Cortex ‘s Square One program has trained hundreds of small-business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs

Business strategist Porscha Anderson had insights for the small-business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs who gathered recently in the Cortex Innovation District.

The biggest reason why people who want to start or grow a small business lack confidence is they don’t understand how to articulate their value, she said.

“When you’ve got one minute to do your pitch and you don’t fill it up with the right things to say that’s going to make you stand out, then it’s just practice. We’ll get to that,” said Anderson, who was hired by Cortex to facilitate its Square One Ignite program.

This year, Bank of America in St. Louis is the lead sponsor of Square One, which consists of the four-week Ignite training and the 10-week boot camp.

Ignite is designed to help founders rapidly validate their business model and is tailored for “concept stage” participants. The Ignite cohort currently has 34 participants. The curriculum is wide enough to apply to life sciences, food businesses and information technology. The boot camp combines formal instruction with hands-on learning, networking and mentoring and often is the next step for those who complete Ignite.