West Business Development Center (“West Center”) has announced that applications are now open for StartUp Mendocino 2025. This no-cost program is designed to give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to participate in an intensive training program to spark new thinking about what is possible for their business, their community, and the economy of Mendocino County. Participants will build stronger and more lasting business and community connections that will enable their businesses to become self-sufficient and resilient.
StartUp Mendocino 2025 builds upon West Center’s successful entrepreneurship program that began with a pitch competition in 2019 and continued with a business accelerator course of study in 2022, 2023, and 2024. This year marks the 5th year anniversary of the success of our program and the launch of businesses in our community. “We are thrilled to launch the 5th year of this program.” State Mary Anne Petrillo CEO. “when we launched in 2019 we did not realize we would be building a tight knit community of small business owners. We are so proud of how much each of our graduates have achieved”
Anthony Wells, owner of Mendocino Drone and one of the program graduates in June 2022 said, “The StartUp Mendocino program pushed me to think bigger. Rachel Clark, our instructor, encouraged me to not spend as much time being the business technician, and instead be more of a business leader.”
The StartUp Mendocino 2025 program is application based. Traditionally only 12 applicants to this program are accepted, but to celebrate its fifth anniversary up to 15 entrepreneurs will be selected to participate in a specially designed curriculum that will provide participants the tools to make their businesses more efficient, effective, productive, and profitable. The new cohort will become part of the growing StartUp Mendocino peer-to-peer network which provides ongoing collaboration beyond the program’s timeline. During the 23-week program participants will be introduced to new approaches in a series of five modules that address Business and Financial Planning, Successful Branding and Marketing, Technology and best practices for e-Commerce, Time Management, and how to Sell and Pitch your business.
Lead instructor Rachel Clark shared that “Seeing entrepreneurs work tirelessly to learn and implement new systems and structures in their businesses is truly inspiring. When the foundation of a business is being built thoughtfully and strategically, it empowers participants to dream bigger and achieve more!”
The program is slated to begin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, and will run every Tuesday from Jan. 14 to June 17, 2025. The graduation event for the program will be held on Thursday, June 17, 2025.
Throughout the program, West Center will provide participants with experts in the fields of marketing, financial planning, technology, and goal setting. In addition, they will benefit from community outreach about each of the participants’ business ventures and have access to planning departments, media contacts, and local organizations that will support their growth.
West Center is seeking applicants who are committed to their business and open to learning new approaches financial planning and revenue generation. Criteria for submitting a StartUp Mendocino application includes the business is in Mendocino County and the business has been operational for between one and three years. FAQ’s can be found at www.westcenter.org/programs/startup-mendo–2025. At this time, the program is not available to cannabis-related businesses.
People interested in the program and its requirements can sign up to receive information at www.westcenter.org/programs/startup-mendo–2025. Applications for entry into the program open at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, ; the closing date for applications is Sunday, Nov. 24 at 9 p.m. All applications will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of business and community leaders and other stakeholders, and the final applicants will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.
StartUp Mendocino 2025 is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors, which include (at time of writing): Tri Counties Bank, Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Redwood Credit Union, and the County of Mendocino. If you are interested in supporting this program as a sponsor or volunteer, please reach out to West Business Development Centers.
Visit https://www.westcenter.org/programs/startup-mendo-2025 to learn more about the program or contact Elisa Campbell at [email protected].
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