SpringGR uplifts local small businesses

On average, approximately 4 million businesses are started every year in the United states. However, many of those businesses are destined to fail. Twenty percent of those new ventures will close within the first two years.
 
However, businesses in Grand Rapids have resources to lean on. SpringGR is an organization that provides up and coming business owners with the intellectual, social, and financial capital necessary to grow a successful enterprise. They work with people at all stages of entrepreneurship and provide assistance along the way as they grow. SpringGR offers five different programs.
 
Each program spans 14 weeks with a fall and spring session every year. Idea Lab is a program meant for those in the early stages of building their business. This program is meant to have participants come in to test their ideas and decide if they want to start their business or not. There are two small business accelerator programs, one in English and one in Spanish. The program in Spanish is the Emprende program. Both accelerators focus on small businesses already open. The Kitchen Incubator program focuses on food entrepreneurs and provides access to commercially licensed kitchens in the event participants are hoping to expand into catering. The final program is the 250 Project that spans over six months instead of 14 weeks. This program is meant to provide extensive training and create a plan for growth over the next few years of the business. Four of these five programs had cohorts graduate earlier this month.
 Karla Velis-Brito
“We had the Emprende graduation and Idea Lab graduation with a small expo or demo day. For some of them, this was their first time talking about their potential and presenting it to others. The Emprende graduation was fully in Spanish, including the agenda, and served as a celebration for already established businesses that went through the program,” says Karla Velis-Brito, director of SpringGR.
 
The Emprende and Idea Lab graduation had around 200 attendees, with 40 to 50 being participants and the rest family and friends. At each graduation the SpringGR Forward award was given out. The focus of this award is to highlight the best way for an organization to move forward and provide some financial assistance to do so.
 
“We give out certificates of $200 to $500 depending on the need. It's a small amounts, but more than the amount, we believe the recognition and encouragement at graduation is just as important. We want to celebrate in front of everyone and show people how much potential our participants have. In the past we have also given out scholarships to other programs. If someone is in Idea Lab, and they’re ready to launch, sometimes we help them start the next program,” says Velis-Brito.
 
SpringGR is an organization that provides up and coming business owners with the intellectual, social, and financial capital necessary to grow a successful enterprise.
While the financial awards are useful, SpringGR likes for the focus to remain on the social capital that they provide. Participation in a program allows for many businesses to experience mentorship and one on one coaching for the first time. Completion in the program allows new business owners to become a part of a network that will help their business grow. Many choose to continue their mentorship relationships well after the programs end.
 
After completion of the programs and graduating, many participants describe their experience as having had a great impact on their businesses.
 

“Recently I received a message from one of the Emprende grads saying they have done business for so many years in Mexico, and when they came here they were struggling to adapt to a new place, away from family. But coming to SpringGR allowed them to not only learn more about business here but also just believe in themselves again. Beyond that class and beyond the resources, they said SpringGR gave them a network and experience that allowed them to trust in their dreams again,” says Velis-Brito.
 
Registration for the next SpringGR cohort has begun. Any budding entrepreneur interested in participating in one of the programs should visit the SpringGR website.
 
“At SpringGR we're looking forward to celebrating our 10th year anniversary in March, and at that point we will have over 1,000 alumni that graduated from SpringGR,” says Velis-Brito.
 
A SpringGR graduating class.
No matter the stage a new business is at, SpringGR is ready and willing to help, and looking forward to celebrating their participants come graduation time.