The Beyond Startup workshop series was launched by Bounce Innovation Hub in October 2024, designed for entrepreneurs looking to expand their skills and knowledge to scale their businesses effectively. The series ran through the end of last year, holding 5 total workshops with topics ranging from building a brand identity to sales prospecting.
Over 70 unique attendees participated in the interactive workshops in 2024 where facilitators, selected through Bounce’s expansive network, guided founders through best practices and next steps in their given subject matter.
Elyse Ball, VP, Programming for Bounce worked to create an engaging atmosphere that could not be as easily replicated through online courses. Beyond Startup attendees are encouraged to ask questions throughout the workshop, as well as follow up with facilitators and Bounce staff for additional support.
“That’s where the magic happens; you can learn a lot of skills online, but the reason we wanted to do an in-person workshop format was so that people would engage with one another and the facilitator in a meaningful way,” explained Elyse.
Now, in 2025, Elyse and the Bounce Programming Team are taking feedback from 2024’s workshop attendees to build upon the series’ strengths and provide new opportunities for founders in the community to grow their business. One thing that was learned from early workshops is to provide additional “office hours” for attendees who would like to follow up or need additional support with a new program or concept.
One of the largest priorities for Beyond Startup in 2025 is to continue to identify and hire facilitators in relevant areas of expertise. Workshop subjects are chosen based on a combination of both industry and community trends to serve the widest variety of Akron-area entrepreneurs in the areas where they need the most support.
“The caliber of facilitators we’ve been able to get through those networks speaks to one of the reasons that entrepreneurs should engage with Bounce because the networks you can gain here can be very powerful,” said Elyse.
In addition to skills and resources crucial to any business’ success, attendees can expect Beyond Startup to cover new and emerging opportunities like effectively utilizing artificial intelligence within the processes of a start-up in 2025. Other topics for this year’s workshops include CRM management and human resources compliance.
Stay up to date and register for future Beyond Startup workshops by visiting Bounce’s Eventbrite Page here: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/beyond-startup-workshop-series-3654639