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Western Dairyland Business Center September 2009 Newsletter |
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Join Us Online
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Greetings!
Fall is here. School is back in session. From recordkeeping to Internet marketing, we have you covered! Check out what we have scheduled this month!
September Events (details below):
09.10.09 T.E.A.M. Women's Business Network Meeting, Western Dairyland, noon Eau Claire
09.10.09 Jackson County Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club, 6:30pm Black River Falls
09.11.09 Webinar: My First Web Site, 9am
09.12.09 Using QuickBooks in Your Business, 9am - 4pm, Saturday, Eau Claire
09.15.09 7 Steps to Starting a Business, 6-9 pm, Independence
09.17.09 Buffalo/Trempealeau County Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club, 6:30pm Independence
09.18.09 Webinar: Web Site DIY, 9am
09.22.09 Distance Education and Counseling Tools for Service Providers. Eau Claire
09.22.09 7 Steps to Starting a Business, 6-9pm, Eau Claire
09.25.09 Webinar:Internet Marketing, 9am
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 |
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Boost Your Business's Online Presence
FREE Webinars to Discuss Internet Marketing for Small Business
Thinking about taking your business online, but don't know where to start? Or, do you have a business web site that needs some help? Attend any or all sessions in the Western Dairyland Business Center's August webinar series on web sites and Internet Marketing. Each webinar will take place from 9-10am.
September 11: My First Web Site - Registering a Domain Name and Finding a Web Host
September 18: Web Site DIY - Free & Cheap Tools for Building and Maintaining your own Web Site
September 25: Internet Marketing - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to optimize your web site for better search engine placement
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7 Steps to Starting a Business Classes Offered in Independence and Eau Claire
Learn the Basic Steps in Building a Successful Business Plan
Tuesday, September 15, 6 - 9 p.m.
Westerndairyland EOC
23122 Whitehall Rd, Independence
or
Tuesday, September 22, 6 - 9
Western Dairyland EOC
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. |
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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 Meeting on Thursday, September 10 will feature a special presentation by Jeanne Gates:
"Marketing Savvy (on-the-cheap) for 2009"
Jeanne, a former executive with major media companies such as Gannett and Knight Ridder and founder/owner of two companies - a wholesale gift and gourmet product business distributed nationally and into 8 foreign countries PLUS a marketing and web design business. Gates will have gifts, ideas and solutions for marketing small business products and services in a challenging economy.
Throughout Gates' career, she has had the opportunity to market with budgets under $1,000 per year and budgets over $5 million. From mixing music and cutting TV spots with large New York ad agencies to running classified ads in trade magazines and display ads in weeklies to buying and designing billboard and bus bench campaigns, Gates marketing experience spans the full spectrum.
T.E.A.M. meetings are free and take place Noon-1pm at Western Dairyland, 418 Wisconsin St., Eau Claire. Feel free to bring your lunch. And, remember to bring your business cards! |
Inventors & Entrepreneurs Clubs
Jackson County
The next Jackson County I&E Club meeting is Thursday, September 10, 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 featured speaker is Heather Rothbauer-Wanish, freelance writer and owner of Feather Communications.
"Freelance Writing and Entrepreneurship"
With recent changes in the printing industry and self-publication becoming more accessible to small, local authors, Heather Rothbauer-Wanish will explain how she successfully entered the world of freelance writing and entrepreneurship. She will share her experiences of marketing her writing and developing new markets. Other topics include finding the time to devote to your writing and overall business management.
Heather has a BBA in management from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MBA from Lakeland College. In business, she enjoys researching new topics, interviewing people, composing articles, developing copy and proofreading. Heather is also an instructor at Globe University where she was recently named the Eau Claire Campus Faculty Member of the Year.
Buffalo/Trempealeau Counties
The Buffalo/Treampealeau I & E Club launches its fall schedule on Thursday, September 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 23122 Whitehall Rd., Independence. The featured speaker is Tom Pearson, former Vice-President of Marketing at Ayres Associates.
"Rainmakers: Meeting the Need"
Through this interactive and enlightening presentation, individuals with business and product ideas at all stages of development will learn how to evoke trust from potential clients, discover the needs of their clients and eventually close the sale.
Open business counseling sessions are available prior to each meeting. Contact Jackie at 715.836.7511 ext 171 to schedule an appointment.
Meetings 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 about the I & E Club call: Karman Briggs at 715.836.7511 ext. 174. You can also email IandE@westerndairyland.org |
Using QuickBooks in Your Business
September 12, 9 am - 4 pm Saturday
Western Dairyland, 418 Wisconsin St, Eau Claire
QuickBooks is the most widely used accounting software among small business owners, and Western Dairyland is offering hands-on training in this popular and useful program. Attendees will learn the basics, create a company file, learn how to bckup and restore data, create transactions with vendors (accounts payable) and customers (accounts receivable), and will explore QuickBooks features that will save time, reduce erors and produce customized reports.
Laptops will be provided, but each attendee must either bring a flash drive, or borrow one ($20 deposit required) to transfer the file they have created to their own computer system. In addition, each attendee must bring to the first session at least three business cards for vendors and three for customers to be used in setting up their QuickBooks company file.
Tuition is $149; scholarships are available for income-eligible individuals. All trainings will be held at Western Dairyland, 418 Wisconsin St., Eau Claire. Classes are limited to 15. There are three easy ways to register: on-line at http://www.successfulbusiness.org/eventschedule/, by telephone at 715.836.7511 ext. 171 or in person at the Western Dairyland office in Eau Claire. Registration and payment must be received by Wednesday, September 9. Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. |
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 Wisconsin Common Market
Wisconsin Common Market, Western Dairyland's e-commerce site, welcomes Angel's Kiss Alpaca Yarn. The yarn is MADE IN THE USA and primarily in Wisconsin! It is a luxurious blend of 60% alpaca fleece, all from U.S. farms, and 40% merino wool. Alpaca fleece is purchased directly from U.S. farms, sorted and scoured at their Wisconsin alpaca farm/workshop, sent to a mill in PA to be spun, and upon its return, they kettle-dye it in exciting colors at the workshop.
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News and Events
MARKETPLACE 2009
Governor's Conference on Minority Development
September 16, Pewaukee
MARKETPLACE 2009 is the premier MBD business capacity building conference of the year and an excellent opportunity for minority business entrepreneurs to make deals, build business capacity and network with buyers and supplier diversity managers. For more information or to register go to: www.marketplace.wi.gov
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"Regenerating for Generations to Come" Synergy Conference 2009 September 16-17, 2009, Rice Lake
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Entrepreneurial Training Program
Wednesdays, Sept. 16 - Nov. 19
SBDC, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
In 10 consecutive Wednesday evening sessions you"ll receive real-world advice from business professionals and free coaching sessions by SBDC advisors. They'll provide you with all the tools and resources you need to complete your business plan. Each session is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. on the UW-La Crosse Campus.
For more information go to:
http://www.uwlax.edu/sbdc/ETP-Lax.htm
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Distance Education and Counseling Tools for Service Providers
September 22, Eau Claire
Western Dairyland will be providing a free one-day event September 22, 2009 in Eau Claire for economic development professionals and service providers interested in learning how to harness the power of distance education tools to train and cousel clients remotely. For additional information contact Jackie at 715.836.7511 ext 171 or jbdassist@westerndairyland.org.
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Entrepreneurial Training Program
Tuesdays, starting Sept. 29
SBDC, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Understanding the full scope of what it takes to start and run a small business is like climbing the proverbial mountain. We understand the necessary steps to success, that's why we developed the Entrepreneurial Training Program. It's an efficient set of classes designed specifically to help you develop a valued business plan and recognize what it takes to build a thriving business!
For more information go to:
-------------------------------------------------------- Ideas to Profits Conference
October 1 - 2, Wisconsin Dells
More than 18 experts speaking on IP licensing, innovation, global business entry, government funding, search engine optimization, Wisconsin Angel network, contract engineering, rapid prototyping, social networks, marketing/public relations, how to launch new product/idea and many more helpful and informative topics! Registration fee only $99
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12th Annual Midwest Value Added Agriculture Conference
January 20, 2010
4th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit
January 21 & 22
Visit www.rivercountryrcd.org for more information about each event
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2010 Government Contracting Conference
August 25 and August 26 at Volk Field
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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
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Partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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