For a potential new business owner with an idea, what good does an IDEA Center do?
So you have a concept, some code, a prototype, an online scheme you plan to use to make money… whatever…
How much do you know about running a business? What’s the best business structure for you? Do you have any partners? So many questions that are kinda important…
…in comes the IDEA Center with a pool of successful business people, most local to the community (some semi/retired, some active, …maybe even someone from one of the colleges), maybe even some with knowledge that would prove useful to the new whippersnapper idea person.
Without it be ready to do a lot of Googling for answers; or go to college and get a business degree, tuck that idea away and work on the business plan for about four years.
Without an IDEA Center or personal connections to other business owners, entrepreneurs have to operate on an island which makes the chances of making the best decisions for the business to succeed much harder.
What are good metrics to measure success?
- New IDEA Center Businesses started in Rowan County (each year) based on tax records (set reasonable expectations for the first 3, 5, 10 year goals)
- Total new business taxes paid by IDEA Center Businesses.
- Running total IDEA Center Businesses in town occupying commercial space (units & sqft)
- Number of Black Owned IDEA Center Businesses
- Potential entrepreneurs coming in deciding that starting a business endeavor is not for them (also a measure of success for the IDEA Center)
- I’m sure there are more we can come up with