What Entrepreneurs Want Most From Their Mentors
Exactly 6 months ago today, Jantier Fennel went before RMMFI's Launch Committee as the final step before graduating from Business Launch Boot Camp. She was starting a catering company -- J7's Kitchen -- and set a goal to purchase a food truck...
What Entrepreneurs Can Do with $2,500
Is $2,500 really enough to launch a business? Big venture capital is often what comes to mind when people think of entrepreneurship, but many of the businesses that drive our local economy get their start with just a small amount of savings or a...
Capital Meets Capacity with RMMFI’s Largest-Ever Loan
“In many situations, those folks in the community have trust issues with our systems and government. They’ve been let down a lot.” Last week, RMMFI CEO Rob Smith was featured in a Denver Business Journal article discussing the future of...
Entrepreneur Spotlight: Rochelle Johnson
OWNER OF ROCHELLE JOHNSON STUDIO Rochelle Johnson had long dreamed of supporting herself as an artist. What she didn’t know was that achieving that goal could also enable her to help others in her community. For several years,...
Untapped Potential Across Colorado
Denver and Boulder tend to get most of the attention when people talk about entrepreneurship in Colorado, but the entrepreneurial spirit is strong all across the state. A few RMMFI graduates have already found opportunity outside of the metro area,...
Stories from the Pivot Accelerator Program
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we introduced a new Pivot Accelerator Program as part of our Entrepreneur Responsiveness Package. This 8-week program provided 10 RMMFI boot camp graduates with educational support, mentorship, and grant...
Celebrating 12 Years and 250 Businesses Launched
RMMFI turns 12 today! We asked Pamela Richard, owner of Miss Peabody's Southern Tea Cakes and one of our earliest graduates, to reflect on the journey: "I can't believe it's been 12 years since I first stepped into the doors of RMMFI at the old...
Entrepreneur Spotlight: Edgar Aguilar
OWNER OF LEGACY CONSTRUCTION CLEANING “I want to help people, and the only way I know how to help people is through jobs.” Family means everything to Edgar Aguilar, an entrepreneur who’s discovered the impact that business ownership can...
Entrepreneur Spotlight: Jessi Burg
OWNER OF PEARS TO PERENNIALS Pears to Perennials owner Jessi Burg, 35, never expected to own her own business, but it’s turned out to be a path to personal and financial freedom. In 2015, Jessi was just scraping by. To pay her bills, she...
Celebrating and Supporting the Women Entrepreneurs Driving Our Economy Forward
Looking back at the record economic growth the US was experiencing prior to COVID, one group in particular played an outsize role: women entrepreneurs. According to the 2019 American Express State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, the number...
Creating the Space for Entrepreneurs to Do What They Do Best
When barriers in life muddy our vision, it can be hard to see our own potential. Braxton Lee Belving joined our new Pivot Accelerator Program unsure how he was going to adapt his fine decorative painting business, Braxton Crafted Luxuries, to a...
Small Businesses Will Lead the Recovery, but They Need Support
Across Colorado, in our bigger cities and our smaller rural and mountain towns, small businesses sit at the heart of the community. They drive economic activity, promote opportunity for both owners and employees, and shape the character and...