We announced Start It Up Georgia last month as a way to jump start entrepreneurship in the state and help with the many dislocations in our world. The response was overwhelming. Over 700 entrepreneurs signed up for the program — 706 to be exact. Amazing! We never knew there would be this much demand.
Now, for the fun part. The program kicks off tomorrow with the first of 12 lesson labs:
Jermaine Brown – Entrepreneurship: Do You Have What It Takes?
Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon – Turning an Idea and Skill Into a Business.
Rachel Ford – Testing Your Idea: Will Someone Pay You For It?
Christina DeVictor – Company Creation: The Practical Steps Required to Establish a Business.
Jacey Lucus – Developing Your Online Presence: Creating a Website and Social Media.
Lauren Patrick – Marketing Your Business and Developing Your Brand.
Matthew May – Financial and Accounting Basics for Business Owners.
A.T. Gimbel – Pricing and Product: Creating a Profitable and Sustainable Business Model.
Ethan King – Operation Management: How to Run Your Business.
Kyle Porter – Company Culture and People Management.
Amy Zimmerman – Hiring: Sourcing, Training, and Leading a Team.
Kim Seals – Funding Opportunities and Raising Capital.
In addition to the 12 lesson labs, taught live over Zoom and available as recordings, we have small accountability groups for the entrepreneurs. With a cohort this large, we had to find a significant number of volunteer mentors. Of course, the community stepped up and we have 44 mentors to lead the small groups. It’s incredible to see so many people helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams.
Finally, the program culminates with a demo day where the entrepreneurs present their ideas and progress. Donors have already donated over $10,000 in grant money to help the demo day winning entrepreneurs continue their journey and grow even faster.
Start It Up Georgia is a grand experiment with lofty goals. I’m sure we’ll have bumps along the way but we’ll do our best to help hundreds of entrepreneurs start and grow new companies. We believe entrepreneurship is one of the greatest forces for good, and we’re working hard to increase the chance of success of everyone involved.
via https://ift.tt/2Jn9P8X
David Cummings, Khareem Sudlow
