Four, area business start-ups picked to take part in the Southwest Colorado Accelerator Program for Entrepreneurs’ second mentoring round are hoping a little help will go a long way toward helping them grow successful companies.
The latest SCAPE round began Jan. 13 and includes three start-ups – Conscious Alliances, Responsible Viability; Chamber Musician; and Cerchlite – and Ruff Puppies Collars, an established local business hoping to reach a new level.
Ruff Puppies Collars specializes in hand-made dog collars and leads. Co-founders Bryan and Jessica Hargett have been in business for about two years and already are selling their hand-crafted, leather pet collars in 66 retail outlets around the country, including two local outlets: Pethouse and Creature Company. They are hoping, first, their involvement in the SCAPE program will give them the resources and information they need to expand their business and, second, the mentoring program will help them better organize their company, which Bryan Hargett said operates too chaotically now.
A key area he wants to see run more smoothly is inventory control.
Bryan Hargett said one of SCAPE’s mentors, John Wolgamott, has shown them how to use online software to keep track of the company’s finances. Before, he explained, the couple wasn’t sure if it was profitable or not.
Additionally, he said, the mentoring program has offered them marketing tips, manufacturing connections and financial advice to help their company grow.
Their plan is to expand Ruff Puppies into a larger wholesale-leather company called Bent River Leather.
The Hargetts also want to expand their product line, adding bracelets and belts, which the Hargetts have made and sold for years.
Also taking part in the new SCAPE series are a couple of women with years of retail experience who want to create an online community to promote environmental consciousness in the apparel industry.
“Brands will be able to connect with sustainable solutions, and consumers will be able to connect with sustainable products,” explained Jenny Ballou, who cofounded CARV with Angela Sherrill.
Ballou, a freelance designer for Islandic Design in Boulder, has a degree in fashion design, and Sherrill, who has worked with apparel merchandising and design for Nike and Bula, came up with the idea for CARV while brainstorming ideas for a new business.
They envision the online community enabling sustainable practices in the apparel industry.
The women decided the world didn’t need more clothing manufacturers, which damage the environment. Instead, they said, they decided to try to create a global community that could provide assistance and help promote sustainability among existing apparel makers and retailers.
Their goal is to minimize resource depletion, reduce toxicity and help educate other companies about ethical factors involved in apparel manufacturing, Sherrill said.
The company is still in its developmental stages.
The third company in the latest SCAPE program is Chamber Musician, a software company designing an application allowing musicians who play in groups to practice even when other members of the group aren’t around.
For example, co-founder Lily Bowers explained, the software will provide the components of the instrumental music, so a cello player can practice his instrument while alone.
Bowers said she learned about the SCAPE program while reading the newspaper at a local restaurant, she said.
She and her husband, James, who has a background in music, are in the process of working with software developers to bring their idea to life.
The company’s goal is to be market-ready, to have a viable product at the end of the program and be “investor-ready,” she said.
Lily Bowers said the first two weeks of the program have been “mind-blowing,” adding that they have learned a great deal about starting a business.
The fourth company, Cerchlite, is hoping to develop a peer-reviewed reference database for medical laboratory professionals that will give laboratory workers instant access to information they need to perform medical tests.
Founder Aaron Flentge has three years of experience as a medical lab scientist. He said he envisions his database giving lab workers instant access, so lab tests could be completed more quickly.
He says the SCAPE mentors have been a great help so far, providing the answers he has needed or help finding the answers he needs.
He hopes to have his database ready for testing in several laboratories by the time the SCAPE session ends in May.
SCAPE’s new director, Elizabeth Marsh, is also excited about the latest businesses taking part in the program.
“We have a great group of ventures who are participating in the second round of SCAPE,” she said. “They are very passionate about their businesses and are paired with local mentors who are dedicated to their growth and development. The mentors are helping guide them through business-model development, product/customer development, financial projections and financing plans and then investor presentations. It is a very exciting time at SCAPE preparing these businesses to be market- and investor-ready.”
Each company will receive $30,000 to help fund their company along with free office space and other discounted business services, according to a SCAPE press release sent out Friday. The four-month program is slated to end in May when the companies will present their business plans to potential investors on “Investor Day.”
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
