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Western
Dairyland Business Center
May 2009
Newsletter
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The Women's Business Conference was
a great success and we are already planning for 2010. If you
are interested in applying for a seat on the planning committee, see
below for details. Also, May is packed! Check out
all of our upcoming events -- including Recordkeeping 101 later this
month. It will be a good precursor to our series of
Quickbooks classes scheduled to begin in June!
May/June Events
and Deadlines (details below)
05.12.09
Seven Steps to Starting a Business, 6-9pm, Eau Claire
05.14.09
Manufacturing Advantage Conference, UW-Stout, Menomonie
05.14.09
T.E.A.M. Women's Business Network Meeting, Western Dairyland, Eau Claire
05.14.09
Jackson County Inventors & Entrepreneurs
Club, Black River Falls
05.16.09 SCORE
workshop on financing options and
cash flow statements, Thorp
05.21.09 Buffalo/Trempealeau
Counties Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club, Independence
05.27.09
Recordkeeping 101, Western Dairyland, Eau Claire
05.31.09
Deadline for submissions - Downtown Eau Claire Jump-Start Competition
06.09.09 Wisconsin
Entrepreneurs Conference, Milwaukee
For more information on any of these
events and more, continue reading below or feel free to contact me
directly at kbriggs@westerndairyland.org.
Sincerely,
Karman Briggs
Business Center Manager
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Womens Business Conference
The
6th annual Women's Busness Conference was, by all accounts a great
success. Attendance was good--close to 300! There were many
postive comments: "Smooth--thank you for your
attention to detail," "My brain is registering
'full'!" "First year I attended--very good! I will be
back," "The first workshop I attended was worth the
cost of the conference!" We take all your feedback seriously,
and we look carefully at the evaluations, comments
and suggestions when we plan next years conference.
Speaking
of next year--we are currently taking applications for
the 2010 conference planning committee.
This committee meets the second Thursday of each month at 10am at the
Western Dairyland office in Eau Claire. If you are interested
in serving on the planning committee for the 2010 conference,
please email us at kbriggs@westerndairyland.org with
a brief paragraph about your background and also let us know why you
are interested in serving on the committee.
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7
Steps to Starting a Business
Learn the Basic Steps in
Building a Successful Business Plan
Want
to start your own business, but don't know how? The Western Dairyland
Business Center is hosting an event to teach participants how to start
a business by assembling the pieces of a business plan on Tuesday, May
12, from 6 to 9 pm at the
Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau
Claire.
Topics covered include feasibility, proving your market, funding your
business, writing a business plan, marketing, business legal structure
and more.
If you attend this event you can apply for FREE, one-on-one assistance
from Western Dairyland's Business Development Specialists to determine
the feasibility of your business idea and identify sources to
prove your market. Business Development Specialists
may also help with the preparation of business plans and financial
forecasts which could be presented to lenders.
Tuition is $25 for individuals. Two or more people starting a
business together may register for $20 each. Class
materials are included. Scholarships are available for income
eligible individuals. For more information or to register, go
to www.SuccessfulBusiness.org
or call 715/836-7511, ext.
171. Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made
if requested in advance.
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T.E.A.M.
- Women's Business Networking Meetings
The Teaching, Education And
Mentoring (T.E.A.M.) Women's Business Network Meetings for May
and June will feature a special 2-part presentation by Kelly Berry and
Pam Baughman from ResourceAbility, LLC.
"The
3 P's of Start-Ups: Planning, Passion, & Pro Formas."
May 14 with Kelly Berry, Business
Plans and Market Research
June 11 with Pam Baughman, Pro
Formas and Financial Projections
Meetings take place
Noon-1pm at Western Dairyland, 418 Wisconsin St., Eau
Claire. Feel free to bring your lunch and business
cards to share!
ResourceAbility, LLC is a local
consulting firm whose mission is to advance their clients'
understanding of their customers, competitors, and internal processes
through the use of data collection, management, and analysis. Aside
from assisting start-up's with business plans, they are often asked to
create a plan for a new target market, a detailed sales forecast, or
the selection of the best vendor for a new business venture.
T.E.A.M meetings take place the 2nd Thursday of each month from noon to
1pn. For more information about the Women's Business
Network, get in touch with Karman
at kbriggs@westerndairyland.org or (715) 836-7511 x
174.
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The
next Jackson County I&E Club meeting is Thursday, May
14 at the Black River Falls Area Chamber of
Commerce at 120 N. Water St., Black River Falls. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of
each month at 6:30pm. This month's speaker is Barb Brower,
director of the Black River Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.
Barb will be presenting on business in Black River Falls, services
offered by the Chamber and the tourism industry in general.
The
next Buffalo/Trempealeau County I&E Club meeting
is Thursday, May 21 at the Western
Dairyland Annex Building located at 23122 Whitehall Road,
Independence. Meetings are held at 6:30pm on the third
Thursday of each month. This month's speaker will be
Renee Ponzio, business reference librarian at the L.E. Phillip's Public
Library in Eau Claire. Renee will be presenting on market
research techniques for your business.
These two clubs are FREE
to attend and open to anyone in Western Wisconsin who would
like to learn from experienced professionals and discuss their ideas
with other local inventors and entrepreneurs.
Connect to
other Inventors and Entrepreneurs like you
at LinkedIn. Click HERE
For
more information on either I & E Club call: Karman
Briggs at 715-836-7511, ext. 174 You can also email IandE@WesternDairyland.org
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Recordkeeping
101
The Western Dairyland Business
Center presents Hands-On Business Recordkeeping 101. This
class will be held Wednesday May 27th from 6:00 to 9:00pm,
at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin St.,
Eau Claire. Registrants are encouraged to bring their
business checkbooks so actual business records can be used to enter
data into the new recordkeeping system. Laptops will be
provided for the hands-on portion of this class.
Good recordkeeping is a critical tool that saves any business time and
effort at tax time. By developing an organized record keeping
system that will help you develop profit or loss statements, you will
be able to run a more efficient business, which may lead to increased
profitability. Accurate record keeping puts a business in a
better position to manage the business and to make critical business
decisions. During this hands-on session participants will
learn tips on how to set up an effective small business office filing
system, how to set up an effective cash basis record keeping system,
practice recording business income and expenses in the cash method, and
create a profit and loss statement that will generate numbers needed to
fill in the schedule C business tax return.
Tuition is $25 for individuals, class materials are included, and
scholarships are available for eligible individuals. Because
space is limited, pre-registration and payment must be received by
Monday, May 25. Visit www.SuccessfulBusiness.org to
register and pay online, or you can register and send or bring your
payment to Western Dairyland at 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire,
54703. For more information please call (715) 836-7511 ext.
171. Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made
if requested at least two weeks in advance.
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Interested
in online training and networking?
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|
 Business
Success Story
JADE Spring Bottled Water
In a bottled
water industry dominated by big corporations like Nestle and
Coca-Cola--JADE Spring is unique. Since 2003 this woman-owned
business located near Osseo, WI, has been bottling water (and only
water) as it flows naturally from its own artesian well. JADE Spring
collects the water, filters it, and bottles it--nothing more. And
because of the purity and good taste of the water--nothing more is
needed. Today JADE Spring bottles and ships over 6000 bottles
a month, most of them under private labels to regional
businesses.
Protecting
the Aquifer and Wetland
Owner Beverly
Caldwell's first concern was the environment. She and
her husband Glenn didn't want to deplete the underground
aquifer, and they wanted to maintain the small wetland between the
wellhead and the creek. The well was dug in the 1930s and had been
delivering a steady five gallons a minute year-round ever since. What
if they didn't pump at all--just bottled a portion of the natural flow?
Would that be enough water to build a successful business?
Western
Dairyland's Women's Business Center
Beverly brought that question--and
a lot of others--to Western Dairyland's Women's Business Center (WBC)
in Eau Claire. Beverly was aided by Western Dairyland by:
- Attending one of Western
Dairyland's Business Plan Training seminars
- Working with Western Dairyland
WBC staff to write a business plan
- Developing a marketing strategy
Custom
Labeling--the Niche Market
Their best marketing idea, "hands
down" according to Beverly, was the custom label service. "It's our
niche-- something the big producers don't do on a small scale." The
custom label is popular because JADE Spring makes it easy. "You get us
your logo, we'll get it printed, and deliver the water to your door."
One of their regular customers is Becky Welke, General Manager at the
Plaza Hotel in Eau Claire. "The water tastes so fresh-no comparison to
the off-the-shelf brands! And it is a great marketing tool-we sell it,
we give it as a premium, and we donate it to community
events." In addition to business customers like The Plaza,
many families order custom labeled water for special events like
weddings or graduation parties.
Six years after they shipped their first case, JADE Spring is doing
well. In addition to private label sales, local shops and restaurants
carry the JADE Spring label. The artesian well continues to flow, and
the wetland is in fine shape.
Beverly says "We love visitors--let us know your coming and
we'll show you around!" Call Glenn at (715) 694-JADE(5233) to
arrange a visit.
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News and Events
Manufacturing
Advantage Conference--May 14, Menomonie
The Northwest Wisconsin Manufacturing Outreach Center at UW-Stout is
offering this one-day conference in Menomonie. The conference
offers a full day of exhibits, workshops, demonstrations and
simulations.Topics include: Hands on model-making and Prototyping, Lean
Manufacturing Principles, Marketing Physics, Family Business
Succession, and many more. This year's keynote speakers are Mike
McKinley
"Leading the Way to Maximum Performance: Staying Up in Down Times," and
Daniel Burrus "Technology-Enabled Innovation: Creating and Sustaining
Competitive Advantage" For more information, go to http://www.uwstout.edu/outreach/conf/mfg/index.htm, email
conferences-workshops@uwstout.edu or
call (715) 232-2793.
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SCORE Workshop: "YES, Loans Are Happening"--May 16,
Thorp
Panel members will
discuss financing options including new 2009 and existing loans,
grants, tax-breaks and other programs. Following the panel
discussion, attendees will have an opportunity to individually consult
panelists and SCORE counselors. A presentation on cash flow statements
will follow. Workshop runs 9am-noon, Fee is $22 ($16
for second person). Contact score@score-eauclaire.org for
more information.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Green
Communities 2009--May 27, Eau Claire
The answer is Going
Local! If your company is interested in discovering
innovative strategies to strengthen your product or service by
incorporating green business principles, attend the Green Communities
Conference!
You will come away with an understanding of the return on
investment and environmental benefits of "going local," as
well as leave with models you can implement. Come
hear from your peers who have experienced gains
from implementing green practices in their
operations. For more information, go to
http://www.thesynergyconference.com/green
--------------------------------------------------------------
DECI
Jumpstart Deadline--May 31, Eau Claire
This competition is great for
entrepreneurs interested in opening a business in Downtown Eau Claire.
This competition is open to any type of business - from hi-tech office
services to specialty gift shops. You could win $5,000 in start-up
capital and $500 of TV airtime!
To be eligible:
You must be 18 years of age or older
and interested in starting a business in Downtown Eau Claire or
relocating a business to Downtown Eau Claire.
You cannot enter a business
already located downtown at the time of entry into the competition.
Proposed business must open by May 2010.
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Wisconsin
Entrepreneurs' Conference--June 9, Milwaukee
The 7th annual Wisconsin
Entrepreneurs' Conference will be held June 9-10 at the Hyatt Regency
Milwaukee. The conference is one of the Midwest's
premier networking and hands-on events for
entrepreneurs. Keynote speakers include Robert Stephens,
founder and chief inspector of "The Geek Squad"; John Roach, an Emmy
Award-winning film producer who works for Fortune 500 companies; and
Greg Meier, a serial entrepreneur and Milwaukee start-up
catalyst. Additional highlights include: workshops on
Refining the Dream, Building the Team and Making the Green;
presentations by finalists in the Governor's Business Plan Contest; the
Ken Hendricks Memorial "Seize the Day" award;"Entrepreneurs'
Edge" pitches to investors and peers; exclusive forums for investors;
hands-on panel discussions and dozens of exhibits; and a
wealth of networking opportunities. Visit http://www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/ent_conf/
to register or learn more.
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Inventors
and Entrepreneuers Rendezvous--June 25, LaCrosse
More info coming soon!
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Selling
to the Government and Other Prime Contractors--August 5 & 6,
Camp Douglas
More info coming soon!
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Partially funded
by the U.S. Small Business Administration. This institution
is an equal opportunity provider.
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