By Ro Selvey—
MUNCIE, Ind. – Growing Remarkable Opportunities with Women (G.R.O.W.) is seeking to “grow” more members as it fulfills an important role of helping women entrepreneurs within the Muncie community thrive.
The organization aims to help local small business owners find resources and connections to grow their businesses. Starting out of an Impact Economics class sponsored by the City of Muncie and hosted at Ball State University in 2022, two of the students in the class, Brittany Scott and River Lin, launched G.R.O.W. in January of this year.
“Being an entrepreneur can be lonely,” Scott explained. “And we know that women in particular are looking for others with similar challenges to share ideas with, give and receive feedback, and to encourage each other all along the way.”
Any female entrepreneur or woman in business is welcome to attend G.R.O.W. meetings which are a blend of mastermind and networking. “We promise three things at each meeting,” said Lin. “Those are accountability, education, and collaboration.” The first 15 minutes of each meeting are dedicated to accountability. Members have a worksheet to keep track of goals, wins, challenges, and solutions, and they share that with a partner when they first arrive.
The next 45 minutes includes the educational piece where members receive information and tools to apply practically to their businesses. This portion of the meeting is hands-on and interactive, so as they are learning, they can actually do the work in real time. For example, while learning about the latest trends in social media, members created their own social media posts during the meeting and were able to get immediate feedback.
The final 30 minutes of the meeting are collaborative work time. Many members use that time to continue working on the take-away from the educational section. Others use that time to ask questions and share expertise, or to discuss and plan collaborative projects they can do together.
The curriculum is designed in a way that women at any step in their business can benefit. “Our biggest reward is being witness to the ‘ah-ha’ moments women have at every meeting,” Lin said. “And hearing how something they learned through G.R.O.W. empowered them by giving them the language, the insight, the confidence to speak up, be bold, take a stand –
whatever is needed at that moment to keep them moving forward and growing their businesses.”
G.R.O.W. received the Mayor’s Impact award last month, a recognition that “both honored and humbled us,” Scott said. And it is this same kind of validation and encouragement that the founders of G.R.O.W. intend to pass on to the female entrepreneurs and women in business in the Muncie community for years to come. Interested to learn more? Visit their website at www.growmastermind.org for more information and to become a member.
Ro Selvey is Muncie’s City Councilwoman at Large and a 25 year award-winning educator with Muncie Community Schools. She currently serves on the Finance Committee, Governmental Affairs, and Tax Abatement Committee. Ro is member of the Muncie Black Chamber, President of the Muncie Human Rights Commission, and President and founding member of the Riverfront District committee.
