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New forum lets entrepreneurs help one another
KATHLEEN FOLKERTH
Heather Roszczyk
When Randi Hodge decided to put allergen-free skin care products she created on the market, she knew she needed advice and support from other new entrepreneurs.
But networking in large groups, she said, was overwhelming.
When she saw a post on Facebook announcing a new entrepreneur meet-up taking place in Akron, Hodge's interest was piqued.
"I went with a friend because I was a little nervous. But there was a very welcoming vibe," she said of the first session, which took place at Hazel Tree Interiors on the edge of downtown Akron. "Everyone was in the same boat."
She got so much out of that November session that Hodge attended the following one in December. And she planned to be at the next Akron Entrepreneurs Meet-up from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the Bit Factory in the Bounce Innovation Hub (formerly known as the Akron Global Business Accelerator).
Heather Roszczyk, the innovation and entrepreneurship advocate for the city of Akron, said Hodge's story is similar to many startups who want to meet others facing similar challenges.
"The businesses I'm engaging with these days are very eager to — even if it's not a direct partnership — have a relationship with the other retail businesses out there," Roszczyk said.
Similar events have taken place in Akron with an emphasis on tech businesses, but Roszczyk said she thought it was important to provide something for those who are looking to open lifestyle businesses, such as a clothing boutique or dry cleaners, and providing services from a storefront or online.
The new monthly meet-up is one of the fruits to grow out of the On the Table effort that took place last fall. Organized by the Akron Community Foundation, On the Table featured gatherings of diverse groups for a shared meal and conversation on one day, Oct. 3.
Roszczyk, who at the time was the Akron entrepreneurship fellow with Fund for Our Economic Future, organized an On the Table breakfast event for entrepreneurs who had been featured on the monthly Akro-preneurs podcast funded by the fund and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.
"We had between 15 and 20 people that morning, and it was such a great conversation," Roszczyk said. "We had a very diverse group around the table as far as age, gender, race and type of business."
Despite those differences, Roszczyk said, all were facing similar challenges as new businesses.
"So many were wrestling with the same issues, like finding funding or finding a brick-and-mortar location to how to keep good employees," she said.
When the event ended, several participants suggested making it a monthly event, and Roszczyk embraced the idea.
A month later, Karen Starr hosted the first official meet-up at her business, Hazel Tree Interiors, for about 30 people.
"We were thrilled with the turnout, especially since we put it together in a couple of weeks," Roszczyk said.
The following month, also hosted by Starr at her business, the meet-up attracted about two dozen people, which Roszczyk thought was pretty good for 10 days before Christmas.
The meetings typically start with 30 minutes of informal networking, followed by a discussion that follows the Lean Coffee model in which participants generate the agenda based on topics of interest. Roszczyk said participants are divided into five groups and they brainstorm to come up with topics.
The entire group reconvenes and moves from topic to topic every five minutes, unless they agree to remain on a topic longer.
"We can get through a lot of discussion topics, and at the end of it I have multiple walls of sticky notes that tell me exactly what issues are on their minds," Roszczyk said.
Hodge, who launched her product line in November, said the meet-ups have helped connect her to resources and gave her confidence. She said a discussion about looking to local universities for potential interns is one of the ideas that stuck with her.
Since getting the meet-ups off the ground, Roszczyk has transitioned to her new job under Akron mayor Dan Horrigan, which she started in December.
In that role, she connects entrepreneurs to resources and looks for gaps in the services they need.
"This position in the mayor's office was a natural progression," she said. "A lot of my responsibilities were the same as they are now. I pull together resources for entrepreneurs, be they networking or programming or what have you."
Deb Hoover, president and CEO of the Burton D. Morgan Foundation and the new chair of Bounce, said the meet-ups are a "grassroots way entrepreneurs can help each other."
"It's a great thing for peer support and peer-to-peer learning in the entrepreneurship space," she said.
More information and registration for the meet-ups are available on the Akron Entrepreneurs Facebook page.
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