Nº 01 · Monday, February 9, 2026 · Indiana
OWN Indiana is an operator-first network for the people building, running, and acquiring small and medium-sized businesses across Indiana. Small rooms. Real operators. Practical conversations.
Hi everyone,
Thanks for being part of OWN Indiana. Here is the February dispatch: a recap of the kickoff, the next meetup, and a few programs worth knowing about.
January Kickoff Recap
Last month we hosted the first official OWN Indiana kickoff happy hour at the Carmel American Legion, and we are grateful for everyone who came out. We had about 50 people in the room, and the conversations were exactly what we hoped for: practical, direct, and grounded in the day-to-day realities of running a business.
Huge thank you to the team at American Legion Post 155 for hosting us. The setting fit what OWN Indiana is about: a simple venue, straightforward conversations, and a room built around people doing the work. The feedback we heard all night was consistent. This kind of operator-first community has been missing in Indiana.
Next Meet-Up: Thursday, February 26
Our next OWN Indiana happy hour is Thursday, February 26, 4:30 to 7:30 PM, at American Legion Post 470 in Fishers. These early meetups are for our core community: owner-operators, founder-owners, new founders, people actively buying a business they plan to operate, and investor-operators who back operators. We will keep rotating locations around Central Indiana and expand across the state later this year.
April Heads-Up: Industry Nights
We have heard from lenders, brokers, attorneys, advisors, and other service providers who support business ownership in Indiana. To bring the full ecosystem together without changing the tone of the operator-first room, we are planning three to four Industry Nights per year, open to buyers, sellers, operators, and ecosystem partners. Outside of those, most OWN meetups stay curated and operator-first.
Resources and News to Know
Indiana SBDC INTAP is open
Deadline: Wednesday, February 18, 4:59 PM EST. INTAP helps growth-minded businesses complete improvement projects with an Indiana-based vendor. If you have a 2026 project you keep pushing down the road, in systems, go-to-market, or operations, look at this sooner rather than later.
IEDC SSBCI and the Legend Fund
Indiana's State Small Business Credit Initiative, administered by the IEDC, provides operating capital through participating lenders, including the Legend Fund. It supports acquisitions, ownership transitions, and growth financing when traditional lending alone is not enough. If you need to fund an acquisition or secure working capital for growth, hiring, or inventory, explore it early with your lender. Learn more.
IRS guidance on 100% bonus depreciation
The IRS published Notice 2026-11 on the additional first-year depreciation deduction and permanent 100% bonus depreciation. If you plan meaningful equipment or qualifying property purchases this year, check in with your CPA. Learn more.
Reply to this email with any of the following and it helps us build the calendar and keep the rooms high quality:
Kickoff feedback if you attended: what worked, what did not, and what would make the next one better.
Shop visit nominations: who we should visit anywhere in Indiana in 2026.
Roundtable topics: what you want a small-room discussion on.
City suggestions: where OWN should host next outside the Indy metro.
People who belong: owners, operators, founders, buyers, holdco builders.
Reply here or reach out anytime at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you later this month.
Jared Luegers