Innovate New Albany created Expert Office Hours to give business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs an easy way to get the answers they need to start and grow successful businesses.

The program’s goal is to increase the percentage of businesses that become financially sustainable and enjoy long, healthy futures.

Who Can Benefit by Participating?

Innovate New Albany aims to serve the broad community – everyone who contributes to creating and sustaining a thriving economy.

Expert Office Hours is designed to be of value for:

• Founders & Leaders of scalable startups
• Owners & Leaders of small businesses
• Owners considering selling or recapitalizing their businesses
• People planning to launch a new business
• People evaluating the idea of launching a new business

What Happens During Expert Office Hours?

Industry experts, selected by Innovate New Albany, each offer a schedule of appointments to answer questions that prospective participants may be struggling with.

Benefits:

• High Value & Free. Each expert is hand-picked by Innovate New Albany. All are proven professionals who genuinely want to help business owners succeed. Our experts give no sales pitches or prepared presentations. The goal of these meetings is to answer questions on the minds of the business owners who make appointments. Our experts contribute their time and expertise, “no strings attached.”
• Easy. Sign up online to reserve 30-minute appointments with up to six experts per event day. Guests receive a confirmation email and a calendar appointment with meeting details, including a link to log in to Zoom on the meeting date/time.
• Convenient. Guests can get many business questions answered in a single morning.

Event Flow & Schedule

Expert Office Hours events are held on select Thursday or Friday mornings.

• At each event, there are 9-16 different Experts from widely different specialties. We strive to offer a diverse Expert Line-Up that’s prepared to answer as many common business questions as practical.

• Each Expert has six 30-minute time slots available.
• Guests make appointments with the specific Experts they want to see, right from the Innovate New Albany website.
• Guests may participate in Expert Office Hours on more than one occasion, taking advantage of the different Experts needed as business needs evolve.
• Expert Office Hours events are held six times per year.

Expert Types

When guests sign up for Expert Office Hours, they can expect to have access to advice in the following areas:

• Banking/Financing for Early Stage Businesses: Information about business financing, setting up bank accounts and purchasing an existing building or an existing business
• Law – Intellectual Property: Advice on trademarks, copyrights, patents, other intellectual property issues, privacy and data security
• Law – Startup & Emerging Business Law: Recommendations for optimal business structure, corporate contracts, project management, employee management and independent contracting
• Web Strategy & Engineering: Guidance on website and app development, search engine optimization, branding and website design
• Growth Marketing and Branding: Information about website, app and brand development, storytelling, digital advertising and social media
• Public Relations and Marketing: Assistance with marketing and PR budgeting, social media visibility and differentiating from the competition
• Custom Software and App Development: Advice on the development and best practices for software products and app development
• Resources for High-Growth Startups: Information about Rev1 Ventures, which types of companies that fit Rev1’s investment model, how they help, and funding opportunities
• Cash Flow Forecasting & Financial Modeling: Recommendations on cash flow, bookkeeping, finance best practices and accounting software
• Business Exit Advice and Planning: Guidance on preparing to sell your business, exit options, and sales process steps
• Big Picture Strategic Advice: Information on how to build and grow highly competitive, valuable and sustainable companies
• Business Management Advice: Direction on how to market, grow and finance a new business from consultants at the Ohio Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
• Exporting Products/Services: Counsel on export planning, strategy, and financing

Collaborating Partners

Among the Experts included at each event, we are proud to make available representatives from two collaborating partner organizations:

• Rev1 Ventures: Geared toward scalable tech startups, Rev1 Ventures is a team of builders, investors, operators and corporate innovators that help to grow strong companies. The Rev1 team has helped launch more than 150 startups, invested in more than 300 companies and supported 70+ successful exits.

• Ohio Small Business Development Center: The Ohio SBDC is part of America’s SBDC national network comprised of over 1000 Centers across the U.S. including 28 in Ohio. Focused on traditional or Main Street businesses, the Ohio SBDC Network provides one-on-one advising by Certified Business Advisors at no cost and conduct no or low cost business training.

Past Events

Read about a recent Expert Office Hours event:

Expert Office Hours – Friday Feb 2, 2024: 9:00 am -12:00 pm

Written by: Neil Collins
July 2024