FEATURED ENTREPRENEURS UPTOWN KITCHEN The National Restaurant Association estimates that roughly two-thirds of each dollar earned is allocated to food, beverages and labor for a restaurant. This figure does not include cost of facilities, equipment or the learning-curve needed to meet regulatory standards.
Her idea stemming from a business class at Calvin College, Kelly LeCoy soon acquired the seed capital needed to create a kitchen facility that helps food inspired entrepreneurs create their own culinary venture.
Food-preneurs Get a Kitchen their own facility, Kelly recognized the model as a way to cut costs for emerging culinary talent locally. She thought the business model would be ideal for a place like Grand Rapids, and so, Uptown Kitchen was born.
Kelly’s business, Uptown Kitchen, aims to cut those initial financial and learning costs for the budding food-preneur. In addition to being an incubator, the business helps early stage entrepreneurs start their own restaurant or catering company, without the need to raise substantial startup capital.
LeCoy bridged her time in Chicago, working for Rogers Park Business Alliance, and brought RPBA’s artistic approach to business back to Grand Rapids. She worked with small businesses that connected her with neighborhood organizations and the local economy; which propelled her to base her business in Eastown.
Having gone to a pop-up restaurant in Chicago’s thriving culinary scene, a temporary restaurant where young chefs can get exposure without the need for
After winning the 5x5 event, where five contestants vie for a chance at $5,000 for the best presentation and idea, she took the money and went to work. “After
LAUGHFEST
What do 55,376 people, 925 rubber chickens, 228 events, 10 days, worldwide media coverage, and Grand Rapids, MI have in common? The answer: social entrepreneurship.
Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids (GCGR) celebrated its 10th anniversary by flexing its entrepreneurial muscles with Gilda’s Laughfest. Gilda’s Laughfest is an example of successful social entrepreneurship geared toward increasing cancer awareness and benefiting the numerous cancer, grief and support programs offered through GCGR. Volunteers serve as the majority of the talent base for nonprofits and social entrepreneurship ventures, creating some unique challenges. The development of an organization’s volunteer base is typically condensed into a 1-2 hour sessions, because volunteers are temporary or contracted for specific events. As this is the case for many organizations, finding that talent development can pose a much larger problem.
winning the competition, things became real,” Kelly continued, “I knew I would own my own business, but not this quickly.” Uptown Kitchen is expected to open this November.
Tailoring Talent Recruitment in Social Entrepreneurship For nonprofit organizations, talent recruitment could be considered a type of fundraising, a process known as friendraising. In 2010, each volunteer hour was nationally valued at $21.36. Having recruited more than 1,000 volunteers, Laughfest saved $21,360.00 in potential personnel expenses. Based on the numbers, this figure is comparable to early stage seed capital offered by investors, angels and incubators; the difference lies within the method of delivery – the people. Nonprofits and social enterprises lack the ability to hire and compensate a large staff, so they rely on volunteers. Hurdles that are foreign to traditional for-profit businesses, because the recruitment process relies not only on quality, but also quantity. The issue of recruitment for social enterprises becomes Laughfest 2012 a question of marketing. is slated for March 8th – 18th
Laughfest is a great example of how the power of community, social media and a good cause can resonate with people all around the world. Furthermore, it depicts the recruitment strategies and successes of social entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations as a potential standardized model for sizeable talent recruitment projects. Gilda’s Laughfest revolutionized the power of word of mouth with talent recruitment, by focusing on the impact of a smile.
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