The Best Hour You Can Spend on Your Business Each Month

One of the things I hear most from people starting a business around here is that it feels lonely. Your friends are supportive, but they don't really get why you're up at midnight worrying about cash flow or whether to raise your prices. The good news: the Upper Cumberland is full of people who do get it. You just have to get in the same room.

The Entrepreneur's Lunch Club

On the first Wednesday of every month at noon, I host the Entrepreneur's Lunch Club at The Biz Foundry, 114 N. Cedar Ave in downtown Cookeville. It's a working lunch for people building businesses here. Bring a problem, and odds are you'll leave with a couple of people who have already solved it.

Why it works

Advice from someone who has walked the same road in the same town is worth more than any article or video. People swap contacts for bookkeepers, printers and landlords. They find customers and partners. And every month, somebody walks out with the confidence to take a step they've been putting off.

More ways to plug in

Lunch Club is a great start, and it's not the only one. Powered By Her brings together women building businesses on the second Thursday of each month. Start Up: Business Bootcamp walks you from idea to launch over four weeks. And each year I direct the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Conference in downtown Cookeville, with a national keynote, practical breakout sessions and a hall full of people whose job is helping your business grow.

Come have lunch

You don't need a finished business or a polished pitch to show up. You just need to be building something. Find the next date on The Biz Foundry's events page, and come say hi. I'll save you a seat.