[:en]HR Foundations: Building a Thriving Team from Solopreneurship[:]
2023-06-21 11:00 - 12:00 UTC
About this event

When you’re a solopreneur leading a high-growth business, expanding your team can be an exciting yet challenging endeavor. At a high level, you might be limited by financial, resource, or time constraints that divert your attention away to other critical tasks. But bringing on new team members introduces a whole host of new complexities for your business: How do you find people who align with your vision and values? How do you establish effective communication and collaboration channels to ensure smooth workflow? What is required to build trust in the abilities of new team members, letting go of some control in favor of delegation?
Join us for an empowering discussion in collaboration with the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center (VWEC) as we delve into the essentials of building a thriving team from solopreneurship through the employment of scalable HR structures. You’ll walk away with proven techniques for attracting and retaining a diverse and skilled team that will continue to drive your business forward, as well as the confidence you’ll need as a leader to guide your team through future stages of growth!
Key Takeaways:

The ins and outs of bringing on your first new team member
How to get a person unknown to you (not a friend or family member) to join your team
HR policies and procedures to protect yourself and your business legally
Strategies for developing meaningful company culture and systems of support for team members

[:en]Gain Traction While Mitigating Risk[:]
2023-06-23 12:00 - 13:00
About this event

As the founder of an early-stage startup, you’ll face countless challenges in your entrepreneurial journey that will put you and your business to the test. You may struggle with limited access to capital and lack of investor interest. It can be difficult to gain traction due to limited knowledge on market insights that would inform a well-defined sales strategy. Not to mention the complexities that come with bringing your offering to market like finding ways to differentiate yourself in a competitive landscape and establishing scalable marketing and distribution channels. Thankfully, there are some simple yet highly impactful actions you can take to push through it all.
We are excited to be joined by Jason Malki, Founder and CEO of StrtupBoost and SuperWarm, who will guide you through the appropriate steps you can take to mitigate early risk by leveraging no-cost to low-cost strategies. As a founder himself, Jason understands the challenges of leading an early-stage startup to success because he’s experienced them first-hand. He will share lessons he’s learned from his personal journey as well as from other entrepreneurs he’s worked with and been inspired by. Join us for this optimistic and insightful conversation!
Key Takeaways:

Fundraising Strategy: how to properly prepare yourself and your business to raise capital, intentional distribution of the funding you receive across business functions.
Sales Strategy: content creation, customer engagement and feedback, LinkedIn and Email communications.
Go-to-Market Strategy: how to find product-market fit and leverage the insights gained to better prepare for launch.

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Jason Malki
Founder & CEO, StrtupBoost.com, Co-Founder & CEO, SuperWarm.AI
Jason Malki is the Founder & CEO of StrtupBoost, a 30K+ member startup ecosystem and agency that helps across fundraising, marketing, and design and SuperWarm, and AI matching platform for Founders and Investors.

[:en]Leveraging Strategic Partnerships with Julie Shen[:]
2023-06-28 13:00 - 14:00
About this event

When you’re a startup with a lean budget, it can be challenging to build up your brand without draining your funds on paid marketing. If you do go that route, competition from established companies with high budgets can make it even more difficult to stand out and form strong, impactful connections with the right people. Instead, you must find innovative ways to grow your distribution and consumer base… but how?
The Nasdaq Center is delighted to host Julie Shen, Founder and Managing Director of Springstead, for a dynamic session on how leveraging strategic partnerships can take your business to the next level. Join us to learn how to capitalize on your strengths and forge alliances that will fill the gaps in your expertise, all while tapping into your partner’s established networks.
Key Takeaways:

How to determine if it’s the right time for a strategic partnership
How to identify, source, and close strategic partnerships
How strategic partnerships can enrich your brand

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Julie Shen
Founder, Springstead
Julie Shen is the founder of Springstead, an advisory and consultancy practice working with founders and businesses to grow their initiatives. With a passion for strategy and innovation, she has 16+ years of experience developing and launching new businesses for startups and organizations like Conde Nast and HBO.
Her experience includes team leadership, strategy, innovation, business development, strategic partnerships, growth, finance, and business management. Julie has led deals and partnerships attributing to an impact of >$200M and scaled a DTC business to 1M paying subscribers in Year 1. Her thought leadership has been published on Nasdaq, BlogHer, and Create & Cultivate.

[:en]Mastering Outreach: Connecting and Converting for Entrepreneurs[:]
2023-07-07 12:00 - 13:00
For entrepreneurs early in their business journey, outreach can often cause undue stress. Cutting through the noise to capture the attention of potential customers or investors is a daunting task. In addition, balancing immediate tasks with the need to nurture long-term relationships can become a time management challenge. Not to mention, the need to maintain enthusiasm and motivation despite rejection is crucial for sustained outreach efforts. What can entrepreneurs do to make this process more manageable?
Join us for an insightful and actionable session with John Hill, Evangelist at Techstars, to learn how to maximize the impact of your outreach and follow-up efforts. Drawing from his vast entrepreneurial journey working with startups to build relationships, John will show you innovative and compelling ways to stand out from the competition and communicate your value proposition effectively. He’ll also guide you towards a deeper understanding of the ways capital can be used to achieve your primary strategic goals, like funding, talent, customer acquisition, and knowledge sharing. You’ll walk away with the adaptability and resilience to embrace outreach as a meaningful way to build connections for you and your business.
Key Takeaways:

How to identify the right target audience for your communication
How to establish initial connections and build a robust network
How to stand out and capture the attention of the right people
How to maintain a consistent follow-up strategy with limited resources
How to handle rejection and setbacks
How to navigate relational capital to meet your primary needs

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

John Hill
Keynote Speaker,TechStars

[:en]Discover Your Value[:]
2023-07-07 14:00 - 15:00
Understanding your worth in financial terms translates into more areas of your life than you may realize. If you do not understand your value around money, it can be difficult to manage well. In this two hour class we reflect on your current mindset with money, how your upbringing has influenced your money habits and discuss how these may be good bad or neither to change for your future money culture.

[:en]Amplify and Grow your Business and Personal Brand[:]
2023-07-11 13:00 - 14:00
LinkedIn has seen a significant uptick in utilization by businesses for marketing and sales purposes, and it’s no surprise why. With its expanding user base and robust professional networking features, LinkedIn has emerged as a powerful platform for connecting with targeted audiences and generating valuable leads that drive business growth. So, what can women entrepreneurs start doing now to leverage all that LinkedIn has to offer to continue leading their ventures to success?
Join us for an empowering session with Anne Stills, CEO and Founder of Smashing Daily, who will equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to create a strong online presence, attract your target audience, and establish thought leadership in your industry on LinkedIn. You’ll walk away with a framework for understanding the needs, challenges, and interests of your target audience, what type of content resonates with them, and how to bring the two together to spark meaningful conversations.
Key Takeaways:

How to optimize your LinkedIn profile to reach All-Star status
How to grow your network and engage with your community
How to create content that attracts your ideal customers

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Anne Stills
Founder + CEO of Smashing Daily, LLC
Anne Stills is the Founder + CEO of Smashing Daily, LLC, a global image consulting and personal branding boutique firm established in 2014 in New York City. The firm specializes in image management, personal branding, and signature style consulting. She caters to ambitious modern female professionals who understand the significance of projecting a powerful authentic personal brand image and aspire to become dynamic communicators leading with confidence and impact. Anne has over 25 years of corporate experience in executive sales, marketing, and training across multiple industries such as airline, hospitality and financial services. Leveraging her extensive corporate background, she delivers deep value to clients and guides them to define and refine their executive presence, personal brand and leadership skills. She grooms today’s executives and tomorrow’s rising stars to create a unique, memorable, and sustainable personal brand image.

[:en]Capital Strategy: Find and Secure the Right Capital Optionality[:]
2023-07-13 13:00 - 14:00
One of the primary obstacles early-stage entrepreneurs face is the lack of awareness around the complex landscape of capital options. With limited exposure to sources of financing, early-stage entrepreneurs may struggle to identify which option aligns best with their business goals and growth trajectory. Additionally, the ability to build relationships with potential investors or lenders and demonstrate market potential and a strong value proposition can be difficult with limited resources and competition. For underrepresented entrepreneurs, these obstacles can unfortunately be greater. What can be done to overcome these challenges?
The Center is thrilled to be joined by Geri Stengel, President at Ventureneer, for an important conversation on capital strategy. Geri understands the unique capital challenges that entrepreneurs of all kinds face and has worked with thousands to help them align their vision with their strategic goals. Her insight will provide you with a framework to make informed decisions around your capital needs so that you and your business can remain on a sustainable trajectory of success. Join us to learn how best to assess your options and secure the capital your business needs to grow and succeed.
Key Takeaways:

Aligning your capital needs with your vision, your values and your ‘why’.
How to clearly identify your strategic goals before exploring capital options.
How to find and secure the right capital option for your business.

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Amy L. Simmerman
A Wilson Sonsini Practice Leader
A leader of Wilson Sonsini’s Delaware office and governance practice
Comprehensive Experience in Delaware Law
Amy’s practice focuses on providing advice on all aspects of Delaware corporate law and related corporate governance issues, including fiduciary duties, mergers and acquisitions, stockholder activism, corporate formation, stock issuances, preferred stock investments, and various statutory matters
Amy Simmerman is a partner in the Wilmington, Delaware, office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. Amy is a leader of the firm’s Delaware office and governance practice. Her practice focuses on providing advice on all aspects of Delaware corporate law and related corporate governance issues, including fiduciary duties, mergers and acquisitions, stockholder activism, corporate formation, stock issuances, preferred stock investments, and various statutory matters. Amy regularly represents special committees of boards of directors in mergers and acquisitions, internal investigations, and other matters, and she provides corporate advice in the context of governance litigation.
Amy frequently speaks and publishes on Delaware law and governance issues and has guest lectured at Harvard Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and UC Hastings College of the Law. Within Delaware, she has served on a committee of the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association to vet potential amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law. Amy is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the Institute for Law and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Founder and President, Ventureneer
“A baby boomer with the heart and soul of a millennial” describes Geri best. She grew up believing that dedicated, thoughtful people can change the world by working together.
She is a believer still. In fact, Geri is even more committed to the possibility of meaningful change because she realizes that we have a huge, untapped resource: Women!
For the last few years, Geri has researched and written about the challenges women face in the entrepreneurial world and the success factors that help them break through barriers, whether they are starting a business or scaling to a multi-million dollar enterprise.
Geri’s passion to get women on the radar as leaders of mega-firms led her to write Forget the Glass Ceiling: Build Your Business Without One. To find out best practices for investment crowdfunding — a great alternative for women entrepreneurs! — Geri undertook a successful rewards-based crowdfunding campaign herself and published the results in Stand Out in the Crowd: How Women (and Men) Benefit from Equity Crowdfunding [add link]
Geri is a questioner and a builder, and is passionate about eliminating barriers to entrepreneurial aspirations.
Geri’s accomplishments include:

Mentor for WE NYC: 2016 to present
2015 Madam C.J. Walker Business Leadership Award from the National Minority Business Council.
2013 and 2012 Small Business Trends Small Business Influencer
Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at The New School
Facilitator, Kauffman Foundation FastTrac courses for entrepreneurs
Researched and published Ditch Digital Dabbling: How Small Businesses + Nonprofits Can Master Online Marketing
Former board member for the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Was on the board for eight years.

[:en]Cultivating an Entrepreneurial Mindset of Success[:]
2023-07-18 14:00 - 15:00
You dream of being comfortable in your own skin. You dream of more influence, income, and success. Yet the constant doubt and nagging thoughts of what could go wrong are holding you back. Are there times when you feel overwhelmed by your inner critic and powerless to change your situation? Do you feel like you’re doing everything recommended to grow your business but you’re still not seeing the results you expect? Let’s get you a clear vision and compelling mission that becomes both your master plan AND your superpower.
Join us for an uplifting conversation with Meshell Baker, Founder and Owner of Meshell Baker Enterprises, who will show you how to cultivate a mindset that is focused and committed yet unleashed from the negative self-talk that’s limiting your progress. Meshell will share stories from her own business journey and others she’s witnessed to demonstrate how a confident mindset can lead to unparalleled outcomes. You’ll walk away with a universal framework for turning setbacks into opportunities so that you and your business can stay on a trajectory of success!
Key Takeaways:

Replace negative self-talk and become your own #1 fan
Repurpose mistakes as opportunities to learn
Respond and leverage problems as opportunities to grow

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Meshell Baker
Owner/Founder | Meshell Baker Enterprises
Meshell Baker the Chief Confidence Igniter has been described as “a breath of fresh air” and “the power of her story combined with her passion and enthusiasm is enough to make anyone want to tap into their potential.” She masterfully guides audiences to embrace challenges as new chapters that enhance their capabilities. Encourages moving away from “trying” to sell and towards value-add conversations that confidently communicate win-win for all involved!
Meshell is the gift of clarity empowering women around the globe to ignite confident belief and enable their people to develop high-performance resilience and unstoppable confidence. She is renowned for her value-based and no-nonsense approach to sales and business success. Meshell has phenomenal results, accolades, and awards and has compiled an incredible track record of raving recommendations with clients over the past 25+ years. She is on a mission to ignite “confident belief” in as many women as possible.

[:en]Unpacking Debt[:]
2023-07-21 14:00 - 15:00 | Mni Sota Fund, 817 South 5th Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55415
Join us in exploring the difference of “good” vs ‘bad” debt, what types of expenses you may incur each month, and how to help yourself create a manageable debt load.

[:en]SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT TOOLS[:]
2023-07-26 09:00 - 10:00
Event Details
All of the emphasis on social media may leave you feeling like managing your brand is a full-time job! While it’s true, there is also another, sustainable way for you to part-time manage your social media presence without sacrificing too much of your time and energy. In this session, we’ll go over free or cheap tools that can help you save time in content creation and posting, as well as some best practices for maintaining a mentally healthy approach to social media.

Additional Information
To learn more, click here.

Special Instructions
Please click ‘Learn More’ to register in ECDI event.

[:en]HOW TO IDENTIFY HIGH-POTENTIAL FOUNDERS: INSIGHTS FROM A GLOBAL ACCELERATOR[:]
2023-08-01 11:00 - 12:30
Event Details
The greatest variable in the success or failure of a startup is the Founder, especially at the earliest stages. Still, most investors and accelerators rely on old-fashioned interviews and ‘gut feeling’ to judge Founders. At this live event, Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder and CEO of Founder Institute) will share insights from FI’s Entrepreneur DNA Assessment, leveraging 14+ years of data and research of top-tier Founders. If you are interested in learning how your organization can make better investment decisions based on social science, you won’t want want to miss this.

Additional Information
To learn more, visit The Founder Institute website.

Special Instructions
Please click ‘Learn More’ to register in The Founder Institute event.

[:en]Bootstrap Your Business to Success[:]
2023-08-02 11:00 - 12:00
When and where

Date and time

Wednesday, August 2 · 11am – 12pm CDT

Location

Online

About this event

1 hour
Mobile eTicket

For early-stage founders, access to funding is crucial to keep the business operating efficiently. Oftentimes, these founders are more intrigued by investor support than other sources of capital and center their strategic goals around securing that support. The problem is that many founders view raising investment as a way out of their problems instead of as a key driver to scaling their business. Thus, they have forgotten how to play the game of business. That’s where bootstrapping comes in.
The Nasdaq Center is delighted to be joined by Emma Joy Obanye, CEO of OneTech, to cover the key elements and best practices of bootstrapping effectively in 2023. Drawing from her vast experience as a founder, Emma will demonstrate why now is a good time to bootstrap and how evaluating your business like an investor can help you develop an bootstrapping strategy that will sustain your business as it continues to grow. Join us to gain actionable guidance on developing and executing your bootstrapping strategy.
Key Takeaways:

How bootstrapping can be an effective driver for business growth and sustainability
How to evaluate your business like an investor to create a strong bootstrapping strategy
How to execute your bootstrapping strategy with success

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Emma Joy Obanye
CEO – OneTech
Emma Joy Obanye is an entrepreneur, advisor, mentor and tech geek from Hackney (in the UK) and has spent the last 18 years building products and leading teams in tech for both corporates and startups.
On a mission to make the UK tech startup ecosystem more inclusive, diverse and equitable, Emma leads OneTech as CEO, which has supported over 3000 individuals with access to knowledge, networks and funding to start and scale their businesses.
An entrepreneur herself, Emma does this whilst splitting her time between OneTech and her new venture The Startup Game, an app and board game about the journey of entrepreneurship.
Emma previously co-founded and exited the award-winning, music-focused loyalty and influencer platform BuddyBounce. Emma was recognised by the Inclusive Boards and Financial Times as one of The UK’s top 100 black and minority ethnic leaders and most recently startups magazine as one of the most influential women in 2022.

[:en]Capital Raising Readiness[:]
2023-08-09 12:00 - 13:00
When and where

Date and time

Wednesday, August 9 · 12 – 1pm CDT

Location

Online

About this event

1 hour
Mobile eTicket

Investor funding can empower startups with essential resources and strategic guidance, but navigating this complex landscape with so many equity options can present itself with challenges. Thankfully, there are resources to help entrepreneurs make sense of it all. The Center is thrilled to be joined by the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) to explore the tools they have created to help early-stage entrepreneurs prepare to raise capital. These resources will help you better understand the fundamentals of raising capital as well as the various regulatory pathways that are available to raise capital from investors. You’ll walk away with insights into where capital is being raised and used, as well as a clear understanding of how your business needs to be registered with the SEC in order to offer or sell securities.
Key Takeaways:

What pathways are available to raise capital from investors
Capital raising challenges
Educational resources to inform each stage of the capital raising journey

For more information, please visit the SEC’s Capital Raising Hub.
OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Julie Zelman Davis
Senior Special Counsel, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation
Julie joined the Office in February 2019 as one of the first team members, overseeing strategic projects and serving as Senior Special Counsel. Prior to joining the Office, Julie served as Senior Special Counsel to the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, an attorney in the Division’s Office of Small Business Policy, and before that as Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs at the SEC. Prior to her public service, Julie worked on capital raising transactions at the law firm Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP in Boston, MA.

[:en]Invest in Your Brand with Gwen Murray[:]
2023-08-15 12:00 - 13:00
When and where

Date and time

Tuesday, August 15 · 12 – 1pm CDT

Location

Online

About this event

1 hour
Mobile eTicket

When beginning to think about brand identity, it can be easy for our minds to jump to those visual elements like logo, color palette, and font. While these elements can help support recognition and consistency among brand touchpoints, there’s much more to brand identity than what meets the eye! Identifying and communicating a distinctive and valuable Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is essential to differentiating your brand amidst a crowded market. What can early-stage entrepreneurs do to help their business stand out to the right people?
Join us for a lively conversation with Gwen Murray, Fractional CMO at Up & To The Right Solutions, to explore questions that you can ask yourself as you look to convey your USP and differentiate yourself in the marketplace. Gwen’s experience working with both startups and larger enterprises help to inform a brand strategy that any kind of business can adopt to establish a memorable and competitive presence in the marketplace. You’ll walk away with practical guidance and frameworks on how best to develop your brand identity and create a lasting, emotional connection with your customers.
Key Takeaways:

How investing in your brand now can yield positive outcomes in the future
How to differentiate yourself in today’s crowded market
The crucial elements of brand identity beyond logo, color palette, and fonts

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Gwen Murray
Fractional CMO, Up & To The Right Solutions
Gwen Murray is a Fractional CMO and Marketing Strategist. It can be hard to manage a holistic marketing strategy when things are moving at a fast and furious pace. With executive level marketing experience from Fortune 500’s (Amazon, Staples, L’Oreal) to smaller technology startups, Gwen helps her clients create GTM strategies that result in increased revenue, drive brand awareness, and generate full-funnel engagement. She started her company, Up & To The Right Solutions to help CEO’s and Founders create innovative campaigns that cut through the noise and show traction.

[:en]IMPRESS INVESTORS WITH YOUR PITCH DECK: A STEP BY STEP SYSTEM[:]
2023-08-16 12:00 - 14:00
Event Details
With the fundraising winter upon us, don’t let your pitch deck be an obstacle to your raise. Join us at this interactive webinar to seriously upgrade your pitch deck! In this session, Sam Eisenberg will share 6 steps to a winning pitch deck- a step-by-step system for crerating pitch decks that will help you build efficiently, effectively, and help your deck win investor attention. After the presentation there we will also have a Q&A and networking session where you can connect with other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Additional Information
To learn more, visit The Founder Institute website.

Special Instructions
Please click ‘Learn More’ to register in The Founder Institute event.

[:en]PRE- CERTIFICATION WORKSHOP[:]
2023-08-22 13:00 - 14:00
Event Details
The Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council (OMSDC) is one of 23 affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), a nonprofit corporate membership organization that advances business opportunities for its certified Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American business enterprises and connects them to its corporate members. One of the country’s leading corporate membership organizations, NMSDC was chartered in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority businesses of all sizes.

Additional Information
To learn more, click here.

Special Instructions
Please click ‘Learn More’ to register in MSDC event.

[:en]SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT…PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS AND PEOPLE[:]
2023-08-24 12:00 - 13:00
Event Details
In this interactive workshop, attendees will gain an introduction to risk management and recognizing hazards, resources to protect their interests and mitigate risk and ideas to kick-start their risk management program.

Additional Information
Visit SCORE website, to learn more.

Special Instructions
Please click ‘Learn More’ to register in SCORE event.

[:en]BRAND CLARITY: MAKE YOUR MARKETING EASY & EFFECTIVE[:]
2023-08-29 12:00 - 13:00
Event Details
Find out why branding is relevant for everyone to stand out and survive as an entrepreneur. Understand the steps to the brand strategy process and why you shouldn’t spend a dime on marketing until you get brand clarity.

Additional Information
To learn more, visit SCORE website.

Special Instructions
Please click ‘Learn More’ to register in SCORE event.

[:en]HOW TO USE AI IN YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY[:]
2023-09-07 13:00 - 14:30
Event Details
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way businesses determine and execute their marketing strategy. In this webinar, we’ll explain the basics of AI and how it can improve your digital marketing, from helping you find the right audience to optimizing your social media content.

Additional Information
Visit SCORE website to learn more!

[:en]Refine Your Revenue Model[:]
2023-09-08 12:00 - 13:00
About this event

When early-stage entrepreneurs are thinking about strategic planning for their business, it can seem like second-nature to focus on long-term goals and sustainability: ensuring that the business has a clear direction and a solid foundation for growth. You may find yourself asking questions like: What’s the most effective sales channels to reach my target audience? How do I price my product without either leaving money on the table or scaring away potential customers? What if something goes wrong? How can I protect my revenue streams? Thankfully, revenue modeling can help!
Join us for a lively discussion with Stacie Sussman, Chief Revenue Officer at RevUp Advisory, to make sense of the complexities involved with Revenue Modeling. Drawing from her vast experience advising businesses on revenue operations and go-to-market strategy, Stacie will guide you through strategies for mapping out your revenue streams to inform elements of your go-to-market strategy, like your pricing strategy and sales channels. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can leverage Revenue Modeling to set your offering up for success at launch and beyond!

Key Takeaways:

Understanding the elements of revenue modeling and why they matter
How your revenue model supports your go-to-market strategy
What processes and systems to implement to execute your revenue model

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Stacie Sussman
CRO, RevUp Advisory
I am a seasoned Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) with an impressive track record of over 25 years in advising Executive Teams and propelling businesses to new heights. As a highly experienced Fractional CRO, I have successfully spearheaded over one hundred GTM Strategy, RevOps, and Sales engagements, specializing in constructing robust operational foundations to fuel revenue growth.
My superpower lies in bridging the gap between strategic vision and day-to-day operations, ensuring flawless execution and tangible results. I thrive in advising Executive Teams by offering invaluable clarity to drive business scalability and achieve key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals.
As a Fractional CRO, I become an indispensable member of my client’s Executive Team, working tirelessly to establish and execute operational goals, enhance customer experiences, and secure long-term, sustainable revenue growth. My advisory expertise, GTM strategy acumen, and operational best practices are essential to business transformation.

[:en]Grant Writing Demystified with Special Guests[:]
2023-09-13 12:00 - 13:00
About this event

For many early-stage entrepreneurs, grants hold great potential as a source of fundraising for their business. Grants not only offer essential financial support to the business but also lend credibility and validation to its innovations. However, navigating the grant writing process continues to be a challenge for entrepreneurs, who often find themselves grappling with the intricacies of formulating a clear and persuasive narrative, conducting thorough research to meet the grant criteria, and effectively addressing the specific expectations of the funding entity. What strategies can early-stage entrepreneurs implement to streamline this process?
Join us for a dynamic discussion where we’ll dive into how best to approach each step of the grant writing process from the perspectives of both entrepreneur and capital provider. We’ll help you determine whether grants are right for you and your business, walk you through the application process, and help you ensure that you have all the necessary files. You’ll walk away with insight into the types of questions you’ll see on applications and how to make yours stand out!
Key Takeaways:

How to prepare for the grant writing process
How to write a grant proposal
What comes after you’ve secured a grant

Shereese Floyd
Founder, AI Consultants for Nonprofits
Shereese Floyd is the founder of AI Consultants for Nonprofits — a communications and messaging firm that specializes in artificial intelligence and organizational thought leadership. She is an executive coach with extensive experience in team building, culture, organization design, and facilitation, Shereese has worked with numerous organizations to help them increase revenue through story-based marketing. Prior to starting her own company, she spent over two decades in nonprofit marketing as the director of communications.
Her emotional branding style and storytelling skills have aided in companies making billions of dollars. Shereese is dedicated to teaching people how to use stories to unite people around a cause and to influence behaviors that move people to action. She is an advocate for social change and believes story is the one thing that truly brings the world together.
She has been featured as a thought-leadership expert for leading nonprofit brands such as CharityHowTo, Bloomerang, Network for Good and Nonprofit Learning Lab. She is also an adjunct professor for the Academy of Nonprofit Excellence.
Shereese is an award-winning TEDx speaker and the organizer of TEDxMintStreet. She is an advocate for social change and believes telling our stories is the one true way to change the world. Her work has been featured in Chief Learning Officer, Essence, TEDx, Forbes Entrepreneur Magazine and CEO World. She was recently named one of 100 Women to KNOW in America.

[:en]PRICING TO MAXIMIZE PROFIT[:]
2023-09-16 08:30 - 11:00
Event Details
In-Person event. Doors open at 9:00 AM.
1. Pricing Strategy Overview
2. Successful Approaches
3. Product Mix and Price
4. Market Channel Pricing
5. Pricing Math
6. Forecasting
Many useful team activities to reinforce the concepts.

Additional Information
To learn more, click here.

[:en]2nd Annual Asian American Pacific Island Business Summit[:]
2023-09-18 09:00 - 16:00
Join Us for the 2nd Annual AAPI Virtual 3D Business Summit. Build your business with skills, tools, and resources. Led by industry experts. Attend workshops and networking sessions.
Here is a list of workshops:

AI Digital Marketing
Social Media Marketing & Management
Cybersecurity: How to avoid being scammed
Credit Preparation for a Bank Loan
Starting Your Small Business
Social Selling & Mindset
Protect Your Customers’ Confidential Data
Customer Service & Culture
SBA Lending and Resources
Government Certifications and Contract Work
Participate in an energy and sound healing session!

For more info and Free Registration visit our website: https://aapibusinesssummit.vfairs.com/en/

[:en]Build Your Ideal GTM Playbook[:]
2023-09-21 13:00 - 14:00
About this event

A modern go-to-market strategy targets customers at scale through aligned and automated sales and marketing outreach. Powered by real-time data, it orchestrates omni-channel engagement to reach the right people at the right time. But achieving this is no easy feat; early-stage entrepreneurs face heavy competition from well-established players in the industry with the means to easily leverage customer insights. What can early-stage entrepreneurs do to stand out and drive growth at launch?
The Nasdaq Center is thrilled to be joined by Ben Salzman, SVP of GTM Strategy at ZoomInfo Labs, who will provide guidance on how to build the ideal GTM playbook. You’ll walk away with the insights to take your approach to timing, targeting, and content to the next level to drive greater effectiveness and efficiency from your GTM playbook, plus how to build a GTM ops function that can serve as a foundation for your team.
Key Takeaways:

How to unlock insights from B2B data that can power true account-based GTM
How to rethink your engagement tech plus tools to modernize your GTM playbook
How to leverage automation and AI to scale your GTM and win faster

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Ben Salzman
SVP, ZoomInfo Labs & GTM Strategy
Ben Salzman, SVP, GTM Strategy and ZI Labs for ZoomInfo (NASDAQ:ZI), is a seasoned Go-to-Market (GTM) executive with two decades of experience in advising enterprise tech companies globally. After a decade leading sales teams at Oracle and Google, in 2016 Ben started Dogpatch Advisors, an advisory and research firm that helped companies rethink GTM programs and help design more impactful, scalable GTM playbooks. In 2022, ZoomInfo acquired Dogpatch Advisors and Ben joined ZoomInfo with a focus on GTM Innovation and GTM strategy.

[:en]Fall M&A Bootcamp: The Ultimate Guide to Mergers & Acquisitions[:]
2023-09-27 11:00 - 13:30
About this event

Interested in understanding current best practices in being acquired or acquiring startups in 2023?
The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and our partners will present an update on the current M&A environment, discuss best practices to position yourself for future M&A opportunities, and explore winning strategies for successful transitions. We are pleased to share insights from our expert partners at KPMG, Wilson Sonsini, Woodruff Sawyer, Bank of the West, and Microsoft Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact who have been spearheading recent negotiations and deals in the current climate.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This M&A Bootcamp is intended for executives who are involved in devising and/or executing acquisitions, from CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CTOs, and vice presidents of business development to leaders and teams responsible for identifying and managing successful M&A transactions.

By joining LIVE, you will be able to get your questions answered by our experts during the webinar!
The same Zoom webinar link will be used across all the sessions.

AGENDA
9:00AM – 9:15AM – Overview of the M&A Market
9:15AM – 10:15AM – M&A Strategy for Early-to-Mid Stage Founders
10:15AM – 10:25AM – BREAK
10:25AM – 11:25AM – Growth Through Acquisition: Buy Side Overview and Insights Panel
11:25AM – 11:30AM Closing Remarks

[:en]Communicate Your Brand with Intention[:]
2023-09-29 12:00 - 13:00
About this event

Communication is central to the brand. When effective, it can help you achieve strategic goals not only for your brand but for your business as a whole. Moreso, it can help you understand people so that you communicate with them in a way that is meaningful to them. What strategies can entrepreneurs implement to communicate their brand with the right people in a way that brings value to both the entrepreneur and the stakeholder?
Join us for a lively session with Maureen Chiana, Neuroleadership Trainer and Coach at The Mindsight Academy, who will teach you how to continuously optimize the way you communicate your brand based on feedback to ensure long-lasting stakeholder engagement. Drawing from her experience in neuroscience and emotional intelligence in leadership, Maureen will provide you with the tools to devise highly influential communication strategies and foster more meaningful relationships through a deeper understanding of needs and motivations.
Key Takeaways:

Developing Persuasion Skills: Entrepreneurs will learn how to subtly apply EQ principles to their communication to enhance their persuasive abilities so that you can build stronger relationships with stakeholders.
Strengthening Personal Branding: Entrepreneurs will gain a deeper understanding of the critical role personal branding plays in entrepreneurial communication and strategies to craft a more powerful and authentic personal brand that truly resonates with stakeholders and inspire action.
Optimizing Communication Strategy: Entrepreneurs will discover the importance of regularly reviewing and adjusting their communication strategies to maintain and improve the effectiveness of your stakeholder engagement over time.

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Maureen Chiana
The Mindsight Academy
Maureen, as the CEO and founder of The Mindsight Academy and the Lead To Excel Podcast host. She’s passionate about helping leaders and their teams to reach peak performance levels by drawing on the fascinating field of NeuroLeadership.
Being a NeuroLeadership Facilitator and a NeuroCoach, Maureen innovatively leverages Performance Enhancement Treatment (PET), to help leaders and entrepreneurs rewire their brains to perform at their optimum..
As a seasoned Corporate Consultant, Maureen specializes in Neuro-Leadership and Emotional Intelligence. She has an award-winning reputation as a speaker and is adept at harnessing Neuroscience insights into her facilitation style. Her focus is on empowering a diverse range of professionals, from leaders and executives to business owners, especially fostering the empowerment of female leaders.
At the heart of Maureen’s distinctive approach is a focus on the human brain, which she likes to refer to as the body’s main control center. She equips leaders with the mental tools to make effective decisions under pressure, thereby enhancing their performance on both a holistic and targeted level.
Maureen’s signature strength lies in her ability to help clients shatter mental, emotional, and confidence blocks. She empowers individuals to overcome their limiting beliefs, distorted perceptions, restrictive thoughts, and unconscious biases.
She is steadfastly committed to a global mission: optimizing individual brains to enable people to thrive and lead limitless lives. Her work transforms complex scientific theories into tangible, easily understood applications in her engaging talks and courses, offering a fascinating glimpse into the intricate brain-mind-body connection.
Her clientele includes leaders from prominent organizations such as the National Health Service (NHS) UK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Siemens Healthineers, PPD, and BD. Maureen’s global impact is evident in her workshops and speaking engagements spanning across the UK, US, Dubai, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, and Africa.

[:en]FRANCHISING: A BUSINESS STRATEGY FOR CREATING WEALTH[:]
2023-10-02 17:00 - 18:30
Event Details
Are you an entrepreneur? Do you have the power to bet on yourself? Can you get out of your comfort zone and embrace change? We will answer many key questions about Franchising as a business strategy as well as the qualities that are most common to successful entrepreneurs.

Additional Information
Visit SCORE website to learn more!

Special Instructions
Please click ‘Learn More’ to register in SCORE event.

[:en]LOANS, GRANTS AND OTHER FUNDING OPTIONS FOR WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES IN 2023[:]
2023-10-05 12:00 - 13:00
Event Details
Join us for an empowering webinar dedicated to supporting and guiding women entrepreneurs on their journey to securing funding for their businesses.
In this webinar, you’ll learn:

Understanding the different funding pathways
Building a Compelling Funding Pitch
Overcoming Gender-Specific Challenges

Additional Information
Visit SCORE website to learn more!

Special Instructions
Please click ‘Learn More’ to register in SCORE event.

[:en]Enhance Your PR Outreach to Build Lasting Connections[:]
2023-10-10 10:00 - 11:00
About this event

Public relations is your opportunity as an entrepreneur and a business to build and maintain trust and credibility. But it’s easier said than done. You may ask yourself: How do I define a messaging strategy that will resonate with the right people? How should I initiate and nurture relationships with relevant organizations and media representatives? What can I do to stand out among potential competition?
Join us for an insightful discussion with AirBnB and the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs to learn strategies around outreach, follow-up (and follow-through), and relationship building that you can leverage for public relations success. You’ll walk away with the guidance needed to seamlessly manage your public relations strategy no matter where in your business journey you find yourself.
Key Takeaways:

Outreach — Tailor your outreach messaging and leverage various media channels to connect with organization leaders and media representatives.
Follow-Up (and Follow-Through): Understand best practices and implement a feedback loop in your PR communications to help inform continuous improvement of your offering.
Relationship Building: Foster meaningful engagement long-term and employ continuous learning to improve PR strategy as market landscape evolves.

Special Guests:

James Oliver, Jr.
James Oliver, Jr. is a 3X founder and CEO of Kabila, a co-founder matching app focused on inclusion, and founder of the ParentPreneur Foundation, which empowers Black ParentPreneurs, so they can leave a legacy for their beautiful Black children.

[:en]Market Update: Selling to Enterprise[:]
2023-10-13 12:00 - 13:00
About this event

In 2022, corporations, businesses, investors, and governments realized the recession was going to last longer than expected. As a result, in Q1 2023, you saw massive layoffs of about 15% in order to adjust to inflation, spending, and market conditions. Then, AI sent shockwaves through the market and in Q2 2023 all non-core spending froze as the C-suite restrategized. Today, companies have a rough idea of where they want to go and have the budget to test new tech. How will you and your business respond when selling to enterprise?
The Nasdaq Center is thrilled to welcome back Whitney Sales, Operating Partner at Forum Ventures, Founder, and Creator, to discuss how entrepreneurs selling to enterprise can adjust to changing dynamics, break through the noise, and capture scarce spending from the right customers. You’ll walk away with the insight necessary to make more informed decisions when selling to enterprise given the current market landscape. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to take advantage of the peak in the market!
Key Takeaways:

Key changes that are impacting enterprise decision-making
How to build your budget from nothing
How to map your marketing to your market’s rhythm

OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Whitney Sales
Founder & Creator
Whitney is a four-time VP of Sales, all of which were on the INC5000 Fastest Growing Companies List. She is an experienced investor and advisor, with a deep understanding of the B2B SaaS market. Whitney ran Forum Venture’s HQ accelerator in San Francisco for 3, invested in 200+ B2B SaaS companies, and helped raise Forum’s first seed Fund. She has a proven track record of success in leading and managing high-performing sales teams. You might have seen her as a speaker at Saastr, Collision, or LAUNCH. She’s currently working as an operating partner at Forum, mentoring for HBS’s entrepreneurial sales course, and running a GTM advisory practice called The Sales Method.
