Amplifying stories from the Rochester, MN entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Q&A with Megan Njoroge of The Rooted Pine
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Rochester! Check out this Q&A with Megan Njoroge, who shares her passion for photography and art through her business, The Rooted Pine.
Photo contributed by Megan Njoroge.
What brought you to Rochester and what keeps you here?
A past relationship brought me here. I chose to stay here for my son, so he could maintain relationships with the people he loves.
Rochester definitely isn’t my favorite place, unfortunately, it’s never really felt like ‘home’ to me. The relationships we’ve built, small business connections and being involved in the artist community has made it much easier, though.
What initially sparked your passion for photography and later impacted your decision to pivot to creating art?
I’ve often been known to notice things that others often overlook.
Photography became a catalyst for me to share my vision of life with the world. As I’ve adopted additional art forms into my practice, such as watercolor and line illustration, I’ve identified that the core of my passion is rooted in the art of slow living.
There’s beauty to be found in the mundane, we just have to stay long enough to notice.
Photo contributed by Megan Njoroge.
What were some challenges or barriers you faced while getting started with your photography business and later with The Rooted Pine?
Limited support system and financial strain.
What do you create through The Rooted Pine and where can people find your work?
I enjoy working with a number of mediums, including watercolor art and line illustration. As my business has unfolded, I’ve uncovered a passion for stationary, especially greeting cards, and want to encourage others to ‘send more mail’. I believe art is a means of connection and it’s always a good time to let someone know you’re thinking of them and they matter to you — sending a handwritten card is a great way to do that.
People can find my work online at therootedpine.com and on instagram @rootedpinecreative.
My work can also be found at Threshold Arts located in downtown Rochester.
I additionally hope to open a studio space this spring, so stay tuned for more details!
Photo contributed by Megan Njoroge.
Did the pandemic affect your business in any way?
Absolutely.
Photographers were unable to work with clients for a significant time and as a single mom with a limited support system, I wasn’t sure I’d make ends meet. The waiting list for child care was long, and I couldn’t afford care out of pocket. I also didn’t have a consistent means of support to care for my son if I’d worked outside the home, so applying for jobs elsewhere wasn’t feasible at the time.
I’ll be forever grateful for those who stepped up to show us love and support during that time.
It was during the stay at home order in 2020 I decided to pivot and explore the world of watercolor.
Photo contributed by Megan Njoroge.
Have you ever felt that being a female and/or mother entrepreneur made it more difficult to start your own business? How so?
Absolutely. Being a mom is such a gift, and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Motherhood adds a lot of complexity to life, especially as an entrepreneur.
It’s difficult to find the work/life balance. Your kids need you, and your clients are waiting on you. Especially if you’re someone who cares about giving the very best to your clients, it can be really difficult to be fully present for your kids while also meeting deadlines. It requires a ton of grace and honestly, willingness to upset people.
In this day of accessibility, it’s common for people to want something and want it ‘now’. In my experience, I tried to appease the demand and I missed out on being present for some of the most precious years of my son’s life. They’re gone now and I can’t get them back. Be willing to upset people, if they value you and your work, they will be willing to wait. Kids come first.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Connection. With all art forms I practice, the most rewarding part for me is creating a safe space for people to feel seen, known and understood.
Photo contributed by Megan Njoroge.
What is a piece of advice you would give to someone considering starting a business?
As a professional over-thinker, I would suggest creating a vision board. Clarity paves the way for effective action and purpose. The business world can be messy and ‘image’ can make it easy to lose sight of yourself. The more clarity you have for why you started, the more likely you are to stay true to yourself amidst the mess.
Do you have any specific advice for someone interested in starting a side hustle or art based business?
It depends… to those content with a side hustle, protect the fun aspects of it as much as possible. Outsource all of the boring stuff if you can, especially if your main gig can support that.
For those dreaming of fully investing in an art-based business, stay true to yourself and get clear about why you started and what matters most to you.
Money tends to complicate most things and if you’re like me, the pressure of a dollar may leave you feeling pressured to ‘get it right’ instead of doing what you love. Remember, not everyone is going to value what you have to offer.
You are a gift and your vision is invaluable. It is okay to protect your peace and the joy of what brought you to art in the first place. Money is one of the most common things in the world, time is fleeting. It’s okay to protect it unapologetically.
What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of work?
I love good food, drinking coffee, snuggling up with a good book, cuddling my cats, plants, thrifting, hiking and kayaking.
Thanks so much for reading about Megan and her business! For more information on The Rooted Pine, click the link below!
The Otto Bremer Trust Awards Grant to Collider Foundation
Rochester 501(c)3 nonprofit Collider Foundation was recently awarded a grant in the amount of $40,000 by the Otto Bremer Trust. This grant will support Collider’s work to empower Rochester’s early stage entrepreneurs and assist us in building upon lessons learned from our past successes and community feedback to expand our capacity to reduce and remove barriers to entrepreneurship. This work will help “starters,” people who have an idea that they want to move forward with, go from idea to action, operationalize their business plan, feel more connected to and supported by their community, and will help to set them up for long term business success.
Collider Foundation believes that the support, education, and growth of our entrepreneurial ecosystem is a pathway to a more prosperous and inclusive future for the Rochester community. As an organization, Collider Foundation aims to identify and assist local innovators in overcoming barriers to success by empowering an impactful, inclusive, and entrepreneur-first ecosystem.
Collider Foundation supports its mission through events, education, space, and storytelling to help foster an inclusive, diverse, and healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem. This grant award will allow for programmatic and operational support of the foundation’s ongoing activities throughout 2023.
“The entire Collider Board and I are so appreciative of the support of the Otto Bremer Trust. Through this support, Collider will be able to do more to help grow and support Rochester emerging business creators in their dreams of starting their own business,” says Traci Downs, Board Chair of Collider Foundation.
The Otto Bremer Trust is a private charitable trust based in St. Paul, Minn. Created in 1944 by Otto Bremer, it is committed to supporting a better quality of life for residents of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Since its founding, OBT has invested nearly $1 billion in people, places, and opportunities in its region. For additional information, visit ottobremer.org.
If you have any questions about Collider or our work within the community, please contact Amanda Leightner at amanda@collider.mn or call (507) 722-0306.
Q&A with Josh Jurrens
Check out this Q & A with one of our coworking members, Josh Jurrens!
Q: What brought you to Rochester and what keeps you here?
A: My wife is a physician at Mayo and while the city is still new to us it has quickly come to feel like home. We have wonderful neighbors, a thriving community, fun restaurants and breweries to try out, and amazing resources all around. We’re very excited to continue exploring the city for many years to come.
Q: What are some of your hobbies and interests?
A: For the last few years we’ve been going on month-long RV trips to various National Parks around the US. This last year we did a loop through Badlands, Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Voyageurs. Closer to home we love to explore restaurants, catch a Rochester Grizzlies game, and take our Bernedoodle, Frank, for long walks around our neighborhood.
Q: What do you do for work?
A: I’m the owner of Caliper Marketing (www.calipermarketing.com), a digital marketing agency that specializes in the planning, strategy, and execution of performance-based ad campaigns. We help our clients by crafting holistic campaigns that utilize a mixture of paid search, display, video, social and audio to drive measurable business results.
Q: Why did you choose coworking for your workspace?
A: I’ve had personal office space in the past and I much prefer the flexibility, resources, and collaborative environment of coworking. As someone who has a fully remote team it's always great to have a “work” environment to utilize when I need to get out of the home or when I need more space than my home office can provide.
Collider Launches Second CO.STARTERS Cohort
Local Starters to Participate in 10-Week Business Education Program
Rochester 501(c)3 nonprofit Collider Foundation is excited to announce the launch of their second CO.STARTERS cohort to assist local entrepreneurs on Tuesday, January 31st. This ten week program equips starters of all kinds with the insights, relationships, and tools needed to turn their business ideas into actionable results.
Throughout the course of this program, starters will enter into a local facilitator-led, collaborative process with a small and supportive group of like-minded peers. Working together, they will develop and fine-tune their ideas, critically examining every part and determining next steps through real-time feedback from people in the community. This approach enables entrepreneurs to rapidly uncover flaws in their concepts and find viable models more quickly. Each starter will leave the CO.STARTERS program with a deeper understanding of how to create a sustainable business and repeat the process with their next great idea.
Prior participants of the program have given us the following feedback regarding their experience:
“Collider is a critical resource in the Rochester Entrepreneur Ecosystem. They provide a centralized resource for education and mentoring. Collider (and the Co.Starter program) helped our startup solidify our messaging and prepare for a successful launch,” David Razidlo
“I took the Co-Starters program through Collider. It answered so many questions that I had about entrepreneurship and small business. I learned so much. I made friends with other local entrepreneurs and we are still keeping in touch to encourage and help each other,” Jamie West
CO.STARTERS participants at the Collider Cup, September 2022
CO.STARTERS Core will run every Tuesday night from 5:30-8:30PM at Collider Foundation’s coworking location within the Minnesota Biobusiness Center from January 31st through April 11th. The program will end with a public pitch celebration, called the Collider Cup, on April 18th. This 10-week program costs $150 per participant, which includes the curriculum, facilitation through Rochester-based certified CO.STARTERS Core facilitators, and access to a community of support. 11 individuals are currently enrolled in the program; space is still available for interested entrepreneurial starters.
Collider Foundation believes that the support, education, and growth of our entrepreneurial ecosystem is a pathway to a more prosperous and inclusive future for the Rochester community. We as an organization aim to identify and assist local innovators in overcoming barriers to success by empowering an impactful, inclusive, and entrepreneur-first ecosystem. We are excited to have had the opportunity to fulfill our mission through CO.STARTERS and offer assistance to local entrepreneurs through this cohort.
CO.STARTERS at Collider is supported by Think Mutual Bank, Fredrikson & Byron, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and Launch Minnesota.
For additional information contact Amanda Leightner at amanda@collider.mn or call (507) 722-0306
More in common than you think. What for profit and nonprofits have in common.
When you live in the world of nonprofits, you can begin to think you have little in common with for-profit companies, but truth be told…the two types of organizations have far more in common than most people think.
Photo by Corrie Strommen
Both organizations need startup capital. While our for-profit brethren get it through investors who provide seed funding, our nonprofit leaders find their own angel investors (aka donors) who provide that same needed seed funding. Both organizations need to create a budget, stretch resources to meet mission, and use marketing to convince other groups that they bring unique value to the world around them. In fact, more and more for-profit companies are being founded as social ventures, creating a continuum of mission-driven venture structures and further blurring the lines.
This then begs the question, why does anyone assume nonprofits are not also thriving businesses with a goal of meeting the needs of their customers and providing value in the world? The answer is simple. Nonprofits have felt and acted as if they were different. With a focus on philanthropy and fundraising…and (let’s just go ahead and get it out there) a sometimes subtle distain for making money…. that created a different vocabulary around revenue, there has been a desire to differentiate based on mission.
Can we stipulate that generating revenue is needed in order for the mission to happen? If so, then the difference comes down to who is paying for what. In nonprofits the goal is often for donors and grants to cover the cost of the product or services, while for-profit organizations strive to have a product or service that people are willing to pay for. More nonprofits are beginning to see that the commercial freemium model can be applied to nonprofits. In that case the free service is provided for those who cannot (or should not) pay, while the same service can be offered and paid for by those who can. In the end, it comes down to finding the right customers, breaking them into the correct groups, and knowing what to offer to them.
So, why consider nonprofits differently? Well, because no matter how amazing they are, or how popular their service is, at the end of the day, the profits are not going back to an owner or shareholder. They go right back into the mission. Thus with no profit motivation, they are uniquely positioned to make sure they put the needs of the “customer” before all else. That type of focus can lead to wonderful discoveries and innovations in customer engagement.
With so much in common, perhaps it is time to value our commonalities and celebrate how we can learn from each other. Applying concepts like ideation, design thinking, business modeling, and user experience to our nonprofit business practices can serve our mission and expand our organizational capacity. Conversely, for-profit businesses can apply the principles behind nonprofit mission-driven models and customer focused delivery to improve their on-ground application of values in the workplace. They can use philanthropy models to appeal to for-profit investors, and run lean marketing efforts and rely more heavily on the public to support their message.
At the end of the day, it turns out we all bring assets to the table, and being open to learning from others is what will drive us forward. Entrenching in our old ways of doing business will only end up hurting the mission while those around us learn to leverage the best of both worlds.
Christine Beech