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[Sterling, Colorado, June 12, 2023] and the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the �鶹ӰԺ hosted their fifth and final year of the multi-year entrepreneurial workshop series, “Demystifying Entrepreneurship - Shore Up Your Small Business” on June 2-3, 2023.  

Taught by award winning faculty members at CU’s Leeds School of Business, Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, Erick Mueller and , this year's program focused on the core elements that create critical resiliency in every successful business venture, regardless of stage, to help strengthen and reinforce strategy.

During this finale, a group of 30 local entrepreneurs and innovators from Logan County joined together at and to celebrate five years of successful collaboration. The weekend was full of positivity and entrepreneurial spirit as the group took their business concepts to the next level. The varied group included a camel milk for kiddos with certain allergies, a hair band that won’t fall out and with great style and an English tea experience on a 50-acre oasis.

“I would like to believe that today set me on a new path,” says a 2023 attendee. Other attendees emphasized the value of learning how to create a good pitch, and the one on one opportunities to connect with other attendees. Attendees “enjoyed the passion, energy and willingness to share,” as they heard from both local entrepreneurs and the instructors of the program.  

Michelle Meade joined the final Demystifying Entrepreneurship workshop with her soap company, . Her company manufactures a variety of soaps from locally sourced ingredients and that includes an element of art. She shared,

“The CU Demystifying Entrepreneurship workshop is a high energy experience packed with practical tools along with great action steps that will help propel Meade’s Pure Soap to new heights!”

Collaborating with over 100 community members throughout the five years, Mueller shares his thoughts about rounding out this series with this year's cohort.

“What a wonderful finale with these Logan County changemakers! We had participants from over the years of the workshop – ranging from brand new in their venture to seasoned entrepreneurs. It was super fun to watch this cohort collaborate and support each other in starting and growing their ventures. And what a celebration! Five years of impact and growth. I’m positive the graduates of this program will continue to elevate Logan County’s overall economic vitality. This community will always have a special place in my heart." 

“The finale year definitely didn’t disappoint; we had another fantastic group of entrepreneurs and Erick and Hunter delivered a great program,” says , Executive Director of Logan County Economic Development Corp. “The impact that this program brought to the community over the last five years has been huge. We’re excited to continue building on the entrepreneurial ecosystem by bringing more programming through resources like coworking facility.”

Local Logan County entrepreneurs are also invited to come watch the final companies pitch at this year’s “Shark Tank” style competition on Wednesday, June 15th at Sky Ranch Golf & Grill at . These entrepreneurs will have a chance to compete for $30,000 in funding to take the next steps in their entrepreneurial journey. The finalists include , , , Akro Co Colorado Craft Beer, and .

This series of workshops is put on in partnership with CU’s Leeds School of Business, Deming Center for Entrepreneurship and is available in every major rural region in Colorado. The next Demystifying Entrepreneurship Workshop is being offered in Ignacio, Colorado, on August 11th and 12th in collaboration with the . To register for this event, please visit the . You can learn about all locations, by visiting the Rural Colorado Workshope Series website.

Many thanks to those who made this event possible.