StartUp Grind Lansing, creating a venue for connection, learning, and collaboration

Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. Startup Grind Lansing works with entrepreneurs to help them start businesses, while also supporting existing businesses, and creating a way for them to network, learn, and collaborate. Startup Grind also aspires to provide entrepreneurial longevity in the Lansing community by educating area youth and highlighting that entrepreneurship is something they can opt for as a future path.

“The most important thing is young people seeing entrepreneurship as a viable career path. For a long time I thought business owners were people with superhero powers. I didn't realize that anyone can operate a successful business, even people who don't care about money or business,” says David Smith, Director of Startup Grind.

Startup Grind Lansing holds monthly events where they provide a welcoming and engaging networking environment and an inspirational speaker. At these events, aspiring entrepreneurs have the chance to meet and bounce ideas off of one another, as well as getting a firsthand look at entrepreneurship from veteran, successful entrepreneurs.

“On the local level, small businesses might seem perfect from the average consumer perspective, but on the inside there can be a lot of chaos, mistakes, and experimentation,” says Smith. “Entrepreneurs often need to see themselves as superheroes with super powers like believing in their team, perseverance, and a higher than normal risk tolerance. I think those three powers are the key ingredients to a successful entrepreneur,” says Smith.

Which is why it’s important to get these people together once a month to knowledge share and more.

“We focus on getting killer speakers. Successful founders of companies and venture capitalists. For example, we are thrilled to host Mary Ellen Sheets, the founder of Two Men and a Truck. Her story is amazing. She turned a $350 investment into a company that did $350,000,000 in sales last year,” says Smith.

It’s important to Startup Grind that business owners, entrepreneurs, and aspiring entrepreneurs feel comfortable at these events and that they take something of valuable with them when they leave.

“We work hard to make everyone feel welcome at our events and to connect attendees. We don't want to see anyone feeling uncomfortable like a wallflower at the 7th grade dance. I know that doesn't feel good. I personally welcome as many of the attendees as I can and try to connect them with other interesting entrepreneurs,” says Smith.

At the monthly events, Startup Grind aspires to inspire and educate by interviewing someone who has shown entrepreneurial success. The interviews last for 45 minutes and then have a 15 minute Q&A.

“We've had speakers with successful consultancies, a silicon valley company, and a mobile app company with over 1 million downloads. Coming up we have the founder of a franchised company, a Chicago Venture Capitalist, and a 2014 Michigan 50 companies to watch awardee. These speakers have all built amazing companies and are able share the ups and downs about building their companies.”

There have already been a handful of success stories to come out of Lansing since the birth of Startup Grind in 2014. Cognite Labs, Brightdigit, Signing Savvy, Courseweaver, Health Numeric, Aegis Bleu, and Poochie Bowl have participated in Startup Grind events and have been raising the bar for entrepreneurial growth in the Lansing region. Brightdigit has developed an app for the Apple Watch displaying success in cutting edge technological development right here in Lansing. Advanced technology like that can give Lansing businesses and edge on their competition.

There are also a lot of companies incubating in MSU's The Hatch lead by student entrepreneurs. Tech Twurl, OneSound, Driver on Tap, and LykeMe are all companies being are run by ambitious, smart student entrepreneurs that have great products and consistently win or place highly in pitch competitions like the one held at South by Southwest.

“Entrepreneurs have huge impacts on communities. A great example of that is Detroit. I lived there a few years ago and I left because the entrepreneurs hadn't taken over the Madison building yet. I was traveling to Ann Arbor to hang out with cool people trying to put a dent in the universe. If that community would have existed at the Madison building I'm sure I never would have went to Chicago,” said Smith who saw the opportunity Lansing had to compete with the rest of the world.

Whether you've played around with the idea to start a new company, follow your dreams or are just interested in connecting with successful area based entrepreneurs, Startup Grind is here to help.

---

Jared Field is a freelance writer for Capital Gains Media, and the owner of Bloom Coffee Roasters.
 
Photos © Dave Trumpie
 
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.