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.
Embracing the Summer Slump: How to Set Up for Q4 Success
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.
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!
Small Business Case Studies: Good and Golden
I had a thought while typing the same email that I’d typed out to five other people for my food and culture business, Good and Golden. “I should turn this into a template. I need to choose a CRM (client relations management system).”
Had I not been part of the streamlining systems process at Stoke, I definitely would not have thought that (I’d had zero ideas of what a CRM was before then). Sometimes MailChimp will work for emails, and sometimes you need something more robust, like Nutshell, which is my preferred client relations management system.
5 Reasons You Should Continue Learning as a Small Business Owner
An appetite for learning and an understanding that the business world is always evolving is essential for success as an entrepreneur. With the way the last few years have gone, it’s more important than ever to seek out opportunities for growth and stay up to date with the latest small business news. Here are five reasons you should continue learning as a small business owner.
Stoke Member Spotlight: Kim Cash, Bookkeeper Girl
Stoke's Mentor Program: What You'll Get From Attending Coffee + Convo
Building Up Denton’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Denton has a unique mix of entrepreneurs: those who are the founders of scale-able, high-growth startups, seeking employees every so often to meet the needs of their growing company; and those who are business owners who nurture and sustain small businesses that contribute to the richness of the town and fulfill needs in the community. Stoke is here to empower and support them.
Celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week In Denton, Texas 2020
What Can You Do To Find Balance and Avoid Burnout?
You have the Sunday blues, dreading Monday and the work week. You’re exhausted just thinking about the upcoming meetings and calls that you’ve scheduled out for yourself. You tell yourself, “this is the dream!” but you’re still yawning. The work that you once approached enthusiastically now seems to require cups of coffee just to open and respond to the emails in your inbox.
Maybe these are exaggerations, or maybe it’s your reality.
Whether you’re an employer, an employee, or self-employed, burnout can have serious consequences for your productivity and work performance, making the difference between operating a thriving business or one that will have to close its doors.
Build The New: Pivoting Your Business
We sat down in a Zoom call for a Coffee + Convo session with Emile Stewart, founder and owner of Wildflower Art Studio, where Amazon best-selling calligraphy and brush-lettering kits are packaged and shipped off to help fuel creativity in people across the world.
Shop Small & Make A Big Impact
What To Do During Global Entrepreneurship Week in Denton
Wondering why you should be excited about Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW)? We need entrepreneurs to continue solving problems, meeting needs, and filling gaps by designing and innovating with the future in mind. GEW is a celebration of the contributions of entrepreneurs then, now, and looking forward. During the week all over the world, organizations host events and offer resources to entrepreneurs and those who are aspiring to be.
Cover photo by Royce Gossett
What Global Entrepreneurship Week Looks Like in Denton, Texas
Aligning with an international effort, lead by the Kauffman Foundation, to break down barriers to entrepreneurship and encourage entrepreneurial hopefuls to take the leap, we’re participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), which is November 18th through November 22nd. Stoke is celebrating all week by hosting events, sharing resources, and listening to Dentonites regarding their wants and needs in terms of resources and support.
5 Tips To Write An Actionable Business Plan
We’re elaborating on the tips that we published in 5 Tips For Starting a Small Business in Denton (linked) in a new series!
Recap: Big Ideas - a lil d creative mixer
Celebrating Stoke’s 3rd anniversary and the thriving culture and economy of Denton, Kevin Roden, VP of education technology startup ReadyRosie, and Heather Gregory, executive director of Stoke, hosted Big Ideas - a lil d creative mixer, inviting community members to deliver three minute pitches about their big ideas for Denton.
Lunch + Learn Recap: 5 Steps to Start HR In A Small Business
Read a summary of what attendees learned at Stoke’s February Lunch + Learn, lead by Dr. Christopher Harris, assistant professor in the College of Business at Texas Woman’s University and Human Resources expert. Topics covered included recruitment and selection, onboarding, keeping personnel files, creating an employee handbook, and an overview of labor laws pertaining to small businesses.