by Amanda Jarratt and Dan Howe

Our e-mail boxes have been flooded with questions about the STARTUP Downtown Franklin program and we are anxiously awaiting to hear about all of the new ideas for our community at our Jan. 11, 2017, Kick Off event, which will be held at the Franklin Business Center from 5 to 7 p.m. and will be open to the public.

As a reminder for those who haven’t seen all of the details about STARTUP Downtown Franklin yet, interested applicants must apply to participate in the program by Feb. 1, 2017.

Applicants will then be chosen to participate in the program based on their application. Once chosen the participant must attend all six of the business course classes (see dates/times below.) At the conclusion of the classes the participants must submit a business plan by May 17, 2017, and will pitch their business idea/plan to a panel of judges on May 31, 2017.

The winners of the pitch event will be announced at the awards night on June 14, 2017. The winners must open their business in Downtown Franklin by Sept. 30, 2017, and must spend all grant award money by the end of the 2017 calendar year.

The business classes that make up the STARTUP Downtown Franklin program, which will all be held at the Franklin Business Center from 5 to 7 p.m., include:

• Class one: simple steps for starting a business overview, held Wednesday, Feb. 8.

• Class two: innovation, branding, competition and leadership, held Wednesday, Feb. 22.

• Class three: accounting, held Wednesday, March 8.

• Class four: finance and credit, held Wednesday, March 22.

• Class five: sales and marketing, held Wednesday, April 5.

• Class six: business planning, held Wednesday, April 19.

The business plan pitch event will also be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Franklin Business Center and will be open only to participants, the judges panel and invitation-only guests. The awards night, 5 to 7 p.m. at the Business Center, will be open to the public.

If we have piqued your interest or you are just interested in learning more about the potential opportunities available from the STARTUP Downtown Franklin program please attend the Kick Off event Jan. 11 beginning at 5 p.m. This will be an opportunity you definitely don’t want to pass up.  For questions or additional information please contact Mallory Tuttle at mtuttle@franklinsouthamptonva.com or at 562-1958.

AMANDA JARRATT is the president and CEO of Franklin Southampton Economic Development Inc. She can be reached at 562-1958 or ajarratt@franklinsouthamptonva.com.

DAN HOWE is the executive director of the Downtown Franklin Association. He can be reached at 562-6900.