The Marshall County Commission aims to support local entrepreneurs and business owners through its new Marshall County Entrepreneurship Ecosystem program.
The program, launched this month, is designed to help Marshall County residents who want to start a business, business owners who may need assistance, and also connect business owners in the area.
The program’s team of experts has begun collecting data, interviewing business owners and holding networking events to gather information and determine what support is needed to launch a sustainable program in the county to support local entrepreneurs and innovators.
Marshall County Administrator Betsy Frohnapfel said the inspiration for the program came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the commission had “a lot of conversations” with struggling local business owners.
As these discussions continued after the pandemic, Frohnapfel said, commissioners learned that there was “no central point of contact where a local entrepreneur could turn and get help.”
“We want to help our citizens start a small business and expand their existing businesses,” Frohnapfel said. “We found that there isn’t a lot of information and no place for people to go locally to get it.”
The project will be the first county-based entrepreneurship ecosystem and will collaborate with the statewide West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem program. The WVEE connects and identifies opportunities to help entrepreneurs and small business owners across the state by promoting and sharing resources.
Just as the WVEE ecosystem is open to any organization in the state interested in entrepreneurship development, the Marshall County Entrepreneurship Ecosystem welcomes any local entrepreneurs who wish to receive support through the program.
In addition to working with WVEE to create the program, the Commission collaborated with Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Experts (E3), the Regional Economic Development Partnership, the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce, First Microloan of WV and the WV SBDC to develop it.
“I see banks as another big partner in this going forward,” Frohnapfel added. “Someone comes to a bank and says, ‘Hey, I need a loan for this,’ and they say, ‘We’d love to do that, but we need A, B and C first.’ The bank would then refer the Marshall County resident to the commission’s program to help them dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s before they can go back to the bank.”
Frohnapfel said the “goal” of the program is to provide residents with “a place” to discuss their “ideas, needs and the next steps” needed to start or grow a business.
According to Frohnapfel, the program will not only provide a place for citizens to talk about their needs, but will also connect local businesses and give them the opportunity to work together so that business owners can “help each other grow and benefit from each other.”
“Collaboration is essential for local businesses,” Frohnapfel added. “The more connections you have, the more partners you have. This allows you to find out what resources are out there, what hasn’t worked for other businesses, and how you can make expanding a business a little more efficient.”
Frohnapfel said the first year of the program will be devoted primarily to “gathering information” from entrepreneurs and business owners so the project’s team of experts can figure out what help the program should provide. She noted that the program will not only help residents start new businesses, but can also help them “expand their existing businesses.”
The program’s first step in connecting with local entrepreneurs and innovators will take place during the Marshall County Commission-sponsored Business After Hours on Thursday, Sept. 5, at Grand Vue Park. Members of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem partnership will be on hand to discuss the program and gather input from local residents.
“We invite anyone who has an idea, anyone who wants to grow their business, and anyone who wants to start a small business,” Frohnapfel said. “This is the kickoff event where people can learn more about the program and ask questions.”
Although the program is still in the “development phase,” Frohnapfel’s future vision for the project includes an online presence where residents can get guidance on starting or growing their business. Frohnapfel noted that there will also be a phone number that residents can call and speak with.
For residents “who are not tech-savvy,” Frohnapfel “hopes” that an Entrepreneurship Ecosystem employee will be available at the County Commission office one day a week to talk to residents.
In the future, the commission hopes to hold breakfast meetings as part of the program where residents can collaborate and connect with local resources to start or grow their businesses.
