LUMBERTON — Entrepreneurship is alive and was on display Wednesday at a 1 Million Cups event at the Biggs Park Mall.
Sponsored by The University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Entrepreneurship Incubator, the events are a forum for emerging business owners to tell their story, to network and to learn from others. One Million Cups is a national movement founded by the Kaufman Foundation with the goal of “caffeinating an entrepreneurial nation.”
Three entrepreneurs pitched their business plans to people gathered in the Biggs Park Mall atrium. All three are engaged with the Entrepreneurship Incubator for consulting on a range of issues, from licensing to marketing.
Robin Johnson of Lumberton would start a party store with turnkey event planning services.
“I have a history of party planning,” she said. “I see an opportunity locally because there are no similar businesses.”
Johnson’s plan is to develop a hybrid brick-and-mortar store with event planning services.
She got plenty of advice on such topics as promising business locations, joining the Lumberton Area Chamber of Commerce and providing niche services that are needed locally.
“Thank you. You have all been very helpful,” Johnson said at the close of her presentation.
Another presenter was Linda Ramirez, who wants to start a landscaping design and maintenance business in Lumberton. In the first months of planning her business, she came up with the name Ladybug Landscaping Design and Maintenance.
Sarah Bullard, of Shannon, wants to start a construction company with the name Lady Built Construction.
“I have 30 years of experience with my husband, who is a contractor, and I have my general contractors license,” Bullard said. “I’ve had an office at the Entrepreneurship Incubator since December, and they helped me with state business licenses and marketing.
“I’m on Facebook, and the Incubator showed me how to use LinkedIn to get in touch with a lot of important people. They’ve been very helpful in getting my business started.”
The Entrepreneurship Incubator is located on Main Street in downtown Pembroke. It has helped develop a variety of businesses, from hydroponic tomatoes to home health care, Director Thomas Hall said. One Million Cups is an outreach program to the county.
“This was our 25th event, and we’ve held them in several municipalities,” Hall said. “We’ve been very busy at the Incubator, and we even have a short waiting list for office space.”
The facility has a staff of three and the office of the Small Business and Technology Development Center. There are nine offices for new and startup businesses, and 12 businesses in shared offices in its Jump Start program.
Wednesday’s 1 Million Cups event was the first in Biggs Park Mall and the fifth in Lumberton. After the presentations, the networking continued in an informal fashion.
And, there was plenty of coffee to stimulate enterprise.
