TULSA, Okla. — One local program is helping teach local entrepreneurs about the business world.
It's called Grow Academy, and it's offered through the Tulsa City-County Library system.
Grow Academy might be a good option for those wanting to start or improve their skills at running a small business.
"It's really attempting to help new entrepreneurs or people who have a business idea, but they're not entirely sure what they want to do or how to do it," said Aubrey Naiman, the economic and community development librarian at the Central Library Research Center. "It's helping them, you know, use the resources that we have here at the library and letting them know that they exist, right? 'Cause there's quite a few that we have, and a lot of people just aren't aware of them."
"We really want to let them know that the library can support them in this venture," she said.
One entrepreneur 2 News spoke with is an early childhood educator. She wants to start a business to coach teachers and childcare staff in social and emotional learning.
"I was just going on YouTube, on Google, [searching] how to start a business? What do I need to start a business? How is the LLC process? You know, just like a lot of questions," Bibiana Gallegos said.
"My degree was not in business," she added. "I just didn't really know what to where to start. And so, when I stumbled upon Grow Academy, it was like perfect."
Halfway through her time in the 10-month program, Gallegos told us Grow Academy was already helping her build up her know-how.
She mentioned that the program is not just teaching these entrepreneurs about running a business. One advantage an in-person program has over online tutorials is networking.
"I went in for the knowledge. You know, I wanted to learn about more about how to run a business," Gallegos explained. "But, I would say that one of the biggest benefits of being plugged into Grow Academy is that you are plugged in to other business owners here in Tulsa. You are plugged into all the resources, to all the right people, just the connections that you're making."
The program offers various classes to the cohort throughout the 10-month run.
According to Grow Academy, each class is split between tips from industry experts and teaching students how to use free library resources to gather data for a business plan and market research.
Classes happen one Saturday each month at the Central Library, running from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The current 55-person cohort started back in October 2023 and will graduate in August 2024. This is the program's second-ever cohort, with the 10 people in the first cohort graduating last September.
Before graduating, the entrepreneurs will hone one of the most vital skills in business: pitching ideas.
"The pitch preview is an opportunity for the students who are going to be graduating to give their pitch presentation," said Naiman. "So, we have classes for them that help them learn how to do that."
One upcoming class, for example, will teach people how to use PowerPoint, something that Naiman noted many people need help with.
When making their final pitches, she said, "We will bring in people from the community that will listen to their pitches and then help provide them some information on, you know, how this would be perceived if you were actually talking to an investor. And so, that way, once they get to that point, they've got some feedback."
Grow Academy is free to TCCL cardholders.
There are limited spots, however. So, for those interested in signing up, click here to view more program details.
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