no charge , via a cohort model . To date , the Center has worked with 59 companies , 54 % of which are femaleled and 59 % of which are minority-led .
Kara Barber
Kara Barber , the Assistant Director for the Center , shared that they “ started noticing individuals weren ’ t interested in waiting around until our next cohort to start working on their business or idea .” Applying , interviewing and waiting to be part of a yearlong cohort with limited spots wasn ’ t going to cut it . It was time to rethink how they were serving the First Coast Region business and entrepreneur communities .
So , the Center expanded by providing support to “ walk-in ” companies they “ felt they could help , based on their needs and our bandwidth .”
Being part of a year-long cohort can be a dream come true , but most business owners and entrepreneurs get their education and support in smaller chunks . These are typically small events and workshops covering any number of topics , such as bookkeeping , social media , green supply chains and leadership . There are also a few signature full-day events that people look forward to each year , such as the Female Founder Forum , put on each year in celebration of International Women ’ s Day by the PS27 Foundation of PS27 Ventures . Started in 2015 , the event is designed to help more women to become successful entrepreneurs and innovators . Programming includes tools to build a sustainable business that will create jobs , provide returns
and result in personal wealth .
Shannon LoGiudice , who runs Operations & Administrations
at PS27 , shared that this looked-forward-to-event shifted during lockdown . Fortunately , they were able to pivot to a virtual event , which was well attended and enjoyed .
Like anyone entrenched in the startup world , the folks at PS27 are no strangers to adapting and innovating . Shannon said ,
Shannon LoGiudice
“ It challenged us in a good way - to figure out the ins and outs of zoom and provide the same level of experience women expect from us . So , we watched a lot of virtual events to get ideas and create some best practices .” Based on the feedback they received , they were successful !
Scott Maynard facilitates a St . Johns County Chamber of Commerce Economic Development panel discussion .
The event is going back to in-person this year , and now the team is taking on the challenge of having an in-person event in this new world of social distancing , mask wearing and general overwhelm .
One of the most invaluable resources to any business owner is the local Chamber of Commerce , which many times helps business leaders understand what various government bodies require and can provide .
According to Scott Maynard , director of economic development at the St . Johns County Chamber of Commerce , the organization ’ s role expanded quickly with the ESF 18 Emergency Programming . “ Partnering with the City and County to get information disseminated about the variety of federal , state and local programs was key to helping our local business and industry .”
Which brings us right back to where we started . In so many ways , the First Coast Region is that environment where “ innovation , collaboration , cooperation and regionally based support systems ” come together to support business owners and entrepreneurs . And based on the results from the past couple of years , it looks as though we are poised to stay that way for a long time into the future .
Scott Maynard
LaKay Cornell is a writer and communications strategist who has worked with social impact brands and nonprofits for 20 + years .
APRIL 2022 | 15 |