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Google Hangout: Application Tips From Previous Grant Recipients -- Mission Main Street -- Chase
How did you find out about the program and what made you decide to register for it? I
found out about
the grant program through an architect friend of mine from college. She participated in
the program and
when I looked a little more into it I realized I was also qualified to participate. I looked
at the application
and I started to write and re-write and edit and wrote some more and with only about three
weeks left
in the time period, we jumped in. If I don't try, I can't win. So I sat down with a couple
friends and wrote
out kind of what I was thinking and submitted it and that was basically how we started.
Once I saw my
whole team rally for it that's when we took the time to write the essays and move forward.
Started
gathering the support that we needed from our friends and family to enter and we were
off to the races.
Tell us what you learned from being part of the program? The importance of putting together
a really
solid application and plan and thinking about your business and where you want it to go.
Announcing
it to our customers and our friends and family and the world that we really were going to
grow made
it very real. And then I started thinking how amazing it would be if we actually got
that grant, what I
could do with it. How amazing it would be to be able to fund new product development
and some of
the things that as a small business it's so difficult to pay for out of personal funds.
So what would you
recommend that small business owners keep in mind or take advantage of in the program?
If you pause
to think about what do I need to do in the future to be successful? Which direction do
I want to go? How
are things going to look in three to five years and with writing the grant proposal
it gave me a chance
to think about that. Nourish those ties to your community and keep them in mind as you
go through
your day-to-day and your business and think about your expansion plan. Chase Bank wants
to hear
what you have to say so take the time to present your business in a way that Chase Bank can
help you.
Aside from the grant were there any other benefits from participating in the program?
This is where I'm
supposed to be, it's what I'm supposed to be doing with my life and it was just a tremendous
validation.
Participating in this program gave me the sense of belief, hope and faith that I was
on the right path
and that someone out there was going to help me get to where I wanted to go. For those
of you at
home interested in learning more about Mission Main Street Grant, visit MissionMainStreetGrants.com,
applications are being received until October 31st.