By Jodi Schwan

The Bakery, which began as a business accelerator, co-working space and networking group, will focus solely on helping businesses launch.

Co-founder Clint Brown said he has spent the past several months evaluating the organization and determined The Bakery had several accomplishments in its prior model:

• Attracting more than 20,000 people to come to the co-working space for events and programs.
• Serving more than 500 businesses and professionals through memberships.
• Helping more than 44 businesses launch.

“Some of those have gone on to generate more than $1 million in annual revenue. Hundreds of people are employed from these businesses,” Brown said in an email to members. “This is my greatest honor. I love small business, and I love to see them grow.”

Future Bakery efforts will focus on five-week sessions with businesses in the launch stage. Two initial companies will start one soon, and two more could join the session, Brown said.

All other elements of The Bakery will be shut down this week, including the online learning portal and Facebook group.

Brown is starting a new email list for business launch tips. It can be found here.

The overall response to The Bakery was “phenomenal and encouraging,” he said. “Sioux Falls has great things coming, and we were but a precursor.”

The former physical space on North Main Avenue now is Design House, a space for independent designers.