Founder Office Hours at Grove

Spend time somebody’s who's been there.

Following select OOPs gatherings, experienced entrepreneurs make themselves available for free, one-on-one conversations. Bring your problems. Bring your scaling struggles. Bring your questions Chat ain’t gonna answer.

Here’s what folks are saying about Founder Office Hours at Grove:

“Meeting three new entrepreneurs who were all trying to use technology to solve problems was refreshing.  Everything was smooth, great set up and everyone was on time and on schedule.  Grove could do no better. Great work!”

‍ ‍-Chase Bonhag, FirstIgnite | October’26 Host Founder

“My time with Chase was valuable.
I think this will help me keep myself accountable for setting goals and hopefully reaching them. Also receiving encouragement along the way is very nice.”

‍ ‍-Christopher Krieg | October’26 Participating Entrepreneur

RSVP for Our Next Founder Office Hours

Some Frequently Asked Questions About This Group

Yeah okay we know this is a loooong FAQ. But hopefully it’ll answer pretty much any questions you could have!

If you have more questions, you can always reach out to hello@groveincubator.org!

  • Grove Founder Office Hours are free, 30-minute one-on-one conversations with experienced entrepreneurs and founders. Participants can bring a business question, challenge, decision, or idea and get perspective from someone who has experience building a company.

  • Grove Community Incubator offers free Founder Office Hours in Traverse City, Michigan. On select Tuesdays, experienced Northern Michigan entrepreneurs meet one-on-one with local founders, small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and other people building new ventures. you can also checkout the SBDC, SCORE, 20F and others.

  • Founder Office Hours are open to entrepreneurs at many stages—from someone exploring an idea to owners of established businesses. You do not need to be a technology startup, be raising venture capital, or be a Grove member to participate.

  • No. Founder Office Hours take place immediately after Grove's weekly OOPs entrepreneur gathering, but attending OOPs is not required. Participants are welcome to attend OOPs from 9–11 AM and then stay for their scheduled Founder Office Hours appointment.

  • No. Founder Office Hours take place immediately after Grove's weekly OOPs entrepreneur gathering, but attending OOPs is not required. Participants are welcome to attend OOPs from 9–11 AM and then stay for their scheduled Founder Office Hours appointment.

  • You do not need a pitch deck or formal presentation. Come with a real question, challenge, opportunity, or decision you are working through. The more specific the issue, the more useful the conversation is likely to be.

  • Topics can include starting a business, finding customers, pricing, hiring, fundraising, bootstrapping, product development, leadership, marketing, scaling, partnerships, navigating setbacks, selling a company, and many other challenges that come with entrepreneurship.

  • Grove invites experienced entrepreneurs from Traverse City and across Northern Michigan to volunteer for Founder Office Hours. Each participating founder brings different experience, industries, successes, setbacks, and lessons from building businesses.

  • Not exactly. Founder Office Hours are informal mentoring conversations rather than professional consulting engagements. Volunteer founders share their experience and perspective, but participants remain responsible for their own business decisions.

  • Please don’t be that person. Founder Office Hours are designed for advice and conversation, not unsolicited fundraising pitches or sales presentations. If fundraising is the challenge you want to discuss, however, you are welcome to ask about the founder's experience raising or deploying capital.

  • When available appointments are full, you can join the Founder Office Hours waitlist. Grove uses the waitlist both to fill cancellations and to understand demand for future sessions and specific areas of entrepreneurial expertise.

  • Grove plans to offer Founder Office Hours regularly, beginning with select Tuesdays and expanding as the program grows. New participating founders and available appointments will be posted on this page.

  • Founder Office Hours are hosted by Grove Community Incubator in Traverse City, Michigan, and are designed primarily to connect entrepreneurs in Northern Michigan with experienced founders and business builders.

  • Absolutely!

    Many participants first discover OOPs because someone invited them.

    If you know someone building a business, organization, creative practice, or community project, they're welcome to join.

  • Grove Community Incubator is a nonprofit entrepreneurship hub in Traverse City, Michigan, that connects entrepreneurs, organizers, artists, and community leaders with the relationships, workspace, and resources they need to flourish.

    The Office of Possibilities is one of Grove's flagship community programs.

  • Yes! Grove Community Incubator's Office of Possibilities (OOPs) is one of Northern Michigan's longest-running weekly entrepreneur gatherings. It welcomes entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, artists, students, and innovators from across the region to connect, solve challenges, and support one another.

  • The Office of Possibilities (OOPs) meets every Tuesday morning in Traverse City and provides an open, welcoming environment where entrepreneurs and community builders can develop relationships, exchange ideas, and receive practical support from peers.