Once a month Athens business experts set up shop at The Globe on Lumpkin Street to offer their expertise for free during Community Office Hours. Four Athens, the nonprofit tech startup incubator, initiated the recurring event this year to further support the success of local entrepreneurial ventures. From 2-4pm every third Tuesday, a cadre of experienced startup and small business professionals make themselves available to current and aspiring entrepreneurs on a drop-in basis for one-on-one discussions on a range of key business topics, including digital marketing and social media strategy, legal questions, tips for seeking investment funding, and software development solutions.

The next Community Office Hours event will take place on Tuesday, May 19th at The Globe on Lumpkin Street in downtown Athens. Anyone with a new business idea or current business challenge is encouraged to drop in from 2-4pm, meet with resident experts, and get answers.

Dave Gunton, an Athens-based attorney in private practice, described the value of Community Office Hours by saying, “This is a great, no-cost way for new and small business owners to get quick answers to basic but really important questions. I know on the legal side you can easily drown in conflicting information found on the web: 'Do I need to form an LLC?' or 'Do I need to trademark my business name?' We can help point people in the right direction.” 

Holding open office hours to provide free assistance to local startups and entrepreneurial ventures is a growing trend across the country, where communities are taking note of best practices in areas where fostering a “startup culture” has infused economies with new and successful small businesses. Events like Community Office Hours are a key component to that culture of success 

As Richie Knight, Senior Partner of local marketing firm HW Creative explains, “Community Office Hours creates the perfect environment for industry professionals to provide support and insight for local businesses. We all want to do our part in helping others succeed, and to do as much as we can at no cost for them."