Many startup companies survive their first two years in business only to plateau shortly thereafter. Next month, the Chattanooga Area Urban League and the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) will bring an exciting program to Chattanooga to provide a solution to this problem. Called Next Level, this program will support 15 business owners with more than 1,000 hours of intensive business consulting and classroom instruction. Started in Boston, Next Level has produced impressive results in major US cities.
Liza Soydan of the Urban League and Ivette Rios of TSBDC discuss why Chattanooga has been selected as one of the country's first mid-size cities to implement Next Level and why small business owners need to take advantage of this opportunity. Local sponsors of Next Level include Lyndhurst Foundation, BrightBridge Capital, and other organizations.
Also on this episode, Kelly Fitzgerald of Society of Work (SOW) will talk about the changing face of today's workplace. Many entrepreneurs prefer utilizing shared work environments to keep costs low and to stimulate social interaction and networking. Kelly also programs SOW with many fun events and learning opportunities for tenants.