Generator intends to plug in entrepreneurs

The Generator in Pine Bluff is offering the opportunity for entrepreneurs to expand their business ideas with their Gentrepreneurship Business Program, a beginning entrepreneurship accelerator.

The Generator is an innovation hub run by Executive Director Mildred Franco and powered by Go Forward Pine Bluff.

Eleven cohorts completed the 12-week program last week, according to GFPB CEO Ryan Watley. They are: Joni Alexander, Saraetta Alexander, Nathaniel Baker, Khadija Bell, LaTisha Brunson, Robbin Hudson, Tabatha

Reeves, Angela Roby, Latasha Taggart, Michael Tatum and Annette Terry.

“This program is about establishing generational wealth for upcoming entrepreneurs,” Watley said. “This is for those considering starting a business, and those who have already started a business but are searching for clarity and a fuller understanding of running a successful business in Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas.”

This 12-week accelerator was delivered in a hybrid format.

The lessons were selfpaced on Accenture’s online platform, with weekly in-person evening meetings at the Generator to discuss and amplify the lessons with presentations.

“This work that has been put forth was very impactful,” Watley said. “This is a strategy to continue to fill the empty store fronts in Pine Bluff.”

Week 1 of the program will kick off with a meetand-greet, understanding the goals of the program and the structure. Week 2 will delve into becoming an entrepreneur and the benefits.

Each week explores a different category of the program from Price, Profit and Cost; Business Financial Planning; Marketing Your Business; Marketing Channels and Pricing; Running Your Business; Protecting Your Business; and Creating Your Business Plan.

The mission of The Generator is to empower makers, dreamers, and doers that generate a thriving and inclusive community by providing space, tools, and programs to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.

Each letter of “generate” represents the Generator’s values: to generate growth, entrepreneurship, networking, empowerment, resources, advocacy, technology, and education.

Located at 435 S. Main, the Generator houses a co-working space, a makerspace and a digital space with the latest in technology. It is a space that creates a fun environment where risk-taking, imagining, problem-solving, discovery, collaboration, and exploration brings the community of Pine Bluff together to learn and grow.

The Generator activities are aimed at:

■ Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Pine Bluff and throughout the region with special emphasis on minority innovators and entrepreneurs;

■ Training the next generation of innovators by providing entrepreneurial education using the Lean Start-up methodology;

■ Serving as a coordinating hub to integrate and efficiently leverage existing entrepreneurial support resources in the region, the state, and the nation (The Generator is a member of the Rural Innovation Network, a program of the Center on Rural Innovation in Vermont, as well as RuralRISE, a nationwide entrepreneurial ecosystem builders alliance);

■ Raising the level of digital skills in the community;

■ Bringing visibility to Pine Bluff as an attractive location for the creation of businesses.

The next phase for those individuals who just completed the program will be an opportunity to pitch their business plan and secure a zero-interest loan of $10,000 with up to 36 months to pay it back— roughly $277 a month.

The next round of applicants will be chosen in the fall.

For more questions or information about the Gentrepreneurship Business Program, email Franco at francomildred@goforwardpb.org.