Akron’s Bounce Innovation Hub is launching a new program to help entrepreneurs take their startups to the next level. The nonprofit will offer bi-monthly “Beyond Startup” workshops that give founders training to build on skills that can take their fledgling endeavors to the next level.
“What we’re really trying to do is focus on the meat and potatoes of entrepreneurial concepts,” said Bounce’s Vice President of Planning Elyse Ball. “Things that anybody who’s a first-time business founder might need to know a particular skill.”
Ball said that the workshops will give entrepreneurs a chance to learn with hands on activities during the 90-minute sessions.
“The first workshop is going to be on bookkeeping and during this session, they’ll learn a little bit about the sort of overarching concepts and backgrounds on why this is important,” Ball said. “They’re going to dive right into signing up for a QuickBooks free trial, connecting it to one of their business bank accounts and understand how to categorize expenses and do other things that an entrepreneur would need to do.”
Ball said the goal of the workshops is to create an accessible space for entrepreneurs to learn new skills.
“Instead of having to do a bunch of your own online research to try and figure out what’s credible and what isn’t,” Ball said. “You come here and hear it from an expert, practice a skill and hopefully walk away with a feeling that you have developed some level of competence in a particular area.”
Ball said that it also provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to meet each other.
“In my experience in working with this program has always been that entrepreneurs learn a lot from each other,” Ball said. “So, giving them opportunities a couple times a month to come somewhere in persona and make those connections and feel like they’re learning alongside their peers, I think it can be a really powerful thing.”
Ball believes entrepreneurship shows creativity and applauds the willingness take risks.
“I think it’s always really important to make resources available to entrepreneurs and to encourage people to try out entrepreneurship to take a little bit of a risk. That’s how we move things forward as a society, that’s how we build stuff that makes all of our lives easier, safer or more fun is the kind of products and services that entrepreneurs are creating.”
The workshops are available to anyone in the community for a $5 fee. Entry is free for anyone who is a part of the Bounce community. Registration is required.