Andrea Johnson/MDN Mary Beth Votava, Minot center director of the ND Small Business Development Centers, speaks about Start Up Minot Academy during a press conference on Thursday. Behind her are Randy Conway, MSU Severson Entrepreneurship Academy; Kevin Black, Creedence Energy, Chamber EDC Board member; Mark Lyman of the Minot Area Chamber EDC, Lyndsay Ulrickson, Souris Basin Planning Council, and John MacMartin, President/CEO, Minot Area Chamber EDC.

Networking and education for entrepreneurs will be the subject of a cohort-based 10-week class called Start Up Minot Academy and a night of networking that will both be offered starting next month.

“Advice cannot be replaced,” said Mary Beth Votava, Minot center director of the ND Small Business Development Centers, during a press conference on Thursday at the Minot Area Chamber EDC.

Start Up Minot Academy will be offered through a coalition of regional business organizations and is intended to “invigorate, encourage, and entice entrepreneurs in the Minot region.” The coalition includes ND Small Business Development Centers, Minot Area Chamber EDC, Minot State University Severson Entrepreneurship Academy, Strengthen ND, Creedence Energy, Souris Basin Planning Council, Dakota Business Lending, and others.

Votava said Thursday that education, fellowship, and mentoring are all key elements to starting and developing and maintaining a successful business.

For the first year, each session of the Start Up Minot entrepreneurship classes, which will use a curriculum called CO STARTERS, will cost $100 per person. The class would normally cost up to $1,000 but a reduced price is possible thanks to support from sponsors including the ND Small Business Development Centers and others.

Hands-on classes will meet one day a week for three-hour sessions. Classes will include guest speakers and problem-solving activities. Half of the first class has already been filled but there is still room for others to sign up. The first class will start on Jan. 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with the second class starting in May and the third in September of 2022. Classes will meet at the Carnegie Center in downtown Minot. People can register for the class online at www.minotchamberedc.com/doing-business/start-up-minot/ There will also be a monthly networking night on the second Thursday of every month at the Carnegie Center. The first networking event, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 13. A Facebook page has also been set up at www.facebook.com/startupminot

“A large part of our success as a community and state comes from the success of new and existing businesses in our region,” said John MacMartin, president of the Minot Area Chamber EDC, in information provided by the Chamber. “The Start Up Minot coalition and its efforts to teach entrepreneurs, and provide a networking event within our region, will go a long way to growing what is already a great business environment into an even better business environment.”

“The North Dakota Small Business Development Centers is proud to be a key financial supporter and coalition member for this start-up group supporting companies and the entrepreneurs who are starting, managing and growing their business,” said Votava in information provided by the Chamber. “We feel strongly that both the Start Up Minot Academy and the Start Up Minot networking event will be useful tools for growing the ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs and business owners in the region.”