In this series, we’ll be asking local entrepreneurs and other thought leaders in the Cincy tech ecosystem questions about their work and the ideologies and inspirations that drive it. For this week’s post, we spoke with MORTAR Founding Partner and Creative Director Allen Woods.
Editor’s Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Cincy Inno: Tell me a bit about the idea behind Mortar and how it got its start. Woods: Essentially, MORTAR was created to make sure that individuals in the neighborhoods we serve are given the tools needed to succeed. We understand that talents and gifts are distributed equally, however, opportunities are not. So, our organization is working to create the opportunities for entrepreneurs in these neighborhoods.
CI: Can you walk me through the details of the program? Is it a full-time program or evening program? How often are people there? Woods: We do this with a 12-week class program. Participants show up in a location near their area one night a week for 12 weeks, and the classes are three hours apiece. In this process, they are paired with a mentor, as well as those who provide technical assistance — such as public relations, storytelling, accounting and legal services. After the 12-week program is completed, we also offer an additional 18 months of ongoing support and guidance to assist our participants [with] moving forward and starting or growing their businesses.
CI: What are you looking for in program participants, in terms of characteristics and business know-how? Woods: The first prerequisite is to just have a great idea. It helps if they have some type of experience and running their business, but we understand that there are a lot of people who are just starting, and we want to make sure that we are helping them get started on the right foot. One of the other things that we look for in an ideal participant is a spirit of resilience. Entrepreneurship can be very difficult road and often it's very lonely; it definitely helps if you are someone who knows how to rise from failure and continue moving forward.
CI: Why did you all decide to start up in Over-the-Rhine? Woods: We noticed that as the area started to be redeveloped, a neighborhood that was once 90 percent African-American and is now approximately 65 percent African-American did not have that reflection in the number of the new businesses that were being started. When you are walking through the neighborhood, you see a beautiful mix of complexities and complexions, but that was not reflected in the business ownership, and we wanted to do what we could to assist the original residents of the neighborhood and being a part of the growth in the business community as the neighborhood changes. We create opportunities for them to be a part of the growth and development by offering access to spaces that we have carved out in the neighborhood. Our office and pop-up shop are both located in Over-the-Rhine, and they are available to our participants at a fraction of the cost of what it would be if they were to rent their own space. This definitely gives them access to new potential resources and clients due to the increased foot traffic in the area.
CI: Tell me a bit about this ideas of the “business renaissance” that you’re seeing in Cincinnati, and how does MORTAR fit into that vision? Woods: The business renaissance in Cincinnati is similar to a lot of other cities around the Midwest. There's a focus on shopping local and cultivating these homegrown businesses. MORTAR is involved in this process because we are bringing people to the table who are normally not there. We're giving them the knowledge they need to get started or [to] grow their businesses, as well as offering them mentorship and guidance they need to have a fighting chance.
CI: What ideas have you see program participants walk in? What does the range look like, and how do you support them all? Woods: The businesses that walk in through the door are all across the board [in terms of type]! We have a lot of businesses that are food-based, like restaurants, food trucks or caterers. We also get service businesses. There have been some fashion businesses, as well as those who are developing tech businesses or apps. In the past, we were pretty much open to any type of business that wanted to have the assistance we offer. But in the last year, we have started to try to be a little more specialized in what we do, including segmenting ourselves into assisting for-profit businesses only.
CI: What lessons have you and the team learned along the way in building MORTAR? Woods: This is a great question! One of the things that we've learned is that we can't be everything to everybody. There are a lot of times when we look at the magnitude of the problems we're trying to solve, and we've tried to solve them all in a very short period of time. So, the other thing that we've learned is that we have to pace ourselves. This is not a sprint, it's a marathon! From day one, it seems like we have been moving with our foot pressed firmly on the gas and that is exhausting, trust me! One of the other things that we've learned is that we have to bring in specialists in the different industries to make sure that our participants are getting the additional guidance they need throughout that 18-month period of our alumni program. For example, I've never run a restaurant, so my ability to nurture someone who wants to have their own restaurant is limited. So, we have learned to bring in additional liaisons to help us with these industry-specific things.
CI: What’s next in 2018 and the next few years? Woods: We just opened a brand-new storefront in the Walnut Hills area. It houses all of the physical products made by our alumni, and we recently added a coworking space and podcast studio within that same space. We want to make sure that we're creating a place for the community to come and have access to the tools they need to succeed.
