There’s Nowbusiness.growingscienceatoathere’s a lab. . Businesseswhoinnovateandgrow.
Where entrepreneurs can experiment with new possibilities. Learn from successful business leaders. And find the catalyst they need to accelerate their growth.
It could be an insight that powers an innovation. A conversation that sparks the right connections. A big idea that crystalizes into a big opportunity.
Welcome to BIG.Businesses who Innovate and Grow. Created by the Edina Innovation Lab.
“ Even if you’re on the right track, if you just sit there you’ll get run over.”
Imagine an environment where that happens by design.
Suddenly, the needle moves. Waves of energy are unleashed. And a business’s potential for success shoots right off the charts.
Many businesses are stuck due to limited resources. BIG has the resources to help guide you and your business forward.
Will Rogers
It all starts with a catalyst.
Samantha Nelson Brave Atwater,GirlMN
A successful entrepreneur and change maker, Samantha is passionate about helping women own their voice and presence in the world. Four years ago she started Brave Girl, a social innovation club that designs and implements new solutions to empower young women.
Taking Brave Girl from start-up to the next stage was a bigger challenge than Samantha anticipated. She felt like she was spinning, and needed help to develop programming, fundraising, and other key pillars of her organization. BIG is enabling Samantha to breathe new life into her vision and overcome the sense of aloneness she felt as an entrepreneur.
Working closely with thought leaders, industry experts, other business owners and each other, participants in big can access the support and guidance they need to take their business to the next level.
Where are the resources for entrepreneurs who need help growing and innovating their companies?
“ This group and the programming have helped breathe life back into a vision I know is going to change the lives of people in my own backyard, as well as people from the other side of the world.”
BIG (Businesses who Innovate and Grow) is a unique program designed to accelerate business growth and success.
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It’s a question we heard time and time again from owners of small and medium size businesses struggling to master the challenges companies face in the ever-changing business and economic environment. Until now, the individualized coaching, mentoring, and hands-on support they were looking for simply did not exist.
Samantha Big participant
At each meeting we immerse entrepreneurs in an interactive and collaborative environment where they can learn from renowned business leaders, ask questions, discover new perspectives, and gain real world insights and skills they can put into practice immediately.
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Now, imagine multiplying the impact of this synergistic approach by the number of entrepreneurs and businesses involved and you begin to see the cumulative power of big.
Our curriculum evolves organically as entrepreneurs ask questions, implement new learnings, and bring updates back to the group.
BIG is designed around individual and group learning opportunities, with a curriculum covering essential business fundamentals, along with deeper dives into tools and programs specific to individual needs, including: Finance
There are four questions we ask after each session that keep us grounded. What did I learn? What does that mean for my business. How can I apply that? What else do I need to learn?”
Sheila Big participant
• Marketing • Relationship Development • Sales • Human-Centered Design • Legal • Accounting • Creative Problem Solving • Purpose • Leadership • Media Marketing Strategies • Employee Recruitment/Retention • Human Resources • Specific Participant Challenges • Customized Learning
Just as each business is unique, big is customized to address the unique needs of each participant.
Their business becomes the case study.
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Our mission is entrepreneurshelpingachieve theirs.
Beth Grant Beth Grant Interiors
Beth says participating in big has been life changing. It’s helping her think strategically about all aspects of her business, from pricing and marketing her services, to managing day-to-day operations, while finding ways to keep the passion alive that motivated her to start her business in the first place.
Edina, MN
As an interior designer, Beth creates stunning environments tailored to the personalities of her residential and commercial clients. But when it came to growing her business, Beth Grant Interiors, she needed help designing a strategy tailored to her own goals.
Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy. Not only do small businesses provide two-thirds of U.S. jobs today, but they also account for nearly half of our annual economic activity.
https://serpwatch.io/blog/local-business-statistics/ StatsBusinessSmall+Local 01Searches for “local + business” have increasedyearoveryearbymorethan 80%. 02Numberofconsumers shop locally to boost the localeconomy 70% 30 NumberofAmericansthatshopatalocalstores at least once a month 54.81% 40 iBusnesseswith>500employeesintheprivate-sector workforce 47.5% 50 lSmal,locally-ownedbusinessesinUS economy 44% 01 “Local + Business” searches have increased year over year by more than 80% 02 Consumers who shop locally to boost the local economy 70% 03 Americans that shop local stores at least once a month 54.81% 04 Businesses with >500 employees in workforce 47.5% “ BIG is helping me see how other creative entrepreneurs successfully navigate the same challenges I’m facing.” Beth Big participant Sources: serpwatch.com and Business News Daily, August 12, 2022
A community that invests in its local businesses is truly investing in its local, regional, and global future.
03 Shop Local 54.81% of Americans shop at a local at least once a month
Equally important, because small businesses are more nimble than large corporations, they are the ideal environment for experimenting with new business models, new innovations, and new solutions to the challenges we face.
05 Small, locally-owned businesses in US economy 44%
Small businesses make a big impact.
02 Local Boost 70% of consumers shop locally to the local economy
04 Private Sector Businesses with >500 employees for 47.5% of the private-sector workforce.
05 SEO Stats
Small, locally-owned businesses account for 44% of the US economy.
According to the latest local SEO statistics, searches for “local + business” have by more than 80% year over year.
01 Local + Business searches
When small businesses thrive, so does a whole network of other local professionals, including marketers, accountants, lawyers, real-estate agents, and more.
Darren says big is helping him gain the kind of real-world business insights they didn’t teach when he earned his business degree. It’s also enabling him to brainstorm with other local entrepreneurs, grow his network, and make some great friendships along the way.
Darren Kelley Devine Shine
Darren’s experience playing division one football taught him how to think on his feet and power through any obstacle. Those skills have served him well as an entrepreneur in the cleaning industry. Since 2019, Darren’s company, Devine Shine, has provided premier cleaning services to a wide range of commercial, residential, and Airbnb clients.
Home Minneapolis,CleaningMN
Imagine seeing an instant return on your investment.
When you realize the light in someone’s eyes is the spark of an idea burning with unstoppable passion. And you were the catalyst.
Your support can make a difference right now – on a local, regional, even global level. We see it happen all the time.
Whether you’re sharing your time, your expertise, or financially supporting the work we’re doing, you’ll get back more than you give.
When a flash of inspiration ignites a chain reaction of exciting new opportunities. And you were the catalyst.
Because every experiment in our lab transforms lives—the lives of our participants, our partners, and our community.
Paul Mooty Vice Chairman and Partner, Faribault
When a mountain range of insurmountable challenges melts into a series of easily scalable hills. And you were the catalyst.
Mill
“Great things in business are never done by one person,” Steve Jobs said. “They’re done by a team of people.” Join our team. And be the catalyst.
“ BIG takes the best of a mini-MBA program and a business accelerator and combines it with the personal attention of a business consultant. There’s really nothing else like it. ”
We’re asking for your financial support today. Please take a moment and discover the different ways you can be a catalyst with your tax-deductible donation.
Samantha Nelson
Hannah West
Darren Kelley
Umut Kaplan
Nadine Gross Lori Syverson
Samantha Nelson Brave Girl International Atwater, Minnesota
Beth Grant
Stacy West (Not shown) Buttermilk Basin Spring Lake Park, Minnesota
Darren Kelley
Beth Grant
The Innovation Lab Team
Hannah West Buttermilk Basin Spring Lake Park, Minnesota
Devine Shine Home Cleaning Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dietrich Nissen Inherited Stories Edina, Minnesota
Annette Wildenauer Chief Innovation Officer Edina Innovation Lab
Lori Syverson EdinaPresidentInnovation Lab
2022-23 Participants
Rachel Michael (Not shown) Rachel Michael Styling Maple Grove, Minnesota Sheila Mozaney (Not shown) Hale LSE Minneapolis,ArchitectsMinnesota
Annette WildenauerDietrich
Nissen
Meet cohort.01our
Nadine Gross Vuefinder Minneapolis, Minnesota Umut Kaplan Edina,CoccinellaMinnesota
Beth Grant Interiors Edina, Minnesota
For more information please contact: Lori Syverson, President Edina Innovation Lab c:lori@edina.org612.386.8411 o: 952.806.9063 Annette Wildenauer, Chief Innovation Officer Edina Innovation Edina,7201c:annette@edina.orgLab612.670.5750o:952.806.9062MetroBoulevard,Suite520MN55439 edinainnovationlab.com BIG. businesses who innovate and grow is a program of Edina Innovation Labs
