History

The Twin Cities Entrepreneurs started out as a meetup group (Meetup.com) back in 2002. It was originally called the Minneapolis Entrepreneurs. The group fell apart in 2004. No one was interested in stepping up to the plate and reviving this consortium, except for Jim Cormican. At that time Jim had just started his own business and saw the future of such a dynamic group. He took over in 2004 and inspired growth by finding quality guest speakers and venues.

After meeting in cafes and restaurants, Jim decided to find a quieter and more focused location, so he talked with a manager at CompUSA in Bloomington, MN. A strategic alliance was formed for that year (2005). It was a great union and the timing was excellent since CompUSA was launching a business department for local companies. CompUSA provided a professional training room, in-store discounts, and free coffee. Things were looking up, and the word started to spread rapidly among the small business community. With a quality classroom environment, the guest speakers had the means to convey their valuable information, and the group shopped in the store. A win-win situation for all.

At the end of 2005, CompUSA's new manager asked the group to leave because he didn't see the value in hosting such a fantastic group of business people. So the new manager decided to terminate the relationship. It was December. Not willing to give up, Jim searched and searched for a new location. He only had 30 days (and the silly season was at his doorstep) to find a new venue. Thanks to a member, Jim relocated the TCE to the Excelsior Tech Center in Hopkins, MN. The setting was perfect.

At the end of 2006, the group's size bulged the walls of the conference room. Members began spilling out in the hallway, hanging on every word of the guest speaker, jotting down notes feverishly, and trying to see the presentation. In December, Jim had to find a new location. With the silly season once again around the corner, and the burden of finding a new location upon him again, he had to walk 20 miles in the blinding snow (actually, he did have a car, but it got stuck and he felt like he pushed it 20 miles) to find a new location. Since Jim was doing presentations for professional groups, he remembered that he had previously bought a projector from the Best Buy for Business department (best investment ever made). Looking up at the big sign "Best Buy for Business".... He had never heard of them. So Jim talked with one of the managers to find out what they were all about.

During the conversation with the manager, an idea formed in his head (like many entrepreneurs). Why not share our resources? At that time, Jim had built the group to over 500 members, and this would be a great way to get the word out about each other. In December 2006, a relationship was formed, and Best Buy and their people saw the value of the group and a new way to connect with the business community. Best Buy offered a large conference room to house the events for 2007. A win-win situation was once again developed. The First event at the Best Buy Headquarters was "Dress for Success". A haberdasher named Phil Pelto from the Tom Jones company presented the topic. The buzz around Best Buy was... What was a haberdasher? The search engines were blazing a trail for an answer that day.

Note to readers: Haberdasher - Just google it and find out for yourself.

In January of 2007, Jim Cormican did a presentation called "The Art of Business Networking - A Business Card is Not Considered Networking." Over 70 people attended the event (the largest in TCE history) and it was a big success for both Best Buy and the Twin Cities Entrepreneurs group. There was so much energy in the room, people stayed an hour after the event and continued to network - still talking and passing business cards.

With such a large audience, the demand was self evident. With an ear in the business community, Jim decided to provide not just a monthly event, but much more to help local business people to become more successful.

Working in the trenches with so many business people and owners, Jim decided to turn his successful group into a business. With a large demand for information and networking, Jim decided to register the TCE in February of 2007 with the Minnesota Secretary of State. Combining training, networking, and social events; this would create an environment for business professionals to learn new skills, implement them, and excel.

The motto "Successful Entrepreneurs Helping Entrepreneurs Become Successful" was adopted due to the past structure of having quality entrepreneurs as guest speakers teaching entrepreneurs. In response to the business community, the Twin Cities Entrepreneurs was formed.