Creating Strong Start-up Communities

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Glen Ellis, owner of Sycamore Education, Dominion Catalyst Services, and Milady Coffeehouse in Fremont, Nebraska.

Show Notes

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Glen Ellis, owner of Sycamore Education, Dominion Catalyst Services, and Milady Coffeehouse in Fremont, Nebraska. 

Glen started his career working in programming and software development for international corporations, but after around 20 years, was feeling unfulfilled with the work. From there, he started volunteering at his children’s school, and learned the school system’s management software had problems to be addressed. He rewrote the program, n amed it Sycamore Education, and began implementing it in other schools. After two years, Glen and his wife decided to take a leap of faith and take on Sycamore Education full-time. 

The first few years of business ownership were challenging for Glen and his family – but through hard work and trial and error, they began hiring employees and gaining new clients. After getting through the initial start-up phase, Glen gained a newfound passion for supporting other entrepreneurs. 

“My desire was not only keeping my company going, but also giving back to what we went through and doing it better than we did,” said Glen. Out of this desire, Glen purchased a historic building in downtown Fremont with the goal of converting it into a business incubator space. On the first floor, they started Milady Coffeehouse to attract community and provide a space for discussion and creativity. The second floor houses a suite of affordable office spaces available for entrepreneurs to launch their ideas. 

In their conversation, Matt and Glen discuss the importance of creating community, ways to support other entrepreneurs, why he chose to launch his businesses in a small community, and more. 

Further Reading: Sycamore Education | Milady Coffeehouse | Fremont Main Street | Nebraska Main Street Network

About the Main Street Business Insights Podcast

Each week, join host Matt Wagner, Ph.D., as he travels the country and takes a deep dive into the personal journeys of downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs. The stories that far too often go unheard. Learn about the innovative ways that these Main Street businesses have overcome adversity, whether it’s starting a new enterprise or keeping a multi-generation business alive, and the advice they have for others on how to keep their businesses on track. Main Street Business Insights is powered by Main Street America.