Tina Williams is a Force in Metro Detroit’s Entrepreneurial Community
There are many important aspects of being an entrepreneur and building a profitable business. The competency of the management team, the product or service being offered, executing the business model, and marketing all contribute to the overall success of the business. However, none of that matters if there’s no capital to get it off the ground.
The Road to Funding Businesses
Ask any entrepreneur you meet, and they’ll tell you, funding and cash flow is the lifeblood of their business. Tina Williams, Founder & COO of QT Business Solutions, stands by that belief. As a former Personal Banker with J.P. Morgan Chase and Fifth Third Bank, Tina knows all too well how important it is for small businesses to have continuous access to capital. This is why she started QT Business Solutions.
Founded in Detroit in 2001, QT Business Solutions was created to provide business education and technical assistance services to entrepreneurs in need of financing. During her time in the banking industry she noticed that the majority of entrepreneurs who applied for financing were unprepared. Often times they had no business plans and many of them didn’t fully understand the banks’ approval criteria for business financing. This resulted in many of them being denied for a business loan. Tina started QT Business Solutions to solve that problem.
QT Business Solutions has grown largely by word-of-mouth, because of Tina’s commitment to ensuring entrepreneurs are well-prepared to go after financing before they ever sit down and talk to a loan officer or investor.
A Well-Known & Respected Client Base
Many of the Metro Detroit area’s well-known entrepreneurs have been clients of QT Business Solutions. I know because I am one of them. I obtained a $30,000 microloan for my business with her help. I recently sat down with Tina to compile a complete list of the all the businesses she has helped get funding over the last 15+ years and I was astounded! So many of the businesses she has worked with have been able to successfully obtain capital and launch with Tina’s help. They’ve also become household names the Metro Detroit area. I can’t list all of them here (because there are so many) but here’s a quick breakdown of some of the owners/founder’s name(s) and how much funding they received as a result of working with Tina and her team at QT Business Solutions–
| Company Name | Owner/Founder | Service Provided by QT Business Solutions | Funding Amount Approved | Funding Type |
| Tijuana’s Mexican Kitchen | Maria Garcia | Business Startup Class, Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $138,000 | Microloan |
| Living Room Hair Lounge | Stephanie Anderson | Business Startup Class, Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $35,000 | Microloan, Equipment Financing |
| Little Big World Paint & Play Gallery | Kandis El | Business & Financial Consulting, Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $60,000+ | Microloans and Technical Assistance, Space & Design Grant |
| Your Emerging Space | Mary (Gee) Evans | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $450,000 | Commercial Real Estate Loan |
| Alternative Transportation | Mary (Gee) Evans | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $60,000 | General Business Loan |
| Discount Candles & Blessings LLC | Lashawn Davis | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $25,000 | Business Line of Credit |
| Antbanks Enterprises | Antwon Haralson | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $43,500 | Business Lines of Credit, Microloan |
QT Proves That Obtaining Grants for For-Profit Businesses are Possible
As an approved vendor for Motor City Match (a program created by the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation to spur economic development in the city) the QT team has also helped entrepreneurs get approved for grant funding. Something that has proven to be difficult (if not impossible) for most for-profit business owners. That’s what makes QT Business Solutions unique and different from the competition. The company focuses on helping entrepreneurs secure all different types of financing (based on their unique situation/needs). Even those types of financing that are seemingly difficult to obtain (i.e. grants, microloans, and unsecured lines of credit). Here’s a list of the startups that the QT team have successfully helped get funding through the Motor City Match program–
| Company Name | Owner/Founder | Service Provided by QT Business Solutions | Funding Amount Received | Funding Type |
| Ms E-vee’s Soul Food | Yvonne Waller | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $4,000 | Technical Assistance & Space Grant |
| A World of Relaxation | Janeise Daniels | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $16,000 | Technical Assistance & Space Grant |
| Urban Salon Suites | Stephanie Anderson | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $4,000 | Technical Assistance & Space Grant |
| Hi-Def Graphxs & Media | Tillman Robinson | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $71,000 | Technical Assistance & Space Grant, Business Lines of Credit |
| Shears & Shaves | Dawn Sanford | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $381,000 | Technical Assistance & Space Grant, Microloan |
| O’Neal Contracting Group | Aaron O’Neal | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $4,000 | Technical Assistance & Space Grant |
| Telnet Technologies | Melvin Roberson | Business Plan Writing, Funding Assistance | $4,000 | Technical Assistance & Space Grant |
What’s Next for QT Business Solutions
After compiling a list of all of the businesses she has helped fund, I asked her what her plans are for taking QT to the next level. Tina states that “expanding the QT franchise to other states so we can have a greater impact” is her top priority. Her vision for QT Business Solutions is that of a national business incubator and technical assistance provider for startup entrepreneurs and established small businesses that want to build multi-million- and billion-dollar companies. According to Tina, you can expect to see QT offices in cities across the country with growing entrepreneurial communities.