E3 promotes business success, assisting entrepreneurs

SIDNEY -- When starting, or maintaining a business, sometimes an entrepreneur encounters questions or challenges that are difficult to answer. Often the difficulty is in what, and then who, to ask.  A little more than three months ago, Alisha Juelfs was hired as the Entrepreneurial Navigator for Cheyenne County's E3 group. 

E3 stands for Energizing, Entrepreneurial, Ecosystems.

She said her role is as a "one-stop-shop" for local businesses and entrepreneurs. The service is independent of any government program, and is available to anyone regardless of stage a person is in the business process. She helps connect business owners with needed resources. 

"I am a navigator, so I help point you in the right direction for the resource at the right time. That could be anyone from a start-up that is really trying to narrow down their ideas. They have this idea, but they don't know where to start. That's using resources that are already available," said Alisha Juelfs, E3 Navigator.

She mentioned SourceLink Nebraska and Small Business Administration as two opportunities for business help.

"There are so many resources available that business owners aren't aware of; they don't have time. They're busy running their business, or busy trying to start something up, so they don't necessarily know where to find those resources, or who to ask," she said. 

The intent of the program is to encourage growth, and continued success, of local businesses. The program is designed to assist entrepreneurs with a start-up idea, and seasoned businesses encountering challenges. She said the E3 group wants the Cheyenne County community to be more aware of the resources available.

"The last thing we want is for people to close, because they didn't think they had any help," Juelfs said.

She said a much of her job is relationship-building. As the E3 Navigator, Juelfs is the neutral party in the process. She works with local governing organizations, but she is not employed by them. She says working with a non-profit, she has no strings to anyone.

When she meets with an entrepreneur, the conversation remains confidential until that person is ready to share it publicly, even before the E3 committee. It is about developing trust with the entrepreneur.

E3 is also supporting a youth entrepreneurial program. A youth program is scheduled for launch at Sidney High School this fall. 

Juelfs can be reached at 308-249-7446 or [email protected].

After the sale of Cabela's, several local community members met to discuss how to help the county rebuild and ensure our current people and businesses stay here.

"We heard from our current businesses that they wanted or needed more support. A small business is a one-stop shop for marketing, finance, inventory management, legal, HR, sales, among many others and can be overwhelming. We wanted to pool our resources as a community to help all other businesses. For example, if one business was excellent at selling online and managing social media, could they teach another business how to use these tools, at no charge? From there we began building networking and educational events," said E3 committee member.