July 29, 2024
This paid article is sponsored by Startup Sioux Falls.
The right person, the right place, the right time.
Jessica Meyers’ startup is focused on helping people who want to live in rural communities find jobs that will make it possible.
For the founder, Startup Sioux Falls became the place of choice several years ago when he looked to launch PorchLight and participated in the CO.STARTERS Core Accelerator program.
“CO.STARTERS was a big boost for me,” Myers said.
“At the time, I was working on my business idea while working full time. I started by understanding the system, and through CO.STARTERS, they explained in detail about the free services available, such as the SBA and SBDC (Small Business Development Center). This was very helpful for my business.”
Startup Sioux Falls began offering its CO.STARTERS Core Accelerator program in early 2021. Since then, the organization has conducted 26 cohorts across South Dakota and produced 338 graduates. This is the second phase of Startup Sioux Falls’ proven program process, which continues from the pre-startup to startup to growth phase.
“This program gives you the benefit of a proven process and framework for building a business and delivers it in an easy-to-use way,” said Jeff Hayward, program manager for Startup Sioux Falls.
“We are fortunate to have so many successful founders and CEOs in our community who are willing to give their time as facilitators for this program and provide tremendous value to our participants.”
Each week will kick off with a guest speaker, other founders and professional service providers “who will provide a wealth of information and resources,” he continued.
“And finally, we will support all participants with a coworking membership and access to our new EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence Program) for the duration of the program.”
Each 10-week course is limited to 16 participants. The next course begins Sept. 10 and will be taught by Melissa Johnson, founder of several businesses including Oh My Cupcakes!
“We’re also going to focus this cohort heavily on founders who are starting small, local-scale companies — think retail or local companies that are scaling in more traditional ways rather than tech, bio, cyber,” Hayward said.
For more technically minded founders, the innovation-led company CO.STARTERS Core cohort will be held in the spring.
Typical participants in CO.STARTERS Core are pre-starters or within the first two years of starting their business, but it can be broader than that. This program is suitable for you if:
You’re a new business owner who wants to make sure you’re set up for success. You’re a seasoned entrepreneur looking to launch a product or service. You’re a small business founder looking to build a solid, sustainable system.
For Myers, “it seemed like everything I needed,” she said. “Each week there was a specific topic to start on, which was exactly where I was in my business. So I used each week’s topic — articles of incorporation, accounting, branding — as my homework and got really into it.”
CO.STARTERS Core helped her hone what’s called an “elevator speech” to focus on her mission and succinctly explain what her company does.
Porchlight is “focused on local workforce development,” she explained, “We help job seekers update their resumes and prepare to interview for jobs. We also partner with businesses to help them recruit the local workforce, and we also partner with communities to help them prepare for the 21st century workforce through community assessments, housing surveys and strategic planning.”
Hayward said there are several examples of CO.STARTERS Core participants who have seen the program help grow their businesses.
“An alumni who spoke at our Founders Day this spring said it best: they’ve seen a 30 percent increase in revenue year-over-year since completing CO.STARTERS,” Hayward said. “And this isn’t a one-time thing. We’ve seen growth at nearly every stage of business among program participants, from idea to startup, startup to full-time operation.”
Here’s a little bit of that story:
Porchlight has seen similar success. Shortly after finishing CO.STARTERS, Myers began winning contracts, and her connection with the SBDC helped provide the seed money to help her quit her full-time job and start her own business. “In 2023 we really started to hit the ground running,” she said.
Last year, Porchlight paid out a $750,000 payroll to the rural community, which has an average population of 4,800, but in the first six months of 2024 “we’ve already doubled that amount, which is great and we’re very proud of it,” Myers said.
Even as she expands her team to four, she continues her involvement with Startup Sioux Falls.
“We all worked remotely and I was the first founder in the Startup Building downtown, which was a lifesaver for us because we had a private meeting space,” she said. “It was so helpful not having to meet at a coffee shop as a team. I vividly remember writing our first few contracts and sending them out to clients at Startup Sioux Falls. It’s a really great place for solopreneurs and early-stage businesses.”
Now she’s starting to look for her first outdoor office space, but is using Startup Sioux Falls not only as a workspace but also as a networking environment.
“Startup Sioux Falls is a great resource for the Sioux Falls community, it really is,” Myers said. “They’re starting great companies and the connections with the network and education are amazing. We wouldn’t be half as successful without the startup community.”
For more information on PorchLight, click here.
To join the waiting list for our next CO.STARTERS program, click here or contact us by email. [email protected].
