Delve deeper into the stories of local entrepreneurs with Project 412’s new speaker series – Detroit Lakes Tribune
— Want to learn more about the “ins and outs” of starting your own, local business? Or do you want to connect with others who have already accomplished this goal?
Then come to the launch of Project 412’s new speaker series, “Deep Dive DL,” on Thursday, April 18, at Beautiful Junque in downtown Detroit Lakes. The store’s mother-daughter owners, Carol Foltz and Alicia Bowers, will be having a chat with Project 412’s new ecosystem builder, Sarah Hofmann, starting at 8:15 a.m. Those who would like to join them for coffee are invited to come to The Cellar, located underneath the store’s main level, at 8 a.m. Both the coffee and presentation are free and open to the public.
A native of Detroit Lakes, Hofmann just started her new position with the local nonprofit organization, Project 412, during the last week of January, and has been working on several projects for them. So what exactly is an “ecosystem builder,” you might ask?
“I offer support for new and existing businesses, in terms of coaching and helping to connect them with resources,” Hofmann explained.
Contributed / Project 412
One of her early activities for Project 412 has been to implement “Pop-up Coworking,” where people can just show up at a specified location and work side-by-side on their tasks for the day, whether it’s Zoom meetings (headphones recommended) or brainstorming sessions. As stated in the Facebook message promoting this month’s event on Tuesday, April 16, at Bucks Mill Brewing, “We want to give you a chance to switch up your work environment and connect with others in our community.”
Another project that Hofmann has undertaken is to schedule a “pitch competition” for later this year. In this event, area residents who have “a concept and a business plan” can enter those ideas into the competition. Finalists will be chosen to pitch those concepts in a competitive environment, before a panel of judges and a live audience.
And then there is the new “Deep Dive” speaker series, which will take place on the third Thursday of every month. Though the coffee pot will always be on at 8 a.m., with the presentation to follow at 8:15 a.m., the locations will vary according to which entrepreneur’s business is being highlighted.
The concept behind the new series is, according to Hofmann, “to connect over coffee and take a deep dive into the journeys of some of our local entrepreneurs, followed by a ‘lively’ Q and A with the audience.”
After this Thursday’s presentation, the “Deep Dive” schedule for the remainder of this year is as follows:
- May 16: Tanner Duncan of Woodfire Pizza in the business’s new storefront location at 811 8th St. SE.
- June 20: Heidi Renney of Nature’s Embrace Soap Company, inside the store located at 833 Washington Ave.
- July 18: Katie Schiller of Schiller’s House at the Becker County Museum, 814 Summit Ave.
- Aug. 15: Amy Jacobson of 180 Balance at her studio in the Washington Square Mall, 808 Washington Ave.
- September: No presentation scheduled.
- Oct. 17: Gary and Jonna Goreham of Maple Hills Orchard, at the orchard in rural Frazee (29355 130th St.).
- Nov. 21: Ruth Hetland of ConseCrate Subscription Box at the Becker County Museum.
- Dec. 19: Travis Stone of Action Fabricating at the Becker County Museum.
The Becker County Museum has agreed to host those presentations that couldn’t be held at the featured business, for various reasons, Hofmann said. These presentations will take place in the “coffee shop” area across from the museum’s gift shop.
All of these presentations are intended to help prospective entrepreneurs in their own journey toward starting up a successful business. “Starting a business can be daunting and isolating,” Hofmann explained. “Yet, we’ve seen that entrepreneurs thrive when they have a supportive community around them. Deep Dive DL is our way of creating that community — somewhere people can learn, connect, and leave feeling inspired, all the while showing love to our local businesses.
“Basically, when we lift each other up, our whole community gets stronger,” she added. “Project 412 is all about making our area the best place to be, and Deep Dive DL is a part of making that happen.”
