Entrepreneurship Center at Washtenaw Community College is helping local business owners adapt to the challenges brought about by COVID-19

Over 70 business owners applied for the "Renew Your Business" program initiated by the Entrepreneur Center at Washtenaw Community College. All 15 businesses selected by EC are either minority, woman, or veteran owned and are established in the 48197 and 48198 ZIP codes. Participants began the 10-week virtual course in January and will receive a small business grant upon completion. The recipients will also have access to mentorship and peer support through the initiative, and organizers are confident that the business owners will learn how to adapt their businesses to the pandemic-era and figure out how to continue to thrive.

The Entrepreneur Center at WCC has been a resource for local businesses since it was established in 2014. Recently, Director Kristin Gapske of the Entrepreneur Center, spoke to the regional online publication Concentrate about the development process of the "Renew Your Business" program. Originally conceived of as a loan program, the focus shifted to a grant model that would include educational and support resources. With funding from the local government and Ann Arbor SPARK, EC was able to accomplish that vision. Gapske noted, "We've focused for years on micro-enterprise owners, the eastern side of the county, and under-represented groups who own small businesses. In a way, it seemed like destiny, because during the pandemic, it allowed us to do even more with help from the county's Office of Community Economic and Development, and SPARK graciously gave us a bit more to expand."

The 10-week course began in January and focuses on topics like customer discovery and reconnection, and recovering from losses incurred during the pandemic. After completion of the course, participants will shift to working in small groups of their fellow business owners to advise and support each other. Through the course and the small group sessions, the business owners will first develop specific strategies to adapt their businesses to the landscape of COVID-19, then the grant money awarded upon completion will be used to cover business expenses and to invest in whatever is needed to achieve the goals developed during the program.

Julie Palmer is one of the participants of "Renew Your Business" and also spoke with Concentrate. Palmer owns JEM Events, an event planning business she created in 2016 after being downsized out of a corporate job. 2020 was particularly difficult as her clients began cancelling events at a rapid rate due to COVID-19. Palmer spent her time researching grant and loan opportunities to help her keep the business afloat. "Renew Your Business" provided a unique opportunity in that it went beyond monetary resources. As she explained it, "This program is so different. They're not just handing you a grant," she says. "I love the intention around this program."

Through the program so far, Palmer embraced a business model that provides virtual event planning, an idea it took awhile for her to come around to, "partly out of my comfort level with the technology, and partly because I was grieving the loss of the in-person experience," she explained. Crediting the coursework provided, Palmer stated, "They introduced a great method to help someone in the midst of that stop and understand the root of what's going on and choose to take an action that supports getting out of that. These are skills that are going to be beneficial forever."

Palmer also emphasized the relationships being built between the participants already, saying that they chat frequently about both business and their personal lives, creating a network of support and a "spirit of camaraderie." Gapske expressed regret that the program couldn't accept more applicants, but hopes that EC will be able to offer the opportunity again, particularly with the positive feedback being received, "We're so excited. This is something to grab onto, something that gives business owners a feeling that there's some movement and help."