Brainerd Area Small Business Owners Meet Up for ‘Entrepreneurs on Tap’

Small business owners and entrepreneurs in Crow Wing County can learn more about networking and receive training on best optimizing their businesses at Entrepreneurs On Tap. The meetings are a collaboration between the Brainerd Lakes Economic Development Corporation (BLAEDC) and the North Central Small Business Development Center and take place at a different brewery each month.

BLAEDC and the North Central SPDC launched Entrepreneurs on Tap to kick off 2024. The partnership between the two organizations is an easy one, considering the two share similar missions in striving to improve economic growth in Minnesota.

“It’s hard to find a partner who is both knowledgeable and has connections, but is also willing to roll up their sleeves and work,” said Katie Heppner, North Central SBDC Regional Director. “[BLAEDC] became a satellite center of ours in 2020, and since then it’s been so great to deepen that relationship.”

Entrepreneurs on Tap focuses on engaging and connecting with Crow Wing County’s business people, as both BLAEDC and the North Central SPDC know that good business ventures can come from anyone and anywhere.

“I think rural Minnesota sometimes gets a bad rap like nothing is happening here,” stated Heppner. “When you look at inventions and people coming up with ways to be innovative and solve problems, often it’s people with less resources who have to be more creative.”

The event is held the second Wednesday of every month with a new topic discussed every session. From things like AI for small businesses to growing with Google, both seasoned business owners and new entrepreneurs alike can use the information for their ventures and start-ups.

BLAEDC Executive Director Tyler Glynn said, “Recognizing what’s available at a state level, at a local level, even at a regional level, where do grants come from? You know, how to grants impact a business? Is there public funding opportunities? There are opportunities that are at the state level that might help a woman-owned business get off their feet, make a minority-owned business get off their feet.”

While the topics may change for each Entrepreneurs on Tap event, one central concept both BLAEDC and the North Central SPDC always stress is networking, as it can be difficult to appeal to customers and sell your product if no one even knows who you are and what your business is.

“It gives them the ability to work through and ask the right questions to the people that are dealing with the same things they’re dealing with,” explained Glynn. “And it’s extremely valuable when we can go down this and offer these networking opportunities and really building a community. So it’s fantastic from our standpoint to put the right people together and let them learn from each other.”

The next topic on tap will focus on non-traditional lenders and will be held at Woodlore Cider in Brainerd on October 9th.