In 2018, Miranda Moi established Moi Hair Essentials in Detroit with the goal of creating an all-natural hair care line. To aid entrepreneurs like Moi, the SHOP313 program for the Detroit Pistons was established. Recently, Moi announced that more than 100 sellers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners had been pre-selected to attend the Amazon-sponsored Small Business Summit at the Detroit Pistons Performance Center.
The purpose of the summit was to assist local small business owners, including Moi, whose store is located near the Rosedale Park Historic District in northwest Detroit. Moi attended the event last year as a grantee of the SHOP313 program and found the information on business growth and selling on Amazon to be helpful. The event was held over a day and featured workshops, panel discussions, and opportunities for questions from both Pistons marketing experts and Amazon’s business development team.
The aim of the summit was to share best practices in sales and how to support small businesses through brand marketing. Howard Wright, Amazon’s vice president and global head of startups, stated that resilience, dedication, preparation, and teamwork were the key factors. The Pistons’ SHOP313 program was established in 2021 to promote local entrepreneurship and provide participating companies educational seminars, resources, grant opportunities, and networking events.
Over 800 small businesses applied to the SHOP313 program last year, resulting in its recognition by the NBA. The program supported 82 small businesses during the 2021-22 season through in-game access to Little Caesars Arena, community events, and digital outreach. The program has been beneficial to various small businesses such as Bea’s Squeeze and K. Walker Collective, an apparel brand that has partnered with the Pistons’ G League team and the Motor City Cruises.
Good Cakes and Bakes owner April Anderson, who joined the Pistons last fall, stated that the SHOP313 program has been advantageous since it puts businesses in front of prospective clients that they may not have met beforehand. There are over 10,000 small and medium enterprises in Detroit, with the goal of reaching 90,000 by 2022, according to Michigan Governor Whitmer’s office.
The panel discussion and hearth chat were followed by a professional marketing photo opportunity, networking, and a happy hour. According to Sarah Burns, the director of corporate partnerships for the Pistons, the event was the organization’s first off-season, post-season event geared towards consolidating small businesses.