Business boot camp to connect mentors, advisors with prospective business owners
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POCATELLO — A trio of local entrepreneurs want to help connect fellow east Idahoans with necessary training and access in the development of their own businesses.
Alex Arreola, Lisa Brian and Denis Clijsters own their own businesses, each in different fields. But together, they run Squared Co-working Space inside of Pocatello’s Station Square.
There, they rent workstations, for as cheap as $50 per month, to those who have designs for launching a business or are running a business in its infancy stages.
“We’re trying to build a community of entrepreneurs and business owners — kinda like an incubator,” Arreola told EastIdahoNews.com.
Along with creating an atmosphere for business development, part of the Squared approach to improving the community is connecting potential business owners with training, networking opportunities and mentorships. Therein lies the genesis of the Squared Business Boot Camp.
For one week, from March 21 through March 25, Squared will host a collection of experts and advisors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The bootcamp will cover everything from planning and structuring to advertising and marketing.
Unlike other, similar programs, this is not a seminar, Arreola explained. Rather than listening to a parade of speeches, then leaving the week with only notes taken, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with the experts and advisors, to create their own network and gather information pertinent to their specific situation, Brian added.
“We thought, what a great way to help our community, and those that are looking to build a business or make their business stronger,” she said. “They can come in with just an idea. And when they’re finished, they can go out with a working business plan and hit the ground running.”
Anyone interested in the bootcamp can register online at SquaredBusinessBootcamp.com. Registration costs $800, but anyone who registers before the end of February will get a $300 discount.
Arreola, Brian and Clijsters have each gone through the rigorous task of launching a business, and understand full well the types of snags a young entrepreneur can find, and the benefits that can come from this sort of program.
For Clijsters, a good lesson to take into the early stages of business planning is the understanding that the task is too much for a single person. He said that he learned early on that he had to lean on those around him, and realizes that a great deal of prospective business owners, due to a tight financial situation, attempt to take on too many roles.
“You’ll waste a lot of time (learning you can’t do everything),” he said. “Your talent is not in everything — you probably have one talent, focus on that and give the rest to people around you.”
In addition to the bootcamp, the Squared team will be hosting a pitch event on May 12.
With a setting similar to that of the hit TV show “Shark Tank,” investors will listen to business pitches from those in attendance. While no money is guaranteed, and this event will not name “winners” and “losers,” a pitch could earn a significant investment.
“We have some pretty big money coming in to just listen,” Brian said.
Specifics for the pitch event have yet to be finalized. Registration will be made possible for that event when the details are ironed out.
The bootcamp, as well as the pitch event, fall into a plan for the east Idaho community.
A question Brian often asks herself is, “Why do all the smart and talented people in east Idaho have to go to Boise or Salt Lake City to look for business investments, or leave the area to launch their businesses?
If all goes as planned, she believes east Idaho and the Station Square building in Pocatello, where these events will be held, could become an epicenter for such endeavors.
“The vision for this building is, really, to become a business hub — where people can come from outside the area, create a business and find connections.”
Anyone interested in learning more about Squared or the events can go to the company website, or follow it on Facebook.
