Organization and community building from the ground up
Community and business building are not two separate things. A strong economy results in more opportunities for jobs, better schools, and a stable community. Supporting entrepreneurs with educational programs and reimagining access to the economy through education and small business support is a backbone of my career.
Entrepreneurship Training
Create Virginia is a partnership with the SBDC - Lynchburg Region, Opportunity Lynchburg and the Academy Center for the Arts. This conference is focused on the business of art, creativity, and performance. Create Virginia hosts speakers from the National Endowment for the Arts, Americans for the Arts, and other organizations.
Pop Up Altavista & Bedford Bootcamp
Though the Virginia SBDC, I am a certified Growthwheel Trainer. Growthwheel is a toolkit that helps business owners make decisions on practically any issue - from customer profile development to making business processes more efficient. In 2016, the SBDC - Lynchburg Region used this tool to develop and facilitate a multi-week entrepreneurship curriculum for Altavista's Pop Up business startup and expansion program. Seven businesses are in the process of competeing for grant funding through Altavista's Community Business Launch Award from Virginia DHCD. Read about it at Main Street America's Story of the Week: Pop Up Altavista 2.0 or in the News & Advance Altavista Busines Incubator Awarded Funding. This program was offered in Bedford, Virginia in the Fall of 2017. Three businesses were awarded funding through a partnership with Bedford Economic Development and Bedford Main Street.
CO.Starters
Co.Starters is a nine-week entrepreneurship program that introduces startups to basic business skills. I was trained and facilitated two of the cohorts of this program with Opportunity Lynchburg. This program focuses on developing networks of entrepreneurs and building communities. Five participants in this program received grants from Lynchburg's receipt of the Community Business Launch from Virginia DHCD. Learn more about Co.Starters at Co.starters.co or about the Lynchburg Program outcomes in "Five Lynchburg Startups Receive CBL Grants During Innovation Week" and from the News & Advance in "Entrpreneurial Program Provides Training For Slice of $40,000 in Grant Money."
Social Media coaching
Compose Your Social
This is a sixty minute talk geared toward college and high school students focused on the best use of social media in their lives. Social media can be used as a force for positive - even as you're applying to schools or for employment. Give it a watch and let me know if you'd like me to come to your school or group.
ClassRoom Teaching
I am often requested to teach classes on specific media topics, from branding workshops to Facebook Advertising. My work with the Small Business Development Center gives me the opportunity to work with businesses to improve their use of digital marketing. I've lead classes on Google My Business, Canva, Instagram, using hashtags, and other topics. We find that these are popular topics and often fill the classroom!
I frequently coach businesses one on one about these topics, and find that clients send their small business colleagues along to get "up to speed" about using