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Date: 12/26/2023
EASTHAMPTON — The Greater Chamber of Easthampton will bring the CO.STARTERS program to its Workhub on Union in 2024. The national program is designed to help new business owners and entrepreneurs move forward with their businesses.
“The CO.STARTERS program provides entrepreneurs of all kinds, not only insights and network-building relationships, but the tools needed to turn their business ideas into action,” explained chamber Executive Director Moe Belliveau. “This initiative helps to move them from informal businesses [those working from home, out of their basements or kitchen tables] to formal, registered businesses within the greater Easthampton area.”
Made possible by a $50,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant, CO.STARTERS is a 10-week cohort-based program that guides and teaches small business owners about business models, testing products and models while receiving customer feedback, and building a community of fellow business owners and mentors.
The program will be facilitated by Cynthia West, owner of Sonnet & Sparrow and The Flying Squirrel, and Angie Montalvo-Greene, a graduate of the CO.STARTERS program. West has significant experience as an entrepreneur, as well as a writer and publisher. Montalvo-Greene brings a deep understanding of the program and a range of contacts within local business communities.
“This program fits squarely within the chamber’s mission of economic development,” explained Belliveau. “According to Kauffman Foundation research, companies less than one year old have created an average of 1.5 million jobs per year over the past three decades. Imagine the job creation possible well into the future when entrepreneurs are armed with a sound foundation beneath them.”
The chamber has sponsored professional development and leadership education programs in the past, but this is its first foray into a focused curriculum. The hope is to continue the program with four cohorts over the next two years. After the grant expires, Belliveau will invite businesses who believe in its mission to join the chamber in further funding the program.
“Those who are ready to commit to starting an enterprise appreciate the opportunity to participate in programs such as this,” noted Belliveau.
“Entrepreneurs who are armed with the knowledge and skills they need are well equipped to make better-informed decisions regarding their dream of owning their own business.”
Those in the beginning stages of business ownership, including those who just have an idea, are encouraged to apply to the program. Applications for CO.STARTERS at WorkHub on Union will be accepted on a rolling basis through Feb. 20, 2024, with the program running Tuesday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m. beginning March 5, 2024. The cost of the 10-week program is $3,500 but, thanks to the ARPA grant, participants will only pay $150. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit the chamber web site for more information and to apply.
“We are thrilled to bring this nationally recognized entrepreneurial training program to our community as part of our continuing effort to foster and nurture local talent, ignite innovation within our entrepreneurial community, and drive the economic prosperity of our city,” said Belliveau. “Ultimately, these entrepreneurs will gain the tools, resources and networks they need to turn their ideas into action and move away from the kitchen table to the board room. This program will also provide a natural pathway for these entrepreneurs to grow their business at the WorkHub on Union co-working space which is set to open in 2024.”