Free business coaching · Cookeville, TN
Start with a conversation.
Sit down with someone who has run a business, talk through what you are trying to do, and leave with a next step. About 45 minutes, no cost, and no pitch at the end.
Pick a coachPick someone
Choose whoever sounds closest to your situation. If you get it wrong we will point you at the right person — nobody minds.
Book a time
Straight into their calendar. About 45 minutes, in person at the Cookeville office or over video.
Turn up
Bring the problem, not a business plan. You do not need to have it figured out — that is rather the point.
No idea who to pick?
Let us match you.
Tell us a little about what you are working on and we will put you with whoever fits best, then send you their booking link. Most people do not know who they need yet — that is normal.
Who you will meet
Luke Ramey
Entrepreneurship Coordinator
Best for: Early ideas, working out whether a hobby could be a business, getting unstuck — and funding, including an introduction to Kelly at TSBDC when that is the right next step.
Twenty years in the Upper Cumberland and a Minneapolis native. Luke has founded a software company, a podcast production firm and a photography business, and coaches through the same decisions he has made himself.
Joshua
AI Business Coach
Best for: Right now, at 11pm, when you do not want to wait for an appointment.
Joshua is our AI coach, trained on the same curriculum and coaching approach we use in person. Free, no appointment, and it will not judge a half-formed idea. Start there and book a human when you want one.
Tiffany Anton
Vice President
Best for: Connections and community, women founders, and anything to do with WorkBase.
Tiffany joined in 2017 and founded Powered By Her, a women's entrepreneurship initiative that has since grown to an international audience. She helps people find the connections they need to solve whatever is in front of them.
Jeff Brown
CEO & President
Best for: Partnerships, regional connections, funding, and scaling up.
Thirty years of starting and running businesses — real estate, development, construction, mortgage, insurance, and a VR training startup. Jeff helped build the regional micro-loan fund and spends much of his time connecting local startups to outside resources.
Funding · in partnership with TSBDC
Kelly SullivanTennessee Small Business Development Center
Best for: Funding — loans, lenders, and what you can realistically borrow.
You do not have to go it alone — book any of our coaches and they will make the introduction if funding turns out to be the thing you need.
Questions
- Is it actually free?
- Yes. Coaching costs nothing and there is no pitch at the end. We are a non-profit; helping people start businesses here is the job.
- What if my idea is half-formed?
- Most are. A good number of the people we sit down with are not sure they have a business at all yet, and working that out is a perfectly good use of the time.
- Do I have to be in Cookeville?
- No. We serve all 14 counties in the Upper Cumberland, and sessions can happen over video if driving in is impractical.
- How often can I come back?
- As often as it is useful. Some people come once, some check in every few weeks for a year.
- What should I bring?
- Whatever you have. Numbers if you have them, questions if you do not. Turning up with nothing but a frustration is fine.
Not ready to book? Come to lunch instead.
Entrepreneur's Lunch Club runs the first Wednesday of every month and Powered By Her the second Thursday. Both are free, and nobody will ask you to commit to anything.
See the events