February 2018

Need a Business Plan in a Hurry?

LEADING EDGE is Colorado’s premier business planning program that addresses the questions every entrepreneur must answer to reach their dreams of growing their business or launching a new business. “Business Plan in a Day” is being held this Friday at the Innovation Pavilion, 9AM – 4PM, for just $99.

The workshop is highly interactive and will include five hours of confidential one-on-one consultation to review the components of your business plan with consultants, from marketing to financial projections.

If you’re in a rush and need a rough draft business plan right away, consider taking the LEADING EDGE “Business Plan in a Day” course — tackling the process in 10 manageable steps.

Learn more! Outcomes of the program:

* Develop a clear vision for your business
* Network with and learn from other entrepreneurs
* Receive one-on-one consulting to help you complete your business plan
* Discover tools and resources to help you launch and grow your business
* Meet potential lenders at a resource expo who will discuss funding options
* Compete in a business plan competition with prizes.

Register here: goo.gl/nNwjg3 or call for more information (303) 326-8686.

Note a Business Resource Expo will be held March 15th, 8AM, at no charge in Englewood where you can meet the lenders!

Customer Discovery

Customers / By saraeknudsen

Customer discovery – Getting out of the office and talking to your clients and industry. You’ll need to do some pre-planning. Watch the 2 linked video to get you started.

Ice House Entrepreneur Development

Events / By saraeknudsen

Refresh Your Entrepreneurial Spirit with Ice House!

Feel stuck in your current business strategies?
Have an idea for a business but are procrastinating to launch?
Want to bring an entrepreneurial mindset to your current job?

Most people have innate entrepreneurial tendencies. We want to be problem solvers.
We want to provide value for other people. And, in an ideal world, we want to get paid to do those things!

Colorado Lending Source’s Ice House Entrepreneur Development
This program can help you learn how to overcome your fears, build community, create a personal brand,
become a life-long learner, develop grit, tap into internal motivation, define personal and professional goals,
and truly understand the problems your business is solving for others!

Learn more and apply!

Program Cost: $400 (Early bird pricing available.)

Date: Tuesdays, March 6th – May 8th

Time: 5:45 -7:45 PM

Location: Colorado Lending Source | 1441 18th St. | Denver, CO 80202

Register for the following information sessions where you will have the opportunity to meet the facilitator and see if this program is a good fit for you…

Info Session #1: February 13th at 5:30 pm @ Colorado Lending Source

Info Session #2: February 20th, 5:30 PM @ The Commons on Champa

Info Session #3: February 27th at 5:30pm @ Colorado Lending Source

www.coloradolendingsource.org/ice-house

Using Content As Your Voice of Strategy

Business Tips / By saraeknudsen

Great article worth the time to read: Just a taste…

What types of content work best for educating your audience?

Podcasts – Podcasts are becomingly increasingly popular and serve as a fantastic way to engage and educate your audience in an easily digestible format.
Seminars – People want information packaged in ways that will help them get what they want. Presentations, workshop, and seminars are tremendous ways to provide education with increased engagement.
FAQs – There’s no denying the value of information packaged in this format, but go beyond the questions that routinely get asked and include those that should get asked but don’t.
Success stories – Building rich examples of actual clients succeeding through the use of your product or service offerings is a tremendous way to help people learn from other individuals and business just like them.

What types of content build trust?

Blogs – A blog should be your starting point for your content strategy because it makes content production, syndication and sharing so easy. Plus, search engines love blog content which can help boost your SEO.
Social media – Building rich profiles, and optimizing links, images and videos that point back to your main site is an important part of the content as strategy plan.
Reviews – You’ll never have total control over this category, but ignore it and it may be one of the most damaging to your brand. Get proactive and monitor this channel aggressively.
Testimonials – This content adds important trust-building endorsements and makes for great brand building assets out there on Google and YouTube.

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker and bestselling author of Duct Tape Marketing, Duct Tape Selling, The Commitment Engine & The Referral Engine.

Made in Colorado 100 manufacturers

Events / By saraeknudsen

You’re invited