OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — An area nonprofit called No More Empty Pots is helping entrepreneurs kick off their businesses by making sure they have the tools to succeed.
“Nintety-five percent of businesses that start, fail,” said No More Empty Pots CEO Nancy Williams. “We are trying to invert that as much as we can."
No More Empty Pots assists entrepreneurs from the idea stage to the point where products are being sold.
"The intention is to meet entrepreneurs where they are,” said Williams. “To help them with the ideation, move them through incubation, acceleration and hopefully to a place where they have their own physical space and they are able to hire people to work for them and be a force in the community."
Entrepreneurs who are currently working with No More Empty Pots have access to a shared kitchen, food prep space and storage where they can keep all their goods to build their business.
The nonprofit also offers a café for food distribution, a rooftop area for events and other opportunities to grow.
"I was planning on getting into the kitchen last March but then COVID happened," said Fermented Melon CEO Tony Horner.
Horner had to wait a few months due to the pandemic to use the space but is now finding it beneficial in building his kombucha brand.
"I'm selling directly to consumers,” he said. “I've been doing some stuff on the website. They helped me set up my LLC. If I needed to get a bank loan, they were willing to help me figure all that out."
If you have a strong idea and need help getting it off the ground, Williams said be prepared to pitch it.
"Knowing your why and being clear about that and being able to stick to that is crucial because it will get tough and you will have naysayers,” said Williams. “Not everyone is championing your idea and you are going to make sacrifices to be able to pour into this business to grow it."
Williams said despite a tough year economically, No More Empty Pots was able to help three entrepreneurs move out of the shared kitchen and into their own business.
For more information, go to: https://nmepomaha.org/
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.