Just getting started

North Dakota Women’s Startup Weekend puts focus on female entrepreneurs

BY KRIS BEVILL

Despite bitterly cold temperatures and blizzard warnings, nearly 60 women from throughout North Dakota turned out at the Dakota Medical Foundation in Fargo the night of Jan. 24 to kick off the state’s first Women’s Startup Weekend. The event was just like the Startup Weekend held in Fargo about a year ago with one major exception — this weekend was strictly for female entrepreneurs.

Organizer Dr. Susan Mathison told atten- dees she was inspired to bring Women’s Startup Weekend to the area after serving as a judge at Fargo’s inaugural Startup Weekend event and noticing a lack of women participants. She credited multiple organizers for helping to put the event together, noting that she was pleasantly surprised to find it easy to obtain sponsorships and other support for the event. “I think the business community is really excited to help women entrepreneurs shine their lights,” she says.

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2014 Brave the Shave highlights: ashington. than $330,000. in eight states raised more all, more than 400 people Washington Washington. In Idaho and yoming, Montana, W Wyoming, Dakota, South Dakota, YMCA, Bismarck, ND.

March 2 – Get Your Green On! Zumbathon, Missouri Valley Family YMCA, Bismarck, ND.

, cancer touches us all in one Sadly sponsor someone, volunteer gest. Since North s lar families one and more than $1.08 million has been 1,500 volunteers have shaved their heads

March 7 – Sanford Health Sanford Ritterbush Auditorium, UND Center for Family Medicine, Bismarck, ND.

Missouri V Zumbathon, – Get alley ourY York reinsurance execu Three New and Canada. disease killer of children in the U.S. s the number one worldwide, and it’ children are diagnosed with cancer youngest among us. Every year neighbors, our co-workers, and even the way or another – our loved ones, our one of St. Baldrick’ families have grown this campaign into partners, citizens, and honorees and their Sister or - ork

, 160,000 , cut your ganizations, community , grown s million children with cancer at more than 5,300 volunteers have shaved in solidarity with s lar now the world’ billboard for the cause. St. Baldrick’ saving research, and each is a walking raised more than $131 million for life, these shavees have friends and family Thanks to generous events worldwide.

Are you willing to brave the shave, raised.

March 8 – Bismarck Bobcats St. Baldrick’s night! Bobcats versus Minnesota Wilderness, St. Baldrick’s jersey auction following the game, VFW Sports Center, Bismarck, ND.

St. Baldrick’ s campaign started in 2008 s spark of inspiration. with an employee’

, at 701-557g/campaigns/

.stbaldricks.org/campaigns/ s. Since then, more than 224,000 drick’ so in 2000, they established St. Bal tives wanted to do something about that, bravetheshave. visit www 5624 or email jholen@bepc.com. Or table giving coordinator Basin Electric event planner and chari more information, contact Jen Holen, hair or donate other items? If so, or for -driven gest volunteer s is

March 12 – Kupper Chevrolet, Mandan, ND.

March 12 – Guns N’ Hoses! Law off to raise money and get heads shaved, Blarney Stone Irish Pub, Bismarck, ND. baked goods. Events were held in North on silent auction items and countless andem ou T

2014 event, Missouri Valley Family YMCA, Bismarck, ND. Includes bake sale, silent auction, kids’ activities and other fun.

Since then, Basin Electric’ $94,000 raised and 109 heads shaved.

Tandem out-of-town events:

Brookings, SD – March 28

Brookings Fire Department, East Station.

County

, ND

Mercer County, ND – March 13

Great Plains Synfuels Plant, Beulah, ND.

Campbell County, WY – March 19

Dry Fork Station, Gillette, WY.

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Self-described inventor and serial entrepreneur Kari Warberg Block, founder and CEO of Bismarck, N.D.-based earthkind, delivered an inspiring keynote speech to attendees, providing an overview of her initial foray into entrepreneurship and subsequent years of trial and error before ultimately inventing a product that was developed into a multi-million dollar company. She advised would-be entrepreneurs to realize their capabilities (which she said are often greater than one thinks), understand where they and their product fit, and to know when to say “no.”

Following Warberg Block’s speech, attendees were invited to present a 60-second pitch about their idea/product to encourage other participants to team up and develop their business. Nearly half of the attendees delivered pitches. Ideas ranged wildly from the somewhat traditional to the unexpected. Pitches included an Oil Patch food truck, online distribution services for locally produced products, educational apps and curriculums, and a business to market and distribute decades old manure to gardeners. At just 11 years old, the youngest attendee received loud applause for her idea to develop a magazine geared toward young entrepreneurs.

Of the ideas pitched, eight were developed by teams throughout the weekend and were presented to judges Sunday night. At the end of the intense 54-hour program, the weekend’s winning idea came not from a previous business owner but from a college student who wanted to develop an ‘a-ha’ idea — a nursing table for women, similar to a massage table, to ease the experience for women.

Runners up for the weekend were the manure mar- keting business and the preteen entrepreneur magazine, testaments to the variety of businesses and ideas brought forth over the course of the weekend.

Deb Eslinger, executive director at the Center for Technology and Business in Bismarck, says the event met organizers’ expectations and she hopes to make the weekend an annual event. “I think overall there were a lot of really great ideas pitched,” she said. “There were definitely a lot of viable ideas that can turn to the marketplace and be successful.”

One of the less obvious but perhaps most important components of the Women’s Startup Weekend were the connections made among attendees and with supporters, mentors and potential investors. Organizers promoted camaraderie among the attendees, noting multiple times the benefits of establishing a support group and receiving feedback from established entrepreneurs. As a former business owner, Eslinger said she likes to use that experience to help others and to see their ideas come to the marketplace.

“We’re here to help,” she says. “The great thing about our office is we’re connected to so many great partners across the state. We don’t claim to be the expert in everything but if we know so-and-so could help you better, we would definitely give you a referral and introduce those folks.” PB

Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag.com