NBIC Growth Hub

NBIC Growth Hub Nashville's long-standing incubator program helping entrepreneurs to scale businesses since 1986.

09/15/2026

Before John Jenkins of Financial Edge Blueprint ever heard of Future Ready, he'd already paid over a thousand dollars to get familiar with AI. He figured that was the real investment, the one worth taking seriously.

Then he signed up for Future Ready too, mostly out of curiosity. It was free, and his instinct was to treat it as an afterthought. "I really think I'm just going to stick with what I paid for," he remembers thinking.

Something changed his mind. "Something in my spirit said, nah, you signed up for it, go ahead and stick with it." So he did.

What he found surprised him. "This program's information was more impactful. I got more out of it in general than I did with the thousand-dollar program I signed up for."

He closed his message with a direct ask to other business owners: sign up, and look at what's available, especially for small business owners.

09/14/2026

Meet Genma Holmes of Holmes Pest Control.

"NBIC offers several different programs, and I've been through two or three," she says. "But the events are really where you get motivated and inspired, because you get to hear folks' stories. When you listen to them, you go, oh, I could do that. If you survive that, I can do this."

What she describes next is the part worth sitting with: "One of the best parts of NBIC is meeting other entrepreneurs that had to get it done, and they got it done because they got to work. When you see their work ethic, you can match their work ethic. And then you got war stories to tell, that iron sharpening iron, that education you get from networking. There's nothing like it."

Her advice to anyone considering it: "Put it on your schedule, because you never really know who's going to show up, and you never know what part of their business they're in at that moment."

Future Ready sessions carry that same energy, a room full of owners doing the work, in real time. Free training, and the kind of company Genma is describing.

Today marks a National Day of Service and Remembrance, honoring the lives lost on September 11, the families forever imp...
09/11/2026

Today marks a National Day of Service and Remembrance, honoring the lives lost on September 11, the families forever impacted, and the countless individuals who demonstrated extraordinary courage and selflessness in the days that followed.

As we reflect on the power of community, we are reminded that meaningful progress happens when people come together to support one another. That same spirit of service, resilience, and commitment to others inspires the work we do every day at NBIC.

We encourage everyone to take a moment to remember, reflect, and find a way to serve their community today.

Together, we honor the past while helping build a stronger future.

The hours that build a small business are the ones nobody sees. The early open. The late close. The paperwork at the kit...
09/07/2026

The hours that build a small business are the ones nobody sees. The early open. The late close. The paperwork at the kitchen table long after everyone else clocked out.

Today is for those hours and for the people behind them. The Nashville Business Incubation Center exists to help owners across Middle Tennessee carry less of that weight alone, through education, mentorship, and a community that shows up.

Happy Labor Day from all of us.
Learn how NBIC helps owners grow
Link: https://hubs.ly/Q04wbSQv0

09/04/2026

Novonda Lilly, owner of Lilly's Hot Chicken, used to treat payroll like a "do not disturb" task. Every hour re-entered by hand, and as she puts it, there's always room for error when you have to do that kind of data entry.

The shift started when she began researching Toast for her business and realized it integrates directly with Sling for scheduling. No more re-entering hours. She approves the schedule, and the data is already accurate, because it came from the same system instead of being typed in twice.

"I'm just really big on things being accurate," she says. "It's like click, click, click, payroll's done."

She's still just as disciplined about paying people on time as she always was. The difference is that her technology now backs up that discipline instead of eating the time she needs for it.

If your business is still doing the same task twice because your tools don't talk to each other, the Biz Quiz takes five minutes and points you to the NBIC program built to help you find the integrations that fix that.

Take the Biz Quiz
Link: https://hubs.ly/Q04wcl7h0

09/03/2026

Meet Kathryn Swanton, founder of MetKat and this month's featured small business owner.

"We are a small boutique marketing agency that can produce small to large projects," Kathryn says. "We do everything from reports, business cards, simple things that a business could need at a small instance."

What she says next is the part that stands out. "The beauty of working for yourself is you can do whatever you want. You can pick up a project that might be outside of your scope, but it's something you're passionate about, something exciting to add to your portfolio, a new challenge, a new dynamic, new software."

NBIC is proud to walk alongside owners like Kathryn as they build companies that strengthen the whole community.

09/02/2026

There is a quiet tax on running a small business: the hours lost to work a system could handle in the background. Retyping the same invoice. Rebuilding the same schedule. Reconciling the same numbers by hand.

Owners call it part of the job. It does not have to be. Future Ready, powered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, gives you practical training on the tools that take those tasks off your plate.

Learn more at NBIC, then take the Biz Quiz to find the program built for your next step.

Learn how NBIC helps owners grow
https://hubs.ly/Q04wcdyc0

09/01/2026

Kathryn Swanton didn't plan on having this conversation with her longest clients. Growth forced it.

"If you want it done faster and less expensive, I can refer you to other people, and I would be happy to do that. This is what my current capacity is." That's how she's started saying no to clients she's had for two and a half years, who are used to same-day turnaround she can no longer promise.

She knows it will cost her some of those relationships. "That's a hard lesson to learn," she says. But the alternative, rushing work she isn't proud of just to keep everyone happy, was costing her more.

"I would rather produce quality work that I am proud of and maybe lose one or two clients than rush and give me the ick later."

If you're hitting the same wall, outgrowing the systems that got you here, Future Ready has free training built to help you build the capacity your growth is demanding.

Explore Future Ready and start building what's next.
https://hubs.ly/Q04w5nsM0

The pace of change isn't slowing down.New technology. New tools. New ways to connect with customers, apply for jobs, run...
08/17/2026

The pace of change isn't slowing down.

New technology. New tools. New ways to connect with customers, apply for jobs, run a business, and manage everyday life.

The people who thrive aren't the ones who know everything. They're the ones who keep learning.

That's the idea behind Future Ready.

Future Ready provides free, hands-on digital skills training designed for the real world. Every session is practical, approachable, and focused on helping you build confidence with the tools and technology you can use immediately.

You don't have to be a tech expert. You just have to be willing to learn.

Because being Future Ready isn't about keeping up with every trend. It's about having the skills and confidence to adapt to whatever comes next.

View the upcoming schedule and register using the link in the comments.

There is a moment most of us know quite well. Someone mentions a tool, a shift, a skill everyone seems to be using, and ...
08/14/2026

There is a moment most of us know quite well. Someone mentions a tool, a shift, a skill everyone seems to be using, and you nod along while quietly thinking: when did that happen?

Falling behind rarely feels like falling behind. It feels like being busy. It feels like meaning to get to it. And then one day the gap between where you are and where things have moved feels too wide to close alone.

The Future Ready Sessions were built for exactly that. A standing, recurring place to learn the skills that matter across your work, your life, and your business. Hands-on, so you learn it and do it. Open to everyone, no NBIC program enrollment required. Just register for any events of interest. Thanks to our sponsor, they’re free!

They are one of three ways to plug into Future Ready. The Sessions give you steady, recurring learning. Our Pop-Ups bring a focused topic when it is timely, and the Fest gathers the whole community in one room.

Join a Future Ready Session today. Schedule in comments.

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