New Entrepreneur Resource Studio offers free services for Ypsi business owners

The Ann Arbor SPARK East Innovation Center is expanding its support for Ypsilanti’s small businesses with the Entrepreneur Resource Studio, a new program offering weekly drop-in consulting, co-working space, and tailored technical assistance. Supported by Fifth Third Bank, the initiative kicks off Aug. 21 with an open house and free financial consulting from the bank’s mobile “eBus.” 

“The Entrepreneur Resource Studio builds on existing programming that supports the creation and growth of small businesses in our community,” says Kristine Nash-Wong, director of entrepreneurial services at SPARK East. “Small business owners are incredibly busy, so we want to save entrepreneurs time by bringing pre-vetted, savvy small-business advisors directly to them and reduce cost barriers to this kind of service.”

The resource studio is designed as a one-stop-shop kind of resource for community members to receive immediate assistance and guidance that may not necessarily require attending a full workshop or event series. It aims to improve access to funding for entrepreneurs, as well as business expansion and start-up services like the Entrepreneur Boot Camp. Ypsi small business owners will now also have free access to one-on-one coaching through SPARK’s Small Business Support program, as well as SizeUp SPARK business intelligence software. Nash-Wong says the latter offering will “ensure organizations have the information they need to make critical decisions.” 

“We recognize that in many cases, this initiative will only address one or two specific issues a business owner has,” Nash-Wong says. “An important part of this effort is ensuring that the participating businesses are introduced to the many other resources available within the community to support their growth.”

Laura Berarducci, SPARK’s senior director of development and communications, says SPARK’s relationships with partners like Fifth Third Bank are integral to supporting local business owners. She says SPARK’s “amazing history of success” in supporting business owners helps show partner institutions the value of projects like the Entrepreneur Resource Studio. She hopes to continue building a network of partnering institutions to expand services.

“The ultimate goal on SPARK’s end would be to continue providing services like this to both tech and non-tech small businesses, and create longevity within this kind of support,” Berarducci says. “This is a great resource not just for small business owners, but also Ypsi residents who are looking to learn more about creating financial stability and what resources are available to do that.”

Additional information on SPARK’s small business services can be found here. 

“Ypsilanti has an amazing range of both storefront and home-based small businesses, including entrepreneurship in food, arts, business services, technology, health care, and more,” Nash-Wong says. “We would love to continue to work with partners like Fifth Third Bank to steadily increase the number of businesses we reach with the services they need to start, grow, and thrive.”