Micro Business Accelerator Weekend
October 2 – 4, 2026
Vibe Coworks • Poulsbo, WA
Turn this weekend into your next chapter.
Three days. Real mentors. A clear plan for what’s next.
Friday, October 2 – Sunday, October 4
Vibe Coworks I Poulsbo
Running a small business means making big decisions—often without enough time, information or people to help you think them through.
The Matchstick Lab Micro Business Accelerator Weekend gives you dedicated time to work on your business with experienced instructors, trusted mentors and fellow entrepreneurs who understand what it takes to build something of their own. Choose the track that meets you where you are, get practical feedback on the challenges in front of you and leave with a focused 30-day action plan.
One Weekend. Two Tracks.
Whether you’re still shaping your idea or already running a business that’s ready for its next stage, you’ll work on the questions that matter most for where you are now.
Early-Stage
For entrepreneurs developing an idea, preparing to launch or building the foundations of a young business. You’ll leave with a clearer customer and value proposition, a basic revenue model, one critical assumption to test and a practical 30-day action plan.
Growth-Stage
For established business owners with customers and revenue who are ready to work through a growth challenge or opportunity. You’ll leave with clearer financial and customer-acquisition priorities, a refined pitch and specific ask, and a practical 30-day action plan.
FRIDAY, OCT 2
5:00 PM
Opening Lightning Talk
Begin the weekend with a fast-moving conversation designed to spark new thinking, surface useful ideas and get us talking honestly about what it takes to build a business.
6:00 PM
Welcome + Weekend Kickoff
Meet the entrepreneurs you’ll be learning alongside and get oriented to the weekend ahead. We’ll establish what you want to get out of the experience, how the two tracks will work and how to make the most of our time together.
6:20 PM
Dinner + Meet Your Mentors
Get to know the experienced business owners, advisors and subject-matter experts who will be in your corner throughout the weekend. You’ll learn what each mentor brings to the room—and begin identifying who can help you think through your most pressing questions.
Mentors:
7:20 PM
Looking Ahead to Saturday
A quick rundown of tomorrow’s schedule, a few final questions, and a thank-you before we call it a night. See you in the morning!
SATURDAY, OCT 3
Strengthen Your Business
9:00 AM
Saturday Kickoff
Reconnect with the group, revisit what you want from the weekend and get ready for a full day of working on your business.
9:15 AM
Lightning Talk:
Making Smart Financial Decisions
You don’t need to be a “numbers person” to make better financial decisions. This practical session will help you understand the information that matters, ask better questions and use your numbers to guide what you do next.
Speakers:
10:00 AM
Track Workshop: Build Stronger Foundations
This is where you roll up your sleeves and work on your own business.
Early-stage entrepreneurs will examine their customer, value proposition and revenue assumptions. Growth-stage owners will dig into the financial realities, customer-acquisition priorities and strategic decisions shaping their next stage.
You’ll work with experienced instructors, apply what you learn in real time and have space to ask questions specific to your business.
12:00 PM
Lunch + Mentor Roundtables
Grab your lunch, then find a seat at any mentor’s table. Each one hosts an informal conversation you can drop into. Stay for one topic or float between a few.
1:00 PM
Track Workshop: Test, Refine + Decide
Take the next step from insight to decision. You’ll continue working within your track (early-stage or growth-stage), pressure-test your thinking and narrow your attention to the priorities most likely to move your business forward.
3:00 PM
Break + Connection Time
3:30 PM
Fireside Panel:
What I Wish I’d Known
Local entrepreneurs share the lessons they learned the hard way: the decisions they would make differently, the advice they wish they had taken and the realities no one explained before they started.
This candid conversation is designed to offer something more useful than polished success stories: honest perspective from people who have built businesses of their own.
Bainbridge Play Cafe
4:30 PM
Pitch Showcase Overview + Close
A closer look at tomorrow’s Showcase — what to expect if you’re one of our growth-stage founders taking the stage, and how the rest of the cohort can cheer them on. Then we’ll wrap for the day.
SUNDAY, OCT 4
Turn Insight Into Action
Sunday wraps with a Growth-Stage Pitch Showcase. Our growth-stage entrepreneurs will take the stage to pitch what they built this weekend, with the rest of the cohort cheering them on from the audience.
9:00 AM
Sunday Kickoff
Last day, let’s make it count. A look at today’s schedule: track workshops, mentor roundtables, and this cohort’s growth-stage entrepreneurs taking the stage this afternoon while the rest of us cheer from the audience.
9:15 AM
Lightning Talk: Customer Acquisition
Three perspectives, one focused question: how do you actually get your next customer? Fast, practical, and worth taking notes on.
Speakers:
10:00 AM
Track Workshop:
Putting It Into Action
Early-stage entrepreneurs will identify their most important next steps, choose a key assumption to test and finalize a practical 30-day action plan.
Growth-stage owners will refine their pitch, clarify their ask and practice communicating the opportunity ahead with feedback from mentors.
12:00 PM
Lunch + Mentor Roundtables
Grab your lunch, then find a seat at any mentor’s table. Each one hosts an informal conversation you can drop into. Stay for one topic or float between a few.
1:00 PM
Cohort Close-Out Celebration
Three days of hard work deserve a proper send-off. We’ll celebrate what you and your cohort accomplished, hand out certificates, and ask for your honest feedback before you head into the Pitch Showcase.
SUNDAY, OCT 4
Public Showcase
1:30 PM
Doors Open to the Public
Friends, family, and community members are welcome to join us as we cheer on this cohort’s founders. Grab a seat before the Pitch Showcase begins at 1:30.
2:00 PM
Pitch Showcase:
Growth-Stage Founders Take the Stage
This is where the work becomes real. Founders from this cohort step up and pitch what they’ve built—out loud, in front of people who get it. Come watch, ask hard questions, and see what three days of focused work can do!
The Micro Business Accelerator Weekend is made possible by:
Thank you for backing the small business owners building stronger businesses—and a stronger Kitsap.
Explore Matchstick Lab sponsorship opportunities.
Additional support provided by:
