NITRO! Bootcamp 2019 & Our Experience
Who is StartupCincy
�A community of entrepreneurs, BigCos, educators, investors, creatives and enthusiasts. Our mission is to build a sustainable, tech-based economy for our city, our region and the entire Midwest. Collectively, we are Greater Cincinnati�s startup community and we're here to create a new future. We are StartupCincy.�
StartupCincy is a network of entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, investors and businessmen in the Greater Cincinnati area that strive to help small businesses and startups in the area to start, learn, grow and thrive by hosting events, providing networking opportunities, and learning experiences to give business owners the tools they need for unbridled success.
In keeping with StartupCincy�s mission in this area, one of the events that they host is the NITRO! Bootcamp, which is an exciting opportunity for small businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area.
What is NITRO Bootcamp
To quote the website at www.startupcincy.com/nitro/, �NITRO! Bootcamp is a free first-of-its-kind event set to power up minority and women-owned small businesses by providing access and training on today�s top business technologies. We know managing a business is no small feat��there isn�t a lot of spare time to go around. That�s why we�ve talked to the experts and discovered the best tech for empowering small businesses to grow and succeed.�
NITRO! Bootcamp is an excellent opportunity for small businesses that were started and are run by minorities in the Greater Cincinnati area to meet and to get acquainted with tools that can give them the upper hand in today�s market.
On February 23rd, the team at Cintrifuse�headed by Maurice Coffey, Executive-in-Residence (from Proctor & Gamble) and assisted by Dani Clark of Untold Content�ran this event for the community of StartupCincy. In so doing, they hosted a full day of training sessions on different aspects of running a business, like accounting, communication & organization, billing, payments, inventory & shipping, document cloud storage, project management, and freelancer creative services. This sort of high-intensity curriculum is the perfect battery to get a small business into gear to build and to surpass all expectations in business.
Each year 25 companies are selected to participate in this event and are given the opportunities to network, learn, grow, and establish more business in the coming year.
Why DUBTEL Was Chosen
DUBTEL�a small tech company in West Chester, Ohio�was founded by John Opoku who is originally from Ghana.
DUBTEL has grown considerably in just the last 2 years with projects and ideas in the pipeline to help small businesses grow and thrive all over the country.
With the software development, consulting, and hardware solutions that DUBTEL provides, other businesses can make their visions a reality. Keeping other small businesses going and thriving is part of what DUBTEL does, so taking part in StartupCincy�s NITRO! Bootcamp is part and parcel to its mission.
Having the input and tools offered by NITRO! and its many partners gave DUBTEL a direct look into how we can help small businesses streamline their processes, track accounting transactions and communicate more effectively. Understanding these technologies and business tools helps us not only to improve and drive our own success, but to help our peers to do the same.
Opening Statements for Saturday�s Event
Attendees were greeted with opening statements from high-profile guests such as State Representative for District 33, Sedrick Denson and Ohio State Senator Cecil Thomas. The message was clear: Ohio is calling, pushing, and providing for technology as a solution for accelerated growth and kickstarting of minority-owned businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area.
True to that vision, NITRO! Has worked tirelessly to address this need and to close the gap between small businesses and the technologies that will throw their growth into overdrive. All sponsors, Tech Partners, Steering Committee members and associated outfits are committed to this purpose and are working together to create a united front as a means to that end.
The Tech Partners and Steering Committe
Thanks to all of the partners involved, 2019�s NITRO! Bootcamp was able to provide attendees with a veritable powerhouse of business acumen.
Part of the break-out training to those in attendance on February 23rd, Tech Partners of the program gave talks on business tech that can give small businesses the leg up they need to really kickstart their success. This year�s partners included Google Suites, Xero, Fuze, Gusto, Primary Hosting and StartBlox; each partner had an experienced, knowledgeable representative in attendance to give a comprehensive look at what each partner could do for small businesses.
Among the numerous benefits of attending this event is that it is the perfect platform on which to network with local business and with local reps for national businesses who steer and support the event. NITRO! Bootcamp was steered this year by companies like J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Cintrifuse, The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Greater Cincinnati Urban League and several other businesses and outfits.
One of the members who spoke on Saturday was Shelly Bell of Google Suites. The bio provided by NITRO! states �[she] is a system disruptor and business strategists who moves ideas to profit while empowering people to live more authentically. Google recognized Shelly�s ability to engage an audience and as a result, she serves as one of eight Google Digital Coaches working to bridge the digital divide for Black & Latinx business owners. Shelly Bell has been covered by Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, NewsOne, Adweek, the Washington Business Journal and more. Her magnetic energy attaches an undeniable movement of social impact to any initiative she�s a part of and makes her motto ring true in every interaction � �Resist the Urge to be Average!��
Shelly used all her experience and talents to help this group to understand how Google Suites could send their business into a whole new bracket of success and left a lasting impression on those who heard her speak on Saturday. Thank you for your input and your support, Shelly!
A Lasting Impression
All the businesses, partners, coalitions and individuals that were represented or that were in attendance at the 2019 NITRO! Bootcamp were able to show what they know about small business, technologies, business tools and management technology and to take in more of the same.
Each speaker made an impression on everyone in attendance and got every one of the chosen participants thinking with these technologies and tools that will help foster growth within their companies and their affiliates.
With events such as these, businesses like DUBTEL, Verb Digital Media, Wealth-Minded Women and others who were in attendance, are given a platform on which to succeed and tools with which to bolster their efforts and the efforts of other minority-owned businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area.
