SCORE Foundation ’s Post

I am iterating over my pitch deck and realigning my messaging and overall plan of attack. I have gotten some good feedback and I am following that feedback to its logical conclusion. In the meantime, I am charging forth and recipe testing like a mad man. With that said, I served the group at Ventures Business Basics Graduation Pitch Night some Gumbo Z'herbs and Banana Pudding last night. They were both a hit...and both vegan to boot. Mentioning Ventures, they are a local non-profit (Seattle) that is doing some great work. If you believe in supporting and educating low-income entrepreneurs and are a supporter of local, minority-owned businesses, I can't think of a better way to do so...from the ground up! If you are considering starting your own business and aren't quite sure how to navigate financing, taxation, corporate structures, or anything else, you should check out the Business Basics Course they offer. It's worth it, and they offer scholarships for the same. www.venturesnonprofit.org

Check this out Small Business colleagues - Here's info on SCORE's 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition The 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition is designed for small business owners who want to improve their presentation and selling skills. Participants will receive valuable insights and guidance from SCORE mentors and industry experts, ensuring they are well-prepared to deliver a compelling pitch for this event and for prospective customers and investors. SCORE will host five pitch competitions across the country. The competitions will be held in the following locations: (Dates will be announced soon. Check back for more information.) Philadelphia, PA Houston, TX Des Moines, IA Los Angeles, CA Online/ Virtual Competition Three winners will be selected from each of the competitions. Thanks to the generous support of the Global Atlantic Financial Group, the top 3 pitches will receive a financial award for their business. 1st place receives $20,000. 2nd place receives $10,000. 3rd place receives $5,000. These competitions are not just about winning; they're about helping you gain the knowledge and skills necessary to propel your business to new heights while providing an opportunity to secure growth funding.

Do you like the idea of being your own boss, running your own business or earning some extra income through a side hustle? We have workshops for that! 💡 Back again for semester two, How To Make Money runs every Wednesday from 31st January until 27th March. The first session was a roaring success, but there's still time to book on to this coming week's session now via our Eventbrite page: https://bitly.ws/3bAsu! 🔗 You can also email launchpad@canterbury.ac.uk if you have any questions 📧 Where might your ideas take you? 🚀 #CCCUCareers #CCCULaunchPad

Small business owners what are you planning for National Small Business Week, April 28-May 4? Check out some resources and a virtual summit at https://lnkd.in/gCXiyra. #smallbusiness #startup

What’s New in 2024? SYS Marketing Grants Our Inaugural Year The SYS global community is supporting small businesses through an annual grant program celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit, mentorship, and breaking barriers to success. https://lnkd.in/gTxDBBud Our mission is to increase the visibility of each business, encourage collaboration and build connections through community impact. We’ve been listening…one of the most common barriers to success is still “financing.” If you’ve been in business 3+ years and are looking for seed money to take your business to the next level, visit the website, apply for the grant and join us with your story. https://lnkd.in/gZRPh8dt When to apply? Applications Accepted August 1 – September 30, 2024 Finalists Shared November 6, 2024 Recipients Announced on-line December 4, 2024 If you’d like to support this initiative, we are looking for Brand Ambassadors, Mentors and Financial Support. 100% of the money received is for grant funding. We look forward to meeting you! https://lnkd.in/g_ChTs65 “Funding for Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs” #collaborationovercompeition #grantopportunity #businessstories

LegalZoom has partnered with the NBA, WNBA, and NBA G League to offer $3 million in #grantfunding and services to #smallbusinessowners and emerging #entrepreneurs. Now in its third season, Fast Break for Small Business is the largest #grant program for small business owners.* The program aims to assist #businessowners with the tools and resources they need to start and grow their #businesses —the perfect play. This #opportunity is designed to support both established and budding #businessventures with the most significant distribution of #funding for #smallbusiness owners in recent years.* Simply put, it’s a #slamdunk for your small #business. Apply today for your chance at a $10,000 #smallbusinessgrant and/or up to $500 in LegalZoom products and services. Grant applications close on September 13, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET. APPLY NOW at 👉 https://lnkd.in/guinsGU7

Join our Oct 22 ETA Circle event. Come hear our speaker discuss buying, scaling and selling his business. Register: www.ETACircle.com Will Wright successfully acquired and later exited Peerless Tents & Events. He navigated a massive warehouse fire, COVID (imagine how that impacted an event rental company!) and being on the verge of bankruptcy. He turned it all around and ended up getting his investors a 5x MOIC (multiple on invested capital) exit in 5 years. Listen to Will Smith interview Will Wright on the Acquiring Minds here: https://lnkd.in/g8Ts6nUR Come hungry: Food, wine, beer, sodas and snacks provided for free. (Thanks sponsors!) Event location to be emailed. Please contact Reid@ETACircle.com if you do not receive the location.   *** Please no service providers at this event. This event is only for acquisition entrepreneurs. Please register so we can have an accurate food count. Everyone who has not attended before must register in advance (admission will be denied to first-time attendees who did not register.) ***   Agenda: 5:00pm-6:30pm – Networking 6:30pm-7:15pm – Speaker presentation and announcements 7:15pm onwards – Continued networking   Special thanks to our event sponsors: Bailey Law Firm PLLC - Founded and based in Houston, TX, Bailey Law Firm focuses on acquisition entrepreneurship. With flat fees tailored to each deal, we prioritize pricing transparency, ensuring clarity and predictability in all our services. Our tailored solutions are designed to align seamlessly with the unique goals of each client, recognizing the distinct nature of every M&A endeavor. Backed by a deep understanding of diverse industries and a commitment to staying ahead of legal market trends, Bailey Law offers strategic insights and actionable recommendations that empower informed decision-making. We are committed to maximizing your transactional value, minimizing your risk, and optimizing your deal structure. Bailey Law is your trusted ally in achieving your objectives during your entrepreneurship journey. First Internet Bank’s Small Business Administration team is quite a success story in itself: since 2018, they have grown to rank among the top SBA lenders nationally in both loan volume and amount financed. As a Preferred Lender, they can deliver a faster, more flexible and robust lending experience for their small business clients. About the Founder: Reid Pennebaker is business buyer at Gulf Bright Partners who founded ETA Circle to support the acquisition entrepreneur community.

When building a business from the ground up, there are many misdirections, misadventures but absolutely no mistakes. Everything is a learning experience. You’re constantly finding your feet, something new, up skilling and spending plenty of time reflecting how you could do better. Naming conventions have always baffled me, after all what’s in a name…? Pretty much everything when it represents the message you’re trying to convey. 2+ years ago I had the idea for Acorns Journey and I knew then & there, there was a large slice of 🧀 attached to it✊🏼. After all it is my 🧠 👦🏼. Questions like where will I fit in this market, how will I be received, is this what I believe represents my core value proposition flood the thinking. Over the last 2 years so much has evolved, the landscape, my experience, the products I can offer, the confidence in my competence. The tempo has been oscillating between on the back burner to front and centre at pace. Yesterday saw another milestone. It wasn’t something I had to do to move the business forward but something I wanted to do as I believe in the 💡 Clients are coming in, reviews and testimonials are being written; the future for Acorns Journey is as exciting as it is frightening. I am currently studying my PG Dip in Coaching Supervision to take my products to the next level. I have secured 2 big projects with Charities in 2 sectors, in less than 2 weeks my first public workshop takes place (remaining tickets can be bought at acornsjourney.com) and yesterday I got my trademark finalised. From tiny acorns…

CLASS Management Group, LLC is hosting the 1st class cohort in the Community Capital Readiness Program. Our focus and mission is to provide aid to start-ups and small businesses. We also seek sponsorship to support our small businesses along their entrepreneurial journey. Do you know someone who can benefit from this program? Do you want to participate and sponsor us? Please reach out to us and share within your community the information below. #capitalreadiness #bussinessgrowth #moneymindset #jaxareas #goalgetter

When I founded Rational Unicorn Legal Services, the goal was to not just provide affordable and accessible business law services, but to show the public that building business and community can and should go hand in hand. And, that professional service providers can be just as effective when they act human and kind. I don't just know the issues people in Oregon face, I know the industries. Some things that are clear now more than ever are: 1. It takes a business owner who is courageous, curious, and resilient; a person that can admit that it's ok to not know everything but is willing to try things, make mistakes, learn, reflect, adapt, and grow. 2. In order for any business to survive, it takes a village of not just clients/customers, but advisors, mentors, friends, and neighbors. 3. Business ownership is 100% a form of tangible economic justice. Many structures in America are broken or never worked to begin with. If we are going to make changes that are long lasting, we need to rebuild/re-envision structures, systems, and processes that are ineffective, unnecessarily complicated, make access nearly impossible, and yes-are often misogynistic, racist, homophobic, transphobic (or some combo). Shared economic prosperity is a vision that brings together small business, big business, nonprofits, mutual aid organizations, and the community at large. It holds big business accountable. It sets forth plans for things like transportation, housing, and climate action that actually involve the people effected by them. It says that the triple bottom line is possible (thank you Benefit Corporations for Good for the firm's benefit company certification). Moreover, that you can make a profit while still investing in people and the planet. It's not naive or hopeful or revolutionary, it's what should be and what we see happening. Let's double down on shared economic prosperity so that the region cannot only recover (yes, many are still closing or hanging by a thread), but also thrive! Before the pandemic and during, I dreamed of what a business summit could be. Project Manager Elizabeth Ellison and my team have worked tirelessly to bring you "Better at Business Together Summit" next Friday-Sunday. https://lnkd.in/gm2syTvU It's difficult to separate business from politics because I'm a businessman who is running for Congress and business is politics. Food is politics. The economy is politics. And, so on. If elected to Congress, I give you this promise: I will look at all sorts of things differently. Please join us next weekend for the first annual Rational Unicorn Legal Services's "Better at Business Together Summit." And remember, if someone tells you that you can't do something or it won't work, prove them wrong. Success is the best revenge and haters are fans/clients/voters in waiting. -MJ