GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Our 'A Path Forward' initiative is focused on connecting people in the West Michigan community with resources that can help provide a solid foundation for the future.
SpringGR, a local nonprofit, was built on a similar ideology. It's in place to offer guidance to those looking to create a business or boost their brand.
"We're simply fulfilling dreams," said Jermale Eddie, the organization's director of business growth. "We often say that we're more than just a business program. I would add to that and say we're a family.”
SpringGR is a 14-week business accelerator program. The individualized course walks participants through ways to not just get their idea off the ground, but keep it running successfully for years to come.
"Many of us are all practitioners, as you say, you know, in higher education," Eddie said. "We're also business owners, or we had a business. So we understand the ups and downs. We understand, sometimes you feel like you're hot when you feel like you're not. We understand all of those things."
He added, "Entrepreneurs feel like they're the only ones. It's lonely out there. There's some things that you can't just openly talk to everybody about, that maybe friends or family may not understand. But to be able to have, again, a family, SpringGR, to be able to talk to while you're in the program, and as an alum of the program, is really key."
Charity Townsend is a graduate of the program. In October, she'll celebrate the two-year anniversary of her own business, The Social Suite & Rental.
“When I went in, it was just an idea that I had," she said. "I wasn't sure where to start. They gave me the resources that I needed. Like (Eddie) said, I feel like it's more of a family. I was welcomed into a family that's there for me to support me. Even after graduating, I'm able to follow up, call them if I have a question. If I need resources for something, they're there to help me out along the way."
SpringGR also provides the same business course in Spanish as a way to uplift a section of the community that sometimes faces increased barriers to entry.
For More A Path Forward coverage, click here.
You can also check out our list of community resources available to help in West Michigan.