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The Entrepreneurship Center’s “Make it Real!” program includes a series of curated videos and resources focusing on the entrepreneurial mindset. Complete your trainings by attending in-person workshops based on your industry of choice. The sessions will be held at Washtenaw Community College, and facilitated by experts in their industries.

Interested in starting a small business but need to know how to get started? We will walk through some top-level decisions you will need to consider, focusing on a Michigan Cottage Food business, but applicable on many levels to other small business endeavors.

Speaker: Gretchen Kopmanis
Gretchen Kopmanis is a Michigan native and University of Michigan alumnus and staff member. Growing up with a proud Czech-German heritage, she baked with both her grandmother and great-grandmother. She started an Eastern European bakery in 2012 with the goal of keeping those heritage recipes alive. Czechbox Bakery promotes seasonal heritage baking, using ingredients that were readily available 150 years ago. Gretchen is passionate about mentoring others. Attending workshops offered by “Growing Hope” on how to be a farm market vendor, she began teaching classes in the community on how to start a Michigan Cottage Food business.