Categories for Informational Resource
November Venture Fair & Its Success
Earlier this month, 3 Steps to Startup’s November Venture Fair was another successful 2021 event bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, and other West Virginia stakeholders in a virtual summit to exchange ideas and grow by learning from experienced entrepreneurs and investors. The venture fair picked up where our March event left off. In March, we heard from Intuit Chairman of the Board, Brad D. Smith. If you attended our November Venture Fair, you heard from Mitch Carmichael, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, when he discussed the importance of entrepreneurism for the West Virginia economy and how our[...]
3 Steps to Startup’s November Venture Fair is a Can’t-Miss!
At 3 Steps to Startup, we are excited to present an opportunity to attend our free, virtual venture fair on Tuesday, November 16th, from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm. Our second venture fair of 2021 builds upon the work we did earlier in March 2021 at the 3 Steps to Startup Venture Fair. If you missed our March event, all recordings are accessible here. What exactly is a venture fair? A venture fair provides the opportunity for entrepreneurs, funders, economic developers, and other startup stakeholders to gather and share information. The goal of a venture fair is to match small[...]
Celebrating Women-Owned Startups In West Virginia
This month at 3 Steps to StartUp, we want to take the time to recognize the progress that West Virginia women-owned businesses are making in our communities. In December of 2020, West Virginia ranked 11th for its percentage of women-owned businesses! At 3 Steps to StartUp, we are proud to recognize the hard work and promising futures for two women-owned startup companies here in West Virginia. Below, learn about these local, women-owned businesses and our involvement in their successes. Reid Miller Reid Miller is the founder and CEO of her self-named apparel line, which makes high-quality, classic wardrobe staples for[...]
LIINC Up with 3 Steps to Startup!
LIINC Up with 3 Steps to Startup! This month, 3 Steps to Startup will host two “LIINC” events: Linking Innovation, Industry, and Commercialization. These events are designed to allow hopeful research entrepreneurs access to business acumen and venture capital while simultaneously allowing those in the private sector to collaborate with a researcher in an area of interest. The two LIINC events will take place virtually on October 6th, 2021, via West Virginia University, and on October 20th, 2021, via Marshall University. Researchers are essential members of the entrepreneur community. At our virtual LIINC events, 3 Steps inspires collaboration between researchers[...]
Five Reasons Networking is Vital to Your Startup
Whether you’re a natural or not, networking is truly vital when you’re starting a business. 3 Steps to Startup recognizes this necessity! We offer five reasons why you should focus your efforts on networking from the startup process to the day-to-day operation of a business. Access to Resources, Including Venture Capital Networking quite literally means expanding your “network” of people, creating links as you go. Those in your network are resources for you to contact when you find that there’s something you can’t accomplish on your own. Connections can put you in touch with their connections, and the network[...]
Big Ideas from Small Towns: Rural Entrepreneurship
It has historically been tough to get a business going in rural America. With current obstacles like the COVID-19 pandemic affecting ventures across the board, things have been even more difficult for startups in small towns. A statistic shared in early 2020 (pre-pandemic) showed that startups in rural communities make up only 12% of all startups (compared to 20% in the 1980s). Rural entrepreneurship poses some obstacles that big city entrepreneurship doesn’t. Finding capital is a big issue for entrepreneurs everywhere, but startups struggle even more in small towns. Utility access problems like the lack of access to high-speed internet hinder ventures[...]
Which Type of Entrepreneur are You?
Many agree that there are recognizable “types” of entrepreneurs with specific motivations and specific characteristics. Knowing what entrepreneur type you are can help you fully understand and unlock your highest potential… and it can also help you avoid pitfalls associated with your entrepreneur type. Below, we’ll describe 4 major entrepreneur types so you can see which type matches you – and so you’ll be aware of weaknesses as you pursue your entrepreneurial dreams. The Innovator The Innovator is solution-driven. Innovators are typically enthusiastic and creative, offering innovative (hence the name) solutions for currently existing problems or even problems consumers don’t know[...]
New Law Brings New Opportunity for West Virginia Companies
Effective July 1, 2021, a law will hit the books in West Virginia, making it possible for mixed waste processing and resource recovery facilities to be developed across the state. In turn, this could mean economic development across multiple sectors, with innovation in one area spurring innovation across the board. A development like this is encouraging for those pursuing any ventures. Not to mention the support of economic growth in general. Overall, it’s good to be aware of the ways our state is pressing forward. SB 368 is already on the radar of companies like BioHiTech. BioHiTech operates an advanced resource recovery[...]