Lakeshore e2e Series serves entrepreneurs, promotes business ownership

Attendance at a monthly speaker series for entrepreneurs is on the rise, with double the attendance since the series launched in 2004.

Lakeshore Advantage and the Holland Young Professionals launched the Lakeshore e2e Series (entrepreneur to entrepreneur) to bring together the region's most interesting entrepreneurs who share their successes and pitfalls with fledgling business owners of all levels. The gatherings provide an environment where entrepreneurs can learn from each other, network and build relationships of support.

"To establish an entrepreneurial culture and community you have to have that interaction, to be able to learn from entrepreneurs who have been through it, have made mistakes and had twists and turns along the way," says Amanda Chocko, Lakeshore Advantage director of entrepreneurial development. "In the beginning we drew about 20 to 30 people; now it averages between 50 and 70 each month."

Many participants use the meetings to stay in touch on a regular basis says Haans Mulder, past board member of the Holland Young Professionals and part of the e2e series from the beginning. Others are using the meetings as a steppingstone to strengthening business relationships.

"I have clients and others who have started up businesses who informally look at the speakers as advisors who are willing to give guidance," Mulder says. "Some are developing relationships where they meet for coffee or have a phone conversation outside the meetings."

"It's a great opportunity to meet likeminded people who are interested in the economic vitality of West Michigan," Chocko adds.

Attendees include owners of startup businesses, people thinking about starting a business and established business owners.

Past speakers include Fred Bauer from Gentex, Jason Spaulding and Brett VanderKamp from New Holland Brewing and Carl Erickson from Atomic Object.

Meetings are 5:30 to 7 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Lakeshore Advantage offices in Zeeland.

Source: Amanda Chocko, Lakeshore Advantage; Haans Mulder, Holland Young Professionals and Cunningham Dalman, PC

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].