Denver's small businesses are great at what they do. We help them get found.
Mom-and-pop shops, market vendors, local artists, and anyone else running something small around Denver. First we meet with you and figure out what you actually need, then we build it with you, then we help you put it in place, and then we teach you how to run it on your own. And we do all of this work for free.
Where this started
This summer I went to an art market in Denver and talked to a bunch of the artists there. Their work was really good, but when I asked if they had a website or an Instagram, most of them said no. They wanted one, they just didn't know where to start.
I've run my own business since I was ten, so I know how much a Google listing or a decent Instagram changes things, and I know it isn't that hard once someone shows you. That's the whole idea here. High schoolers already know this stuff, and a lot of business owners never got shown, so we can help with that.
Henry Blue
Who we help
Anyone running a small business around Denver with a phone number and not much else.
- Mom-and-pop shops and family restaurants
- Farmers' market and craft market vendors
- Local artists, potters, makers
- Barbers, salons, tailors, cleaners
- Food trucks, home bakers, coffee shops
- Landscapers, detailers, handymen, tutors
- Immigrant and first-generation owned businesses
We also work with whole groups of business owners at once, like farmers' markets, artist guilds, co-ops, craft markets, and business districts, and we do that by running a free workshop for your members and then following up with anyone who wants more help one-on-one.
What we can help with
These are just a few examples of the many things we could help you with, and we are very flexible about all of it.
- Google Business ProfileWe help you set it up so you show up when someone searches for what you do, and then we show you how to keep it updated
- Instagram or FacebookWe help you set up the account and make the first few posts with you, and we teach you how to post online on your own after that
- A simple websiteYour hours, your location, your photos, and how to reach you, built so there is almost nothing to maintain
- Photos of your products or your storefrontWe take them and edit them with you, and we show you how to take good ones yourself on a phone
- Flyers, menus, and printed price listsWe design them with you and get them ready to print
- Business cards and signageCards, window signs, and labels for what you sell
- Reviews from your customersWe help you get your first reviews up and teach you how to ask for them and reply to them
- A list for your regularsA simple email or text list so you can tell your regular customers what is new
Obviously we are not limited to these, so tell us what your needs are and we will work with you on that. Our club has students of so many different interests and talents who have taken classes in a lot of these areas, so we each specialize in something a little different, and we can put the right people on whatever you need.
How it works
This is what working with us usually looks like, and we will adjust any of it around your schedule and what you need.
We meet with you
We come to your shop, your booth, or your studio, and you tell us what you do and what has been hard about getting the word out.
We build the project around you
Not everyone needs the same thing, so we write down what would actually help you and we leave out the rest.
We help you put it in place
We sit down with you and set everything up in your name with your own logins, and that usually takes one or two sessions.
We teach you to run it
Before we finish, we walk you through exactly what to do, and you get a one-page sheet you can keep, so the whole thing is yours after we leave.
Get help for your business
If you run a small business around Denver, or you run a market, a guild, a co-op, or a group of business owners, fill out the form and tell us a little about what you do. We will read it and get back to you about setting up a first meeting.
There is no cost for any of this, we come to you, and we work around your hours.
What to expect
- A first meeting to hear what you need
- One or two working sessions of about an hour each
- Everything in your name, with your passwords, not ours
- A printed sheet so you can keep it going
- Students who are organized and show up when they say they will
Who's behind it
The Mom-and-Pop Shop Project is run by the Entrepreneurial Support Club at Colorado Academy in Denver. We started in fall 2026, and we have two faculty sponsors, Mr. Dresden, who runs the school's entrepreneurship program, and Ms. JB, a business teacher.
Henry Blue
Junior at Colorado Academy. Started washing cars for a neighbor at ten and has run Golden Bubble Detailing, a Colorado LLC, ever since. Over a hundred customers, a team he hired and trained, and a website and Instagram he built himself.
Questions people ask us
Is it actually free?
Yes. There are no fees and there is no catch. The only thing that might cost money is printing something like business cards, and even then we will find you the cheapest way to do it.
Who owns everything we make?
You do. Whatever we build with you belongs to you, whether that is an account, a website, a design, or a set of photos. Anything with a login is set up under your own email and your own password, and we never keep a copy of it.
Do I need to already have anything?
A phone and an email address. If you don't have an email address, that is the first thing we will set up with you.
How long does it take?
Usually one or two sessions of about an hour each. Something like a Google listing can be done in one session, and a simple website might take two.
Are these just kids? How do I know you'll show up?
We are high school students, yes. We are also organized, we plan every session before we come, and we run this on a real schedule with two teachers behind us. If we say we will be there Tuesday at four, we will be there Tuesday at four.
What if I don't speak much English?
Tell us. We will find a translator or a student who speaks your language before we come.
Can you work with my whole market or group at once?
Yes, and that is one of our favorite ways to do this. We will talk with you first about what your members or vendors actually need, then we will build a free workshop around that and run it for the whole group, and afterward we will follow up one-on-one with anyone who wants more help.