KALONA

Whatever phase their business is in, from starting up to looking for an exit strategy, free business coaching is available to Washington County residents through the end of July 2024, Mary Audia told attendees of the Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce business lunch on Feb. 7. Those interested can sign up for as many 45-minute sessions as they need with experienced professionals who can help at ruralideas.net/labs/Washington-County.

Audia represents the Washington Economic Development Group (WEDG).

“One of the things that WEDG does is, we are very supportive of businesses coming to our area and growing in our area, all different phases of a business’s life,” she said. “So when we got this opportunity, we jumped at it.”

WEDG partnered with the Rural Ideas Network, which has made its resources available within Washington County at no charge until the end of July thanks government grant funding. Unlimited, 1:1 coaching is one of those resources; others include peer learning roundtables, a peer learning forum, and curated workshops. All are available online and give area business owners the opportunity to learn from other rural business owners across the country.

Audia gave examples of people she has referred to the Business Lab, which included a local business owner who needed help with designing a website, and others who wanted to know more about how to prevent fraudulent credit transactions.

Help is available in both English and Spanish, she noted.

Business owners filled the Kalona Chamber’s meeting room for Audia’s presentation; some were seasoned, others looking at retirement, and still others planning their business launch or recently started. All were interested in the Business Lab resources; one signed up for a coaching session during the course of the meeting.

The next Kalona Chamber Business Lunch is planned for March 7 at noon at the Kalona Chamber meeting room. Dr. Chris Grier of Bright Futures Chiropractic will present on staying healthy in the workplace.