Sunday, November 19th marked the wrap of another Global Entrepreneurship Week. For the last five years, Stoke has participated in GEW by hosting both in person and virtual events that celebrate and support entrepreneurship in our community. This year’s theme was ‘Entrepreneurs Thrive Here’ and well, that’s kind of our whole mission. We look forward to this week all year and we couldn’t be more grateful for how our community continues to turn out for us. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the week.
Monday: Triptych Coffee Co. + Fireside Chat with Kari Meyercord-Westerman
On Monday, we started off Global Entrepreneurship Week with the help of Triptych Coffee Co. They magically popped up overnight and by 9 am, the coworking space was buzzing with excitement and well, caffeine. They stuck around and joined us for the main event that evening — a Fireside Chat with Owner & Cofounder of Thistle Creative Reuse, Kari Meyercord-Westerman. Joined by community organizer and place maker, Heather Gregory, they led an honest conversation on the highs, lows, and everything in between that comes with entrepreneurship. Kari and Heather are both working towards fostering a strong sense of community in Denton, TX. As they sat together, commiserating in front of the crowd, laughing through the unfiltered realities of burnout and anxiety - one thing was clear; you don’t have to do it alone. There couldn’t have been a better note to carry us into the rest of the week.
Tuesday: Coffee + Convo with Heather Gregory
Each month, Stoke hosts Coffee + Convo, a virtual casual morning meetup with entrepreneurs, experts, and peers. For this session, we continued on with the theme of the week – Entrepreneurs Thrive Here — and dove into the crucial topic of finding community as an entrepreneur. Our Executive Director, Heather Gregory, is a seasoned entrepreneur and community organizer. With a deep connection to Denton, Heather provides and fosters a supportive community for entrepreneurs through her work at Stoke. The session offered practical insights on combating the isolation that often accompanies starting your own business while providing a warm, supportive space where connections were made and ideas were shared.
Wednesday: Big Ideas: A Creative Mixer
Big Ideas has taken many forms over the years - from a public forum to a mini version at our annual Flint conference - and has been a catalyst for many local projects, startups, and collaborations. This year, we chose to once again focus on bringing people together. We invited any and all local creatives to join us at Denton County Brewing Company for a night of inspiring ideas and new connections. The Creative Mixer, sponsored by Texas Best Solar, was a vibrant tapestry of Denton's creative community. Movers and shakers spilled the beans on their projects, providing a roadmap for others to get involved. The night was a celebration of creativity, with attendees leaving inspired and perhaps with a "Big Idea" of their own. Here’s who we had the pleasure of hearing from on Wednesday night:
Delaney Smith-Vaughn is an artist, educator & designer here in Denton. She spoke about Sew Gold - a creative gathering for skill sharing and stepping out of your comfort zone.
Lasamee Kettavong, a proud Lao American and daughter of refugees, is a Denton-based writer, editor, creative and owner of Good & Golden, a Lao food business. She spoke about DTX Writers, a writing group that meets at Stoke where writers of all genres and forms are welcome.
Eric Foster is a multi-instrumentalist who grew up in DFW – and he’ll be running the show at TSRS on a day-to-day basis. Cynthia moved to Denton to play the double-bass at UNT, but eventually went on to get her MBA and now works in HR in the aerospace industry. They spoke about their project - Top Secret Rehearsal Studio - a music rehearsal and art studio space opening soon!
Latoya Lawrence, originally from Grenada, Mississippi, brings a taste of Southern charm to Denton, Texas as the proud owner of Groovy Chicken and Waffles and T's Table Catering Services. She shared her Big Idea of opening a soul food restaurant here in Downtown Denton.
Experienced Web developer, Shea Scott has joined forces with Rob Curran, journalist and travel writer, and Lasamee Kettavong, food writer and business owner to develop Hottest Plate - a subscription-based online publication covering all things food in Denton, TX.
Lillia Whittington is the creator of the Denton Sewing School, a place for individuals of all ages to build practical life skills and explore their creativity through the art of sewing. Lillia also teaches sewing online to over 100K followers on her TikTok and Instagram.
Kristine Bray is an organizer with Abundance Denton. She runs the social media account "DTXTransitPosts" and is always trying to get more affordable housing and better transit options for Dentonites. She shared some ways Dentonites could get involved in the fight for better buses.
Anna Galluzzi and Delaney Smith-Vaughn are CoDirectors of SpeedBump lil d and are educators and artists in Denton, TX. They spoke about SpeedBump lil d, an event by artists for artists.
Thursday: The Denton Pitch Competition + Entrepreneur Expo
The Denton Pitch Competition returned for its second year and for the first time with a public audience. We couldn’t have asked for a better turn out. We had about 100 Dentonites and supporters join us at Sunago Bell as we cheered on the ten (10) brave entrepreneurs pitching their businesses. Three businesses took home cash prizes after showcasing innovation and determination in their pitches.
Danielle Sibley - Speak Easy Speech Therapy - 1st Place
Betz Baker and Lois Robertson - Triptych Coffee Co. - 2nd Place
Dave Weaver - Goldenroot Gingerbeer - 3rd Place
While we waited for the winners to be announced, attendees were invited to explore the entrepreneurial spirit of Denton at The Entrepreneur Expo. We had 12 local businesses on display, and the audience had the chance to learn about the diverse entrepreneurs bringing their ideas to live in Denton.
Friday: Freebie Friday
To round out the week, and provide our community a space to be productive and channel their inspiration from the week, we opened our doors for a free day of coworking - bringing back the beloved Freebie Friday. Peers gathered, coffee flowed, and the collaborative energy was palpable. It was a day of shared workspace, networking, and the chance to make new friends over lunch.
Denton Virtual Startup Crawl 2023
Alongside GEW, we unveiled a series of videos highlighting 4 of Denton's vibrant businesses. In this year’s Virtual Startup Crawl, we take you on a virtual journey through some of the businesses making up our local entrepreneurial landscape.
As we wrap up another amazing Global Entrepreneurship Week, filled with coffee-fueled conversations, creative mixers, and the inspiring Denton Pitch Competition, we’re once again reminded of why we’re here. The connections forged, ideas shared, and support offered during this week epitomize our commitment to fostering a strong sense of community. A heartfelt thank you to all who contributed, attended, and engaged with us. Until next time, keep thriving, keep creating, and just keep being you. As always, you know where to find us.