|
|
|
Western
Dairyland Business Center
December 2009 Newsletter |
|
|
|
|
Join Us Online
|
|
|
|
Congratulations to Madeline Black of
Eau Claire, winner of Western
Dairyland's Youth Business Plan Contest for her business, Vita
Bona. Vita Bona specializes in hand-made jewelry and jewelry
making classes for all ages. The Youth Business Plan contest
was
held in conjunction with Western Dairyland's youth entrepreneurship day
camp and open to any youth residing in Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire,
Buffalo, Trempealeau and Jackson counties.
The youth
entrepreneurship day camp, which was held in June, was funded in part
by the Eau Claire Foundation - Women's Giving Circle. The day
camp provided training and one-on-one assistance to young entrepreneurs
in the development of their business plans. Applicants
submitted
completed business plans, which were judged by a panel of area business
leaders, including representatives from SCORE, the Eau Claire Area
Economic Development Corporation and the City of Eau Claire Economic
Development.
Black received $500 to start her jewelry
business, Vita Bona. She plans to spend the money on supplies and
marketing. Black continues to work with Western Dairyland
Business Development Specialists to develop business management skills
including marketing and recordkeeping.
December Events
(details below):
12.10.09
T.E.A.M Women's Business Networking Meeting, noon-1
pm, Eau Claire
12.10.09 Jackson
County Inventors & Entrepreneurs Meeting, 6:30 pm,
Black River Falls
12.15.09
7 Steps to Starting a Business, 6-9 pm, Eau Claire
For more information on any of these
events or to register, continue reading below or feel free to contact
me directly at kbriggs@westerndairyland.org
Sincerely,
Karman Briggs
Business Center Manager
|
|
|
T.E.A.M.
- Women's Business Networking Meetings
The Teaching, Education And
Mentoring (T.E.A.M.) Women's Business Network
Meeting will take place on Thursday, December 10
from noon to 1pm.
10 Tips for
Boosting Website Traffic and Getting Qualified Leads
The Western Dairyland Business Center and Women's Business Center
will host a Training, Education, And Mentoring (T.E.A.M.) meeting with Lauren
Haugh, Search Marketing Manager for SitePro.com. The
meeting will take place on Thursday, December 10th from noon to 1 p.m.
at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street,
Eau Claire. The meeting is free and open to all women entrepreneurs and
business professionals.
Haugh will be presenting "10
Tips for Boosting Website Traffic and Getting Qualified
Leads."
As an area expert in the field of search engine optimization and
Internet marketing, Haugh will identify some simple and cost effective
tips that small business owners can quickly implement on their web
sites. The presentation is geared for the busy entrepreneur
with
limited technology or Internet savvy.
T.E.A.M. meetings are free
and take place Noon-1 pm at Western Dairyland, 418
Wisconsin
St., Eau Claire. Feel free to bring your
lunch. And,
remember to bring your business cards!
|
|
Inventor
and Entrepreneur Club Meetings
Black
River Falls - 12/10/09
IDENTIFYING CUSTOMERS AND CLOSING THE SALE
Jake
Bain, Branch Manager and Field Sales Manager for CUTCO
Cutlery,
will be the guest speaker at the December 10th meeting of the
Jackson County Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club. The club meets
on
the second Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Black River Area
Chamber of Commerce, 120 N. Water St., Black River Falls. The meetings
are free and open to the public.
Bain
will present various tools and methods for identifying customers and
closing the sale that he has gainned from his experience with direct
selling for CUTCO Cutlery, the largest manufacturer and marketer of
high-quality kitchen cutlery and accessories in the United States and
Canada. More than 100 kitchen cutlery products are sold under
the
CUTCO name, as well as a variety of kitchen gadgets, utensils and
flatware. The company also carries a line of cookware, sporting and
pocket knives and garden tools. CUTCO has been purchased by more than
15 million customers.
There will be no meeting in
Independence this month.
|
|
7 Steps to Starting a
Business
Learn
the Basic Steps in Building a Successful Business Plan
Tuesday, December
15, 6-9 p.m.
Western Dairyland, 418
Wisconsin St, Eau Claire
These training sessions teach
participants how to start a business
by assembling the pieces of a business plan. Topics covered include
feasibility, proving your market, funding your business, writing a
business plan, marketing, business legal structure and more.
After
the class, attendees may apply for free, one-on-one assistance from
Western Dairyland's Business Development Specialists to determine the
feasibility of their business idea and identify sources to prove their
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, class materials are
included. Scholarships
are available for eligible individuals. There are three easy
ways
to register and pay for the class: online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org/eventschedule/, by
phone at 836-7511 ext 171, or in person at the Western Dairyland office
in downtown Eau Claire.
Registration and payment
must be received by the Friday before class.
Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made if requested
at least two weeks in advance.
|
|
Wisconsin Common
Market, Western Dairyland's e-commerce site, welcomes
Grandpa's
Workshop. Owner, Robert
Moniasque apprenticed in an Amish cabinet shop, and after a 8 year
hitch in the US Navy opened his own cabinet shop in San Diego
County, CA. After several years he moved to southern Arizona,
and
continued in the cabinet business until he decided to switch
to
building furniture. After retiring in 2006 here in
Wisconsin, Robert narrowed his scope and now builds Western
Red
Cedar Deck Furniture and other useful home, deck and yard items. When
time allows, he also does a limited amount of custom built
furniture.
To learn more more about Grandpa's Workshop, visit the website at: http://www.WisconsinCommonMarket.com/grandpasworkshop
|
|
News and Events
December
2, Viterbo University, Lacrosse
James Hunter will present " The
Power of Servant Leadership" at Viterbo University from
8:30-11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2 in the Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.
The event is free, but registration is requested. Visit www.viterbo.edu/secure.aspx?ekfrm=51299
to register.
December
9, Small Business and Entrepreneur Information Session
State Representatives Jeff Smith and
Kristen Dexter will host an
informational session for area small businesses and entrepreneurs with
Wisconsin SBA Dirtrict Director Eric Ness and Pam Owen of
Chippewa Valley Technical College at 2 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 9
at
the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 101 N. Farwell St. The event
will provide an overview of SBA programs, the Amrican Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009, how interested businesses can apply for SBA
loans, and information about Workforce Advancement Training Grants. The
event is open to the public. RSVP by contacting Smith's office
at: Rep.Smith@legis.wisconsin.gov
January 20: Midwest
Value Added Agriculture Conference
The Value Added Agriculture College
will have seven half and full
day in-depth session on various topics including: Post Harvest Handling
for Vegetable Production Quality and Success; Food Safety on the Market
Farm; Shaking the Federal Money Tree; Making Decisions about Local Food
Sales Opportunities Using the Holistic Management™ Framework; Wisconsin
Acidifi ed Canned Foods Training for Small Food Processors; Practical
Agroforestry and Permaculture: Creating your Disasterproof, Perennial
Farm; and QuickBooks 101 for Farmers. Register by
December 1.
For more information visit: http://www.rivercountryrcd.org/valad.html
January
21 & 22: 4th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit
The Conference and Summit will be
filled with agricultural and business
information,
education, and networking brought to you by Wisconsin Local Food
Network, Hiawatha Valley Resource Conservation & Development
and
River Country Resource Conservation & Development. Register
by December 1. For more information visit:
May
6 - 8: WFCCA Conference, Wisconsin Dells
June 24:
I&E Rendevous, La Crosse
August
25 & 26, 2010: Government Contracting Conference, Camp Douglas
|
|
Business Resources
Free
Online Business Courses
The
Small Business Training Network (SBTN) is a virtual campus
providing quality and targeted online training to meet the information
needs of prospective and existing small business owners.
Available courses are identified by topic, such as Starting a Business,
Surviving in a Down Economy and Business Management. In
general,
the courses are all self-paced and should take about 30
minutes to complete. Most of the courses require a brief
online
registration.
http://www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/index.html
|
|
  
Partially funded
by the U.S. Small Business Administration. This institution
is an equal opportunity provider.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
