All Categories - The Lightning Jar

Week Two! - Kunlek's Journey

1/18/2020

Hi Everyone!

My second week has been wonderful at The Lightning Jar!

Joelle and I met Jim Verzino, an entrepreneur who has co-founded many socially responsible businesses focused around energy, waste management and workforce. I learned a lot about the challenges for entrepreneurs in Vermont because of its many geographical locations, but also the opportunities the "Vermont" branding in the US market. Jim has already become one of my role models looking at his many contributions to the community and the environment.
I am also really happy with our success at organizing “Buzzword Bingo!” at TLJ this past Tuesday evening. We were joined by James Salerno (Hale Mountain Research and BAM - Bennington Area Makers) and students from Bennington College who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs. The event was planned to be both educational and fun. Sharing lots of laughs with food and drink, we learned a lot watching TED Talks and Shark Tank videos, but we also learned the most listening to each others opinions and dreams. The TED Talks on what happens when you answer SPAM was a highlight getting many laughs and hearing about a man becoming an entrepreneur at 66 was inspiring. Why don't we have a "70 over 70" list?! Thanks to James and his generous gift donations, everyone went home a winner with awesome prizes!
I also had an amazing opportunity to sit in on the interview for the Working Communities Challenge grant. The team who applied was a collaboration of different organizations from the Bennington community. It filled me with great happiness to see so many like-minded people putting a huge effort to fight the issues of generational poverty in Bennington and thinking beyond - to make a change in the bigger economic system of the community.
On Friday, Joelle and I were invited to speak about The Lightning Jar at the Bennington Rotary Club's January meeting on Friday. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to share our vision with rotary members and thinking of how we can collaborate to build a Bennington as an entrepreneurial hub focused on improving the quality of life.
In the last two weeks, I have met so many awesome people, and all of them have made me see the wonders of the Bennington community. Each day I am finding one more reason as to why the Bennington community is the best. Thank you to all I have met over the past two weeks of my journey, I can’t wait to keep meeting new people and also working with those who I have already met.

I hope to see you on January 27th at The Lightning Jar (12-1pm) for the Financial Planning Basics workshop hosted by The Lightning Jar and VSECU.

Bennington College Student - Field Work Term My Journey @ The Lightning Jar

1/10/2020

My name is Kunlek Tenzing and I come from Nepal. I am a student at Bennington College. My studies are focused on “Social Entrepreneurship”. I am interested in finding ways on how one can provide a platform for rural farmers to become entrepreneurs. Currently, I am an intern at The Lightning Jar (TLJ). TLJ is an entrepreneurial center in Bennington that provides a coworking space, resources and connections for startups, students, creative minds or anyone who needs help making their business dreams come true.

I started my internship from the 6th of January and I can’t believe how many awesome entrepreneurs I have already met in the last 5 days. All of them are doing amazing work contributing to the local economy of Bennington. I met Kevin (marketing guy) at one of the events ("Joe w/ Jo"), and we had a conversation on different ways to reach different age groups. I met Laurie, a branch manager at VSECU, from whom I learned the values and mission of VSECU in environmental protection, energy efficiency and social goods in Vermont. I also met Kate, a well being psychologist who helps entrepreneurs figure out how to enjoy their work and keep stress manageable. And my mentor Joelle Greenland, director at the Lightning Jar, who took every free second of her time to teach me something new from business planning to leadership skills.

The Field Work Term of Bennington has given me a wonderful opportunity to be engaged in the real world - it allows me to put my knowledge into actions. It has also helped me to connect myself with the town and increase the sphere of my network with people of similar interests. I am really happy to be part of TLJ and really excited for what's coming next. Stay tuned for next week's post - Week 2!

Happy New Year! - Top 40

1/10/2020

As we launch strongly into 2020 (can you believe it's 2020?) I wondered what could really be useful to our community of entrepreneurs?

I recently was talking with with a former boss/friend, who I always considered more of a mentor, with a door that was open to all, and an infectious laugh that was accented by his Tennessee drawl. He even pushed a lemonade cart down the halls of our department just so he could hear how people were doing and what he could do to help them in their jobs. He knew the importance of strong working relationships and how loyalty was developed in a company. If Norman was getting a cup of coffee in the kitchen he'd be the first to greet you with a huge smile and say, "what great things are in store for you today?"

To say Norman is a prolific learner and reader would be an understatement. He reads more than any person I know - and the perfect person to ask "what book would you recommend on this subject?" Over the course of almost a year, Norman set a goal for himself to deliver the very best article, every business day, and finish with a weekly review of the best books he'd read. The culmination of this work lead to his list of The 40 Best Books of Striving Strategically. Found at his blog Striving Strategically, the list is his way of providing, "the most useful thing you’ll read on any given day based on what I curate from my own research." I don't know about you, but I have very little time to sit down and read a 200 page (or 20 page) book on leadership, efficiencies or performance measures. Hence Norman's expertise - his ability to read and unpack the essence of what an author is trying to convey in a manner that is understandable. He has written hundreds of book reports, chock full of condensed knowledge - knowledge that he gladly shares with others searching for answers.

So, I now share this amazing list "The 40 Best Books of Striving Strategically" with you - because sharing and spreading knowledge is important at The Lightning Jar - it's what builds and supports an entrepreneurial ecosystem filled with creative people wanting to learn, create and build.

Here are the first 20, but all 40 provide amazing insights. Hope they prove helpful in making your business dreams come true - Happy 2020!:

The Best Book On Strategy: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy ;
The Best Book For Decision-Making: Sources of Power;
The Best Book To Cure “Busy”: Essentialism;
The Best Book For Self-Improvement: How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big;
The Best Book To Understand Data: Naked Statistics;
The Best Book For Lean Management: The Lean Startup;
The Best Books For Understanding Purpose: Man’s Search For Meaning + Bad Blood ;
The Best Book For Second-Year Managers: First, Break All The Rules;
The Best Book For Fixing Your Worldview: Factfulness; and
The Best Book For Confronting Issues: Difficult Conversations The Best Book For Introducing Business Strategy: Playing To Win
The Best Book For Creating Change: Switch;
The Best Book To Introduce Behavioral Economics: Nudge;
The Best Book For Making Change Successful: Transitions;
The Best Book for Examining Our Motivations: On Desire;
The Best Book To Know What To Say: Words That Work;
The Best Book To Understand Uncertainty: The Black Swan:
The Best Book For Organizational Development: Work Rules! ;
The Best Book For Negotiation: Never Split The Difference; and
The Best Book For Starting A Data-Driven Practice: Lean Analytics

Are You Making a Dent?

12/23/2019

When you read the title of this blog, did you think Steve Jobs or what might have happened to your car when you didn't pay attention backing out of a parking spot during holiday shopping? If it's the latter than be prepared to read about how my life pivoted a year ago. A year ago, my family and I moved from Colorado to Vermont. You heard that right - we left Colorado. TWICE. Once in 2008 and again in 2018. A lot of things transpired in 2018, but one of the biggies was coming across this quote from Steve Jobs, who tragically passed at age 56. "We're here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?" How true.

So, I began to ponder this quote, ALOT. I had turned 50. Yes, I also put that in print, and thought, if I only had six more years on this Earth - what would I have done to make a difference? There's a reason, as Jobs puts it, why we are all here. And then I decided - it was time to make a dent and to make some big changes. To start taking big risks, calculated risks, and saying "YES AND - ".

Things started to magically fall into place as if I magically opened up a portal to the way I wanted to live my life - you know the kind of life where you lose track of the date and day. But it doesn't matter, because you're living every day fully whether it's a weekday, weekend, or whatever. I digress, but here's the point, ask yourself, "Are you making a dent in the universe?" Are you truly doing what you love to do? Because if you are - does it show in your business? Do your customers know why you do what you do?

But let's return to Jobs and why a lot of entrepreneurs look at how he built Apple. Simon Sinek, another one of my favorite people and the author of "Star With Why" (a must read) summed it up really well in his article, "Why Entrepreneurs Love Steve Jobs" which you can read here. Sinek talks about how Jobs created a company that just didn't create computers, but rather a company whose products became symbols for a set of values and beliefs. While much can be written about Jobs' work ethic and always surrounding himself around people who shared his beliefs, Sinek states that in order to lead like Jobs you have to have three must-have characteristics: 1) Clarity of why you do what you do; 2) Discipline of how you do it; and 3) Consistency of what you do. I couldn't agree more. If you know they why, then the how and the whats will fall into place easily. So, are you making a dent? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS & HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The First Thirty-ish Days - Meaning of Entrepreneur?

12/6/2019

It's been 34 days at The Lightning Jar and even that is not really accurate - it's the "at" that is the misnomer. My point is that while I've only been at the helm for 34 days, I've had the most amazing time visiting other co-working spaces/innovation hubs, and meeting people who have shown me a whole new world (e.g. Middlebury, Albany, Troy, Burlington, Springfield, Hartland, Keene). It's a world filled with creative thinkers, risk takers and those seeking to fulfill entrepreneurial dreams. (And yes, I always have to think and visualize how to spell the various forms of entrepreneur until I see that red line disappear and I know I've spelled it correctly.) So let's talk about that - what does the word "entrepreneur" mean? According to Merriam-Webster, entrepreneur (noun) means: one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise. Hmmm, that's not how I would describe the incredibly talented entrepreneurs I've met these past 34 days. How about we give Entrepreneur.com a try? According to Steve Tobak's article, "The True Meaning of Entrepreneur" (entrepreneur.com/article/244565), being an entrepreneur is not a job. He then states, quite strongly, that anyone aspiring to be an entrepreneur should paste the following equation on his/her smart phone, mirror or wherever you will see it most:

ENTREPRENEUR + CAPITAL = PRODUCTS + CUSTOMERS = BUSINESS

He goes on to provide some examples of real world entrepreneurs (CEOs of Snapchat and Whole Foods), but concludes with you can't be a successful entrepreneur by just wanting to be one. You begin by identifying a customer problem and a product that solves it. The next step - capital. Then make the product, market it and gain customers. Of course, I would interject that many, many iterations of this process will ensue (and a lot of necessary failures), but, after a lot of determination, and with an insatiable need and passion to create your product, you'll become what Tobak sums up this way: "Someday you’ll wake up and realize what you’ve become: a guy who took a risk, started a business, and made money. An entrepreneur."

What do you think? What does "entrepreneur" mean to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts (joelle@lightningjarvt.com), or give a call at 802-321-3070 to arrange a tour of The Lightning Jar. We are always eager to talk to those who are creative, have great ideas and who want to be an "entrepreneur".

Cheers - JSG

"Meet the Director" Event & Other News

11/8/2019

Thursday, November 14, 2019, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM @ The Lightning Jar

Come meet Joelle Greenland, the new Chief Entrepreneurial Director of The Lightning Jar!

Whether you're a current member, past member, community stakeholder or just someone interested in what we do here, please join us to learn more about what we do. Joelle will talk about her vision for The Lightning jar as well as some of her ideas for programming, workshops and networking events. She is also eager to hear ideas and suggestions on how The Lightning Jar can make its members more successful. Lite hors d'oeuvres will be served along with a cash bar, with benefits to current members.

Special thanks to Tomasi's Sports & Awards for being a sponsor.

Please access this event from our entrance located on Depot Street. Should you have any questions, please feel free to email joelle@lightningjarvt.com

Shires Young Professionals/The Lightning Jar
Holiday Mixer/Networking
December 10, 2019 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. @ LJ

LJ members come meet up with the Shires Young Professionals for a evening filled with engaging conversation, games and laughter. Food and fun and a great way to meet new people and learn some new things.

DID YOU KNOW????

The Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) offers no-cost expert assistance to small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Are you ready to start or grow your business? VtSBDC can help. Since 1992, it has provided no-cost professional expertise and guidance to hundreds of business owners. It combines one-on-one confidential advising with training programs to give clients the tools and insight they need to reach their business goals.

The VtSBDC's goal is to help you make informed decisions so that you can grow and sustain your business over time. It can assist with startup planning, financing, marketing, financial management and operations. Find out more at www.vtsbdc.org

The local Bennington SBDC Area Business Advisor is Nancy Shuttleworth, who meets with clients at the Lightning Jar. Interested? Email Nancy at nshuttleworth@vtsbdc.org.

Stay tuned as The Lightning Jar will be working with Nancy to bring trainings to the LJ in 2020.

"There is no elevator to success...You have to take the stairs" - Simon Sinek

New Startup802 Entrepreneurship Course Offerings

10/18/2019

What is an entrepreneurial mindset?
What does it take to succeed?

Being an entrepreneur is a lot more than simply creating or managing a business. Develop the skills and mindset needed to recognize opportunity, innovate, explore creative ideas, and learn what it takes to start a business.

Startup 802: An Entrepreneurial Mindset

6 Weeks | Wednesdays, 6:00-8:30 pm | January 22 - February 26, 2020

Classes held at The Lightning Jar, CCV & Local Businesses.

Startup 802: Small Business Marketing

9 Weeks | Wednesdays, 5:45-8:45 pm | October 16 - December 11, 2019

Classes held at The Lightning Jar and CCV-Bennington.

To register, contact Nicole Stetson at CCV-Bennington: (802) 447-2361 or nicole.stetson@ccv.edu

Instructors

Robert Braathe of BE Your Start is a speaker, educator and mentor delivering engaging, interactive presentations on topics such as Marketing, Communications, Human Resources, Education, and more. His years in management with Disney, Gap and Apple as well as his 12 years as a business consultant and startup consultant give him unique perspectives on a wide array of topics. He has also mentored entrepreneurs through consultations, accelerator programs, college classes and high school programs.

Startup 802 Startup, Small Business and Idea Showcase

3/1/2019

Wed, March 13, 2019, 6:15 PM – 7:45 PM @ CCV

Stop by Community College of Vermont to meet current and recent students of the #Startup802 program and other friends in the startup community. Event will be held on the 1st floor in the Community Room. Refreshments and snacks will be available

Join Robert Braathe and his CCV students for the final night of their 8 week Ice House Entrepreneurship class to learn about their ideas and businesses.

Format of event is similar to a trade show or “poster session”. Stop by anytime between 615 and 745 to walk around and see 8-10 startup ideas in progress.

This is NOT a pitch event, and there are no formal presentations. Participants will be at various stages of the formation process, so walk around and give them feedback on their progress.

Companies / ideas include:
Kamryn's Closet
Event Player Live
The Beyond Gallery - coming soon to Bennington, VT
United Aircraft Technologies

Register here.

Free Workshop on Self-Employment

2/25/2019

Plan to make more money or turn your hobby into a business!

You are cordially invited to attend our FREE workshop, “Exploring Self-Employment” to be held at Bennington Free Library. On Tuesday, March 19, 2019, we will begin at 10:30 am and end about 1:30 pm. The library is located at 101 Silver Street in Bennington. You are free to bring a beverage and/or snack.

Are you curious what it takes to start a business or need some guidance toward self-employment. We will help point you in the right direction to your success and help you stay on target, so that you can become self-employed. BROC Community Action’s Business Counselor will provide an interactive, fun workshop with many resources available to you.

Perhaps you or someone you know is looking at self-employment. Please feel free to share with friends and colleagues.

Registration is requested and greatly appreciated, but please arrive about 15 minutes early if you were unable to pre-register. Please call (802) 665-1744 or email ahoyle@broc.org.

We look forward to helping you achieve your goals and dreams.

There will be a drawing for a door prize!

Entrepreneurship and Small Business Thrive in the Shires

1/13/2019

Vermont Wooden Mill - Manchester, VT

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SMALL BUSINESS THRIVE IN THE SHIRES DUE TO COMMUNITY
Written By Cherise Madigan in partnership with the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce

Starting a business can be intimidating, overwhelming—even risky. But here in The Shires of Vermont, the prospect of entrepreneurship becomes much less daunting when you consider the community full of resources and support committed to helping you succeed.

With a wealth of guidance, training opportunities, and professional networks on the local, regional, and statewide levels, it’s no surprise that small businesses have a legacy in the Green Mountain state. Here in Bennington county, vibrant town and village centers including downtown Bennington, Manchester, and Arlington have long been lined with shops and services built the Vermont way—from the ground up. And with such close-knit communities nestled in these mountains and valleys, those businesses often find their most significant support from their own friends and neighbors.

Read the full story here.