Nashville's Best Advice
A Webpage to Stay Connected
Let us introduce you to Corner to Corner, a Nashville-based nonprofit, where our heart's mission is to make sure all of our neighbors flourish on their own terms.
We do this through a two-phase program called The Academy.
In phase one, our 10-week business foundations course helps underestimated entrepreneurs plan, start, and grow their own small businesses. As of Fall 2025, we have launched 1,808 entrepreneurs in our Nashville neighborhoods.
In phase two, we go deeper with our program graduates. We have opportunities to learn about financial literacy, social media, marketing, 0% interest loan, mentorship, and more.
Last year alone, our Academy Alumni put $37.2 million back into the neighborhood economy, based on the Small Business Administration's Economic Profile.
This web page is full of resources to learn more about our work. We would love for you to share this link with a friend and support the work that's already happening right here in Nashville.
*see page 2: U.S. Small Business Economic Profile
Did you know that Nashville is in the bottom 5% for economic mobility in the country?
If you're born poor, you will stay poor without significant and sustained in interventions.
Interventions like The Academy.
With the dedication of our community of donors who believe in this program and all that Corner to Corner has built, we have seen amazing successes for neighbors all throughout Nashville.
But we are not done yet.
We have an audacious goal to launch 10,000 underestimated entrepreneurs in Nashville within the next 10 years.
Our Executive Director, Shana Berkeley, and our Co-founder, Will Acuff, recently gave a four-minute speech about the mission and impact of Corner to Corner in Nashville.
Watch it below, and share it with your community!
*see page 20
It's long been understood that advice and support are the catalysts of business growth, the key differentiators between businesses that survive and businesses that thrive.
At Corner to Corner, we have witnessed the results when community advice and rapid philanthropic support come together – the combination has made all the difference in how Corner to Corner has been able to grow exponentially since our program first launched officially in 2016.
We have a world-class curriculum and a second-to-none community that has allowed us to graduate over eight times as many entrepreneurs as other local programs.
At our October 2025 fundraiser, Nashville's Best Advice, our neighbors were able to meet with graduates of our program, The Academy, who shared the amazing advice and support they each received through Corner to Corner.
If you want to support their work, here's how to get in touch with those entrepreneurs.
Corner to Corner is in a longitudinal study with the University of Notre Dame's Lab for Economic Opportunity (LEO).
When LEO was named one of poverty's fierce adversaries, we knew the partnership would be a good match because we believe at our organization's core that ownership ends poverty, and our program, The Academy, brings the opportunities of ownership to those typically underestimated and overlooked.
Entrepreneurship is one of the fastest growing ways to obtain poverty alleviation.
Now, how could we have an event about great advice without sharing with you some of the best advice that we have received?!
This collection is from a variety of people - great organizations, business owners, neighbors, long-term donors, and friends.
Around the event space at Nashville's Best Advice, we also had different quotes from books that we have received.
The full booklist will be shared and pinned on our LinkedIn profile, so click below to check it out! Leave a comment about the event and stay connected with us.
If you’re in the market for another incredibly inspiring book, we highly encourage you check out our Co-Founder’s debut book, No Elevator to Everest.
In it, Will talks about the beginnings of Corner to Corner, shares some of the many amazing pieces of advice that he received when starting our nonprofit, and a few things he’s learned along the way.
Check out his book and grab your own copy here!
Still hungry for more?
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Find our 2024 Annual Report here – it's not a regular report, it's a cool report!
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