425 Launch Connects Entrepreneurs

When Matt Mikulsky started Chatter Creative a year and a half ago, he turned to a group of retired business leaders for advice.

Many of their tips, he found, seemed outdated. They told him to advertise in Little Nickel Classifieds, but Mikulsky wanted tips on nabbing clients through Facebook.

"Things had changed since they ran businesses," Mikulsky said.

Mikulsky hopes he and fellow Edmonds business owners will be better prepared to navigate the world of entrepreneurship with a new group, 425 Launch.

The networking community began this fall in the hopes that business owners and aspiring entpreneurs can share tips, experiences, and advice with one another. 425 Launch held its first meeting on Nov. 8. Group members plan to hold regular sessions on the third Tuesday of every other month next year.

425 Launch founder Bob Rinehart said he hoped to mimick programs he witnessed when living and teaching entreprenership in the San Francisco Bay Area.

"I realized energy and growth came from listening to others," Rinehart said.

Rinehart shared the idea with Mikulsky, who expressed equal enthusiasm for the concept.

At the initial session, roughly 30 people showed up to a room at City Hall. Frank Yamamoto, owner of Edmonds-based Running in Motion, delivered a presentation on running a business, and a group discussion followed.

Rinehart hopes the next session will bring presentations from budding entrepreneurs interested in starting a new company. He sees group members offering instant, valuable feedback to rough ideas.

Rinehart also hopes the session, and others down the road, could help business leaders form valuable partnerships. Mikulsky shares his vision on collaboration.

"My take is that there's enough work out there for everyone, and it's better to share ideas," Mikulsky said.

At the first 425 Launch meeting, Mikulsky found himself offering advice rather than receiving it, but he believes that could change in future meet-ups. Chatter Creative has been around for just one and a half years, and Mikulsky wants to grow the company. He's open to strategic advice.

In a future 425 Launch session, Mikulsky would like to tackle social media. He's already seen the positive impact of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn on growing his business, and he wants to continue on that path. Chatter Creative can be found on Twitter at @chattercreative and on Facebook at facebook.com/chattercreative.

"Social media has changed the playing field," Mikulsky said. "It's worth a discussion."