Upcoming Western Dairyland Events

With the upcoming holiday season fast approaching, everyone is thinking about holiday cards.  Send your clients or other business contacts, green cards made from recycled paper or try a version of an online card.

Sponsors

Western Dairyland Women's Business Conference  

Save the Date!!! 

The 9th annual Western Dairyland Women's Business Conference will be held April 26, 2012 at The Plaza Hotel & Suites in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.     

If you're thinking of starting, improving or expanding a business, this conference is for you!  

Find more details at www.WomensBusinessConference.com or follow us on Facebook. 

kbriggs@westerndairyland.org or 715.836.7511 x174 with any questions.

7 Steps to Starting a Business 

Entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners are invited to attend The 7 Steps to Starting a Business on Thursday, December 15th. The class will run from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire. Tuition is $25 for individuals and class materials are included. Scholarships are available for income-eligible individuals.

This training session teaches 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 request 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.

There are three easy ways to register and pay for the class: online at  www.SuccessfulBusiness.org, by phone at 715-836-7511 ext. 171, or in person at the Western Dairyland offices in Eau Claire and Independence. Because space is limited, pre-registration and payment is required by November 14.

Due to the holiday season, there will be no Women's Business Network meeting for the month of December.  Please watch for for information on the January 12th Women's Business Network meeting on "Tax Ready Record-Keeping" with guest speaker, Lisa Geist, CPA of Nohre & Co.  

Small business owners, entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners are invited to attend Business Recordkeeping 101 on Thursday, January 12th. The class will run from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire. Tuition is $25 and class materials are included. Scholarships are available for income-eligible individuals.

The class is designed for business owners who want a hand-written or Excel based recordkeeping system. A limited number of laptops will also be available for individuals with Microsoft Excel experience who are interested in using an Excel based system. Participants are encouraged to bring their business checkbooks so actual business records can be used to enter data into a new recordkeeping system.

Good recordkeeping is a critical tool for every business, and an organized system can save time and effort at tax time. During this hands-on class, participants will learn how to set up an effective small business office filing system, how to set up an effective cash-based recordkeeping system, how to record business income and expenses, and how to create a profit and loss statement that will generate the information needed to complete a Schedule C.

The Western Dairyland Business Center and Women's Business Center will launch a new series of entrepreneurial technology courses based on the HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (LIFE) Program on Monday January 23rd. Courses will take place from 6-8pm, Monday January 23rd, Wednesday January 25th, Monday January 30th and Wednesday February 1st at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire. The tuition is $20 for each course or $80 for the series and includes materials. Because each course is hands-on, space is limited and pre-registration is required by Monday, January 16th.

The LIFE Program is aimed at people starting up, running or working in the smallest of small enterprises - micro-enterprises. Micro-enterprises, companies that employ fewer than ten people, represent the largest source of new jobs around the world. At the same time, because of limited financial and human resources, they often struggle to be as efficient as they could be or to grow beyond their very small size. The LIFE Program shows micro-entrepreneurs how the use of technology can help their businesses thrive. http://www.becomelife.org/ 

• The Basics of Marketing (Monday, January 23, 6-8pm) introduces students to fundamental concepts within the sphere of marketing and gives them the opportunity to apply those concepts to a real business case. Students conduct a SWOT Analysis in LibreOffice Writer (www.libreoffice.org) thereby gaining knowledge in marketing and acquiring word processing skills.

• The Basics of Operations (Wednesday, January 25, 6-8pm) introduces students to fundamental concepts within the sphere of operations. Students apply these concepts by conducting a supply chain analysis in LibreOffice Draw (www.libreoffice.org) This allows them to learn about operations and acquire basic skills with vector graphics.

• The Basics of Communications (Monday, January 30, 6-8pm) introduces students to basic concepts within the sphere of communication. Students apply these concepts by assessing the relevance of different communication channels using LibreOffice Impress (www.libreoffice.org). They learn about the theory of communication and gain presentation-making skills.

• The Basics of Finance (Wednesday, February 1, 6-8pm) introduces students to basic finance concepts. Students apply these concepts by conducting a break-even analysis in LibreOffice Calc (www.libreoffice.org) which allows them to learn about finance and to understand the fundamental features of electronic spreadsheets.

The Basics of Marketing, Operations, Communications and Finance are the compile the "Imagine" level of the LIFE curriculum. In this first level, students will be given an understanding of the basic business concepts necessary to translate a business idea into a viable business plan and, eventually, an actual business. Future levels include the Plan, Start, Grow and Innovate stages of entrepreneurship.

The LIFE curriculum was developed by the Micro-Enterprise Acceleration Institute in partnership with Hewlett-Packard and will be delivered by certified LIFE Trainer, Karman Briggs. Equipment and curriculum were awarded to Western Dairyland EOC through an HP LIFE technology grant. For more information or to register call (715) 836-7511 ext. 171, email jbdassist@westerndairyland.org or visit www.SuccesssfulBusiness.org.

Karman Briggs
Western Dairyland Business Center