“On A Mission” showcases leaders who are going the extra mile each and every day. Each of the people we interview is on a mission to serve, inspire and educate. Our hosts highlight their impact and explore what motivates, engages and fulfills individuals and teams to be more productive, more effective, better at what they do, and happier to do it. Today our hosts, Della Sellers and James Fenimore, spoke with Ana Grogan.
Ana Grogan
Director, JWBC at The Jacksonville Women’s Business Center
Website Address: [email protected]
Short company description:
The Jacksonville Women’s Business Center is a program under the Jax Chamber Foundation. Our Mission at the center is to assist women to start and grow a business through counseling, educ
What was the most impactful moment of your transition out of the military?
When I got hired for my first HR Manager role.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career?
That when dealing with people, emotional intelligence is often more critical than IQ. We all can learn new things, but not everyone can read and adapt their behavior to the everyone they are engaged with.
What nonprofit do you have a heart for and how do you support it?
The one I run is my priority currently, but any others that support women. Normally I will serve on boards. I currently sit on the board for Women Business Owners of North FL
What’s your favorite way to get involved in the community?
By connecting people to resources they need.
If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
To be remembered as a person who was always willing to help others and by giving back.
Transcript:
James:
Hi, and welcome to On a Mission, where we highlight somebody in the community that’s doing great work. I’m James Fenimore, and joining me, as always, is Della Sellers.
Della:
Hi.
Hey, James. How are you?
James:
Very good. So great to be with you.
Della:
It’s wonderful. Always a pleasure.
And today, we have Anna Grogan joining us virtually, and she’s with the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center.
Now, I luckily have known her for a long time, so I get the chance to call her a friend. Thanks so much for joining us.
Ana:
Thank you for having me.
James:
So tell us a little bit about what you do, Anna.
Ana:
I am the Director for the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center. I’ve been in economic development for a little bit over ten years.
The Jacksonville Women’s Business Center is a bona fide resource provider of the Small Business Administration. There is a program called the Office of Women’s Business Ownership, and Women’s Business Centers fall under that program.
Here in Jacksonville, the Women’s Business Center is actually a program under the JAX Chamber Foundation and under the Venture Services Department. Venture Services is really the department for the JAX Chamber that caters to startup businesses and young entrepreneurs.
The services that we provide in Venture Services are offered without it being a requirement to be a member of the Chamber. Our goal is to help you grow your business so that, sometime in the future, you can consider becoming a member of the Chamber, which brings lots of benefits as well.
Della:
Yeah, I didn’t know that, because I was a member of the Chamber and then did JAX Bridges. I’ve done the JAX Bridges program for the ministry that I run, and then the SBA for Arlington Council in 2023 for Virtue Consulting. I did think that it required that, so thanks for sharing that.
That’s wonderful.
Ana:
No, no need to be in the Chamber to use our services.
Della:
So what exciting is new and happening at the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center?
Ana:
First of all, I’d like to share with the audience the services that we provide.
We provide free counseling, one-on-one counseling. If you are an entrepreneur who has just started a business, is thinking about starting a business, or has been in business for three years or more, it doesn’t matter. You can go onto our website, schedule a one-on-one counseling session, and we will have a conversation with you.
We’ll get to understand your business, the challenges you’re facing, and from there we can provide technical resources or refer you to other resource providers in the community. In our ecosystem, we have lots of providers, and we all know each other and refer people from one organization to another.
We also provide educational programs with topics for startup companies, such as marketing, finance, and customer development — in other words, identifying your client and creating a persona around them, then building your marketing strategy.
We also cover legal matters so you understand what can create risk for a small business owner.
We provide venture leadership, helping clients develop into CEOs and leaders, and how to bring their personal values into their business.
We also provide mentorship programs. If you’re at a point where you’re ready to scale, we have amazing mentorship programs. One in particular is called the Athena PowerLink Program, designed for businesses ready to scale, where we surround you with mentors for a full year.
We have success circles, educational programs, webinars, and community events — including a business summit and an AI conference coming up.
So we do a lot, and it’s really about clients getting to know us and understanding what we offer so they can leverage it wherever they are in their journey.
James:
You just said the magic buzzword in business today — AI. Can you tell us a little bit about the conference you have coming up?
Ana:
Yes. The Jacksonville Women’s Business Center, as part of Venture Services, has been working with AI tools for about two and a half to three years.
We believe this tool will accelerate the progress entrepreneurs can make in growing their businesses.
We are offering AI-assisted counseling to help companies move forward, understand AI, embrace it, and leverage it in their operations based on their priorities.
We want small business owners to understand that, like the internet, AI must be embraced. Those who don’t may be left behind.
We know it’s going to revolutionize the workforce. Businesses of all sizes are asking how to integrate it into their operations.
This conference, happening April 15th at the Florida Blue Conference Center, will be a day of conversation where we hear how companies are using AI and how it’s impacting operations and the workforce.
We want to demystify the idea that AI will eliminate jobs. It won’t — it will transform them.
This event will also showcase how we’re using AI to support our clients and help position Jacksonville as a high-tech hub on the East Coast.
We’re very excited and hope everyone will attend. You can find information and registration on our website and the JAX Chamber website.
Again, April 15th, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Florida Blue Conference Center.
Our keynote speaker will be a senior executive from Ernst & Young specializing in AI technology and investments.
James:
That sounds like something I definitely want to check out. Thank you for sharing that.
Della:
Thank you for all you’re doing in the community, especially helping young women step into entrepreneurship. It’s really inspiring.
James:
We can’t thank you enough for joining us. Hopefully next time we’ll have you in studio.
Ana:
Absolutely. We always have open invitations for visitors. Our facility is high-tech and located at the JTA headquarters. People love coming here.
The most important thing is the environment we create at the Jacksonville Women’s Business Center — we welcome everyone.
Even though we’re called the Women’s Business Center, we also serve men. It’s a well-kept secret.
It’s about creating something special. When you have a room full of entrepreneurs encouraging each other, doing business together, and holding each other accountable — that’s the magic.
Della:
I’ve taken several workshops with you, so I can second that. I highly recommend it.
James:
For everyone watching, all of her information will be below the video, so be sure to check it out.
Thank you so much for joining us. It’s been a real pleasure.
I’m James Fenimore, for Della Sellers. This has been On a Mission, and we’ll see you next time.
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