D:hive graduates first BUILD class of lifestyle entrepreneurs/projects

D:hive graduated its first BUILD class last week, providing the basic tools for about a dozen new entrepreneurs to get started on their projects.

The BUILD class is a weekly course that provides the basic tools for entrepreneurs to start a business or community activists to launch a project. The class meets for three hours every week for two months, learning everything from creating a business structure, finding and securing financing, marketing and basic accounting.

“The class serves many functions,” says April Boyle, director of recruitment for D:hive. “It’s a way to vet your idea whether you want to start a business or launch a project.”

The first BUILD class consisted of 13 prospective entrepreneurs and community leaders that plan to launch a variety of businesses ranging from a vegan soul food restaurant to a Detroit-themed product line to a beer garden. The BUILD class differs from similar entrepreneurial education courses like Bizdom and TechTown because it specializes in traditional life-style businesses that are more prone to provide a sense of place in their communities than exponential growth.

“That’s what we’re really focused on at this point,” Boyle says.

D:hive, a downtown Detroit-based nonprofit, is currently in the middle of its second class of eight people and expects to launch its newest class (about a dozen people) today. For information, click here.

Source: April Boyle, director of recruitment for D:hive
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.