UGLY TALK: SIDE HUSTLE TO FULL-TIME IN CHICAGO

Turning a side hustle into a real business is exciting. Navigating permits, licenses, and compliance is not. Many founders discover that Chicago's regulatory maze becomes one of the biggest obstacles to growth long before finding customers does. 🎯 Why you should be in this room. Understand the regulatory hurdles that catch most founders by surprise. Learn practical ways to navigate permits, licensing, and compliance with confidence. Hear how founders successfully transitioned from side hustle to full-time business. Gain clarity on when to formalize your business and what steps matter most. Connect with founders and experts who have already navigated Chicago's small business ecosystem. 💬 What's on the table. From side hustle to business When it's time to make the leap and what changes next. Navigating the regulatory maze Permits, licensing, compliance, and the requirements founders often overlook. Avoiding costly mistakes The common missteps that delay growth and how to prevent them. Building with confidence Practical strategies for growing a business while staying compliant. Making Chicago work for you How founders can use local resources, communities, and support systems to build successfully. 🎤 Featured speakers. Joel Galam - Founder, 312 Sky Eye Joel Galam is the founder and FAA Part 107 certified drone pilot behind 312 Sky Eye, a Chicago aerial media company specializing in cinematic FPV (First Person View) and aerial storytelling for small businesses, venues, events, and community organizations. After nearly 30 years as a cardiac nurse, Joel recently left healthcare to focus on growing 312 Sky Eye full time. His nursing career taught him how to remain calm under pressure, prepare carefully, put safety first, and serve people well. He now brings those same qualities to every flight and client relationship. Joel is passionate about supporting Chicago’s small business and creative communities and helping organizations share their stories in ways that get people’s attention. Because he is making this transition right now, Joel can speak honestly about what it takes to turn a side hustle into a full time business. Liz Hope - Senior Business Development Manager, New Covenant Community Development Corporation (NCCDC) Elizabeth “Liz” Hope is a business development leader, entrepreneur, trainer, and community advocate with more than 30 years of leadership experience across corporate America, nonprofit management, entrepreneurship, and ministry. As Senior Business Development Manager for New Covenant Community Development Corporation (NCCDC), Liz is passionate about helping entrepreneurs build stronger, more sustainable businesses. She facilitates NCCDC’s flagship Business Financial Development (BFD) program, where she helps small business owners strengthen their financial knowledge, increase accountability, and make informed decisions for business growth. Liz is a certified trainer and facilitator with extensive experience in business development, leadership, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. She is also a Distinguished Toastmaster known for her engaging and motivational speaking style. An entrepreneur for more than 25 years, Liz combines practical business experience with a passion for engaging, encouraging, and empowering entrepreneurs and underserved communities to create economic opportunity and lasting impact Alex Felton - Vice President and Senior Business Development Officer, Pursuit Alex Felton serves as Vice President and Senior Business Development Officer for Pursuit. Pursuit is a mission based (CDFI) Community Development Financial Institution within the Chicagoland footprint. Alex has always been passionate and intentional about community; His personal mission is to serve and provide underserved and low to moderate businesses within the respective communities with loan capacity and empowerment. He has been in the financial arena for over 17 years and has held countless Business development positions that promote lending and working capital. Alex is mindful of greater business development Planning when engaging the community and reminds all entrepreneurs that succession planning is always essential to driving a better community. Stephanie Fuller - President, Travis Strategies & Iris Consulting Solutions Stephanie Fuller knows what it takes to build a business from the ground up — she's done it twice. She's the owner of two Springfield, IL based companies: Travis Strategies, LLC, a certified Persons with Disabilities Business Enterprise (PBE) business services firm, and Iris Consulting Solutions, LLC, a woman-owned, BEP-certified consulting and staffing firm. Over the past ten years, Stephanie has grown her consulting work into a full-time, thriving practice serving public sector and healthcare clients across Illinois, building a reputation strong enough to earn invitations to present her expertise to government leaders and officials on multiple occasions. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with 29 years of leadership experience, she brings both the discipline of a seasoned executive and the resourcefulness of an entrepreneur to everything she builds. Stephanie lives in central Illinois with her husband, four sons, and three dogs,. Juggling a busy household while scaling two businesses has taught her more than a few lessons about hustle, priorities, and building something that lasts. 🙋 Who's getting in. Founders turning side hustles into full-time businesses Small business owners navigating Chicago's regulatory landscape Operators, advisors, and legal professionals supporting business growth Community leaders and ecosystem partners helping entrepreneurs succeed 🤝 Who's backing this. SBAC SBAC supports the small business community through nonpartisan, policy-driven advocacy and by fostering connectivity and collaboration through engagement and events. Prism Spaces Prism Spaces is an independent coworking community in Wicker Park where Chicago's creatives and