On any given Saturday morning a nondescript parking lot transforms into a raucous scene boasting with laughter, tiny bikes zipping in every direction, and the bevy of kids and coaches that make up KidCycle Club. Two years ago, this was the stuff of dreams for Emi Kubota, founder of KidCycle Club, Asheville’s only camp dedicated to teaching cycling skills to kids from 12 months to 12 years old.
In the summer of 2021 as she began building what would become KidCycle Club, Kubota was set on the idea of creating a business that was centered on community. “As I moved from my past working 15 years with Green Sprouts, toward my future of running KidCycle Club, I wanted to be integrated in the community with everything I did,” explained Kubota. “Whether that be the community of local families or the business community.”
Her first step toward that goal was tapping into the network of Asheville entrepreneurial support starting with Hatch Innovation Hub.
As fate would have it, “I was invited to participate in the Hatch Founder’s Roundtable in my capacity as Vice President at Green Sprouts pretty early on into the beginning of my own entrepreneurial journey,” said Kubota. The Hatch Founder’s Roundtable is an initiative inviting established businesses to receive ongoing peer support as they work to scale. This was the beginning of Kubota integrating into the support network for WNC entrepreneurs. Her first step towards finding her community.
In the two years since its launch, KidCycle Club has grown to include 15 lead and assistant coaches with as many as five different camps for parents to choose from every week in the nine weeks of summer programming. Getting here though has taken a bit of trial and error in finding the right fit of customers, coaches, and community organizations to support her along the way.
Finding the Right Fit: Exploring the Asheville Entrepreneurial Support Network
WNC is filled with resources for entrepreneurs to receive support. From Hatch Innovation Hub to our local partners like Mountain BizWorks, Black Wall Street AVL, and Venture Asheville, the options abound. However, so many options can make it a challenge to find the right fit for you at your stage of business. “I got a little overwhelmed with all the programming,” shared Kubota. Though, instead of shying away she dived in, in hopes of finding support navigating the milestones ahead.
1 Million Cups
“Before I went to 1 Million Cups, I thought it was only for businesses at the idea-stage,” said Kubota. She attended several sessions, as is recommended before applying to present, and was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case. The Kaufman Foundation initiative brings founders together to problem-solve. The local chapter, hosted by Hatch Innovation Hub, invites founders at all stages to present their businesses.
“Doing 1 Million Cups was a great way to practice developing my story and figuring out how to share it in a meaningful way,” said Kubota.
Watch Emi’s 1 Million Cups AVl:
The Hatch Pressure Test
“I understood the process of doing a Hatch Pressure Test to be something different than it was,” shared Kubota.
The Hatch Pressure Test program is a 90-day sprint pairing entrepreneurs with mentors who help fortify their competitive strengths. Kubota however, found that her business needed less in terms of analyzing and overcoming competition and more practical tactics for building operations. So, she turned to Hatch Innovation Hub Partner Mountain Bizworks.
The WayPoint Accelerator presented by Mountain BizWorks
Kubota enrolled in the Waypoint Accelerator. Waypoint is an outdoor entrepreneurship and innovation accelerator program for early-stage, outdoor-focused, NC-based companies. Perfectly describing KidCycle Club.
The peer group model gave Kubota the sense of community she desired and the 12-session program in addition to individualized mentoring provided the operational insight she needed to reach her first post-launch milestone: making the first hire. She’s since continued to lean into Mountain BizWorks as key support in her journey.
Mountain BizWorks Business Coaching
“I now have a volunteer Mountain BizWorks consultant from the bike industry,” shared Kubota. Mountain BizWorks matches coaches to local entrepreneurs to guide them through any facet of their business. While coaching is $55/hr, scholarships are available for those who need them.
Community is Key
Entrepreneurship is a complicated journey and doing it alone makes it even harder. Luckily, in Asheville there are so many paths available so that you don’t have to.
As a first-time founder in the WNC region, Kubota recommends just starting to connect with people. “Having conversations with different people about where you are will inevitably lead to suggestions to one program or another,” said Kubota. Then engaging those organizations will allow you to ask questions and explore the resources available until you find one that feels right for you.