When the 'LaunchMyCity' model came to Wake County several years ago, neighboring Johnston County didn't have the bandwidth to develop a program of its own at the time, said Dana Wooten, president of the Clayton Chamber of Commerce.
But that changed this year, and it changed fast. Similar to a fast-moving small business, the Launch JoCo program came together quickly – in about three months.
"We sunk our teeth into it in the spring of this year and said, 'Let's take a leap of faith and bring this program to Johnston County,'" Wooten said.
Johnston County is growing larger by the day as the area keeps adding new residents and businesses. To help the county's small-business sector, the Clayton Chamber of Commerce is spearheading Launch JoCo.
The free program offers opportunities for local entrepreneurs to take classes at Johnston Community College's Small Business Center, as well as network and learn from business leaders in the community.
The chamber anticipates 30 participants will be part of the program each year. Johnston County business owners can apply at claytonchamber.com/launchjoco.
Applicants can apply between now and November, and program participants will be announced around Thanksgiving with classes beginning in January. Wooten said the program is not looking for startups, meaning they want applying businesses to have been established for at least a year.
The LaunchMyCity program got started in Detroit and has been in Wake County for a few years. In Wake, the program is hosted by several municipalities like LaunchRaleigh, LaunchCary and LaunchApex, for example.
Wooten said Johnston County leadership considered doing a municipality-centric program like Wake County, but instead decided for the first iteration of the program to do it county-wide.
However, that could change depending on how the program is received in its first year.
"We decided that we wanted to have it be born out of Clayton, but be inclusive of all of Johnston County to give all small businesses and entrepreneurs an opportunity," Wooten said. "We'll see how it flourishes here – if it does or if it doesn't – and then maybe we can have several satellite programs in different pockets of the county if it takes off after the first year."
Launch JoCo comes during a truly unprecedented time for entrepreneurship in North Carolina. Earlier this summer, the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State said filings for new businesses were up 80 percent year-over-year during the first half of 2021.
Evan Hoopfer covers real estate and economic development in the Greater Triangle, focusing on the counties outside Wake, Durham and Orange. Have a tip? Reach him at ehoopfer@bizjournals.com or (919) 327-1012.
