The Community Growth Program created and managed by Builders + Backers in collaboration with Heartland Forward, will be launching soon in Oklahoma City. According to Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Program Manager for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Evan Fay, 10 Oklahomans with entrepreneurial ideas will be selected to join the Idea Accelerator Builder Bootcamp. Selected participants will be referred to as Builders upon joining a boot camp that shows showing how to put into action and test business idea as a way to encourage and empower them once they start their business.

In going forward with the Community Growth Program, the 501c3 organization Heartland Forward funded by the Walton Foundation, will provide $50,000 to Oklahoma City Chamber. The latter will in turn award a $5,000 Pebble Grant to each of the 10 Builders, which they will use in kickstarting a business based on their respective innovative idea.

The Idea Accelerator Builder Bootcamp is slated to begin its first iteration in March 2022, while Heartland Forward is already accepting applications up to Dec. 12, for the first 10 Oklahoma City group of Builder participants.

Who Can Apply for the Program

While Builders + Backers and Heartland Forward will determine who among the Builder applicants will be selected, The Inasmuch Foundation and The Chamber are in some ways involved in the selection process. Fay said they will work with universities, churches, neighborhood nonprofits, and with all types of organizations, as no boundaries will be drawn in endorsing a good candidate for this program.

While they will be looking for people who innovate and want to create a business, the program is not open to those who already have an existing business.

The Community Growth Program has already been successfully introduced in Mississippi, Oxford, and Tulsa, which according to Fay included a diverse group of people.

Underscoring the Importance of Digital Marketing When Launching a New Business Innovation

While Builders + Backers, the creator and organizer of the Community Growth Program, knows the determinants for success of a business idea, marketing experts give advice that in order to accelerate results, entrepreneurs should adopt the right marketing strategy.

Today, digital marketing is more important than ever since businesses are now shifting into the digital space and harnessing mobile channels. Yet in order to be successful in acquiring and building a customer base, their digital transformation must be supported with a digital marketing plan for establishing their presence online.

Establishing am online presence is still a common challenge among many new entrepreneurs who are not digitally savvy, particularly in the application of media and technology.

One such challenge is in applying SEO strategies when looking to connect and reconnect with their audience, which in the long run will enable them to aggressively dominate emerging competitions im the digital realm. This aspect however can be better explained by SEO experts.