E-Magnify on Comcast Newsmakers

Watch Debra Mason, E-Magnify's Education & Training Manager, on Comcast Newsmakers.

Bridges to Business: April 16

Learn business tools that will drive your business to new heights! 

Date: April 16, 2015
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 

Location: Rivers Club, Pittsburgh, PA
Register for $45

Keynote Address: Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Erin E. Andrew
Assistant Administrator
Office of Women's Business Ownership
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)  

• Overview of SBA programs and opportunities for women business owners and entrepreneurs
• Discussion of how SBA empowers women entrepreneurs through access to capital, contracting, and counseling
• Examination of new and exciting initiatives impacting women entrepreneurs 

Women Business Owner Panel:

A panel of women business owners will share the "bridges" they have constructed to reach their goals. Hear their methods for maintaining and growing their businesses as they share the strategies, techniques, and tools they use to overcome challenges such as economic recession, government regulations, political environment, customer retention, and employee satisfaction.

Panelists:

• Doris Carson Williams (panel facilitator), President & CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania 
• Jennifer Boczar, Owner & COO, AM-GARD, Inc. 
• Darieth Chisolm, Owner, Hustle and Heart TV
• Regina Koetters, Founder/CEO, Marty's Market
• Jan Lehigh, President, Alpine Packaging, Inc.

Join other women entrepreneurs at this exciting event and build your bridge to business success.

Registration of $45 includes lunch and program.

6 Steps to a Better Business: April 1 in Connellsville

Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Time: 9:00 a.m. - Noon
Location: The New Connellsville Canteen, 131 West Crawford Ave., Connellsville, PA
Registration: $49

Learn the 6 Steps that all successful, profitable, and sustainable businesses go through and how you can move your business through the steps efficiently.

Trainer:
Ken Sevick
Master Business Coach

In this educational and motivational seminar, you'll learn:

• How to gain control of your time, team, and money.
• How to turn your marketing into an investment rather than an expense.
• How to multiply customers, revenues, and profits.
• How to leverage your team, systems, technology, and marketing.
• How to recruit, train, maintain, and motivate new employees.

Tens of thousands of business owners from all over the world for the last 20 years have attended this event and learned the keys to growing a successful business. This seminar is designed for every type of business and will take you through each step to climb the ladder of business growth. Learn how to build a commercial, profitable, enterprise that works without you.

Co-presented by Seton Hill University's E-Magnify and Downtown Connellsville.

InnovateHER: 2015 Innovating for Women Business Challenge

SBA Launches Business Competition for Innovations that Empower Women's Lives

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has launched a nationwide competition for entrepreneurs who are developing products and services that will enhance the lives of women and their families.

InnovateHER: 2015 Innovating for Women Business Challenge kicked off in early March with local competitions hosted by universities, accelerators, clusters, scale-up communities, SBA’s resource partners, and other local organizations. 

The SBA is seeking entrepreneurs who have created a product or service that will have a measurable impact on women and their families, fills a need in the marketplace, and has the potential for commercialization.

Those entrepreneurs selected by local judges will make it to the semi-final round. An executive committee comprised of SBA officials will review the semi-final nomination packages and select no more than 10 finalists. The finalists will compete for a total of $30,000 in prize money provided by Microsoft.

The 10 finalists will travel to the District of Columbia on May 8th where they’ll pitch their products and ideas to a panel of expert judges during SBA’s National Small Business Week. 

For details on contest rules and a list of local competitions, visit www.sba.gov/innovateHER. 

PowerUp Lunch Featuring A.J. Drexler of Campos Inc.

Date: March 25, 2015

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Location: Rivers Club, Downtown Pittsburgh, PA

Speaker:
A.J. Drexler, Owner, President and Chief Strategist, Campos Inc. 

In business, everything begins and ends with consumers. Knowing, understanding, and applying consumer trends and insights is critical to success. 

A.J. Drexler will discuss current consumer marketing trends, how they impact your business, and how you can leverage this information to your competitive advantage. 

Register here. 

About A.J. Drexler
For the past 25 years, A.J. has focused her work, within both the ad agency and market research sides of the business, on deeply understanding the customer in order to inspire brand and marketing strategy that drives genuine results. She is accomplished in using all forms of data to uncover marketing insights, conducting all forms of qualitative research, and loves swimming around in the cross-tabs of quantitative projects to find clues to future behavior.

Away from work, A.J. is active with several non-profit causes. She sits on boards for both the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh and the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. She is an active member of the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO) and strongly supports issues related to women’s entrepreneurship.

Registration: $40 (includes lunch)

Sponsored by First Commonwealth Bank and Pittsburgh Business Times. 

6 Steps to a Better Business

March 11 Webinar presented by E-Magnify.

Learn the 6 Steps that all successful, profitable, and sustainable businesses go through and how you can move your business through the steps efficiently.

Trainer:
Ken Sevick
Master Business Coach

In this educational and motivational seminar, you'll learn:

• How to gain control of your time, team, and money.
• How to turn your marketing into an investment rather than an expense.
• How to multiply customers, revenues, and profits.
• How to leverage your team, systems, technology, and marketing.
• How to recruit, train, maintain, and motivate new employees.

You have three opportunities to learn about the 6 steps to a better business. 

1-hour Webinar on March 11

• Participants of the webinar will receive a discount on one of the in-person classes below. Click here to learn more and register for the webinar.

Full, 3-hour classes:

• Pittsburgh Seminar on March 26 (details & registration)
• Connellsville Seminar on April 1 (details & registration)

Tens of thousands of business owners from all over the world for the last 20 years have attended this event and learned the keys to growing a successful business. This seminar is designed for every type of business and will take you through each step to climb the ladder of business growth. Learn how to build a commercial, profitable, enterprise that works without you.

The March 26 event in Pittsburgh is co-presented by Seton Hill University's E-Magnify and the Center for Family Business at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. the April 1 event in Connellsville is co-presented by Seton Hill University's E-Magnify and Downtown Connellsville.

Ceritficaton for Veteran Women-Owned Businesses

NWBOC announces the establishment of two new business certifications specifically for veteran-owned and veteran woman-owned businesses

The National Women's Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC) has added two new business certifications specifically for companies owned by United States military service veterans. The Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) and Veteran Woman Business Enterprise (VWBE) certifications were officially launched last fall.

“NWBOC wants to help veteran-owned businesses, that meet established criteria, grow and succeed by providing them with a national certification to give them a competitive edge for securing corporate and government contracts,” said Janet Harris-Lange, NWBOC president.

VBE Certification is not based on gender, race, or company size. Controlling ownership may be by one or more veterans. If the applicant company is owned by a female veteran(s), the company will also receive the VWBE certification at no additional charge.

Why should veteran-owned companies consider certification? Doing so allows them to participate in supplier diversity programs which require tracking of veteran-owned businesses. Having VBE / VWBE Certification is the only way the purchasing agents have confidence that a business representing itself as a veteran business is in fact veteran-owned. Most publicly held corporations, larger private corporations, and nearly all levels of government have supplier diversity programs that include veteran-owned companies. Veteran business owners say that having VBE / VWBE Certification is important to them because it adds credibility to their company, as well as being part of their development strategy for business growth.

(The term veteran as defined by the Department of Veterans Affairs is a person who has served on active duty in the military, naval or air services; and who has been discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.)

For more information about NWBOC, or their certification programs, visit www.nwboc.org, email info@nwboc.org, or contact Janet Harris-Lange at 1-800-675-5066.