Break through tech barriers with Elevate Hennepin technology advising

Break through tech barriers with Elevate Hennepin technology advising

Finding the right tech tools, developing the right technology strategy, or building a high-quality digital presence is challenging for every business.

"Almost nobody has a handle on their technology," says Ini Augustine, Elevate Hennepin technology advisor and founder of Technologist Computers.

Hennepin County entrepreneurs and businesses can find a wide range of resources and consulting for owners and entrepreneurs exploring technology from any angle at any scale. 

Businesses that are looking to automate some tedious tasks, find new ways to do things or push their website to the next level can find support in Technologist Computers. Founder Ini Augustine said business owners can get stuck doing manual processes. But with a few hours of guidance, they can save a lot of time and effort.

"I worked with a babysitting company. I was able to get them set up with Square to accept credit card payments," said Ini. "Now, they have better cash flow because they're able to take payment right away instead of waiting for the check."

Similarly, she’s helped service businesses build out their scheduling process to be more automated, and train small businesses on efficient Microsoft or Google tactics.

While support with tedious technology tasks can be a great time saver, people with a technology business idea might need to dig in more specifically and can look to Software for Good for expert strategic guidance to build a technology idea to a technology business. 

"In these cases, people have a product or tech-enabled business idea and need advising on whether this is a viable idea," said Cassi Johnson, a vice president at the organization.

If the idea seems viable, Cassi said Software for Good consultants can help devise a step-by-step business strategy that starts with testing and iterating, getting real feedback and going from prototype to a full product. She noted that the organization can help with all manner of technology questions for non-tech companies as well. 

Entrepreneurs who are looking to start or expand their online presence can work with Hack the Gap, an Elevate Hennepin advisor that can guide website development but also build skills. Caroline Karanja, CEO of Hack the Gap, said their organization provides a lot of support around digital professionalism--helping business owners present themselves in a polished way with things like a good email signature, high-quality photos, and quality templates for emails.

"That just helps give people that extra confidence as they're putting together their proposals, their invoices, all of those things," said Caroline.

Part of that is a great website, and Caroline and team have helped numerous Elevate Hennepin users with their first website or making a major update.

"We use a lot of website builders to help small businesses get over the hurdle of creating a website for example because usually what happens is a business owner wants to just build a website on Squarespace. But then they get in there and it can be really overwhelming," said Caroline.

She said one advisee had been working on a website here and there for two years, and it was taking time away from running her business. She worked with Hack the Gap and can now manage the site without the major learning curve.

"If technology is becoming too much of a blocker, just come to us," said Caroline. "We'll help you."

All the Elevate Hennepin technology advisors offer a wide range of support and expert insights. Each will start with a quick consult, then outline what they can do with those 25 hours of no-cost consulting.