WKU Innovation Campus hosts small business summit

BOWLING GREEN, Ky . – Innovation and entrepreneurship are the driving forces for many cities. Commerce and economic goals. And in Bowling Green, helping those take a step into the unknown and starting their own business is very important.

At the WKU Innovation Campus, the Central Region Ecosystem for Arts, Technology and Entrepreneurship, of CREATE, held a small business summit to do just that. Each business has its own needs, but experienced businesspeople can offer advice and resources to those building a business. You need to be around other entrepreneurs, people that understand what you’re going through.

“They understand the struggles they understand the pains. Secondly, you need access to resources like today. You know, a lot of us are mentors. And so we’ve offered our services to these these folks that are new and entrepreneurial is and the state has shown up and, you know, offered tax incentives that are available and things like that. And so, you know, one, you need to find that tribe and find that network. Secondly, access those resources. And I think that’s what we’re out to accomplish here and create with the small business on this at the Innovation Campus is to give people access to the tribe, give people access to those resources,” said CEO of UnDesked Jeremy Jacobs.

And while the business field is naturally competitive, especially when it comes to clientele, funding and other aspects of the industry, making sure new entrepreneurs are successful is not only good for them but for the industry and community as a whole.

“The more that we support one another, partner with one another, create successful businesses. Those businesses scale those entrepreneurs will want to invest some of what they’ve earned in other businesses. And so you start to see wealth get generated, opportunities get created, and that happens when people are partnering with one another, supporting one another, mentoring one another, investing in one another. And we’re seeing that, spirit of collaboration really grow here in south central Kentucky,” said Sam Ford, an Innovation Fellow with CREATE.

And not everyone can do it alone, which is why the Small Business Summit and the Innovation Campus have proved such an asset to the south-central Kentucky community.

“I think it’s hard to run, build, scale a startup, no matter who you are, no matter how many times you’ve done it. But if you’re trying to do it in a silo, all by yourself, without people who’ve learned lessons, without people who can help you, that collaboration becomes key because sometimes it’s just somebody who’s been through what you’re going through,” Ford said.

With Warren County and Bowling Green expected to grow tremendously in the next 25 years, building a strong small business and entrepreneurial base will be crucial to grow along side the the growing city.