Ignite Portsmouth Alumni: Amanda Klaiber
Amanda Klaiber, a former nurse and mother to three, participated in the first ever Ignite Portsmouth Entrepreneurship Bootcamp and Pitch Competition in the Spring of 2021. The pilot program, which held a hybrid format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saw participants of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels.
Initially, Klaiber says she was intimidated by the program - not knowing if she was qualified to participate.
“Taking a business course or a bootcamp like this just seemed like something I was never cut out to do,” said Amanda. “I’m a nurse. And I’m an artist. That’s not usually the kind of people you think about participating in something like this,” she laughed.
But Amanda had a dream of opening a listening lounge in downtown Portsmouth.
“That line of thinking was a barrier to achieving my goals,” said Amanda.
She stuck with the program, even bringing her kids to meetings at times, and proved that anyone with a good idea is capable of becoming an entrepreneur.
“If I can do it, with zero business background…I really feel like the Hub can work with anyone and their specific situations. I went in to it at step one - and six weeks later - I had a working business plan.”
Now, Amanda is getting ready to open her listening lounge called The Landing on Market Street Square in downtown Portsmouth. She continues to be part of the Ignite Portsmouth Cohort, an alumni group for program participants, and has become connected to the ECDI Women’s Business Center of Central Appalachia at SSU.
Amanda works on the renovation at The Landing, located at 217b Market Street in downtown Portsmouth.
“I was amazed at the additional support for women-owned businesses and startups. I just kept finding people who were coming up to me and trying to support me. That’s so important.”
Ignite Portsmouth is now an 8-week program that meets weekly. Participants learn about value proposition, the business model canvas, market analysis and customer validation, financial and revenue modeling, access to capital, marketing, branding, and business pitching. They will also be connected to mentors that will help them along the journey.
“I would highly recommend Ignite even for people who don’t see themselves as ‘business people’. Maybe you just have an idea. Maybe you think it’s just a dream. That’s what I thought. But I was able to bring that to people who could help make it happen. To me - that’s incredible.”
Update: The Landing is now open in Downtown Portsmouth.
Amanda hosted the Hub Holiday Happy Hour at The Landing on December 14th.