Within the three weeks I have been living in Detroit, I have become a strong proponent for its recovery. I couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride and optimism at Ford’s public announcement to revamp the Michigan Central station. When I listen to Build Institute alumni recount their success stories, I always realize the profound impact this nonprofit is having in Detroit. Nevertheless, some surrounding areas of Detroit aren’t seeing the development and economic recovery that areas like Midtown and downtown Detroit are seeing. It’s not hard to notice that simple infrastructural things, such as bike lanes, are widespread in places like Midtown but disappear when you reach places like Corktown. While this is largely due to the fact that many investors overlook these less developed areas of Detroit, it’s important to invest more time and money in the less developed areas if there is any hope of a full and widespread recovery of Detroit. Without that, Detroit will continue to hold on to the image of being dilapidated and dangerous.
One of my first thoughts when I began working at Build Institute was, “why did they choose this location?”. There were stark differences between Midtown and Corktown, and I couldn’t help but wondering if Corktown was the best location for this incubator. I slowly began to realize it’s places like Build Institute that are taking the leap and trying to bring life and development into the more forgotten areas of Detroit. Simply put, Build Institute is an incubator that offers a variety of programs and classes to help aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their goals. Depending on where they are in their endeavors, whether they are trying to get their idea off the grind or expand their already established business, Build Institute’s goal is to empower the community of Detroit by providing them with the knowledge they need to create and sustain businesses.
My work with Build Institute is widespread, but I love reflecting on how each task I complete plays into the bigger picture. Three things I have spent a significant amount of time working with are the alumni survey, the neonCRM (consumer relationship management), and establishing a chamber of commerce. The alumni survey is crucial to Build obtaining feedback about it’s courses and it’s economic impact. Depending on these results, we are able to propose more appealing reasons to investors about why we should get money. Understanding our alumni’s thoughts on not only our courses but whether or not they started their business and how they are doing allows us to understand the impact we are having on the Detroit community. Moreover, we can use their stories to empower other members who are still hesitant about becoming entrepreneurs. When creating this survey Tonya and I had to ensure that we were obtaining valuable information that would allow us to achieve these goals. Even smaller tasks, such as understanding how to work the neonCRM and establishing a chamber of commerce, play pivotal roles in Build’s future. Helping our co-workers with these tasks help Build grow as an organization by refining its methods of organization and data analysis, which improve customer satisfaction rates. Looking from the broader perspective, these improvements are leading to more and more businesses in the 313, and soon enough places like Corktown will be booming too.
One of my first thoughts when I began working at Build Institute was, “why did they choose this location?”. There were stark differences between Midtown and Corktown, and I couldn’t help but wondering if Corktown was the best location for this incubator. I slowly began to realize it’s places like Build Institute that are taking the leap and trying to bring life and development into the more forgotten areas of Detroit. Simply put, Build Institute is an incubator that offers a variety of programs and classes to help aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their goals. Depending on where they are in their endeavors, whether they are trying to get their idea off the grind or expand their already established business, Build Institute’s goal is to empower the community of Detroit by providing them with the knowledge they need to create and sustain businesses.
My work with Build Institute is widespread, but I love reflecting on how each task I complete plays into the bigger picture. Three things I have spent a significant amount of time working with are the alumni survey, the neonCRM (consumer relationship management), and establishing a chamber of commerce. The alumni survey is crucial to Build obtaining feedback about it’s courses and it’s economic impact. Depending on these results, we are able to propose more appealing reasons to investors about why we should get money. Understanding our alumni’s thoughts on not only our courses but whether or not they started their business and how they are doing allows us to understand the impact we are having on the Detroit community. Moreover, we can use their stories to empower other members who are still hesitant about becoming entrepreneurs. When creating this survey Tonya and I had to ensure that we were obtaining valuable information that would allow us to achieve these goals. Even smaller tasks, such as understanding how to work the neonCRM and establishing a chamber of commerce, play pivotal roles in Build’s future. Helping our co-workers with these tasks help Build grow as an organization by refining its methods of organization and data analysis, which improve customer satisfaction rates. Looking from the broader perspective, these improvements are leading to more and more businesses in the 313, and soon enough places like Corktown will be booming too.
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