[0:00] (pleasant music) [0:01] - It is good idea to help small business [0:04] to grow up in the city. [0:05] - Today we're at Fire Station 3, [0:07] and we're here with participants of Hatch Bloomington [0:11] of the Top 25. CEO Start Bootcamp. [0:14] It's a two-day bootcamp to kickstart entrepreneurs [0:17] and small business owners. [0:18] Hatch Bloomington is a pitch contest. [0:22] 2025 is the second year of the contest, [0:24] and the winner results in a hundred thousand dollars [0:28] to open a brick and mortar location, [0:30] a physical location within the city of Bloomington. [0:33] We've had three cohorts of CEO start [0:36] at the City of Bloomington in partnership [0:38] with Hennepin County. [0:39] This is a 10-week cohort program for entrepreneurs [0:42] and small business owners to learn about themselves, [0:45] their product, their price point, who their customer is. [0:49] This time we're doing it in two days, over 12 hours, [0:53] and so a very condensed version of this. [0:55] - Think about the stages of the business owners that, [0:57] you know, cities are wanting [0:59] to support and uplift. [1:00] They may have a full-time job that pays really well, [1:02] but again, they are then paying to get their business up [1:05] and launched, and getting access to an account [1:08] and getting access to legal support is so costly, [1:11] and that could be the piece that prevents a business owner, [1:14] aspiring entrepreneur to even start. [1:16] - [Barb] So this year for Hatch Bloomington, [1:18] it was important to build in the business assistance [1:21] throughout the process, [1:23] creating community and connections among the participants [1:26] to those resources that are available to them [1:29] throughout our community. [1:30] - [Sam] For the Hatch participants, the goal is for them [1:32] to be feeling more comfortable with their pitch. [1:34] - I was so nervous, everybody could hear it in my tone [1:38] standing up in front of them. [1:39] I was really never a good presenter [1:41] and you'd be surprised how everybody gave me [1:43] really great feedback. [1:45] I feel very confident. I feel ready. [1:48] - I felt like this bootcamp was super important. [1:50] I think I had a very clear vision [1:53] of what I want to execute on. [1:56] I think this bootcamp has allowed me to kind [1:58] of refine it some more, dig a little deeper [2:00] and make sure I'm, you know, dotting my I's [2:03] and crossing my T's when it comes to my plan moving forward, [2:06] as well as how I want to pitch [2:07] and communicate the value of my business. [2:10] - I learned a lot because we have a lot of CEO, [2:15] who have business, [2:18] and we share a lot idea between us [2:22] how we can run our business. [2:25] That made me feel so comfortable. [2:27] - We're hoping that this program sets them up for success. [2:30] I know entrepreneurship is a very hard thing to break into. [2:33] It can be very lonely, but one of the most important things [2:36] that I've seen out of these two days is [2:38] how they're building their own community right now [2:40] in real time, learning about each other, being vulnerable, [2:43] being respectful, and these are all people [2:45] from all different walks of life backgrounds, [2:47] different types of businesses, [2:48] different levels of experience. [2:50] - As we move through the process, [2:51] on August 5th will be our top 10 pitch contest [2:55] at Civic Plaza, and the public is invited to that. [2:59] We also will live stream it. [3:00] You can see the pitches afterwards [3:02] and the community is invited to vote for their favorite. [3:06] Top three is also open to the public on September 3rd. [3:09] - [Sam] It's exciting to see who gets funded [3:11] and even if they don't get funded, [3:12] how do they continue on to get that support? [3:14] And it just gives them a platform of exposure [3:16] and some experience that they need. [3:18] - [Barb] We have city staff dedicated [3:20] to business assistance and we partner with organizations [3:23] throughout the metro area [3:24] to connect businesses with those resources. [3:27] But we also have some programs within the city for that. [3:30] To get connected with us, [3:32] you can contact us at business@bloomingtonmn.gov [3:36] via email, or you can go to our website, blm.mn/business. [3:42] - [Participant] So I think it's done a great job [3:43] of supporting me in refining my skills as an entrepreneur. [3:47] (pleasant music)