Running a small business or creative venture often starts with passion. You have an idea, a skill, or a vision—and you dive in. But as you move from “I think this could work” to “I’m building something real,” there’s one question that becomes more and more important: WHAT’S THE PLAN?
At Stoke, we are all about community. From our values of inclusivity and authenticity, to the way our staff know our members personally, to the work that we do to support entrepreneurs in Denton - we put people first.
At Stoke, we are all about community. From our values of inclusivity and authenticity, to the way our staff know our members personally, to the work that we do to support entrepreneurs in Denton - we put people first.
We’re highlighting the business owners in our 2024-25 AccelerateHER Denton Cohort. Learn more about these amazing entrepreneurs and the stories behind their businesses.
We’re highlighting the business owners in our 2024-25 AccelerateHER Denton Cohort. Learn more about these amazing entrepreneurs and the stories behind their businesses.
You might have to work, but you don’t have to work alone. At Stoke, we not only provide work space, but also offer resources to support our community of small business owners, entrepreneurs, creatives, and remote workers. If you’re part of the small business owner and solopreneur crowd, running your own business means being in control of and monitoring many moving parts, and one of the most important parts is managing your business finances.
Chances are, you know someone who works remotely, since nearly one-fifth of the workforce population has the option of entirely remote or hybrid work, and by 2025, this will rise to approximately 22%, about 32.6 million Americans. So where are they working from? You might assume that they’ve set up home offices and occasionally go to a coffee shop a few days a week, or the company’s headquarters if it’s required and nearby, and that is often the case. Many people, however, choose to work in a different setting that is designed for productivity when given the opportunity: coworking spaces.
With applications now open for the third annual Denton Pitch Competition, here are some insights, tips, and updates from last year's winners—Danielle Sibley of Speak Easy Speech Therapy, Betz Baker and Lois Robertson of Triptych Coffee Co., and Dave Weaver of Goldenroot Gingerbeer. Discover how their businesses have evolved since winning last year’s competition and learn how the pitch coaching and exposure can transform your entrepreneurial story.
According to Tracy Kitts, former COO of the National Business Incubation Association - After five years, businesses that were nurtured in a business incubator have a survival rate of 87%. Over the past five years, we have supported 28 local women-owned businesses along their entrepreneurial journey and we’re looking forward to adding more women founders to our growing list of AccelerateHER alumni. As we prepare for the next cohort, here are some reasons you should consider applying if you’re a woman entrepreneur.
In the heart of Denton, Texas, Stoke stands not only as a coworking space but as a beacon of empowerment and support for entrepreneurs. As a woman-owned and operated business, uplifting women entrepreneurs has been particularly important to our mission. Let’s take a look at the history of Denton’s favorite coworking space with one key theme: women supporting women.
In the heart of Denton, Texas, lies a vibrant creative scene that brings together a diverse array of artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and more. Dentonites' dedication to supporting local businesses and artists creates an environment where creative professionals and entrepreneurs can thrive side by side.
“…The city has a thriving arts and culture scene and is also located near three lakes and outdoor areas that make planning leisure and entertainment easy. Just down I35 from Dallas and Fort Worth, Denton is the ideal place to be near enough to the hustle and bustle of the DFW metro area but far enough that you still have a small-town feel, the kind where you can grow a strong community and see familiar, friendly faces when you’re out in town. “
Connecting online, even with the most robust of activities and questions, is possible but lacks the impact of connecting over coffee or in a spontaneous conversation in each other’s presence. Coworking spaces can provide positive social health for remote workers, freelancers, and other people who work outside of the office or from home on a distributed team.
We couldn’t be more proud of Dentonite, Aaron Powell, founder of Bunch Bikes, for everything he’s accomplished with Bunch Bikes and sharing the joy of family biking with North America! In this article, Aaron talks about how we prepared to pitch on Shark Tank and give some tips to the nervous pitch-er!
I had a thought while typing the same email that I’d typed out to five other people for my food and culture business, Good and Golden. “I should turn this into a template. I need to choose a CRM (client relations management system).”
Had I not been part of the streamlining systems process at Stoke, I definitely would not have thought that (I’d had zero ideas of what a CRM was before then). Sometimes MailChimp will work for emails, and sometimes you need something more robust, like Nutshell, which is my preferred client relations management system.
An appetite for learning and an understanding that the business world is always evolving is essential for success as an entrepreneur. With the way the last few years have gone, it’s more important than ever to seek out opportunities for growth and stay up to date with the latest small business news. Here are five reasons you should continue learning as a small business owner.
You probably spend the majority of your waking day at work, which means your environment affects not only the quality of your work, but also the quality of your life outside of it. The key to a healthy workstyle is changing postures throughout the day, and not sitting or standing for hours on end. You shouldn’t have to feel pain or discomfort to remind you to shift postures or to take a break from what you’re working on, but that’s often the case for people working in traditional offices. [Read on!]
We’re continuing our elaboration on 5 Tips For Starting a Business in Denton (linked) with the next blog in the series, Ask Questions & Take Notes. This step will also help you with writing your business plan, whether that’s a lean startup version or a traditional business plan.
