Thursday, August 4, 2011

Working Wednesday: Choosing a Business Incubator

According to the National Business Incubator Association, there are 1200 incubators in the United States.
For their website, see: http://www.nbia.org/

Here are some websites for Ohio's incubators. They may have duplicate information:
http://www.gaebler.com/Ohio-small-business-incubators.htm
http://www.development.ohio.gov/technology/edison/tiedincu.htm
http://www.entrepreneurohio.org/Mapresults.aspx?showall=y&groupby=area&hideeventonly=y

These websites are by no means conclusive. I have worked with several incubators in and around Ohio that are not on any of those websites. What I am demonstrating is the fact that cities, large and small, are on board to support entrepreneurships in Ohio. Most likely, they have chosen certain business sectors to back, both funding and business counseling wise. These are not "pie-in-the-sky" ideas. These are ideas that have been thoroughly researched, prototyped tested, data collected, ready to be marketed products.

How does an entrepreneur choose a business incubator? There are some guidelines for you. See: http://www.medcitynews.com/2011/07/choosing-a-business-incubator-how-to-go-about-it/. I do disagree with a comment in the article--not paying for space. The ones I am familiar with do charge. The charge is minimal, usually can be negotiated depending upon the circumstances, and is based on several criteria. But this is business, not a handout. This is a responsibility and is modeled after a business plan.

Look around your region. Usually incubators are sponsored by some form of government, but not just cities. Also consider Community Investment Corporations, better known as C.I.C.'s. Many will take only a certain type of business as mentioned above. Network with similar entrepreneurs as yourself and perhaps form a group to approach a city manager.

An article that gives good advice: http://www.medcitynews.com/2011/07/choosing-a-business-incubator-how-to-go-about-it/

This is the time. Good luck!

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