Follow your dreams of starting a food business with our help. Join Maggie Leach of The Hatchery and Cheryl Balough of Balough Law Offices as they review:
- State of the Food Industry
- Introduction to Lean Startup Methodology
- Food Business Basics
- Legal Entity Overview
- Personal Impact of Starting a Business
- Commercial Production Space Options
This class is designed as a starting point for those launching a food business in the Chicagoland area, and includes post-class resources such as a Licensing & Production Checklist. We’ve leveraged our experience working with hundreds of food businesses to create a high-impact class so that you can learn from common successes and challenges!
This event is free for residents of the West Side communities. Connect with us here to redeem your free ticket.
About the Presenters:
Maggie Leach, Incubation Manager at The Hatchery, is passionate about helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex food and beverage landscape. Maggie’s background is rooted in the food industry, where she worked in fine dining, fast casual, and bakery establishments in production and operations. She transitioned into a career in business incubation eight years ago at a nonprofit entrepreneur center in Florida, where she helped over 100 businesses bring their business from concept to state-licensed entities. Now a proud Illinois resident, Maggie continues to help food-based entrepreneurs avoid pitfalls, access sales channels, and gain needed insights.
Cheryl Balough is a principal at Balough Law Offices, where she helps businesses and individuals protect their ideas, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets as they start new ventures or grow existing businesses. She also helps clients with their business set-up and contract needs. She has served as Chair of the American Bar Association Cyberspace Law Committee and the Chicago Bar Association’s Alliance for Women. She teaches copyright law at Chicago-Kent College of Law and is a Branch Network member at The Hatchery.
