Spark for Entrepreneurs
a mobile site to assist non-traditional entrepreneurs in building their businesses with resources, connections and guidance from other entrepreneurs
Spark: Project Overview
There has been an explosion in resources for entrepreneurs in the last 10 years. This is wonderful, but can have the effect of over-whelming individuals and teams in their search for mentors, services, guidance, capital and all the other things that a growing business needs along the way.
This platform is designed to show what is available first. Then, to catalogue the resources by their best use. The explosion in resources has resulted in niche products like shared space for consumer-facing startups. These are great options; and it's important for new entrepreneurs to understand the mission and aims of those spaces in order to find a good fit for their development.
A small selection of screens, reading left to right, top to bottom:
1. The method of learning that addresses all 7 types of intelligence is built on the philosophy that you read about something, then you see someone else doing it, and lastly, you do it yourself. The platform explains that process from the beginning. It also applies this across the areas of Orientation (to the ecosystem of resources), Networking and Building a Path for you and your team. Each user will determine if they need a step in the process for themselves.
2. To make good recommendations, it will take information from the user. Initially, there is a 10 minute quiz to answer with demographic and timeline information. This will help with general recommendations. As users want to get more specific and targeted information from the platform, they can complete two (2) other quizzes - 30 minutes and 90 minutes in length - for deeper insights into their needs.
3. The platform shows profiles for individuals, companies and spaces (especially coworking and incubator spaces) that are identified as being part of the ecosystem. The series of tags at the bottom of the screen would include the following on a profile: entrepreneur who secured bank financing, a space that caters to creatives, a company that created jobs, etc.
4. Technical reading is curated to the industry you are pursuing. This is a selection of articles from the syllabus on manufacturing. Partners for this information would be found in the industry and through organizations like Georgia Centers for Innovation.
5. Just a little every day inspiration. Kind words can go a long way.
6. It's hard to tell who is where in the process just by looking at them. You can build a profile that shows your peers what you need and how to find you. At the same time, you can check out profiles and find people to meet.
7. A lot of entrepreneurs just want to know what they should know and what they should be doing. After reading for a while, everyone figures out that no one really knows. But if we provide some basics through personal stories in our Syllabus framework, it can give someone a sense that they will be ok.
8. When it's time to get out, it's important to see what is happening and where. Often, finding a location where multiple events are hosted across industries, sectors or types of content can be really helpful. An entrepreneur can find a place where they are comfortable and feel accepted and start building a network there.
9. How great would it be if I could send you my business plan or executive summary right from my phone? This can be done with lots of programs, but this platform allows for quick access to only the documents for your business. This eliminates searching through your Dropbox for the correct version.
And here are more screens.
The platform is designed specifically to help non-traditional entrepreneurs. These are defined as women, people of color and creatives. This can also be thought of as anyone who does not have a degree or background in business. This is not meant to be exclusively for the communities we mention, but is designed to include them in the ecosystem and give them information in a format they can easily consume, address the types of intelligence common to their communities (visual, spatial, and emotional), and top insure these communities feel confident entering into traditional business settings. The experience the NEX team has from 9 years of coaching and assisting startups in Atlanta has shown us that when we design for inclusion, we usually end up serving all communities in a better way.
Spark: PRESENTATION
