NETWORKING OVER COFFEE IS A WEEKLY CONNECTING EVENT FOR IT PROFESSIONALS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND THEIR COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT.

This workshop will help you understand some key things that you need to know and have ready to discuss with a bank loan officer or anyone you approach for funding.

2023 has been a challenging year for startup funding at the later stages, with the angel, pre-seed, and seed funding markets remaining resilient. However, the bar to raise funding is higher than it's been in several years, with investors focusing more on business fundamentals. On this live online event, Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute) will share his insights on what idea-stage and pre-seed startups can expect in 2024, how to prepare, and the steps needed to successfully raise funding. There will also be a short Q&A period to answer audience questions.

A business plan may not always be at the top of your priorities, but when it is, you should be prepared. Join SBDC consultant Brent Hoover along with the USCA Pacer Center as he discusses the benefits of creating a business plan and leveraging it to get loans, understanding your market, focusing your business strategy, checking financial numbers, and more!

In this webinar, you will learn how to write a one-page business plan for your business. We'll also discuss how writing a one-page business plan can help you organize your ideas and allow you to be focused and concise about your business goals.

Our expert presenter will show you each element of the one-page business plan, including identifying the problem your business solves, your value proposition, your target audience and much more.

Patent protection is a fundamental protection for a business creating new processes and/or devices. This presentation will discuss the types of patent protection available, when a company should consider each, as well as how to secure this protection for your business.

Do you want to start your own online business but are worried about the upfront costs? You're not alone. Many aspiring entrepreneurs face this hurdle when they begin their digital entrepreneurial journey. But starting your online business doesn't have to break the bank!

In this webinar, our expert presenters will show you practical and cost-effective strategies to starting your business website. From building your digital foundation to running and marketing your website, this webinar is your guide to getting started with minimal financial investment.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) doesn't have to be complicated. Join us for an informative webinar where our expert speaker will teach you simple SEO tips and strategies you can use to grow your online presence.

In this webinar, you'll learn how SEO can significantly impact your online success, actionable tips and techniques to optimize your website's performance and a long-term strategy to sustain and continually improve your search rankings.

1000 Feathers Consulting is celebrating 7 years of serving our sector. They have served at the highest levels of the sector. Founder and President Forrest Alton will share the 7 biggest lessons learned during that time.

As consultants, we will all learn from this session. Forrest will cover concepts that relate to all of us.

This is not about the best software to use or marketing tips. These 7 tenets are about the work of advancing the mission of lifting people.

Networking for professionals supporting imports and exports. Hosted by The Citadel and VBOC.

• *David Desplaces, PhD - VBOC and The Citadel
• *Renee Mueller, PhD - College of Charleston
• *Tom Lauria - SC SBDC
• *Carla Edwards - SC Department of Commerce
• *Anita Patel - US Commercial Service
• *William Furman - SBA

NETWORKING OVER COFFEE IS A WEEKLY CONNECTING EVENT FOR IT PROFESSIONALS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND THEIR COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT.

Speaking is the fastest and most predictable way to build and grow a business in today’s market - without ads, funnels or worrying about an algorithm.

In this session, you’ll get the exact, step-by-step blueprint to leverage speaking engagements as your #1 Customer Acquisition Channel (even if you’re just getting started.)

Pat Quinn will teach the step-by-step process to find ideal stages and walk through the results that small businesses can achieve.

To launch a great startup, it is critical to get feedback on your ideas from entrepreneurs who have been there and done that. This interactive event will first discuss best practices for creating a concise and compelling elevator pitch. Then, you can share your pitch with other entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors at virtual tables to get instant feedback. We recommend you jump on as many tables as you can and speak with various mentors. Even if you don't want to share your pitch, you can still join to hear other startup ideas and witness how the experts review a pitch.

WE WILL TEACH YOU THE SKILLS NEEDED TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS OWNERSHIP

Focused on those in the Military, that are Veterans or Spouses of Veterans

• MODULE 1: Introduction to Business Ownership
• MODULE 2: The Basics of Opportunity Recognition
• MODULE 3: Understanding Markets & Your Competitive Space
• MODULE 4: The Economics of Small Business Start-Up
• MODULE 5: Legal Considerations for Veteran-Owned Small Business
• MODULE 6: Introduction to Business Planning
• MODULE 7: Financing Your Venture
• MODULE 8: Resources to Support Your Efforts

Get your Boots-2-Business Reboot certification!

Guest Speaker: Tim Todd, Executive Director, Discover UpCountry

Join us for a unique opportunity to connect with early-stage startup investors and ask the questions that matter to you. In this Q&A session, you will have the chance to engage in an open discussion with a panel of investors who have a wealth of experience in working with early-stage startups. Find out how you can maximize your chances of raising funding and get actionable tips for presenting your business to investors in the most favorable way.

NETWORKING OVER COFFEE IS A WEEKLY CONNECTING EVENT FOR IT PROFESSIONALS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND THEIR COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT.

They pitched their products on the hit show Shark Tank and survived to tell you the tale! Join this informative webinar featuring a panel of Shark Tank veterans hosted by invention expert and inventor coach Brian Fried.

In this webinar, our panel of experienced entrepreneurs will share their Journeys from inception to commercialization, examining pivotal moments, challenges and triumphs that have led them to where they are today.

This is a 4-hour online course designed for veterans and their spouses. 1300-1700 Eastern Standard Time. A link to access this program will be sent to registered students 24 hours prior to the course. You must have or create a Zoom account to attend.

What you'll learn:

• MODULE 1: Introduction to Business Ownership
• MODULE 2: The Basics of Opportunity Recognition
• MODULE 3: Understanding Markets & Your Competitive Space
• MODULE 4: The Economics of Small Business Start-Up
• MODULE 5: Legal Considerations for Veteran-Owned Small Business
• MODULE 6: Introduction to Business Planning
• MODULE 7: Financing Your Venture
• MODULE 8: Resources to Support Your Efforts

Get your Boots-2-Business Reboot certification!

Building a high-quality product doesn't guarantee that people would want it. You will have to align your business idea with the market needs. Join our live webinar where FI mentor and founder of Crowdinker, Aram Melkoumov, will teach you the steps to discover a perfect product-market fit for your startup. This event is interactive, allowing you to not only benefit from proven methodologies but also ask your questions to our speaker and connect with other founders with similar experiences.

Prepare your small business for success with the SC SBDC and the Greenville, Charleston, and Columbia Chambers of Commerce. The 10-week Entrepreneurial Pathways series will complement and prepare small business owners for future success and training opportunities like the South Carolina Minority Business Accelerator.

Topics covered in the series include:

• Workforce Management
• Financial Management
• Sales & Growth Strategies
• Business Planning
• Marketing

Regulatory Requirements - 1/25/2024
Business Plans, Marketing Strategies, and Strategic Planning - 2/8/2024
Financial Reports - 2/22/2024
Intermediate QuickBooks Online - 3/7/2024
Understanding Funding - 3/21/2024
Preparing for the Lender Decision - 4/4/2024
Market Analysis, Pricing Strategies & Business Communication - 4/18/2024
Marketing Plans & Planning Calendars - 5/2/2024
Topical Session 1 - 5/9/2024
Topical Session 2 - 5/16/2024

The first step in building a successful startup is identifying and validating a meaningful problem. How do you do that? How do you know if you've found a problem that matters? Ben Yoskovitz, Founding Partner at Highline Beta, will provide his insights into doing customer development and using testing frameworks for ideation and validation. This live webinar includes a Q&A session and networking via Airmeet tables.

Community is at the center of our work as nonprofit, philanthropic, and community leaders. Community is why we do what we do.

As servant leaders, we have a duty to uphold equity and amplify community voices.

Yet, when we look across our state, we see that South Carolina’s recent economic growth and prosperity have further increased existing disparities in our communities.

That's why this year's Summit will focus on what it means, what it takes, and how organizations can learn, leverage and lead successful programs and approaches to ensure that South Carolina’s growth benefits ALL communities.

Hear from seasoned women leaders and professionals. Join us for a day of learning, empowerment and networking!