BUSINESS BARN RAISING
WHAT IS A
BARN RAISING?
Since inception, a barn raising has been a community event on the American frontier, in which the community is enlisted to build a barn for a community member.
Certain challenges, like long preparation time and harsh winters, necessitated an urgency to finish a barn. This, coupled with close community bonds, resulted in an event where entire families would come together to support others in their community.
We’ve adapted this concept to create a Business Barn Raising, for the purpose of providing a forum for our community to collaborate to solve business challenges, launch entrepreneurial ventures, and gain practical experience.
PURPOSE
The pandemic has made it more obvious than ever that we must develop new approaches to jobs, innovation, economic development, and problem-solving.
WHY
This Business Barn Raising event enables participants to solve business problems, spark internal innovation, assist entrepreneurs in getting their businesses off the ground, help students gain experience, educate in entrepreneurship, expand experience in teams.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS
How would you like to spend your summer? If the answer is doing something that is fun, aligned with what you’re passionate about, and bolsters your experience, join us.
Perhaps you want to
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put your coding skills into action on a real project
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test various digital marketing strategies in a real-life setting
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get more comfortable talking to customers and learning how to integrate their feedback
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gain work experience and strengthen your resume
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Submit your skills, interests, and goals, and we’ll set you up with a project you’ll enjoy.
Individual participant commitment: A participant is expected to work on a team for 7 weeks to solve an organization’s challenge while gaining startup experience and further developing their skills. Estimated 4 hours per week, minimum.
STARTUPS / ENTREPRENEURS
Startups typically have a task list a million items long, but very few resources. What is the biggest need you want to work on?
Perhaps a team could help you to
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develop a website
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test a new feature with customers
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strengthen your IT security
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find a cofounder who believes in the problem you’re solving as much as you do
Submit anything you want to make progress on and you will work with a team to move forward, while working to solve an organization’s challenge.
Startup/entrepreneur commitment: An entrepreneur is expected to lead a team for 7 weeks to work on solving an organization’s challenge while making progress on their startup needs. Estimated 6 hours per week, minimum.
ORGANIZATIONS
Organizations submit a challenge they’d like to solve. Perhaps it’s a customer-facing challenge or an internal challenge.
Perhaps
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you’ve developed an app that has few downloads and engagement
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your hiring process is too slow and you struggle to find the right candidates
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you’re receiving fewer bookings for large events
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you’ve been dealing with an inefficient purchasing process
Submit your business challenges and we will match you with an appropriate team.
Organization commitment: A business team leader is expected to be available to answer questions within a reasonable time period and for meetings once a week. Estimated 1-2 hours per week.