Events

This event is open to Leadership Circle Members only.

As a Leadership Circle investor, we invite you to sit down over coffee with Bryan Derreberry, Chamber President and CEO, and a small group of fellow investors. This intimate setting will allow you to discuss your greatest needs within your organization and the community as well as learn more about the work the Chamber is doing to advance our region.

This Coffee with the President will include a time of discussion as well as an exclusive tour of the WCIV ABC News 4 station.

To register for this event, contact Justin Lee at 843.805.3004 or jlee@charlestonchamber.org.

In this course, you will learn why businesses borrow, where to turn for funding, and how the lending process works to get you to a smoother, smarter, and often more successful outcome.

Miranda Teague and Cheryl Meeks from Truist Bank will facilitate the session and will provide valuable take-away resources to help you and your business.

Agenda:

• Why businesses need funds
• Where to find funding
• How to select the right type of financing
• What lenders look for
• The borrowing process
• How to create your business borrowing profile
• Next steps after a financing decision

Join us for an empowering webinar dedicated to supporting and guiding women entrepreneurs on their journey to securing funding for their businesses.

Whether you're just starting out or scaling your business, this webinar will help you understand the different funding options available to women entrepreneurs, how to pitch your business vision effectively and how to overcome gender biases and create a supportive network.

In this webinar, you'll learn:

• Understanding the different funding pathways
• Building a Compelling Funding Pitch
• Overcoming Gender-Specific Challenges

Live attendees will receive the slide deck and a link to this webinar recording.

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.

Join us for Chamber 360, hosted by Firefly Distillery in Park Circle. This program is designed for new and current members. You’ll have the opportunity to make introductions and learn about and connect with fellow Chamber members. You’ll also receive a quick overview of the Chamber, an in-depth look at the Chamber’s key focus areas and information on opportunities to maximize your membership.

Following the program, join us at Chamber Connect at Firefly Distillery to connect with fellow Chamber members!

3:15 p.m. – Registration Opens
3:30 p.m. – Program Begins

Buying Commercial Real Estate: From Contract to Closing

In-Person Event

Are you searching for property to purchase for your business? How do you find the right property? Is there funding available? What loan programs are there? What documents do you need for a loan package? Join a panel of financial and real estate experts and learn how to find commercial property and apply for a commercial real estate mortgage at this in-person training event hosted by the SC SBDC and the I-HOPE Women's Business Center.

Topics to be covered:

• Finding a property and working with a commercial real estate broker.
• Making and negotiating an offer.
• Understanding the different loan programs, terms, and rates: SBA 504 and Conventional.
• How to apply for a Commercial Real Estate Mortgage - financial documents necessary for an effective loan package.
• Do you qualify for a commercial real estate loan?

Whether you're considering starting a business or are already a business owner, it's essential to be aware of Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirements from the Corporate Transparency Act.

In this webinar, we’ll lead you through the BOI compliance requirements and reporting procedures to help simplify the BOI reporting process.

Here’s our agenda. We’ll be covering:

• BOI reporting requirements
• Why maintaining BOI should be a priority
• What it takes to file a BOI report
• How to manage and simplify the BOI reporting process

Live attendees will receive the slide deck and a link to this webinar recording.

Guest Speaker - Bernie Mazyck, SC Association for Community Economic Development

Founded in September 2014 as a small group of women connecting during happy hours, Charleston Women in Tech has grown to unite thousands of local tech leaders, professionals, educators, students, partners, and advocates.

This year we celebrate a huge milestone - 10 years of growing and living our mission to connect, support, and prepare women for careers in technology. As we reflect on our journey, we recognize that we could not have accomplished all we have without each and every one of you supporting our efforts.

On behalf of the CHSWIT board of directors, I wanted to thank you, and personally invite you to our 10 year anniversary celebration on October 10th.

Join us as we embark on the next chapter of our journey, driven by a decade of passion, commitment, and determination. Together, we empower, inspire, and uplift women in tech, shaping a brighter and more inclusive future for all.

To help us spotlight all that we have accomplished in a video ensemble, we invite anyone to consider submitting a testimonial (written or video) and/or photos to share from your experience with CHSWIT over the years. Please submit them here by no later than Sept. 15th.

Do you want to ask questions to startup investors about fundraising in a friendly, judgment-free environment? Are you looking to raise funding in the future, and want to learn what investors look for and how they evaluate potential investments? Then join us for this live, interactive Q&A event featuring VC's and other investors from our FI Venture Network - the Founder Institute's global network of investors actively funding early-stage startups. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your network and ask in-depth questions.

Enhance Your Business With Data Protection

When it comes to business, don't skimp on protecting your data, This is more than cybersecurity. As a small business owner, what are you doing to protect yourself? What are the most valuable data categories you will have? What is your biggest weakness? Join our free, one-hour webinar to learn more.

What you will learn:

• Self-Audit
• Updates
• Passphrases
• Malice Protection
• Backups
• Email Protection

When you start your business, you will find that understanding banking, cash flow and financials will be a cornerstone of your success. Ignorance of these areas could bring a financial disaster either now or down the road. As a small business owner, how do you get outside funding to grow? Where do I get funding? What different forms of capital are available? Where do you stand financially compared to successful businesses in my sector?

In this free, 2-hour in-person training event, you will learn:

• Where are sources of capital?
• The process of borrowing/securing capital.
• How to read your financial statements.
• Financial terms and definitions.
• How the SC SBDC can help you.

Pamela (P.J.) Browning became Chief Executive Officer with Evening Post Publishing in October of 2021. She is also President and Publisher of The Post and Courier in Charleston.

Prior to Charleston she was President and Publisher of The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, and President and Publisher at The Telegraph in Macon, GA, both owned by The McClatchy Company. During her time with The Sun News, Browning guided the newspaper in a highly competitive market in which tourism plays a pivotal role. She also did extensive work bringing the newspaper into the digital era. Under her leadership,
Macon became one of the top newspapers in terms of re-engineering operations and innovative use of the internet. Before arriving in Macon, P.J. served as President and Publisher of the Centre Daily Times in State College, PA, a Knight-Ridder owned newspaper. Her first role as Publisher was at the Sentinel in Carlisle, PA.

While attending college, P.J. began her career at the News-Leader in Springfield, MO in 1984. Journalism bound with sites on attending law school, ink soon got in her blood and plans changed. P.J. worked in advertising at the News-Leader through graduation and was later promoted to a variety of positions through her 12 years at the paper before being promoted to the Advertising Director in Fort Collins, CO. Her newspaper advertising career later took her to Grand Rapids, MI and Asheville, N.C.

She is a graduate of Missouri State University with a bachelor of science in marketing. P.J. is married to Kerry Browning and they have three grown children, Casey, Kylie and Cody. They are also proud grandparents of five. P.J. is a resident of Awendaw, S.C. Browning was named Editor and Publisher’s 2019 Publisher of the Year. She currently serves on the SNPA Foundation Board; Stars and Stripes Advisory Board; INMA Board of Directors; and Trident Technical College Board of Trustees. Browning also served as President of Southern Newspaper Publishers Association; and Vice President of S.C. Press Association.

Today, a bounty of options exist for products and services. Your ticket to success is to become an effective communicator by navigating discussions, reading the room and creating interactions that produce positive momentum - skills most salespeople are never taught. Effective communication is a game-changer.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

• Understanding the prospect.
• Tools to deploy that generate the best response & control over opportunities.
• Strategy of word selection.
• How to handle challenging situations:
  • Contact goes silent.
  • Taking conversations off email and to a phone call.
  • Asking for a meeting (when previous requests have been ignored).
  • Getting clarity on deal likelihood.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

You will learn how to increase engagement with prospects and customers and ultimately win business by what you say, how to say it, and when to say it.

Are you ready to embark on a journey of growth, connection, and unparalleled learning?

EO Charleston's New Member Orientation event is designed to welcome and integrate new members into our vibrant community of entrepreneurs. This event introduces new members to the organization's depth of opportunities. New members will learn about the benefits of membership, including exclusive access to global events, peer-to-peer learning and local programs. It's also a fantastic opportunity for new members to meet chapter leaders and establish meaningful connections with fellow entrepreneurs committed to EO's values of trust and respect; thirst for learning; think big, be bold; and "Together, we grow." This orientation is a pivotal step toward engaging fully with the EO Charleston and beginning your journey with the world's largest peer-to-peer network of successful entrepreneurs.

Why Attend?

• Belonging: Connect with like-minded business leaders and start building meaningful relationships from day one.
• Growth: Learn about the unique programs and resources EO offers to help you scale your business and thrive as an entrepreneur.
• Learning: Gain insights into how you can leverage EO’s global network to overcome challenges and seize opportunities.

What to Expect:

• A warm welcome from current EO members and chapter leaders.
• An overview of EO’s mission, values, and the exclusive benefits of your membership.
• Interactive sessions designed to help you integrate into the EO community and start your journey on the right foot.

Don’t miss this opportunity to kickstart your EO experience and unlock the full potential of your membership. Stay for a tour of the Forbes Advantage Media office and a lunch & learn with Adam Witty.

Register today and step into a world where your entrepreneurial dreams are not just supported but elevated to new heights.

10-11am: New Member Orientation

11-11:30am: Tour of Forbes Advantage Media Office (a popular activity for EO forums visiting Charleston)

11:30am-1pm: Lunch with Adam Witty and Relentless Implementation Presentation

Relentless Implementation: Creating Clarity, Alignment and A Working Together Operating System To Maximize Your Business Performance

Adam Witty will present the transformative management strategies from Alan Mulally's Business Plan Review and Working Together operating system, as outlined in the jointly authored book "Relentless Implementation." Alan Mulally, the esteemed former CEO of Ford Motor Company and renowned for his leadership at Boeing, developed these core principles to drive organizational success. During the presentation, Adam will explore Mulally’s methods of fostering transparency, accountability, and team cohesion through structured weekly business plan reviews and actionable strategies. This approach aligns team efforts with organizational goals and underscores the importance of a collaborative environment where every member contributes to collective success. Adam's presentation offers a practical roadmap for cultivating effective leadership and a high-performance culture, inspired by Mulally’s illustrious career and visionary tactics.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:

10-11am New Member Orientation

11-11:30am Tour of Forbes Advantage Media Office (a popular activity for EO forums visiting Charleston)

11:30am-1pm Lunch with Adam Witty and Relentless Implementation Presentation

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be creative or have a magical 'aha' moment to find a great startup idea. In reality, anyone can come up with innovative business ideas by following a structured process. At this live event, Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder & CEO of Founder Institute) will share a framework for crafting great startup ideas that he has learned from working with over 10K startups worldwide. Then, attendees will have the opportunity to share their ideas, get feedback from others, and meet aspiring entrepreneurs interested in their space. If you have rough ideas and don't know what to do next, this is the event to attend!

For over 30 years, the Economic Outlook Conference, presented by South Carolina Federal Credit Union, has stood as a premier gathering of industry experts, economists and business leaders as we delve into the latest insights and projections shaping our region’s economy. As we navigate an evolving economic landscape, this year’s conference will provide a nationwide economic update with specific insight into the labor market and skills gap.

Great companies start with great people, so the Founder Institute startup accelerator has been collecting social science data since 2009 to identify the personality traits that correlate with building great startups. On this live and interactive online event, Jonathan Greechan (Co-Founder & CEO of the Founder Institute) will share exclusive insights and data collected from over 15 years of research, 175,000 social science assessments, and 7,000 launched companies. If you are interested in learning the components of "Entrepreneur DNA", then don't miss this candid and informative event.

Skills-Based Hiring

Unlock the potential of your workforce during this interactive webinar, designed to transform your hiring practices and fuel business success. Learn practical methods for identifying and hiring candidates based on their skills and potential rather than traditional qualifications, ensuring a better fit for your company's needs and fostering long-term employee satisfaction. This dynamic session will delve into the benefits of a skills-based hiring approach, and provide actionable strategies that will not only enhance your hiring practices but also position your business for sustainable growth and success.

What you will learn:

• How skills-based hiring will combat talent turnover and grow your business.
• The return and positive impact skills-based hiring have for small businesses and underserved talent from the military, diverse-ability, and justice-involved communities.
• How skills-based hiring helps win business and government contracts.

A virtual lunch and learn session focusing on employee retention through creative compensation offers an opportunity to explore and exchange strategies beyond standard pay structures. The session aims to provide actionable insights on how these creative compensation techniques can significantly increase employee satisfaction and loyalty, thereby reducing turnover rates. Attendees will also have the chance to discuss real-world case studies and gain from experience shares that highlight how implementing these strategies within their own organizations can create a more engaged and motivated workforce. Brought to you by Coastal Strategic Capital.

As the weather cools and oyster season arrives, members of the Charleston tech community gather around the tables to enjoy a fun evening featuring local oysters, beer for neighboring microbreweries and live music. CDC members enjoy complimentary tickets. Registration for this event HERE.