FedEx Business Spotlight: A Tour of Possibilities
Originally published in FedEx's 2022 Global Entrepreneurship Report
A Tour of Possibilities is an African American history tour of Memphis. Tours include visits to multiple historical areas, including a site that documents the history of the Underground Railroad, the location of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous last speech, a museum that traces the history of the Civil Rights Movement, and one of a few museums in the world dedicated to Soul Music.
“Who knew some of what I learned in the program would prepare me for the unforeseen bombshell of COVID-19? My business had just turned the corner in 2019 and it appeared the sky was the limit in 2020. The sky fell and the Tourism Industry came to a screeching halt.
Fortunately, I was able to pivot in spite of the circumstances, drawing on skills and ideas from ICCC.
ICCC taught me the importance of working on my business and not just in my business. I built a team including an accountant, a marketing firm to maintain our social media presence, and a tour guide to handle most of the tours. COVID even gave me an opportunity to execute a product I had considered during ICCC, a Virtual Excursion. One of my coaches in the program recommended it, and little did I know how relevant of a concept it would become.”
Carolyn Michael-Banks, Owner, A Tour of Possibilities
FedEx + Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC)
Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) is a 40-hour tuition-free program designed by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City to help small businesses in economically-distressed areas build capacity for sustainable growth. FedEx brought ICCC to Memphis to help local entrepreneurs access much-needed capital, create good-paying jobs, and contribute to the economic vitality of the city.
