The new program, conceived and launched launched last year with help from JumpStart Inc., provides grants to entrepreneurs who plan to locate new, high growth business ventures in the City of Canton. More than 60 applications were received for the very competitive inaugural funding cycle, and four finalists were invited to a formal presentation. After careful consideration and review by the Canton Entrepreneur Launch commission, entrepreneur Karl Beitzel’s company, Jack Hooks, was selected for grant funding.

Canton Entrepreneur Launch is designed to create organic business growth by providing grants to start-up businesses that have the potential to attract additional growth capital, create substantial economic impact and develop job opportunities within the Canton community.

“We were thrilled to receive so much interest and to see such a healthy entrepreneurial spark in our region,” said Mayor William J. Healy II. “This year we wanted to make a significant investment that could take a business to the next level. We believe that Jack Hooks can use this money to make great progress in their venture.”

Jack Hooks manufactures a revolutionary series of fishing hooks for the retail consumer market that, according to Beitzel, are “are the strongest, fastest and sharpest hooks ever made.” Jack Hooks’ proprietary, patent-pending, knotless hook allows professional and recreational anglers alike to attach a hook to their line in fewer than five seconds.

The young company is already generating a buzz in the industry. The California Dreamin’ Series hooks were designed in collaboration with a veteran tournament angler, Marc Beyers of Norco, Calif., to meet the high demands of professional anglers in tournament competition. BassMaster’s Elite Series Professional Angler Keith Poche has signed a one-year endorsement agreement with Jack Hooks and will use the Jack Hooks California Dreamin’ Series in the Bassmaster Classic tournament, held in Louisiana from Feb. 24 through 26, when he competes head to head with the world’s best Pro Anglers for the 2012 Season Championship.

Jack Hooks is now in the process of establishing a North American sales distribution network. Operations and production will be located in Canton.

“This is my hometown and I am committed to creating jobs and value in the local economy,” said Beitzel. “Growing new industry helps to keep a community healthy, and I hope Jack Hooks will contribute to that trend.”

The company plans to use the Canton Entrepreneur Launch grant to support an assembly operation in Canton, develop additional product inventory, and obtain basic marketing support to build up its operations until they are capable of perpetuating self-sustainable sales. Starting modestly with a handful of staffers, the company hopes to grow to 75 average-wage employees over the next five years.

Those companies who did not receive funding in this application cycle will have access to additional assistance. “We are partnering with Victor Pavona and the Stark County Business Development Center (SBDC) to ensure that all applicants receive necessary business support and advisory services,” said Derek Gordon, assistant safety/service director for the City of Canton. “The SBDC will continue to remain an active partner as we move forward, supporting the program by providing needed connections and continued counseling, not only to Jack Hooks, but to other applicants of the Canton Entrepreneur Launch program.”

The Canton Entrepreneur Launch program will begin a second round of funding later this year, and details about the next round of funding will be available online at CantonLaunch.org.

All applicants also have access to the Canton Entrepreneur Launch’s partner, the JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network, a connected group of regional entrepreneur support organizations offering space, capital and connections to entrepreneurs across 21 counties of Northeast Ohio.

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However, the remembrance of what it felt like to walk away from the predictably planned-out work schedule, the guaranteed paycheck, and the Cadillac of benefit plans of my last ‘real’ job (I was a high school English teacher in a large district near Columbus, Ohio) still feels very present with me.

Stepping out into the unknown, and committing to give it a try (again and again and again) in a state of inspired uncertainty, is the lifestyle of entrepreneurship.

Six years ago, I stepped out ready to embrace uncertainty, in-flux income, and my own lack of business experience. I looked fear right in the eye and dared it to stop me.

I’m still going strong.

What I couldn’t predict was my daily schedule – what my life as a creative entrepreneur would actually look like. What I know from my own extensive network of entrepreneurial peers, as well as from my personal experience across two businesses {first, a nationally award-winning retail boutique [http://theblissful.blogspot.com] in Stark County, and now, a work-from-anywhere digital business [http://abbykerrink.com]}, is that the daily life of an entrepreneur varies dramatically from business model to business model.

A few details about my work life and workflow today:

95% of my clients are non-local. I like it this way because it keeps my workday flexible. Very few on-site meetings.

Rather than working 9-to-5, I work chunks of hours during most people’s typical ‘business day,’ as well as large chunks of evening and weekend hours. This means that I might meet a friend who lives an hour away for lunch and coffee on a Tuesday afternoon, or take an entire Wednesday off. Flexibility, baby.

While at this point my business is a ‘one-woman show,’ I’m in close collaboration with industry peers, joint venture and Mastermind partners, and my business mentor, through the week. The network of support that exists for creatively entrepreneurial types rocks.

Here’s a typical weekday in my life right now as a creative entrepreneur with an online business.

7 – 8 AM – Wake up, get moving, say good morning to the Twitterverse [http://twitter.com/AbbyKerr]
8 – 9 AM – Make breakfast at home, get ready to leave house
9 – 10 AM – Settle in at local coffeehouse for work day
10 AM – 1 PM – Create content for site, client sessions, social media marketing/connection time
1 – 3 PM – Long lunch/visit with friend at coffeehouse, catch up on life and personal stuff
3 – 5 PM – Client sessions, Mastermind session with industry peer, business development
5 – 7 PM – Make dinner/housework/connect with family and friends
7 – 8:30 PM – Work out/self-care
8:30 – 11 PM – Create content, business development, social media marketing/connection time
11 PM on – Sleep and recharge

Fellow entrepreneurs, I’d love to hear about your typical day-in-the-life. Leave me a comment and fill me in on how you structure your workflow and why.

Abby Kerr is a brand editor who teaches creative entrepreneurs with digital platforms how to up their addictability factor and rule their realm. You can find her at Abby Kerr Ink [http://abbykerrink.com]. She was born, raised, and currently lives in Canton, Ohio.

Canton Entrepreneur Launch is designed to create organic business growth by providing grants to startup businesses that have the potential to attract additional growth capital, create substantial economic impact and develop job opportunities within the Canton community. Beginning today, individuals with innovative ideas for a new business can submit an executive summary and business plan to the program at www.cantonlaunch.org. Successful applicants must be selected and approved by the Canton Entrepreneur Launch Commission in order to receive funding. Applications for this round of funding are due no later than September 30, 2011, and the combined grants awarded during this initial cycle will be up to $100,000.

“I am extremely confident that the Canton Entrepreneur Launch program will be a catalyst for business development within our city,” said Mayor Healy. “The commission anticipates receiving a variety of creative new business plans and is eager to identify the most viable submissions to help them start their business in Canton.”

Canton Entrepreneur Launch is the newest member of the JumpStart Entrepreneurial Network, a connected group of regional entrepreneur support organizations operating across 21 counties of Northeast Ohio.

“Canton is making a bold investment in the community by investing in its entrepreneurs,” said John Dearborn, President of JumpStart. ”We’re thrilled to be a part of this exciting program as a ‘back-office’ through our role with the Ohio Third Frontier program to ensure the program has everything it needs to be successful.” The Network’s connectivity provides applicants to the Canton Entrepreneur Launch with potential access to other potential regional resources including pre-seed and seed funds, incubators and business advisors.

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