Introducing Molly… Molly was born in Sidney and grew up in Ogallala in western Nebraska. Molly loves her hometown, and as a life-long resident is well connected. She works for KCAD or Keith County Area Development. At KCAD one of Molly’s jobs is serving as the county’s entrepreneur navigator. More on this topic later in this story. Molly graduated from Ogallala High School and then the University of Nebraska at Omaha obtaining a degree in business administration and management.
She has been a bank teller, worked for Child Support Enforcement, and worked for a massage school as its operational manager. But each time Molly left Keith County, she was motivated to come home, and she did twice. She really cares for her hometown, Lake McConaughy and all the friends she has made over the years. She is a motivated learner, networker, and solution finder. But in her latest gig with KCAD and her role as its Entrepreneur Navigator, she has helped small business owners in Keith County take advantage of the Nebraska Small Business Assistance Act.
Connection to the Nebraska Small Business Assistance Act… No other county in Nebraska is generating more qualified clients for NSBAA’s Program than Molly and KCAD. Back in September 2023, Starr Lehl with GROW Nebraska and the Program, (https://grownebraska.org/nebraska-smallbusiness-assistance-act/) reached out to KCAD and connected with Molly. What a team! Starr and Molly worked together to identify small business owners in Keith County. Starr mentored and supported Molly, and Molly began making connections. Initially, Molly engaged seven local entrepreneurs, and she and Starr met with them to explore if NSBAA could help.
Molly is mission driven and a bit competitive. She wanted Keith County to be number one in this Program. Molly quickly understood that to qualify for NSBAA benefits, applicants would need a sound and well thought out business plan. In her search for solutions, Molly reached out to the online business writing resource, LivePlan. Molly connected each of her clients to LivePlan and was able to work directly with them on their business plans and financial forecasts. Quickly, 13 Keith County small businesses had Program benefits totaling nearly $300,000, leveraging additional capital from other sources. Another six are in the application process, and Molly indicated as part of this story she has at least seven more in the pipeline. KCAD’s Entrepreneur Navigation commitment and program quickly responded to this opportunity to support small business development. As a result, more Keith County residents, benchmarked to county population, have received assistance than anywhere else in the Cornhusker State.
What is an Entrepreneur Navigator? You might ask what is an entrepreneur navigator or eNavigator for short? Molly as an eNavigator dedicates time each week to reach out to area entrepreneurs, taking time to listen and learn, discover areas where some help could make a difference, and when possible networking them to resources like NSBAA. Molly in her work uses SourceLink Nebraska. Through SourceLink Molly can identify resources that fit the needs and wants of an entrepreneur much more quickly. When asked how she does this eNavigator job, Molly responds… ”It’s very organic… It means taking time to connect, talk, listen and then seek out meaningful assistance.” Initially, Molly reached out to entrepreneurs to see if they were interested in this Program, but with success, entrepreneurs are now reaching out to Molly. In communities, where there is a helping hand, the word gets out and marketing becomes much easier.
In her job with KCAD, she works part-time as its eNavigator, but also does other projects including Ogallala’s Creative District. KCAD’s eNavigator program has been supported by additional funding with help from area foundations and strong support from the Keith County Foundation Fund. Generating impacts can leverage additional investment into a community’s development work as it has with KCAD and Molly’s position. This Keith County entrepreneurship initiative was empowered by E3 or Energizing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems hosted by the Nebraska Community Foundation.
Molly by nature wants to help people, she wants to help her neighbors, and make Keith County more successful. She finds this work very rewarding. Molly and KCAD have become partners with area entrepreneurs, that are contributing to the success of this Program, and the greater prosperity of this hometown!