Being awarded a Business Equity Initiative grant gave Tay McBride one of the most important lessons ever: How to pivot.
The BEI Fund, at the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, was established to support Muskegon women business owners; the grants are administered by Northern Initiatives.
Tay, 33, envisions herself as a “serial entrepreneur,” with ideas percolating pretty much every day. Living in a downtown near a beach, where she’s able to get gourmet sandwiches more easily than sunscreen, seemed weird to her. There are tons of people living in the area, in upscale condos as well as workforce rentals, and where are they supposed to get their essentials, especially in a pinch?
Vending machines seemed like a brilliant fix. She could buy the machines, find out what people wanted, keep them stocked, and keep everyone happy and supplied. That was the business she got the $5,000 grant for in 2024, so she went to work. She asked landlords and business owners and city officials where to put the vending machines – and kept hearing “Not here.”
Time to pivot.
Tay also received a $5,000 from the MEDC’s Hub Grant program, which included business coaching and consulting, as well as workshops and mentoring. It was Cyndi Langlois, Community Empowerment Manager at Muskegon Innovation Hub, based at Grand Valley State University, who recommended the BEI grant to Tay.
“The application wasn’t hard, but it was my first time,” Tay said. “I did a lot of research, asked a lot of questions, stayed up late a bunch of nights – and they liked my idea and I won!”
As part of her BEI grant, she also received access to Initiate, Northern Initiatives’ online learning portal. She leapt right in on the Startup Checklist and Business Plan Template, and started working one-on-one with Business Coach Cailin Kelly. They reviewed her business plan, milestone plans, and financial projections and kept all her licenses and registrations updated. When the pivot happened, she was ready.
Tay took the funds from the Hub grant and rented a chalet at Muskegon’s Western Market, a hopping area with a farmers market, volleyball courts, pubs, restaurants, and lots of people. The seasonal chalets (open until the end of October) are managed by the city and designed as incubators for startup businesses, like Tay’s Store in a Box.
“I had to envision how it would look, how people could move around, make sure they could spot it from the street,” Tay said about her early steps at the chalet. And she started making connections – a shelf builder, a marketing consultant, thirsty neighbors who looked forward to their daily Coke.
“The demand is high,” Tay smiled. “And this is just a starting ground.”
Most of the sales at The Store in a Box are in the $2 to $4 range, and her gross income for the first month in the chalet met her goal. So, as a “serial entrepreneur,” it got her thinking about her next great idea. “This neighborhood could really use a brick-and-mortar convenience store …”
