This fall, Kentucky entrepreneurs will learn how to prepare their ideas and present their work to a group of local investors.
Jonas Neihoff spoke to Kate Lochte by phone about how his marketing firm Socially Present came to partner with the Kentucky Innovation Network in Paducah and offer a workshop and pitch competiton for budding entrepreneurs.
"What we've noticed in marketing is that there are a lot of people that come to us and our entrepreneurs and are wanted to launch these big ideas but there's different pieces that they find themselves unable to accomplish," said Neihoff. "Some of it is because they just don't know anything about it and need to learn, some don't have funding. There's a lot of barriers for entrepreneurs to really step out and launch big ideas.
"So we developed a simplified workshop that really gives the basis for an entrepreneur to either launch a business or sell that to investors. So the goal of Small Town, Big Idea is just a joint-effort to take someone in a small town or small area to launch their product or service and give them the practical tools to do that with."
The workshop consists of four courses spread over four months:
- Sept 1: Product
- Oct 1: Process
- Nov 1: People
- Dec 1: Profit
"Then we'll also have the pitch competition in January," says Neihoff. "We're going to have some phenomenal prizes from all of our sponsors. We have almost $20,000 for the winner of this pitch competition in cash or services."
Those services can include legal, accounting, consulting, IT support and marketing services from the competition's sponsors.
Classes for the workshop are $25 each or $75 if the participant signs up for all four. Classes are from 6-8 PM at the Emerging Technology Center at West Kentucky Community and Technical College.
Participants can enroll at the Small Town, Big Ideas website.
