Beginning this year, Sioux Falls will celebrate Entrepreneurship Day on the first Wednesday of March. For the 2021 celebration taking place on March 3, the general public is invited to join the festivities by participating in a host of events organized by the teams at the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship (Zeal) and Startup Sioux Falls. 

Anyone can make their vision a reality, and Entrepreneurship Day is intended to remind community members that Sioux Falls is the perfect place to do just that, said Zeal Community Manager Peter Hauck.

“The team at Zeal and Startup Sioux Falls is so excited to bring this day-long celebration of entrepreneurship to our startup community,” said Hauck, “The entrepreneurial journey leads to some pretty incredible stories of perseverance, innovation, and creativity. As an organization, we want to celebrate those stories in order to make entrepreneurship more approachable to the dreamers, doers, and ‘wantrepreneurs’ among us.” 

Transforming the Startup Ecosystem

While the efforts to develop a business-friendly environment precede Zeal and the startup movement in Sioux Falls, the center’s work is rooted in the belief that household names not only come to Sioux Falls, they also begin here, said Zeal Executive Director Brienne Maner.

“Our business and community leaders have cultivated the quintessential live-work-play environment in Sioux Falls, which has captured the interest of national companies looking to expand here,” said Maner. “At Zeal, we focus on building upon that environment from the lens of early-stage entrepreneurs in our community. While our programming and events such as Entrepreneurship Day expand our community, we are also meeting the daily needs of more than 200 members by connecting them with resources that will grow their business and providing a physical space for them to meet and co-work.”

In 2019 Mayor Paul TenHaken declared March 6 Entrepreneurship Day in Sioux Falls by official proclamation. The holiday’s inaugural activities also celebrated the fifth anniversary of 1 Million Cups in Sioux Falls, a free program designed to educate, engage, and inspire entrepreneurs. 

“Entrepreneurship is tough—especially as we move through the challenges of the pandemic,” said TenHaken. “As mayor, I’ll continue to be one of the biggest champions for our entrepreneurial community. I’ve experienced firsthand as a former business owner how access to resources and a support network are truly foundational to help entrepreneurs collaborate, learn, and benefit from each other. The entrepreneurial journey can be challenging, but the reward is like none other!”

How to Participate in Entrepreneurship Day

Thanks to the support of local sponsors, community members are invited to join in any or all of the following activities at no cost.

• 9:00 AM — Join the 1 Million Cups community for a special presentation featuring John Meyer and Natalie Eisenberg as they discuss the Click Rain acquisition of Lemonly.
• All Day — Business and community leaders will conduct social takeovers on the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship + Startup Sioux Falls Facebook Page where a short documentary among other impactful announcements are slated for release throughout the day.
• 4:00 PM — Join the startup community and founders of Fernson Brewery and Taproom for the Startup Social and Fernson Brewery Tour. In addition to the free networking event and tour, each attendee receives a free beverage with registration through Eventbrite.
• Ongoing — To support the promotion of Entrepreneurship Day, Facebook users can select a profile picture frame by using this link to search for Sioux Falls Entrepreneurship Day.

For more information and registration details, visit the Sioux Falls Entrepreneurship Day event page.