TRAVERSE CITY — 20Fathoms is hosting a series of startup bootcamps in Northwest Michigan to help aspiring entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful businesses.
According to a June 5 news release from the nonprofit startup incubator in Traverse City, it is holding its next bootcamp beginning on June 17 in Elk Rapids offering participants a chance to learn essential business skills.
The bootcamps are designed to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed, covering topics such as customer discovery, marketing and financial modeling.
“Each community we work with is just that – a community,” said Shiloh Slomsky, CFO and Tribal Liaison at 20Fathoms. “Participants are often looking within their communities and creating what’s missing.”
Delaney Keating, Director of Entrepreneurship at 20Fathoms, noted the importance of these bootcamps as a first step for communities to engage with small businesses and startups.
20Fathoms offers two main bootcamp programs: the Startup Bootcamp, powered by CO.STARTERS, and the Indigenous Business & Marketing Essentials program.
The Startup Bootcamp uses the CO.STARTERS curriculum to teach business fundamentals over two or four days, while the Indigenous program incorporates cultural elements tailored to Indigenous entrepreneurs.
Jessica Gilbert from Grow Benzie praised the collaboration with 20Fathoms, highlighting the benefits of combining local resources with expert coaching.
“We’ve had such a great experience working with 20Fathoms for both the open office hours and bootcamp programs,” Gilbert said. “It matches our goal of incubating prosperity in Benzie County without duplicating efforts – Grow Benzie provides program space, advertising, and connections to local entrepreneurs, while 20Fathoms provides the expert coaches, support, and access to capital. It’s a win-win that is helping real people build businesses right here in our community.”
Tammy Willis, a participant in the Indigenous Business & Marketing Essentials bootcamp, found the program enlightening and beneficial for exploring new business paths.
“I think the program was very enlightening,” Willis said. “It gave me ideas and showed me different roads I could go down. If you have a dream, these programs are here to help people and there are always people out there you can ask for help. When you open a business, it means someone else can get a job and more families can put food on their tables.”
The bootcamps are funded by a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, allowing participants to attend at no cost.
Entrepreneurs often find the peer support and community building aspects of the bootcamps to be invaluable, with some forming ongoing meetups to continue their collaboration
By providing education and support, 20Fathoms is fostering a culture of entrepreneurship in Northwest Michigan, helping to launch new businesses and strengthen local communities.
The upcoming bootcamp in Elk Rapids is another opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to gain the skills and confidence needed to succeed.