Upcoming Western Dairyland Events

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The Western Dairyland Women's Business Center will host a Women's Business Network meeting with guest speaker Travis Kaeding, agent with Indianhead Insurance on Thursday, June 14th. The meeting is FREE to attend and will take place from noon to 1 p.m. at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire.

When you own a business, anything can happen. It's important to be prepared for any accidents and risks that you might face. Small business insurance is available for these risks. Kaeding will discuss areas of concerns for business owners and will breakdown the different aspects of a Business Owners Policy and when a business owner should apply different coverage's.

Kaeding, an Augusta native grew up on a dairy farm. He graduated from Augusta High School in 2004. Earned his Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree from Minnesota School of Business/Globe University. Was employed at Globe University-Eau Claire from February 2010-December 2011. Currently, Kaeding is an Insurance Agent with Indianhead Insurance Agency. In this role, he spends a significant part of day talking to business owners and families about their insurance coverage's to ensure they have the correct coverage for their needs.   

Women's Business Network meetings are free and open to the public. They take place over the lunch hour on the second Thursday of each month. Participants are encouraged to bring their own bag lunch and plenty of business cards. The goal of the meetings is to facilitate networking relationships among women business owners, allowing them to expand their small business knowledge. The structure of the meetings will allow participants to learn from an expert in the field and from each other's shared experiences.  

For more information call (715) 836-7511 ext. 171 or visit www.SuccesssfulBusiness.org.

7 Steps to Starting a Business

Learn the basic steps of creating a business plan!

Establishing Your Small Business 

Entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners are invited to attendour two-part "Establishing Your Small Business" training on Thursday, June 14th and Wednesday June 20th. The trainings will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire. Tuition is $35 for individuals and class materials are included. Scholarships are available for income-eligible individuals.

June 14 - The Fundamentals of Small Business:

Covering topics such as business feasibility, market identification, customer and competitor analysis, advertising, developing a marketing plan, identifying your supply chain, and performing your own SWOT analysis           

June 20 - Building Your Business Plan:

Participants will be instructed on different types of business structures, creating financial forecasts, where to begin in their accounting processes, and creating your business plan.

After the class, attendees may request free, one-on-one assistance from Western Dairyland's Business Development Specialists delving deeper into individual small business needs including preparing business plans and financial forecasting to present 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 office in Eau Claire. Because space is limited, pre-registration and payment is required by June 11.

The Western Dairyland Business Center and Women's Business Center are providing basic and advanced business QuickBooks classes. The two-part basic QuickBooks class will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on June 26 & 28 at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin St., Eau Claire.

Basic Business QuickBooks No experience with QuickBooks is necessary for Basic Business QuickBooks, but attendees should have basic computer skills. Each session is hands-on using Premier QuickBooks 2011 and allows time for students to practice what they have learned.

• June 26: Getting started with QuickBooks, receive an overview of accounting terms and key financial reports as you learn how to set up QuickBooks specifically for your Business and work with a chart of accounts, registers and bank accounts.
• June 28: Begin entering sales in QuickBooks, Learn how to receive payments and make deposits, process payables and disbursements, and other useful features for the QuickBooks beginner.

Tuition is $49 for each two-part class. Scholarships are available for income-eligible individuals. Laptops will be provided for use during the classes, therefore space is limited to 20 participants. Register online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org or in person at the Western Dairyland office in downtown Eau Claire.

Classes will be taught by Robin Knuth, president/CEO of Knuth Expense Reduction Services (KERS). She consults with executives from a variety of fields to develop, implement and manage cost reduction solutions. She is an expert in QuickBooks and specializes in Financial Reporting, Employee Benefit Plans and Internal Control Systems. She also has experience in understanding and documenting a wide variety of accounting information systems and analyzing and designing internal control systems to include both preventative and detective controls.

Karman Briggs has been named the Director of Jobs and Business Development for Western Dairyland EOC, Inc.  Briggs will work to further the community action agency's mission to alleviate poverty-related conditions by working with historically underserved populations, which include women, minorities, veterans, disabled and low-income individuals interested in starting, expanding or improving small businesses. These goals are accomplished through the activities of the Western Dairyland Business Center and the Western Dairyland Women's Business Center, which conduct large group business trainings, facilitate monthly business networking events, provide one-on-one business counseling and by hosting the annual Women's Business Conference.

Briggs received a B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, as well as certificates in Web Development & Design, Finance & Accounting, and Non-Profit Leadership. Prior to being the Director of Jobs and Business Development, she established inventor & entrepreneur networks, developed a youth entrepreneurship program, and managed an e-commerce site for small Wisconsin businesses. Since 2009, she has coordinated the Western Dairyland Women's Business Conference, a yearly event that attracts hundreds of business owners and entrepreneurs from across the Midwest.

Briggs replaces outgoing director Renee Walz, who is retiring after 19 years with the agency. More information about Western Dairyland and the Western Dairyland Business Center may be found at www.WesternDairyland.org and www.SuccessfulBusiness.org.

Karman Briggs
Western Dairyland Business Center