Western Dairyland Business Center 

October 2009 Newsletter
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T.E.A.M. Meeting
I&E Club Meetings
QuickBooks Training
7 Steps to Starting a Business
Woman-Owned Certification
Rainmakers
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Greetings!
 
Whether you are considering starting a business, applying for a woman-owned business certification or simply looking to expand your sales reach in difficult times, we have a range of new topics this month!
 
October Events (details below): 
 
10.08.09  T.E.A.M. Women's Business Network Meeting, Western Dairyland, noon-1pm Eau Claire
 
10.08.09 Jackson County Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club, 6:30pm Black River Falls
 
10.10.09 Using QuickBooks in Your Business, 9am - 4pm, Black River Falls

10.13.09 7 Steps to Starting a Business, 1-4 pm, Eau Claire
 
10.15.09 Buffalo/Trempealeau County Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club, 6:30pm Independence

10.19.09 Woman-Owned Business Enterprise Certification Workshop, 5-7 pm Chippewa Falls
 
10.22.09 Rainmakers: Metting the Need 1-3 pm,
Eau Claire

10.27.09 7 Steps to Starting a Business, 6-9 pm, Black River Falls
 
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, October 8 from noon to 1pm.
 
This month's guest speaker is Becki Spina, owner of Becki's Mediterranean Salsa. Becki will detail the development of her business from planning to production to marketing and sales. Started in 2006, Becki's Mediterranean Olive Salsa, can now be found in approximately 50 grocery stores. To keep up with demand, she has hired five part-time employees and continues to enjoy a steady growth in sales.

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! 

 Inventor and Entrepreneur Club Meetings

MARKET RESEARCH TIPS 
                                           
Learning how to identify the number and characteristics of potential customers for a new product or business BEFORE entering the market is the topic for the October 8th 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.
           
This interactive meeting will contain a demonstration of how to easily and inexpensively identify and use reliable sources of demographic information on the Internet. The right information can save you time and money when used for making decisions regarding the launch of a new product and business.  Attendees are encouraged to bring questions. 
 
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SUPREME GRAPHICS SITE TOUR
                                           
The Buffalo/Trempealeau Counties Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club will meet on Thursday, October 15th at 6:30 p.m.  Rather than meeting at Western Dairyland, the October meeting will take place at Supreme Graphics, 625 Dettloff Dr. in Arcadia for a site tour. The meeting is free and open to the public.
 
The meeting at Supreme Graphics will consist of a tour of the facility and a presentation by Chris Blaschko, Sales Manager.  Blashko will discuss current trends in business printing as well as printing tips and what questions to ask your local printer when purchasing business cards, letterhead, brochures and more for your business.   


 
Using QuickBooks in Your Business
 
October 10, 9 am - 4 pm Saturday
Black River Area Chamber of Commerce
120 N. Water St, Black River Falls 

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.  
 
Evlyn Carlile, of Simple Office Solutions, will present the training using Premier QuickBooks 2009, but files may be imported to any 2009 QuickBooks version, including the free download SimpleStart, available at http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/free-accounting-software.jsp
 
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.

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 Thursday, October 8.

7 Steps to Starting a Business Classes Offered in Independence and Eau Claire 

Learn the Basic Steps in Building a Successful Business Plan   
Tuesday, October 13, 1 - 4 p.m.  
Western Dairyland EOC
418 Wisconsin St, Eau Claire
or
         Tuesday, October 27, 6-9 p.m.           
 Black River Area Chamber of Commerce
120 N. Water St, Black River Falls 
                     
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. 

 Woman-Owned Business Enterprise Certification Workshop 

 
Monday, October 19, 2009 
5:00 - 7:00 pm
The Riverside Professional Building
770 Technology Way
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
 
Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) has teamed up with the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the Western Dairyland Women's Business Center to bring you a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise Certification Workshop.  In today's competitive market, woman-owned businesses must find ways to expand their markets.  Having a Woman-Owned Business Certification (WBE) will provide advantages when putting together your marketing plan and will assist in reaching the goals many government and corporations require before doing business  The workshop presenter, Carol Dunn, Women's' Business Ombudsman for the Bureau of Entrepreneurship at the Wisconsin Department of Commerce will explain the criteria, advantages and process of becoming a Woman-Owned Certified business.
 
The primary mission of the CCEDC is to foster a strong economic environment which supports businesses and nurtures growth and new investment in the region.  We are dedicated to promoting and facilitating economic development in the Chippewa Valley.  "This session will help businesses and organizations in identifying the essentials needed to take their operations to the next level" stated Charlie Walker, President/CEO of CCEDC.
 
The Western Dairyland Women's Business Center, Wisconsin Department of Commerce and CSP have teamed up to partner with CCEDC to provide this quality workshop making the cost per attendee only $10.00 per person which includes workshop materials and refreshments.  Those planning to attend should RSVP by contacting Jerilyn Sahr @ 715-723-7150, staff@chippewa-wi.com. 
 
Online registration is available, logon to www.chippewa-wi.com.
 

 Rainmakers: Meeting the Need 

1-3pm, October 22
Western Dairyland, 418 Wisconsin St, Eau Claire
 
                                           
Rainmakers: Meeting the Need will be presented by Tom Pearson, former Vice-President of Marketing at Ayres Associates, on Thursday, October 22, from 1 to 3 pm at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire. Tuition is $10 and class materials are included.  Scholarships are available for eligible individuals. 
 
Pearson will be presenting  "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.
 
There are three easy ways to register and pay for the class: online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org, by phone at 836-7511 ext. 171, or in person at the Western Dairyland office in downtown Eau Claire.
Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.

 

News and Events  

January 20: 12th Annual Midwest Value Added Agriculture Conference
 
January 21 & 22: 4th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit
 
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

Small Business Administration    Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network   Women's Business Conference Logo 

 

Partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration.  This institution is an equal opportunity provider.