership of my time.  I inspired others how to start on a shoestring budget and access resources to grow a reputable, stable company. I am proud to be a woman of culture and color who created a business to help my circumstances.  I rather have the pressure of running a business than the pressure of remaining in poverty."

Status For Startups and Status Co. Leather Studio  represent The "New Majority"  - an acknowledgement that socially and economically disadvantaged women have the skills, creativity, potential, and capacity to own and operate a business is being supported; that we deserve access to financial and learning resources that give us a path to sustain our families, develop our communities, maintain wealth,  and transfer wealth.  The "New Majority" embodies the concept of social equity and closing the gap in wealth disparities.