Network and Learn at a Small Biz Event This Summer |  |
| Network and Learn at a Small Biz Event This Summer Posted: 09 Jun 2012 10:30 AM PDT You can find plenty of events for small businesses and startups this summer, to educate yourself and your staff, and to network with your peers. Here is our hand-picked list of conferences, seminars and events. Don’t miss out on these excellent opportunities to help you start a business, grow it and run it like a pro! * * * * *
Startup Weekends are 54-hour events designed to provide superior experiential education for technical and non-technical entrepreneurs. Beginning with Friday night pitches and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development, and basic prototype creation, Startup Weekends culminate in Sunday night demos and presentations. Participants create working startups during the event and are able to collaborate with like-minded individuals outside of their daily networks. All teams hear talks by industry leaders and receive valuable feedback from local entrepreneurials. The weekend is centered around action, innovation, and education. Whether you are looking for feedback on a idea, a co-founder, specific skill sets, or a team to help you execute, Startup Weekends are the perfect environment in which to test your idea and take the first steps towards launching your own startup.
Led by Tory Johnson, the jam-packed, high-energy day enables you to experience big breakthroughs in your business and yourself. Meet great people who can help with product development and packaging; manufacturing and distribution; multiple revenue streams and collaborations; mental preparedness for monumental success; and so much more.
Join us for a moderated conversation and audience Q&A with mobile Internet pioneer Dag Kittlaus, co-founder and creator of Siri, the new voice interaction feature in the popular Apple Inc. iPhone 4S. Dag will discuss his journey to creating one of the more innovative mobile technologies in recent history—a product that took him from Chicago to Silicon Valley and back to Chicago again. In addition to the discussion about working with Apple, Dag will give his perspective on the differences between the Chicago and California technology scenes. Enjoy drinks, appetizers and lively networking before and after the program.
Designed by Veteran small business owners for Veteran small business owners, VETS2012 brings government agencies, industry leaders and Veteran entrepreneurs together in a small, intimate forum to discuss the questions you need answered.
You probably think of LinkedIn as “that site” your friends and business associates have used in the past to search for job opportunities. But LinkedIn has become so much more. This webinar, presented by Venture Beat, will explore how LinkedIn can be used to grow your small business.
This event is co-located inside the info360 Conference & Expo at the Jacob Javits Center
Including all new data for 2012, Dan Zarrella will be presenting this webinar covering: All new data about lead nuturing
Connect to mobile innovations, new advertising technologies, emerging social media practices, and new apps for managing your business and life. Techweek is the largest technology and innovation conference and expo to put the entire digital ecosytem on stage — in Chicago, an up-and-coming global destination for new technology, with a community eager to harness the spirit of innovation.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is hosting the National Veteran Small Business Conference and Expo. As the largest nationwide conference of its kind, this event focuses on helping Veteran-owned businesses maximize opportunities in the federal marketplace. Join nearly 6,000 participants in Detroit for the opportunity to:
This year's theme celebrates the entrepreneurial, innovative and adventurous spirit of women business owners. They are starting businesses at record rates and running these businesses on their own terms. They refuse to sit idle, waiting and watching. They have confidence and power to shake things up, take smart risks and do things differently to move forward. They are impacting positive change at every turn, speaking out on issues of public policy, lightening their environmental footprint and creating jobs that fuel the economy. They are part of something much greater than themselves—a grassroots movement of women business owners and their community of supporters all dedicated to helping one another grow, thrive, give back and leave a legacy.
The New York Enterprise Report Small Business Awards is the annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of the 500,000+ small businesses throughout the tri-state area. Now in its 7th year, the Awards gala attracts more than 400 business owners and executives and is often referred to as "the networking event of the year." Don't miss the chance to do business with the "who's who" of the New York small business community.
To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. If you are putting on a small business event or contest, and want to get the word out, please submit it through our Events & Contests Submission Form (it’s free). Only events of interest to small business people, freelancers and entrepreneurs will be included. Brought to you as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com. From Small Business Trends |
| Venture Capital Investing: Financing Questions That Make or Break Entrepreneurship Posted: 09 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT
Venture Capital Investing; The Complete Handbook for Investing in Small Private Businesses for Outstanding Profits by David Gladstone lives up to its title. It covers the steps start ups should evaluate when creating a business plan, a marketing plan, or even asking for support from family and friends. My review copy is my own, a first edition – there is a second edition with some updates – but either edition will certainly help you organize your business for profits, growth, and proper investment. Thorough Questions For Important Capitalization And InvestmentGladstone’s book is thorough. As in capital letters that are truly meant to scream THOROUGH. Venture Capital Investing is structured as a small textbook, but in reality it's a fit for most businesses that seek venture capital or at least are thinking of it. Even in the preface Gladstone noted that after gaining ten years experience in venture capital, he could not find a book that elaborated on investment in small private businesses. It may be a bit much to say a book covers everything – Gladstone admits his book is not the definitive text – but this one certainly gets it right on the things that count. The book’s value lies in asking the questions and explaining the investment process a venture capitalist would consider before investing. A start up team can benefit by seeing how the tips fit for the business concept being developed. There are some human psychology and behavioral basics that get covered thoughtfully, such as how to evaluate the entrepreneur in the investment.
Tips on developing background information on the business cover the gamut. The professional references segment has a set of questions asking bankers, lawyers, even landlords specific questions on the start up's background. These sections are a few paragraphs, and truly worth the bookmark if you need to give or gain a complete picture of the team you are dealing with. Appendix 1 sets the questions in a convenient numbered list. Later segments explain the financial measures that should be in place, along with negotiating a deal and exit strategy. Unless you really are in IPO planning, you can skip the exit chapter; The negotiation chapter gives easy to read overviews of what legal concerns exits. There's no set ratio, but good explanation of what metrics are worthwhile and why. Understand The Investment Behavior Of An Entrepreneur"But what if I am crowdsourcing," you ask. "What if I am not going to speak to a VC?" The questions posed in Venture Capital Handbook do help in those instances, because you'll gain some ideas as to how to answer investment concerns, which in reality are business concerns. The segment called Warning Signals of Problems, particularly the personal early warning signals from Gladtsone’s experience, is good. For example, while many experts claim running multiple businesses is great, Gladstone explains when "hustle mode" is questionable for investment:
The book was first published in 1988 – a bit ahead of the current crop of tech-based start ups and opportunities expressed in books like Rework, The Mesh, and High Tech, High Cloud Customer Service. But the raised questions speak to the book's value and longevity. I have has my copy since 2001 and still peep the text on occasion. You'll gain a lot from this in terms of anticipating investor questions. I am more than certain your business will operate profitably after working through Venture Capital Investing. From Small Business Trends |
Ok, this is a throwback for me – I writing on a book that I really adore and have kept in my library for ten years. And if you have questions about operating a business for investment consideration, trust me it's the right book to have no matter what year it is.| You are subscribed to email updates from Small Business News, Tips, Advice - Small Business Trends To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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