Events/Workshops

Are you intimidated by numbers? If so, this two-part seminar is for you. Accounting for Entrepreneurs takes the mystery out of number crunching and puts it into easy-to-understand terms, in a playful environment. You will learn how to create income statements and balance sheets, track inventory, understand cash flow and liquidity, and apply this knowledge to real-life situations. Take the mundane tasks of accounting and business finance and make them something you can easily learn, understand, remember and use! Part II is Wednesday, September 29 from 9 am-1 pm.

Speaker: Jim Olp, Denver Metro SBDC As senior business consultant for the Denver Metro SBDC, Jim Olp assists clients with financial analysis and funding options. He has a depth of experience derived not just from his many years working with SBDCs, but also from his ownership of more than a dozen small businesses. He has taught virtually every aspect of small business management and operations at the college level for more than two decades. Olp has exceptional expertise in business financing options and can assist clients in structuring their business plans and pro forma projections toward the goal of securing financing. Jim earned his bachelor’s degree from King’s College with a double major in history and political science with a minor in English. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh with a major in political science and a minor in computer science.

The FastTrac GrowthVenture Program is targeted specifically to entrepreneurs who have experience running their business. FastTrac focuses on the issues you need to: - Make critical decisions about your business vision and strategy - Iinvestigate next-stage growth and opportunity - Plan for strategic growth - Build and maintain a competitive advantage - Lead with clarity - Maximize cash flow for future profitability This intensive 10-week training business planning course is designed for entrepreneurs who wish to expand their current venture and take it to the next level. This course will help you ask the questions and get to know the answers that every entrepreneur needs to know before growing a business venture. FastTrac provides a practical, hands-on and commonsense approach to business management. In addition to regular classroom instruction, the course features: - Guest speakers, including accoutants, attorneys, and bankers - Networking opportunities with local business leaders and participants - A comprehensive textbook, workbook, and resource guide - Free business consulting from the Denver Metro SBDC - Interaction with business loan officers concerning your financial needs

Speaker: Jim Olp, Rosy McDonough

In this overview seminar, you will learn the proper steps to take to launch your new business venture including legal structures, required licenses and forms, tax requirements, financing considerations and more. Bring all of your questions about launching your business and meet others who are doing the same.

Speaker: Jayne Reiter, Denver Metro SBDC Jayne Reiter is our business consultant at the West Metro Satellite SBDC. In her role as a business counselor, she guides SBDC clients through start-up issues, marketing, alternative financing and business plan development. Reiter has more than 20 years experience in sales and marketing. In her career, she has owned and operated her own retail and sales business. She is dedicated to helping small business owners achieve their goals in growth and expansion. Reiter holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in adult education.

Join us for this informative seminar that covers all the basics of preparing a successful business plan. We will discuss the purpose of a business plan, what it contains, what financial documents you will need, and how to determine start-up costs. You will be given a copy of a sample business plan. You will also learn what not to include in the document. This is a seminar every business owner should take, especially if you are planning to secure outside financing.

Speaker: Jayne Reiter, Denver Metro SBDC Jayne Reiter is our business consultant at the West Metro Satellite SBDC. In her role as a business counselor, she guides SBDC clients through start-up issues, marketing, alternative financing and business plan development. Reiter has more than 20 years experience in sales and marketing. In her career, she has owned and operated her own retail and sales business. She is dedicated to helping small business owners achieve their goals in growth and expansion. Reiter holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in adult education.

In this overview seminar, you will learn the proper steps to take to launch your new business venture including legal structures, required licenses and forms, tax requirements, financing considerations and more. Bring all of your questions about launching your business and meet others who are doing the same.

Speaker: John Green, Johnson & Wales University John Green is an accomplished organizational, business and professional development mentor with a demonstrated ability for helping people identify, utilize and grow their talents, strengths and abilities. He has developed and cultivated personal and professional growth in hundreds of clients, business owners and professionals. He is an effective program designer, implementer and presenter, recognized for improving individual, workplace and entrepreneur performance. Greene has provided one-on-one counseling and workshop delivery to displaced professionals from technology, telecom, manufacturing, marketing and distribution environments. He has successfully transitioned these experiences and skill sets to a variety of programs including Career Continuation, Resume Creation, Interviewing Skills, Change Management, Best Hiring Practices, Successful Goal Planning, Business Planning and Implementation workshops, as well as personal development experiences. He is experienced in both the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors. He has been associated with major retailers, distributors and sales organizations at all levels of management in national and international arenas. He has been instrumental in successful business start-ups on and off the Internet, including sales, consulting and marketing ventures. In addition, he has extensive community and educational affiliations with organizations and universities nationwide.

Join us for a FREE workshop on "Achieving Wow." This engaging topic was presented in the July issue of New Business Denver. Learn how to build a memorable brand by creating a communications strategy that helps you build customer relationships that nurture loyalty and drive sales. This workshop takes small businesses through a ten-step process from defining objectives, building a plan, evaluating results, and showcasing tools available to make it easy to get started in implementing the plan. Co-author Sophia Farina, marketing director with Quark Inc. will be the featured speaker. Introduction of the topic will be made by Tameka Montgomery, executive director of the Denver Metro SBDC.

Speaker: Sophia Farina, Quark

This seminar will inform small and medium business owners on the overall benefits and landscape of the Cloud Computing marketplace. It will outline the different cloud providers, such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and IBM. You will learn in depth how you can move your e-mail, calendar and documents to the web, as well as other potential services that can be migrated. Walk away from this seminar knowing how your business can benefit from big business IT success that fits within your budget.

Speaker: Bart Lorang, CloudCenter LLC Bart Lorang is responsible for communicating CloudCenter's vision and strategy. Lorang is a visionary technologist with extensive experience conceiving, designing, building, marketing and selling enterprise software solutions on a global scale. Prior to founding CloudCenter, Lorang was an owner in Dimension Technology Solutions where he served as president and oversaw all customer implementation, product development, sales and marketing functions. He also serves as chairman and CEO of Forseti Holdings LLC and is active in the startup technology community as an angel investor, strategic advisor and featured speaker at industry events. Lorang holds a bachelor of science in computer science from the University of Colorado and is an alumni of the Executive MBA program at the Daniels College of Business, University of Denver.

Most of us draw mental pictures of our customers or prospects on the telephone, often establishing long-term working relationships without ever meeting face-to-face. When we finally do meet, we're usually surprised his or her image doesn't match the picture we painted of him or her. It seems we're quick to visualize the person on the other end of the telephone, never realizing he or she is visualizing us as well. This fun, interactive seminar will teach you how to demonstrate characteristics that create a positive, memorable image. Using the word PICTURE, you will learn how various characteristics enable us to create a self-portrait everyone will remember with pleasure and won't be surprised to see. Improve your telephone communication skills through self-examination. Implement techniques that create a positive, memorable image. Learn why you should communicate personal relationship values during every customer interaction.

Speaker: Jeannie Davis, Now Hear This Jeannie Davis is an authority on telephone communication for great customer service and has trained thousands of individuals to maximize the profit- and image-building power of their #1 business communication tool. An influential speaker and trainer, she is the award-willing author of Beyond Hello and contributing author in Real World Customer Service Strategies That Work. Davis' respected affiliation with Fortune 500 companies and international associations is testament that her keynotes and seminars are beneficial to diverse organizations and industries. Program participants recognize her genuine passion for encouraging people to make beneficial behavioral changes - and showing them how to do it. Davis is immediate past president of the International Customer Service Association's Colorado Chapter and services on the Board of Directors for the Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau Foundation. An active member of the National Speakers Association, she is a graduate of Leadership Denver, Leadership Aurora and a member of the Aurora Gateway Rotary Club.

This course is an introduction on how to use QuickBooks to best meet the needs of your business. The main objective is to introduce you to QuickBooks’ basic features and give you an opportunity for hands-on practice. You will learn about the types of information you need to track and how to enter that information to ensure proper bookkeeping.

Speaker: Heather Edwards, EKSH

The key to success in business is recognizing that a small percentage increase in each of the business' critical drivers can make all the difference in the world when it comes to your bottom line. One of the main critical business drivers, for example, is lead generation sources and the number of leads from each source. Leads are a business critical driver, but when asked, many business owners do not know the number of leads they get per day, per week or even per month. Lead generation is one of the most important drivers because what can be tested can be measured, and what can be measured can be improved. This seminar will help you to understand the business critical drivers that can move your business. These drivers assist you in determining the highest priorities in your business and help get you focused on the strategies that enable your business to become more successful. Through this interactive seminar, you will learn how to double or triple your company's profits.

Speaker: Earl Kemper, ActionCOACH Earl Kemper has more than 29 years experience as a wealth advisor, 27 years as a business coach and has sold seven successful businesses. Kemper applies a holistic view to the process of personal and business growth by addressing the human dynamics and social context in conjunction with sound strategies and business principles. He currently owns five successful businesses and frequently educates business and financial professionals across the world.

In a tough economy, it's the soft skills that yield hard core results. In the past, we thought IQ was the key to success in life, but research now shows that it is our ability to understand our emotions and those of others that separate the winners from the rest of the pack. Emotional Intelligence is one of the most important concepts to hit the business world in recent years. It reaches into every aspect of your business. After this seminar, you will walk away with an understanding of 15 primary Emotional Intelligence attributes, how they show up in day-to-day business development and what you can do to raise your level in any of them. Learn why understanding yourself will help you sell more, and sell more easily. You will discover why traditional training of any kind does not stick and what to do about it. Learn a six-step process for consultative business development.

Speaker: Colleen Stanley, SalesLeadership, Inc. Colleen Stanley is the founder and president of SalesLeadership, Inc. She is a monthly columnist for Business Journals across the country, author of ‘Growing Great Sales Teams’ and co-author of "Motivational Selling." Stanley is the creator of EI Selling™, a unique and powerful sales program that integrates emotional intelligence skills with consultative sales skills. Prior to starting SalesLeadership, Colleen was vice president of sales and marketing for Varsity Spirit Corporation. During her 10 years at Varsity, sales increased from 8M to 90M. Little known facts: • Former triathlete (notice ‘former’) • Participated in the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics • Made her first sale at age 6 Clients Include: Corporate Express, Orlando Magic, Vail Resorts, Leanin’ Tree, Arthur J. Gallagher, Siemens Corporation, Land Title Guarantee, Alps Mutual Fund, Lafarge North America, Alpine Bank, Gerald H. Phipps, New York Times Small Business Summit, Jones NCTI

Many companies become frustrated when they allocate money into sales and marketing campaigns, but do not see the bottom line increase significantly, if at all. Sales and marketing are two very different processes that often get out-of-step with one another. This seminar will teach you how to utilize sales and marketing to complement each other and increase your bottom line. The presentation will provide proven advice and hands-on exercises so you can stop using weak marketing messages that do not reflect your true "sweet spot." You will be able to stop investing in unrealistic marketing outreach plans that do not support sales. Recognize how to stop wasting time on proposals that are continuously being shopped. This seminar will explain how marketing and sales are actually separate but complementary disciplines that can be used together to maximize results and increase revenue. A seven-step selling process and unique philosophy will be taught that can be used to close more sales and thus turn marketing dollars into bottom-line revenue increases.

Speaker: Debbie Scott, Sandler Training by Achievement Dynamics Debbie Scott is a professional trainer and sales and business coach for Achievement Dynamics LLC, a sales and management development firm based in Denver, Colorado and certified by the Sandler Training Institute. She has been a top producer and leader as well as trainer and coach for over five years. She is dedicated to nurturing and inspiring the human spirit to change for the better through coaching, training and motivation speaking, as well as leading by example, using Sandler communications tools and Law of Attraction concepts. Prior to joining Achievement Dynamics, Scott worked in marketing and sales development for the DuPont Chemical Company. From 1988-1996 she did both development and direct sales for DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers. In 1997, she went to work for DuPont Automotive and was based out of Denver selling industrial paints. Scott consistently exceeded sale quotas by 23 percent. In 1999, she returned to the Polymer Products Division of DuPont and shortly thereafter assumed the role of global market segment leader with market development responsibilities. She also sold into the packaging industry in a direct sales role. While there, she increased her territory sales by 24 percent and global polymer sales for asphalt modification by 37 percent. She completed an MBA in technology management (e-business) from the University of Phoenix in December of 2001. With this training, she assumed the role of e-marketing specialist for DuPont in June of 2003. She left DuPont in June 2004 and shortly thereafter joined Achievement Dynamics.