Presenter: Patti Harty, Principal Partner, Stark & Associates

If you anticipate starting or growing a business there are three questions you need to answer:

– Who are real prospects?

– What is a sales process?

– Who should sell your product or service?

We welcome Patti Harty of Stark & Associates to GO! Network.  Patti is a sought after speaker on the topics of leadership development, communications, motivation, sales, and team performance.  Her experience as a top-grade professional salesperson and a highly successful senior sales manager enable her to bring a real world perspective to clients who are committed to achieving significant sales performance improvements and results. Patti has been recognized numerous times by Sandler Training^® signifying her outstanding performance.

As we go into the new year, outstanding successful people like Patti can help us understand the selling process.  Plan to join us on January 11 as we explore the sales process, roles of buyers and sellers, and key competencies necessary for your success.

If you have specific questions or suggestions, please add them to the comments section on this blog post and we will forward them to Patti. We look forward to seeing you.

These are services designed exclusively to help entrepreneurs succeed, so please do not miss this presentation. If you have relevant questions, or there are certain topics you would like addressed, please add them to the comments section of our blog gostartup.wordpress.com.  We hope you will join us.

Click Here to Register.

Presenter: Lethia Owens is the CEO of Lethia Owens International, Inc

When it comes to branding, Lethia Owens didn’t just walk the walk, she ran the race—and won. A teen mother who dropped out of high school, she was surrounded by people who told her she would never succeed, but she knew they were wrong. She went back to high school, won a Presidential scholarship to attend Albany University, and ultimately founded two successful companies and wrote five books.

A brand is defined as “…a promise. It tells prospects what they can expect when they deal with you.”  In every aspect of her personal and professional life, Lethia fulfills her promise. Through her company, Lethia Owens International, she has directed the brand development, business development, and leadership branding and communications strategy for industry leading organizations such as The Boeing Company, State Farm, Energizer, Monsanto, Unigroup, IRS, Macrovision and Coca Cola. We are fortunate that she will be sharing her personal and professional branding expertise with us.

As we go into the new year, outstanding successful people like Lethia Owens can help us develop our own entrepreneurial brand. Please join us on December 14 to gain important insight on how to fulfill your promise.

If you have specific questions or suggestions, please add them to the comments section below this post and we will forward them to Lethia.  We look forward to seeing you.

Click Here to Register!

Presenter: Rick Clark, Axxel Business Solutions

How’s your business plan?  The written guide that summarizes your idea and keeps you focused as you start and grow your business.  Are you struggling and getting stuck developing your concept into a fully supported business plan?

Come Join us Tuesday December 7 for “Business Plan Accountability” and chart your progress on your road map to new business.  This session will help you:

• Fill Gaps in your current business plan
• Ask yourself the right questions
• Set realistic goals
• Create a timeline for action
• Develop Financial Statements

We welcome back to GO! Network Rick Clark,  of Axxel Business Solutions.  Rick consults with emerging enterprises and has successfully guided start-up ventures in both the Olin Cup and St. Louis County Economic Council competitions.

These are services designed exclusively to help entrepreneurs succeed, so please do not miss this presentation. If you have relevant questions, or there are certain topics you would like addressed, please add them to the comments section of our blog gostartup.wordpress.com.  We hope you will join us.

Panel Presentation

This very important session will introduce you to proven experts in new business planning and start-up.  Each person offers different mentoring and/or incubator services to help you avoid getting mired in red tape or lost in the crowd. They can even help you find an office!

The format is designed so attendees can gain as much information as possible. Each presenter will speak for 5-7 minutes, after which we break out into discussion groups to ask questions and explore each topic in greater depth.

These are services designed exclusively to help entrepreneurs succeed, so please do not miss this presentation. If you have relevant questions, or there are certain topics you would like addressed, please add them to the comments section. We hope you will join us.

Presenters:

Erwin H. “Pete” Peters, PhD, Executive Director of Innovate Venture Mentoring Service (InnovateVMS). A community-based program, InnovateVMS provides team-based mentoring and support at no cost to more than 80 innovative new ventures in the metropolitan area.

Dennis Breite, Executive Director, St. Louis Enterprise Centers (SLEC) and Overseer of operations of St. Louis County Economic Council’s enterprise centers which provide nearly 60 new businesses with affordable space and varied support services.

Francis Chmelir, Statewide Director of External Operations for the University of Missouri’s MoFAST team and a member of the Entrepreneurial Advisory Board of the GO! Network. MoFAST helps emerging technology companies obtain federal grants.

Jan DeYoung, Executive Director, BEGIN New Venture Center (BNVC) at St. Patrick Center. An innovative community partnership in small business incubation, BNVC offers vital business and administrative services to early-stage and start-up businesses.

Kristine Jarden, Director, Southwestern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center, located on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the Southwestern Illinois Entrepreneurship Center is part of a statewide effort to build a more vibrant economy and create new job opportunities in Illinois. The Center serves as a regional hub for coordinating entrepreneurship development activity in Madison, St. Clair, Jersey, Bond, Washington, Monroe, Randolph, Calhoun, and Clinton counties

Presenter: Bob Peters, Senior Associate, Dungy, Peters & Associates

No matter the size of your business, developing a solid business plan is essential.  First, because creating a business plan forces you to focus on exactly what you want to accomplish and how to go about it.  Second, a cohesive business plan is an important tool in finding new business and securing financing. It is the foundation of your growth and success.

Bob Peters, Senior Associate, Dungy, Peters & Associates, will lead our discussion. After 34 years with Ameren, Bob retired as an executive of Energy Delivery.  His valuable experience as a board member and volunteer with a variety of well-known organizations gives Bob a unique perspective on business and business plans.

Topics included in the discussion include:

• Why a business plan is important
• What a business plan must include
• How to build a dynamic business plan that can grow with you
• How to tailor an existing business plan.

Please join us on November 23 and learn how to fashion and use this powerful tool. If you have specific questions or suggestions, please add them to the comments section below and we will forward them to Bob.  We look forward to seeing you.

Click Here to register for An Introduction to Business Plans.

Presenters: Michelle Watts, PNC Bank & Galen Gondolfi, Justin PETERSEN

One thing all entrepreneurs have in common is the need for funds to get started and remain in operation until they become self-supporting. A large loan or line of credit might be required, or maybe a small “micro” loan will do. On November 16, Michelle Watts of PNC Bank and Galen Gondolfi of Justine PETERSEN will help guide you through the complexities of identifying and securing appropriate funding.

Information includes:

SBA Loans:  what they are and who can qualify.

Micro financing:  not just for nonprofits.

Personal liability: the wisdom/necessity of using personal assets as collateral.

Please join us and learn to recognize viable prospects and avoid common pitfalls. If you have questions about this topic, please log in and add them to the comments section below so they can be addressed during the session.

Michele Watts is a Business Banker at PNC Bank with more than a decade of experience serving companies with revenues up to $10 million. Michelle’s expertise is SBA lending, lines of credits, variable and fixed rate loans, and complex deposit account structuring.

Galen Gondolfi, Senior Loan Counselor and Chief Communications Officer of Justine PETERSEN, is a noted speaker on issues related to micro finance. Galen’s expertise includes credit building, micro enterprise, and the informal economy.

The session takes place November 16, 2010 from 1:30 – 3:00pm on the 5th floor of The Partnership Center.  If you have specific questions for this session, please log in and add them to the comments section below.  We will forward them to Michelle & Galen to include in their presentation.

Presenter: Rick Clark, Axxel Business Solutions

It’s the written guide that summarizes your idea and keeps you focused as you start and grow your business.  We welcome back to GO! Network Rick Clark,  of Axxel Business Solutions.  Rick consults with emerging enterprises and has successfully guided start-up ventures in both the Olin Cup and St. Louis County Economic Council competitions.  Join us as we connect you with resources and techniques to develop a meaningful business plan for your venture. Rick will cover such topics as:

• What is a business plan?
• Why do I need a business plan?
• Components of a quality business plan.
• Tailoring the business plan.
• Samples of quality business plans.

The session takes place November 9, 2010 from 1:30 – 3:00pm on the 5th floor of The Partnership Center.  If you have specific questions for this session, please log in and add them to the comments section below.  We will forward them to Rick to include in his presentation.

Presenter: Trevor Rees, Information Research Manager,  St. Charles City-County Library District

Vital to developing a new business venture is understanding the dynamics of your specific market place.  We welcome back to GO! Network, Trevor Rees, Information Resource Manager with the St. Charles City-County Library District.  When it comes to market research Trevor is recognized as one of our region’s experts.  Join us as we connect you with resources and techniques to develop meaningful market data for your venture.

The Market Research workshop will cover:

• The importance of market research to an entrepreneurial endeavor
• What resources are available in the community
• How research librarians can assist you
• The process and experience of working with a research librarian
• Contact info for further follow-up

The session takes place November 2, 2010 from 1:30 – 3:00pm in the 5th floor auditorium at The Partnership Center.  If you have specific questions for this session, please log in and add them to the comments section below.  We will forward them to Trevor to include in his presentation.

Presenter: Lori Feldman aka “The Database Diva” & Harry Liebman, Founder, Candy Torahs, LLC

Before she started her own business in 1990, there were two things Lori knew she had to do before she “hung her shingle”:

1. Set up a prospecting database and
2. Nail her USP (unique service proposition)

Lori never doubted that database marketing would be the cornerstone of her business development strategy. Consequently, her company actually made sales before her first rent check was due. Doing business today is tougher, there’s no doubt about it. Trying to connect with prospects is a sales professional’s nightmare. People (even some customers) hide behind their voice mail, fax broadcasting has pretty much been outlawed, direct mail is expensive and responses takes longer than email. Email is often ignored or sent directly to the junk folder. Fortunately, the most important thing hasn’t changed: People still want to solve problems.  Which is great because the good news is it’s easier than ever (and often free) to set up communication channels that invite future customers to explore your world–but only if you know how to position yourself as THE subject matter expert. Join Lori for a hands-on session to define your USP, get a database checklist for establishing a subject-matter platform and discover actionable ideas for attracting new business to your new business.

Joining Lori is Harry Liebman, the founder of Candy Torahs, LLC. CandyTorahs.com manufactures personalized, Jewish-themed party favors and place cards for special occasions. Unlike most of its competitors, the company specializes in serving a niche of Bar Mitzvah moms, planners, Synagogues, Jewish agencies, clergy and schools.

It’s a “one-man” show, says owner Harry Liebman, who develops the products, builds the website, designs the promotional materials, manages the customer database and drip marketing campaigns, takes the orders and customizes the designs. “My family helps me make and ship orders,” he says.

Harry will share how he defined his unique service proposition and leverages technology to develop his customers.

Bio

Lori Feldman is known as “The Database Diva” because she helps start-up entrepreneurs, sales teams and marketing departments squeeze more profit and get more referrals by integrating their customer list with their social media communities. She is a national speaker, author and veteran Social CRM consultant. Her e-newsletter, “The Database Marketing Hotwire,” won the APEX Award for newsletter writing excellence two years in a row and she is a recipient of the Direct Marketer of the Year Award from the DMA of St. Louis.  Lori has used social media to get famous, get better customer service from Fortune 100 companies and find more fun clients to do business with worldwide. She is @LoriFeldman on Twitter and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lorifeldman

NOTE: Lori will be providing hands-on examples, so feel free to bring your laptop to the session!

Register for Tuesday’s session HERE.

Join us on Tuesday October 26 for a great working session!

If you have specific questions for this session, please log in and add them to the comments section below.  We will forward them to Lori to include in her presentation.