KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: LOCAL EXPERT LEADS SMALL BUSINESS NETWORKING WORKSHOP
June 9, 2025 by Daniel Castaneda
BY: SUNNIE DAWN BAKER
Every month, Grow Ada hosts local Tech Meetups to help build and encourage our tech community. In some cases, there are speakers who give presentations on subjects like AI or Cryptocurrency. Other times, they are driven by the specific needs or questions of the participants and culminate in round-table discussions where each person brings their own knowledge or experience to the topic. This month’s topic is designed to engage both experienced tech professionals and novice users who want to learn how to build their own small business networks without relying on outside help.
Mike Smith, owner and operator of Tek-Work, pitched the idea of this workshop when the Tech Meetups resumed at the beginning of 2025. The staff at Grow Ada wanted participants to have agency in shaping the tech community, so they asked for suggestions for future sessions. Everyone supported Smith’s idea to lead a workshop focused on small business owners. While there are many different topics that he could cover, for this first workshop he decided to help people understand how to set up and manage their own small business network. This opportunity will not only empower business owners to manage their own tech, but will also reduce the stress and wasted time that often come with calling tech support for every Wi-Fi issue.
Smith is excited to share this information with the community. He says, “Knowledge is power and when shared, it becomes the force that elevates your business.” While he is passionate about helping his customers with their tech needs, he also values enabling individuals to solve problems on their own. That’s why he partnered with Grow Ada to offer this free workshop, welcoming all members of the public.
The workshop is beginner-friendly and requires no technical background. Smith will walk participants through all the basic hardware components and explain, in plain terms, what each part does and why it matters. He will also discuss where the Internet Service Provider’s responsibility ends, and the business owner’s begins. By the end of the workshop, participants will understand all about IP addresses, network types, and how to configure their own router. While this might seem like an impossible task to some, Smith’s deep knowledge, experience, and approachable demeanor will help participants grasp these concepts with confidence.
This is a great opportunity to understand how your own small business network works, whether or not you decide to set it up yourself or contract someone else to manage it for you. Some people might choose to take this task in-house, saving money in the long run. But even if they hire someone else to manage their network, understanding how it works will still help them troubleshoot problems immediately. We rely so heavily on the internet that when it goes down, it can feel like the world stops. In business, every minute waiting for a technician to fix the problem can mean lost revenue. This workshop aims to empower small business owners to understand their technology to their own benefit.
Written by
Daniel Castaneda
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