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  1. Local small businesses blossom through innovative tools Monday, June 30, 2008

    To the casual observer, Pejoux Designs, a burgeoning floral design business in Chattanooga, looked successful.  Owner Julie Tolbert had plenty of customers and was breaking even every month.  But in March 2008, after being in business for eight months, something was still missing: Pejoux wasn’t turning a profit, and still had $5k+ in start-up debt.

    Typical of many creative entrepreneurs, Tolbert had great ideas and credentials; but an education in sculpture and floristry had not prepared her to manage a business.  So, in March of this year, Julie enrolled in an entrepreneurial training program called SpringBoard.  In the three short months following her graduation, Pejoux has become a debt-free, profitable enterprise.

    SpringBoard, a program of CreateHere, is not a typical business planning course.  Geared toward small-business owners and creative hopefuls who want to understand the foundations of business, it involves the entrepreneurs and teachers in what leader Sheldon Grizzle calls a “facilitated dialogue” aimed to help people turn their personal passion into profitable and sustainable work.  SpringBoard adopted its curriculum from a similar initiative in Asheville, which has helped over 1,000 businesses and resulted in over $50 million in economic impact. 

    In Chattanooga, the program is 31 graduates and four months strong, and is already having effects on the small business sector of the city.  Monday, June 23, marked the end of the third round of SpringBoard classes.  From artistry to economics, these folks have a lot in common.  All have grand ideas, a lot of creativity, and, now, both a basic understanding of how businesses work and a new network of fellow entrepreneurs. 

    This third SpringBoard course was taught by Brent Jackson, an MBA student who helped get Niedlov’s off the ground, and Sheldon Grizzle of CreateHere.  The class meets three hours once a week for eight weeks.  A typical evening begins with a thirty-minute guest lecturer from the business community.  Then the facilitators jump into the night’s topic with group discussions and experiential learning.  Each participant also receives two free consulting sessions to discuss their individual business plan with one of the SpringBoard staff. 

    Portrait artist Mia Bergeron, a recent graduate, says that SpringBoard course is “desperately needed,” and would encourage anyone to enroll.  A fourth round of SpringBoard begins July 7.  Jackson and Grizzle will co-facilitate the course again.  Guest lecturers for this class include local lawyers, bankers, marketing specialists, and accountants.  Registration is ongoing until the start date, but will close as soon as space in the course runs out.

    What: SpringBoard Business Training Class, Round 4.
    Where: CreateHere Studio, 55 East Main Street, Suite 105, Chattanooga, TN 37408
    When: Once per week, July 7-August 25; 6:00-9:00 p.m.
    Cost: Sliding scale from $100 to $500
    For more information: contact Sheldon Grizzle at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), call the CreateHere studio at (423) 648-2195, or visit http://www.createhere.org.

    Posted by Administrator in Collective Rethink