Latonia Monroe Naylor Hosts Transformational Growth Intensive for 35 Businesses

Springfield School Committee member leads two-day leadership workshop in Holyoke to help entrepreneurs scale their ventures.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Latonia Monroe Naylor, a Springfield School Committee member, is hosting a two-day leadership intensive in Holyoke, Massachusetts aimed at helping entrepreneurs transition their businesses from survival mode to sustainable growth. The workshop, titled "The Mission-Rich Experience: Struct it, Brand it, Grow it," is structured around Naylor's "mission-rich scale blueprint" and covers topics like identifying funding sources, addressing operational issues, and achieving "freedom" in business management.

Why it matters

The intensive serves as a "bonus" session for entrepreneurs who have already progressed through Naylor's Mission-Rich Academy curriculum. By providing legal, operational, and strategic guidance, the workshop aims to help small business and non-profit owners move beyond just staying afloat and instead focus on scaling their ventures.

The details

The first day of the workshop focuses on identifying funding sources and addressing operational flaws, while the second day is designed to help owners achieve "freedom" in their business management. Attendees include owners of 35 different businesses, with some traveling from as far as Atlanta to participate. One entrepreneur, Yeselie Tulloch of the Academic Leadership Association, says working with Naylor helped her organization develop a business plan to scale its operations and secure contracts with schools.

  • The 'The Mission-Rich Experience: Struct it, Brand it, Grow it,' began on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
  • The leadership intensive concludes on Friday, February 13, 2026.

The players

Latonia Monroe Naylor

A Springfield School Committee member who developed the curriculum for the leadership intensive based on her own experience running non-profit businesses and microbusinesses.

Yeselie Tulloch

The co-founder of the Academic Leadership Association, who utilized Naylor's Mission-Rich Academy to expand her organization.

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What they’re saying

“I went through about 20 years of trying to figure out how to run non-profit businesses and microbusinesses, and I failed a few times.”

— Latonia Monroe Naylor

“Working with Latonia, she was able to help us develop a business plan in which we were able to scale our business, and we were able to contract with schools.”

— Yeselie Tulloch, Co-founder, Academic Leadership Association

What’s next

Those who missed the registration period for the live event can find information on how to join the Mission-Rich Academy on Naylor's website.

The takeaway

By providing strategic guidance and operational support, Naylor's leadership intensive aims to help small business and non-profit owners in the Holyoke area transition from just surviving to actively scaling their ventures, demonstrating the value of mission-driven entrepreneurship and community-based economic development.