With its massive crowds and 12 days of saturation media coverage, the Minnesota State Fair is a business person’s dream.
LeeAnn Rasachak, Chief Executive Officer of WomenVenture, expressed satisfaction in seeing a number of businesses boosted by the St Paul based Community Development Financial Institution enjoying a high-profile presence at the Fair.
“This is the largest state marketplace to showcase your products or services, an amazing place for businesses,” she said.
Rasachak proudly pointed to numerous WomenVenture-affiliated businesses selling products on the fairgrounds. Many have taken advantage of support offered by WomenVenture, which works with entrepreneurs throughout the state of Minnesota as well as small business owners in Western Wisconsin.
They included Ambero Hot Sauce, Ms Bev’s BBQ and dry rubs and Steller Handcrafted Goods at the International Bazaar; Roots, Shoots and Leaves mobile garden center in the West End Market, Baba’s Food Company and Urban Glow Mocktails by Urban Growler in the North End and Namaste Brows and Boutique and Lip Esteem in the Grandstand.
WomenVenture also worked with Emily Kisa, who achieved a longtime goal when she opened her KISA booth in the West End Market at the Minnesota State Fair.
“It’s so much fun to see things fly off our shelves. I’m exhausted and thrilled!” Kisa said.
Ten years ago, Kisa began putting together a business to sell Turkish jewelry imports. After consulting with WomenVenture and making several iterations to evolve her product line, Kisa’s business shifted into one that sells colorful handcrafted Turkish textiles and imported ornate hair and home accessories.
Her colorful booth’s profitable State Fair run left Kisa tired but proud.
“You plan for this months in advance. You are physically bringing in product, building out your booth, creating your brand story, you have to get signage, you have to guess how much product you will sell, which is a feat!” she said.
Kisa credits WomenVenture with guiding her as she built her business from a dream to reality. In addition to her State Fair booth, she operates a brick-and-mortar KISA store in the resort town of Nisswa, Mn and has an online store at www.kisaofficial.com
“I was naive when I started,” Kisa admitted. “I took the WomenVenture ‘How to start a business’ class and they held my hand. I have done financial and bookkeeping workshops and had a capital loan through them. WomenVenture helped me build confidence and grit.”
Rasachek stressed that WomenVenture works with small business start-ups on financing, helping them to access up to $100,000 in small business funding. WomenVenture has a reputation for saying ‘yes’ when many traditional banks and lending institutions turn new businesses down.
“We don’t want you to cash out your 401K and max out your credit cards to finance a new business,” Rasachak said. “We can get you on the path to finding capital so you can own your own business and build generational wealth.
“We have dedicated teams for lending, business coaching. If someone has an idea or a side hustle they want to turn into a full time business, or you’re growing and expanding, you can meet with us. We are located in St Paul but we meet with people virtually,” she added.
WomenVenture will celebrate its 25th anniversary at its annual fundraiser. The “Women Mean Business” gala is coming up on October 10 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Keynote speaker for the elegant evening will be entrepreneur and media personality Sheletta Brundidge, founder and CEO of media and marketing company ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com.
For more information on the WomenVenture gala, or to buy tickets or sponsorships, go here.
