If you’re looking to kick-start a business, but you have no idea how to go about it, you’re in good company. Knowing the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and developing a business plan is not for the faint of heart — financials, target markets, competition, income statements and forecasts/milestones are only the tip of the iceberg. This is where programs like LaunchAPEX and LaunchCARY come in — providing an entrepreneur bootcamp for potential business owners, free of charge.

Both launch programs were modeled after LaunchDETROIT, a successful community building program created in 2013. The program provides access to business development classes, business loans (or grants), mentoring and networking opportunities. Although LaunchAPEX and LaunchCARY have a few key differences, both initiatives exist to launch successful entrepreneurs within their communities.

Since LaunchCARY’s first class in 2019, 70 students have participated and 14 successful businesses have been launched. Since 2018, LaunchAPEX has had 65 program graduates and launched 58 businesses.

In addition to helping potential business owners, launch programs also assist those who are looking to take their existing businesses to the next level.

“My first year in business was focused on just learning how to run a business, how to network with other business owners and getting in front of my ideal clients,” said Sherrie Medeiros, owner/founder of First Impression Home Staging. “Having never owned a business, this did not come easy to me! Fortunately, I heard about LaunchCARY, and I was thrilled to be accepted into the program.”

During her time with LaunchCARY, Madeiros received guidance in creating a professional business plan, understanding financials, identifying her ideal clients and finalizing her pitch. Additionally, she was assigned a mentor to work with her one on one, even beyond the program. Two years later, Madeiros’ mentor still regularly checks in on her growing business.

“Since graduating in March of 2020, our revenue has grown exponentially. We have been meeting our revenue goals set with the assistance of our mentor and are on track to exceed those goals in 2022. In October 2021, we even purchased another staging company, growing our warehouse of inventory to over 5,000 square feet!”

These success stories are not uncommon. Executrixie, a business offering services for the preparation or execution of end-of-life planning and decisions, is owned by Louanne Caspar, a graduate of LaunchAPEX’s first cohort (class) in 2018. Now a successful business owner who serves on the Advisory Board for Launch Apex, Caspar describes LaunchAPEX as a mini MBA over the course of 10 weeks.

Wearing “grad” gimmick glasses, LaunchCARY graduate Debra Davila holds her certificate between program manager Barbara Bostian and program teacher Bob Stapleton.

“I wanted to be a whole-picture person who was able to see my blind spots, and the program definitely highlighted that for me,” said Caspar. “I would definitely recommend this program to others. It has provided me with education first, but secondly, a sense of community — especially when I’m struggling with something. Apex is just expanding and growing so quickly, so to have a bit of grounding with what is going on in the community has been really, really helpful.”

Like all launch programs, LaunchAPEX is a team effort — a network of local partners provides a broad range of support and resources to participants. Joanna Helms, the economic development director for the Town of Apex, was there at the program’s infancy.

“The Town of Apex found out about it because our original program manager, Sharon Galluzzo, served as a mentor for the LaunchRALEIGH program,” said Helms. “They gathered a group of very Type-A personalities from our two rotaries, the chamber of commerce and the economic development department, and we all met with the Wake Tech representative, our training partner who provides the curriculum and the training for the program. Every community does it differently, but the town early on wanted to put staff into it because they realized it’s a lot for a volunteer to do.”

Audhilakshmi Nagaiah receives her graduation certificate at LaunchCARY’s graduation event at Dorcas Ministries.

Barbara Belicic, the current program manager for LaunchAPEX, is excited to be involved with bringing the community together and creating a better economy.

“The program consists of 10 classes that usually start at the very end of August,” said Belicic. “We hold them once a week, and they’re three hours in length. Mentorship is the process of matching each cohort member to a mentor, and the mentorship program lasts about five months. We’re actually moving the graduation from November (when the class ends) to June, after the mentorship period ends, because we want to stress to the cohort how important mentoring is. Following graduation, each graduate will receive a free year of membership from the Apex Chamber of Commerce.”

LaunchAPEX partners have collaboratively reached into every corner of Apex, resulting in beautifully diverse classes every year.

“If you look at our class profile, there’s no typical student,” said Helms. “That’s something that I’ve personally been most proud of, because we made a concerted effort to make sure everyone within the community had the information and knew about the class.”

Although anyone can apply, potential business owners need a little bit more than a dream to be accepted into an existing launch program. According to Helms, there’s a big difference between “I have a great idea” versus “I’ve done my research and I have subject-matter expertise.” While you don’t need to have a finalized business plan, you do need to have a concrete idea in place.

LaunchCARY student Ashley Carrington hugs classmate Alice Hancock during the graduation ceremony at Dorcas Ministries. With help from the program, Carrington has started a cultural arts event planning company called RNRW Enterprises.

Unlike the program in Apex, LaunchCARY reports to Dorcas Ministries, the program’s foundational organization. The Cary Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Clubs of Cary are involved in recruiting mentors, providing verbal and financial support and facilitating training sessions. Like other local launch programs, LaunchCARY partners with Wake Tech for the training curriculum and business planning software.

“Dorcas offers all kinds of assistance, but right now they’re really focusing on helping people achieve a living wage,” said Barbara Bostian, the program manager for LaunchCARY. “They wanted to start an entrepreneur program, and when they found out that Wake Tech was sponsoring these launch city programs, it was exactly what they were looking for.”

Interested residents have the opportunity to attend one of three information sessions. Typically, LaunchCARY has 30+ applicants that apply on the website, but the spots are competitive and highly valued. Interviews are typically conducted via Zoom in November, when potential business owners are asked to share their ideas and commit to attend all 10 classes. Classes begin in January and end in March. Participants are matched with a mentor following graduation.

LaunchCARY graduates celebrate completion of the small business incubator program at Dorcas Ministries graduation ceremony.

In addition to gaining a mentor, graduates also have the chance to participate in a pitch contest, hosted by the Cary Chamber of Commerce (a la “Shark Tank”).

“The pitch contest provides graduates the opportunity to refine their delivery of their business plan and receive a financial grant award to help launch their business,” said Mark Lawson, President of the Cary Chamber of Commerce and Cary Economic Development. “Each participant in the pitch contest gets a time slot of 2–4 minutes for their presentation to the panel of judges — this includes any questions, style points for passion, a compelling story and creativity.”

In addition to the grant awards, the Cary Chamber offers the five finalists a complimentary table at the Chamber Small Business Expo, providing the winners some good business exposure to the community.

“I say we’re volunteers, but we get more back from seeing the perseverance of these people and how nothing deters them,” said Bostian. “You hear it in my voice, and I will sing this to the hills — you’re empowering people to do what they’re meant to do, while also helping their community. There’s nothing better than that.”

For more information on how to apply for and/or donate to these two programs, visit launchcary.org and launchapex.org.

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