Edina Innovation Lab – a new program to support local entrepreneurs and businesses – celebrated its first graduating class this past February, showcasing success and growth, according to Chief Innovation Officer Annette Wildenauer.
“Our cohort included nine businesses and 10 individuals,” she explains. “Every one of them made significant progress and learned something. Their business is the case study so everything that we talk about is related back to them. This went really well, and it exceeded my expectations.”
The lab began as a nonprofit program during July of 2022 in response to Edina’s ever growing need to help small business owners. The city and its chamber of commerce are the supporting founders who hired Annette to create it.
“While I was constructing Innovation Lab, I realized that there isn’t a lot of help out there for second-stage businesses, those who have been running for three years and proven a profit,” she says. “I wanted to focus my efforts on this untapped market. These businesses deserve a place to go and make connections.”
Annette is an experienced entrepreneur and comes with years of teaching experience.
The lab’s primary option is called BIG, Business Innovating and Growing. BIG is a six-month program with courses in business fundamentals, including finance, marketing, relationship management, sales, human-centered design, legal, accounting, media marketing strategies, employment recruitment and human resources.
“BIG is really for those businesses that feel stuck or just don’t know what to do to take them to the next level,” Annette says. “It’s a way to talk to other people that are in the same place you are. Talking to other actual entrepreneurs is so different than getting advice from a spouse or friend.”
Each BIG cohort meets twice a month for two hours and can have a maximum of 10 participants.
“Every group has different course work based on what the participants need help with,” Annette says. “I tailor the classes to them and develop the curriculum over time as the sessions go on.”
She continues, “Every time we meet may look different, with interesting topics of discussion and business speakers, but we will always do a learning activity with something that they can think through to apply to their own business.”
The first group included:
-
Beth Grant, Beth Grant Interiors, from Edina.
-
Nadine Gross, Vuefinder, from Minneapolis.
-
Umut Kaplan, Coccinella, from Edina.
-
Darren Kelley, Devine Shine Home Cleaning, from Minneapolis.
-
Rachel Michael, Rachel Michael Styling, from Maple Grove.
-
Sheila Mozaney, Hale LSE Architects, from Minneapolis.
-
Samantha Nelson, Brave Girl International, from Atwater.
-
Dietrich Nissen, Inherited Stories, from Edina.
-
Hannah West, Buttermilk Basin, from Spring Lake Park.
-
Stacy West, Buttermilk Basin, from Spring Lake Park.
“This group really formed a close knit, trusted partnership with each other,” Annette explains. “It was fascinating how quickly they came together because none of the businesses are competitive. In each BIG group we do, we never have competing businesses. That wouldn’t make for a productive environment.”
Umut Kaplan of Coccinella said his BIG experience has opened his mind to all kinds of opportunities, including how to introduce his products to new clients, develop an effective online marketing strategy and grow his team to serve new customers. Umut was born and raised in Turkey, and came to the Twin Cities as a college student, quickly falling in love with his new home. Today, he runs Coccinella, a retail store that sells rare olive oils from his family’s olive grove and beautiful cotton products imported from Turkey.
To find out more about Coccinella, visit coccinellastore.com.
Another satisfied BIG participant is Beth Grant of Beth Grant Interiors.
She says, “Participating in BIG has been life changing. It’s helped [me] think strategically about all aspects of [my] business, [including] pricing, marketing and managing day-to-day operations, all while finding ways to keep the passion alive that motivated [me] to start my business in the first place.”
Beth is an interior designer who creates environments tailored to the personalities of her residential and commercial clients. Check out bethgrantinteriors.com to see her latest projects.
Edina Innovation Lab holds all meetings at The E, where they are currently building out a lab and office space. The E is located at 7301 Metro Blvd., Edina.
“We plan to move in by June 30 and are super excited about it,” Annette says. “Since we are a nonprofit organization, we thrive on grants, loans and donations. The new office space is all possible because of a loan agreement approved by the Edina Housing and Redevelopment Authority.”
At this new location, Annette plans to run more cohorts simultaneously and other shorter courses.
“More space allows for more courses,” she explains. “We are developing mini courses that will be based on purpose, leadership and other related business topics.
In the purpose course, business owners will build a purpose statement, implement a plan and find ways to engage others in their journey. The leadership program will be run by a curated leadership council that believes in sharing their skills to better meet the needs of the business community.
“I’m very excited to see where Edina Innovation Lab will be in one year as well as where we grow to serve in the next,” Annette says. “We are ever changing and I’m [currently] instructing my second cohort right now. This group has totally different businesses and it’s so interesting.”
For more information about Edina Innovation Lab or to sign up for a cohort, visit edinainnovationlab.com. The cost for each BIG program is $6,000 per person.