Demystify Entrepreneurship In The First-Ever Rural Colorado Workshop In Montrose

After working long hours in a Michelin-Star kitchen, James Fogerty found that not everything has to be made with fancy ingredients. With a drive to create “culinary masterpieces” through comfort food, James founded Trinidad Waffle Company. But James had never started a business before. With 24+ years of experience in the restaurant industry, his knowledge of practical business concepts was limited. Thanks to the help of the Demystifying Entrepreneurship: Rural Colorado Workshop Series (RCWS), James has learned the needed business and entrepreneurial skills to help his business succeed. 

“The workshop provided practical tools that I can use right away to develop my business,” says James Fogerty, a self-proclaimed “fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants” type of person. The RCWS workshops gave him valuable takeaways that he applied to his business.

RCWS is a progressive five-year program, where participants meet over a weekend every year.

Year 1 & 2 - Launch Your Idea
For anyone with a business idea. Develop the framework to turn your idea into a business. Learn to create value, avoid common pitfalls and get funding to turn your idea into reality.

Year 3 & 4 - StartUp to ScaleUp
Designed for small businesses and aspiring business owners. Learn how to shift your business out of the startup phase and into "what's next."

Year 5 - Shore Up
Enhance your business. Learn to focus on the most important parts of your business to amp up creativity, marketing, and finances by leveraging must-know tactics to show the world what your business can do.

RCWS Heading West

On April 28th, the Deming Center will be traveling to West Central Colorado for the first-ever RCWS in Montrose, Colorado. Run by Region 10 and the West Central Small Business Development Center (SBDC), RCWS brings award-winning professors from the Leeds School of Business to help support the growth and development of entrepreneurs and businesses in rural Colorado communities. With promising small businesses and entrepreneurs, who knows what businesses will be launched? 

“The highlight of this workshop is that it breaks down entrepreneurship into tangible steps,” says Chelsea McGuire of Steamboat Springs, who founded The Whole Self, LLC. “You will walk away with the tools and confidence to know where to start.” 

Mariana Cevallos, a participant in the program who launched Alluvia Packraft, values the networking aspect of RCWS especially. She says

“There’s not a lot of big networking events outside of the big cities; it’s a completely different pace here. Getting to know other entrepreneurs who face similar challenges provided a network of support I didn’t have before.”

The support from her local community, as well as the guidance of the RCWS workshop, allowed Mariana to set herself up to plant the seed, stir creativity, and hit the ground running. By growing her entrepreneurial toolkit, she was able to successfully follow her passion and take advantage of her unique business idea. 

Over the next five years, the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship is so excited to see the entrepreneurial development in Montrose County. If you or someone you know is interested in attending this event, learn more and register here!