09/30/2026
What does it take to give more folks a fair shot at starting something incredible?
Yesterday, we welcomed Delaney and Mel from Right to Start, alongside The City of Traverse City mayor Amy Shamroe, to Grove’s weekly Office of Possibilities at West Shore Bank.
Right to Start works to make entrepreneurship a civic priority by working with legislates to lower startup costs, open government contracts to young businesses, and direct more public resources toward entrepreneurs. And they've really put some juice into this work through their America the Entrepreneurial campaign.
We're grateful to see an org pushing to hold entrepreneurship central in a world of so many competing priorities. We like their work. We want it to succeed. And our first responsibility is to the local entrepreneurs who show up every Tuesday. They need real, concrete change in the challenging environment in which they operate.
So here’s our public ask of Right to Start: Give us something concrete to hold you accountable to in Michigan.
- What Michigan-specific barriers will you help remove?
- What changes are you pursuing, by when?
- And how will the entrepreneurs in these photos know your work made a difference?
Grove can bring firsthand experience, trusted relationships, and nearly 200 consecutive weeks of listening. We want to help turn that experience into action. And to report back to our community on what changes.
Thanks again to Delaney, Mel, Amy, West Shore Bank, Higher GroundsTrading Co, BUBBIE'S BAGELS, and everyone who pulled up a chair yesterday.
(Note: In addition to her other work serving founders, Delaney currently serves as Grove's board chair, helping challenge, grow, and deepen our mission to unite rural entrepreneurs.)
