Burning Plan, the signature business plan review of NEX Atlanta, re-launched on July 29 as part of NEX Labs, an educational nonprofit designed to support entrepreneurs at all stages of growth and development. The team of Amplify 4 Good, Joey Womack and Justin Dawkins, presented their plan to support underserved communities via entrepreneurial initiatives to a two-person expert panel and an audience of 57 entrepreneurial supporters. Amplify plans to expand their current offerings—Goodie Hack, sf35, and Founder’s Therapy—to create an ecosystem for underserved entrepreneurs (minority and women entrepreneurs) that will in turn help them partner with nonprofits for social good.
The facilitator for the evening was Michelle Morgan, founder of NEX Atlanta and co-founder of NEX Labs. The panel for the evening included experts in community building: Yvonne Druyeh Dodd, President of Femfessionals Atlanta, and Angela Stalcup, Market Owner Ladies Who Launch Atlanta.
Audience and participant comments from 7/29/2014:
- As a first time participant in the Burning Plan audience, it was a great experience. The networking was phenomenal – I met some incredibly interesting people as passionate about social entrepreneurism as I am, each with a pretty diverse background. The presentation was well thought out and well presented. And the questions posed by audience members and moderators to the presenters were insightful, supportive and comprehensive. In a couple of hours, the group accomplished what would normally take days to weeks using more traditional methods of business plan reviews and critiques. I definitely plan to participate again in the future and look forward to following Joey and Justin’s success! – Hannah Coker, Wholehearted Business Consulting, LLC (audience member)
- The energy in the room was evident as the attendees started to arrive. They came ready to learn, ready to connect, but even more impressively, ready to contributors. The audience participated as true collaborators, with direct questions, compelling insights, and positive suggestions. Though most of the attendees had no prior experience with the presenters, they joined is as if they were members of the team. The presenters pitched a big vision to bring a holistic approach to support systems for underserved communities in Atlanta and beyond. Having already launched the successful Goodie Hack, the pitch expanded the hackathon model to a support ecosystem for minority and women enterpreneurs and nonprofits for social good. Joey and Justin brought a passion supported by technical and business experience. They carefully considered the feedback of the audience, open to new ideas, but standing their ground on their ultimate vision. -Angela Stalcup (panelist with specialty in digital communities)
- We’re so grateful for the opportunity to present at Burning Plan, and we to thank the NexLabs team as well as all of the attendees for making us better. It was an intense experience that will pay dividends for years. -Joey Womack (presenter & founder, Amplify 4 Good)
Originally only offered at NEX Atlanta, Burning Plan will now be held in two locations monthly, Midtown and Norcross.
- The next Burning Plan: Midtown will be held on Tuesday, August 26, 2014, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at 805 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308, with presenter Ric Geyer for Val-Kill Industries. Register
- The next Burning Plan: Norcross will be held on Thursday, September 18, 2014, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, in partnership with the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber at the Norcross Community Center, 10 College St., Norcross, GA, 30071, with Black Mermaid’s Handcrafted Soaps & Products presenting. Register
41 businesses have pitched at Burning Plan events. Of that number, 39 are still in existence at some stage of launch or growth. Events are open to the public, and both Burning Plan locations are currently accepting applications for presenters. For more information visit NEXLabs or contact Rayann Larsen at Rayann.Larsen@nexlabs.org.
