With the Denton Pitch Competition quickly approaching, take a look at our tips for a successful pitch and some lessons we took from last year’s pitch competition winners.
Live, Work, and Play in Denton in 2023
“…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. “
Seven Years of Stoke: A Place for the People
Embracing the Summer Slump: How to Set Up for Q4 Success
Connecting at Stoke: Social Health for Remote Workers
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.
AccelerateHER Through The Years
Stoke works to support and empower entrepreneurs, and one of the ways we are able to accomplish that goal is partnering with the Center for Women Entrepreneurs (CWE) at Texas Woman’s University. We offer the AccelerateHER incubator program in partnership with CWE. Administrators Heather Gregory, executive director of Stoke, and Tracy Irby, director of the Center for Women Entrepreneurs, selects a cohort of women business owners through an application and interview process and then equips them with education, tools, and resources to grow their businesses.
A Day In The Life of a Remote Worker at Stoke
Five Cheers for FlintConf Year Five
Denton’s conference for creatives, techies, and entrepreneurs had a great fifth year, its second time being hosted at Sunago Bell, the top floor of the Wells Fargo building on the square. Previously held at Stoke and virtually, the venue for the conference once again proved to be the perfect atmosphere for learning from expert speakers and panelists and engaging with one another during breaks, lunch, and Big Ideas.
What to expect at Flintconf, 2023!
Being an entrepreneur, small business owner, consultant, contractor or otherwise working independently can feel lonely at times. You’re driven and disciplined, and you have your routine and methods, but you might lack motivation, inspiration, or the tools you need to work better or improve your operations. It’s natural and familiar to experience this, even if you work with a team rather than just working solo.
This is one of the reasons why Stoke hosts FlintConf, Denton’s startup conference for hipsters (creatives), hackers (techies), and hustlers (entrepreneurs). Not only are the speakers and panelists familiar with that experience and are able to speak to how to improve it, but so are your fellow attendees sharing the table.
Coworking Spaces: For the Individual and For the Community
AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Anna Montes, La Catrina Creations
La Catrina Creations truly came into being from an entrepreneur’s spirit: Anna Montes was looking for something that she couldn’t find out in the world so she decided to make it herself. Starting with having an artistan make sarape stoles, La Catrina Creations has grown so much so that Anna needed to build a warehouse! You can learn more about Anna, her inspiration, and her work in her AccelerateHER cohort story.
AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Hannah McGinty, Hans Film and Photo, Modern Memoir
AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Marcia Dunn, Math with Marcia
Marcia is the solution to your math problems! Or those that your family members in school or college might be facing. She helps simplify math and has developed a unique method of handling individual students’ ways of learning. Read more about the incredible and important work that she does in her AccelerateHER cohort story.
AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Jordan Adams, Spoonie Creative Collective
AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Tanya Smith, Get Noticed With Video
Tanya is a video marketing strategist and business coach, a self-described #girlmom, #doglover, and a Wonder Woman fangirl. Some refer to her as a ‘walking Google.’ She empowers women service providersd to “embrace their face” on video so that they can stand out online, serve more people, and sell more services.
AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Kimberly Bien, Salted Sanctuary Soap
When you step foot into Salted Sanctuary, you’re delighted by the sights, smells, and on event nights, sounds of Kimberly Bien’s brick and mortar shop. Her carefully created products bring joy to so many people’s lives. Read about her background, work, and business in her AccelerateHER cohort story!
AccelerateHER Cohort Stories: Cindy Thurk, CM Promotions
Cindy Thurk is the founder and CEO of CM Promotions. She is a vibrant and supportive member of the third AccelerateHER incubator program, offered in partnership between Stoke and the Center for Women Entrepreneurs at Texas Woman’s University. The energy and expertise that she brings to the table is unmatched. Cindy spent some time answering questions about her work, process, and inspiration for our AccelerateHER Cohort Stories series. Read on!
Stoke Highlights From 2022
Reflecting on 2022, we’re so thankful for everyone who has made this an incredible year: our partners, Stoke members, mentors, guests who visited our space, event attendees, program participants, and more. Every community member is so supportive of and encouraging to one another, and it’s a pleasure to witness. It is an honor to work for and serve the Denton community! Here are some highlights from the Stoke team about 2022.
Dive Into Dentonite Aaron Powell's Shark Tank Experience
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!
5 Reasons to Apply For An Incubator Program (like AccelerateHER!)
Since 2020, each fall, Stoke and TWU team up to offer several women-owned businesses the opportunity to focus on developing their businesses through a five-month incubator program that provides hands-on workshops, resources, mentorship, and more. Weekly workshops are purposefully ordered so that each member of the cohort has a solid starting point in the program and can make specific goals for their personal and professional outcomes from the onset.