Franklin Chamber of Commerce is located downtown at 120 E. Jefferson St.
Daily Journal file photo
Entrepreneurs across Johnson County have a new opportunity for mentorship and a chance at seed money.
With a $35,000 grant from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, the Greater Franklin Chamber of Commerce is preparing to roll out a new program called Launch Johnson County.
The money comes from IEDC’s Community Collaboration Fund, which is focused on entrepreneurial education, connection and acceleration across Indiana, with an emphasis on underrepresented founders and underserved markets. The IEDC is giving out 32 grants totaling just over $1 million to groups across the state, according to an IEDC news release.
The local program stems from an idea to reach out to rural and small-town entrepreneurs that was hatched by Sarabeth Drybread, director of Edinburgh’s community center, and Jeremy VanAndel, instructor of business and director of professional development for Franklin College. With the Franklin Chamber’s buy-in and the IEDC’s grant money, the program will support both emerging and existing entrepreneurs with one-on-one mentorship and workshops, said Rosie Chambers, Franklin Chamber’s president and CEO.
The origin was a conversation about the lack of resources available to people in rural areas and small towns who would like to start a business. Though there are mentorship programs for aspiring business owners in Indianapolis, it is a challenge for rural people to travel into the city to participate, especially those in the most southern parts of the county, VanAndel said.
“Here is a way that we can really support entrepreneurs across the county who may not have the time, or the energy, or the resources to get to somewhere like Indianapolis,” he said. “We could also bring these programs to places like Bargersville and Trafalgar and to meet with people where they are. It’s one of the cool dynamics about these three organizations coming together.”
With the announcement from IEDC, groundwork is now being laid to assemble a team of mentors and spread the word about the program to entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, Chambers said.
The application and a landing page for the program on Franklin Chamber’s website are still being built, but will be available sometime before the planned kick-off event on Sept. 10 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at The Garment Factory Events. People who would like to apply for a grant, people who could volunteer to coach entrepreneurs, and those who could volunteer to provide services needed to help a business launch are all welcome to attend the kick-off, Chambers said.
Following this introductory event, the application process will include submitting an application and attending twice monthly workshops ahead of pitch events that are set for Oct. 29 and March 4. At the workshops, entrepreneurs can learn how to make a great pitch and how to get their business off the ground regardless of whether they are ultimately awarded a grant, Chambers said.
During the pitch events, the entrepreneurs will share their business plans with a panel of judges. At the end of the process, three of the applicants will receive $10,000 each, with one grant to be awarded in October and the others in March.
“Whether or not they’re successful in securing the $10,000, we hope this will help them move forward with their projects too,” she said. “We want to have resources and education for anybody who needs the help.”
To help put on the workshops, the Franklin Chamber is seeking coaches who can volunteer their time.
“Our goal is to get professionals who have been there before, who can offer some guidance and insight,” Chambers said. “We also want to get not only entrepreneurs who have a small business, but we want to have attorneys, marketing professionals, CPAs, who can lend their expertise as well.”
VanAndel, who teaches different business topics including marketing and entrepreneurship, will offer some of his expertise at the workshop. He’s helped students launch businesses while on campus through campus entrepreneurship programs.
“Whether it is starting a business at 19 or 99, a lot of the challenges that you have are the same, a lot of the things that lead to businesses not working out or not working out for as long as they could, they are not too dissimilar,” VanAndel said. “A lot of those sort of foundational ideas, we will be bringing those out to the community and hopefully helping to inspire even more people to pursue that idea or dream that they have for their own business.”
The new county-wide entrepreneurship initiative opens up a new audience that Franklin Chamber is excited to give entrepreneurs a hand up, Chambers said.
“What an interesting place for the chamber of commerce to be of service,” Chambers said. “I’m very excited for what this might bring. I’m very grateful to IEDC for making this happen. This is fabulous.”
The Franklin Chamber is also helping out entrepreneurs under 18. Two young entrepreneurs are receiving grants at the Franklin Farmer’s Market at 10 a.m. Saturday after a separate application process. Around a dozen other young entrepreneurs will set up their wares to sell to the community during the market, which is 8 a.m. to noon.
