In 2003, the City of Anderson and Anderson University united to create The Flagship Enterprise Center to grow, attract, and start new jobs and businesses in town after a dramatic downturn in local economic prosperity. Local thought leaders, elected officials, and serial entrepreneurs banded together to change the economic future of the City.
Several facilities were built to attract, accommodate, and incubate foreign companies, local entrepreneurs, and advanced manufacturers. Innovation and jobs began to create new opportunities that the area hadn’t seen in years. Companies all over the world chose Anderson to put down roots and new ideas began to emerge.
Flagship launched Bankable in 2010 to offer capital and coaching to tenants looking to fund and grow their businesses. This enabled Flagship to move beyond providing solutions focused on physical space and to get more involved on the inner-workings of the businesses they were serving.
After success on a small localscale, Bankable expanded its resources and capacity to lend to small businesses throughout the state of Indiana. Fair and affordable loans for businesses that were not yet ready for the bank were now available so that entrepreneurs all over the state could fuel their growth.
Flagship then built a team of expert service providers that brought experience and talent to support entrepreneurs through coaching, marketing, financial literacy, branding, and more. The marriage of capital and business support redefined what small business growth can look like in the state of Indiana.
Today, in addition to expanding and strengthening existing efforts, the Flagship is launching a number of new programs that will make custom solutions for entrepreneurs of all stages more accessible than ever. Therefore, moving Flagship closer to the fulfillment of its mission; Entrepreneurship for anyone.
It’s an ambitious charge, we know, but we are for Entrepreneurship because we believe that it’s one of the best ways to make a dramatic impact individually, locally, and globally. We want anyone to have the ability to pursue entrepreneurship and not being alone in doing so.
When an entrepreneur is successful, their family benefits, their community benefits, and the world can benefit from the innovation and generosity. Entrepreneurship is something that can often endure political, technological, and economic changes as the ever evolving world will always need solutions to new problems and needs.
Unfortunately, there are many barriers that keep people from chasing after their dream of creating something. We want to lower those barriers. Our communities and our world need people with good ideas. New ideas. Even more so, we need those people to be able to do something with those ideas.
So, let’s make entrepreneurship possible for anyone.
“Our core purpose is to help other people. We see our best tool to help others is Entrepreneurship. People often face barriers to entrepreneurship, access to capital, business skills, and support. We want to remove those barriers, we want to offer Entrepreneurship for Anyone.”
- Terry Truitt, CEO & President of The Flagship
Check out just a few real life stories of entrepreneurs that each had very different ideas, situations, and challenges. These unique stories all started the same way; with a conversation about where they were and where they wanted to go. Flagship worked with them on a plan to make it happen.
Click on their pictures to see their story!
Roz already had her studio up and running but had big plans to expand the brand and reach of the business. Flagship helped refine the plan, provide capital, and deliver tangible marketing strategy support.
Joe and Dallas had already put the wheels in motion for their re-selling side gig. With Flagship's help, that side gig is now an established, flourishing small business.
Flagship walked with JB through the business planning and launch phase. Startup capital was provided to get the Salon off of the ground and ongoing bookkeeping advice provides support.