New program pairs seasoned entrepeneurs with rookies

By Nicholas Ketchum
Deputy Editor

This fall, aspiring entrepreneurs can look forward to a new mentorship program offered by WCC’s Entrepreneurship Center to help plan, start or grow a small business.

The Entrepreneurship Center, which describes itself as a “resource hub that supports individuals in developing their entrepreneurial capacity,” launched the program on Sept. 6.

The program, called “Entrepreneurs-in-Residence,” aims to provide one-on-one mentoring to anyone seeking advice from successful business owners, according to a press release from the college.

Anyone may use the program—from students, faculty, or area residents, according to Kristin Gapske, director of the Center.

The program is one of of several offered by the Center and is the result of a $6,000 grant from a private foundation, which buoys program funds originating from the Center’s annual budget.

Gapske wouldn’t name the foundation, saying it wishes to remain anonymous.

The roster of mentors is made up of four individuals, each being a successful local entrepreneur. It includes a brand strategist, a business coach and artist/creative, an operations manager and life coach, and a “serial entrepreneur” who’s launched several successful businesses.

“If you’re looking for deeper advice on marketing, we have a marketing expert. If you’re in the pre-business plan writing phase… that means that they’re not ready to write a loan package yet, they’re not even needing a loan necessarily, they’re just more into customer discovery… putting those pieces together,” Gapske said.

Although mentors are paid, some find motivation in the program’s mission.

Cheranissa Roach, president and CEO of C.D.R. Consulting L.L.C., is one of the mentors, specializing in customer discovery and pre-business plan writing. She said before joining as a mentor, she’s mentored many entrepreneurs.

Roach said she joined the residence program because she believes in the work of the Center and enjoys using her expertise as a life coach, in addition to other qualifications, to help aspiring business owners realize their vision.

“I tell people they’re smarter and more capable than they believe. They say ‘I’ve never done this before,’’ and I say, ‘No—you’ve never done this as a business,’” Roach said.

Roach said the most common misperception she’s faced among prospective entrepreneurs is how to handle funding.

“[Mentees] ask about funding and I ask how much do you need. Someone might say they need between $50,000 and $100,000, and I’ll say first we need to do some market research and figure it out.”

While mentees are discouraged from repeat visits, Gapske said more than one appointment may be scheduled for follow-ups.

“It’s not intended [for people] to keep coming back, back and back. There’s actually the Small Business Development Center, which is right here on campus too, and that’s more of what they provide on a more ongoing basis. So, that’s where we send them if they want deeper ongoing counseling,” she said.

The roster of mentors is likely to change, periodically.

“I imagine we’ll rotate them year to year…. Maybe over time we’ll expand the topics [of consultation]. So if we’ve got somebody for marketing and somebody for creatives, maybe we could get somebody in who could coach on manufacturing,” Gapske said.

Anyone interested in finding mentorship through the program should first complete the standard intake form before seeking a mentor, in case preliminary steps are needed.

“It’s important that people first go through our intake process, so we know where they’re at and what they might need,” said Gapske. “We might say, ‘Know what? You haven’t formed or written a business plan yet, so you should hit the ‘Forming Your Own LLC’ workshop, first.’ Then we can see if they’re ready for the next step.”

The service is provided free to anyone—regardless of affiliation with the college—as long as they’re a local or county resident. However, the business itself may be established outside of Washtenaw County, such as Detroit.

“You may go to school here, but you want to open in Detroit, so we’re going to do our best to bring those resources,” Gapske said. “We work with so many people—I know people at Jackson College and we work with a lot of people in Detroit.”

Program details, mentor biographies, and initial intake can be completed at the Center’s website, within the “Entrepreneurs-in-Residence” section, and can be found at ec.wccnet.edu/eir.

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