Business Incubator
The Muskegon Innovation Hub Business Incubator helps entrepreneurs transform their emerging startup into a successful company. Our highly-personalized business coaching program focuses on maximizing growth potential and positioning our clients for long-term success. Incubator clients gain invaluable connections to game-changing resources and mentoring that teaches them how to navigate the path to market.
We understand that every entrepreneur and early-stage company has unique needs, which is why we provide tailored programming for each client. Working toward defined goals, we will show you how to understand your business and your customers, create connections, access funding, and grow the leadership skills needed to gain traction in the marketplace.
Our entrepreneurs can be physically located in our facility or receive services on a weekly basis while working off-site. Ready to start the process?
“Your purpose is to identify where in the process things go wrong, not who messed up. Look for systemic causes, not culprits.”
—
Peter Scholtes
Weekly Insights
Read our latest blog post for more tips.
Support for Clients Includes:
- Office Space, either
- Private office and space rentals with 24/7 access, or
- Occasional use of a private meeting room
- Networking events and opportunities
- Business to business connectivity
- Marketing assistance
- Weekly business coaching and mentoring
- Funding assistance
- Identifying suitable training opportunities
- Support for student internships
- Business mailbox
- Free coffee, printing, scanning, and high-speed internet
- Free meeting space for 2 to 6 people
- Phone service
How to Get Started
- First Steps Program - This short course will help you understand your readiness and provide recommendations on how to proceed in planning for your business. After completing this, contact us to get started with your business.
- How to Build a Startup Udacity course by Steve Blank teaches you the basics of how to start a business. Our incubator program covers much of the same tools and techniques with 1-to-1 mentoring.
Helpful Tools for Entrepreneurs
Type of Entity Wizard - This short series of questions will help you decide if your business should be a DBA, an LLC, a Professional LLC, an S-Cop, a C-Corp, or a non-profit.
Guide to Starting and Operating Your Business by the Michigan SBDC - An expanded, and less interactive, version of the First Steps Program.
IRS' Checklist for Starting A Business - Super-short guide to starting a business that is compliant with tax regulations
Apply for an EIN - The simple online tool for obtaining an IRS Employer Identification Number (for free), used like a Social Security number for your business.
Michigan Pro Bono Patent Project - Inventors and small businesses that meet certain financial thresholds and other criteria may be eligible for free legal assistance in preparing and filing a patent application. (Inventors in other states can find equivalent local programs.)
Protecting your idea, brand, or logo wizard - There's no substitute for an experienced lawyer when protecting your business' intellectual property, but this wizard will help get you started.