Sahuarita 'Business Launcher' Helps with Local Start-ups
Local residents who want to find out what it takes to start a new business or need help fostering their entrepreneurial ideas, look no further – Sahuarita wants to help. The town is partnering with the Arizona Center for Innovation to bring a startup incubation program to those in the Green Valley and Sahuarita area looking to launch the next big thing. The free new business launcher will have several phases, which are meant to address a need in the community and encourage local growth, Sahuarita Economic Development Manager Victor Gonzalez said.
He said the idea to help those who are just getting started stemmed from the town’s BizEdge competition and Shark Tank event that helps grow established businesses. “There’s been a number of companies or individuals that have expressed interest in being part of the Edge program but didn’t qualify due to number of employees, years in business or revenue,” he said. “So we found there’s a real need by aspiring entrepreneurs and startups for something like the Edge.”
The Center for Innovation, which is run through the University of Arizona Tech Park, has specialized events and knowledge that help provide assistance for companies that are incubating, Gonzalez said. The center has put on previous workshops in the town which have led to this larger program. The first phase will be a one-day “boot camp” to give anyone interested in starting a business or launching a startup some of the tools and resources to make their idea come to fruition.
“We invite anyone who is starting a business or is an aspiring entrepreneur, and we will expose them to everything they need to know to get started,” Gonzalez said. An eight-week training course meant to provide everything needed for a new business to succeed is also planned. The entrepreneurs will attend a once-a-week class for three hours over two months, with individual mentoring time provided to clients based on needs and status. “It’s not sector-based, you don’t have to tech-related startup; the programming is applicable to anyone who wants to start a business,” Gonzalez said.
Funding opportunities and connections to other resources will also be made available to those taking part. Everything is paid for thanks to a $9,500 grant from Freeport McMoRan, which the town council thanked for its support at its Feb. 25 meeting.
“We know that many startups are here in Sahuarita and want to grow, and a lot of that work has happened because of Victor,” Vice Mayor Kara Egbert said. She said the programs provide the knowledge businesses need to increase income and expand to other locations. The town is hoping more than a dozen potential business owners show up for the one-day boot camp April 23, and at least half of those interested continue to the eight-week courses.
“I think if 15 aspiring entrepreneurs take part in the boot camp, and a number of them continue on into the mentoring and incubation process, that’s a good solid number for a community our size,” Gonzalez said. He said supporting startups continues the town’s goal of fostering and cultivating employment.
“We know our local businesses play a big part in that. If they are operating more efficiently, if they are managing finances better, then they stay in business,” he said. “We feel there are opportunities within our entrepreneurial community to foster what could be our next major employers,” he said, pointing to local startups Control Vision and Hydronalix.
“It’s a good strategy for us economically, working to attract new companies and industry, and growing those opportunities locally.”
