weVENTURE

Details for this Peer Group will be forthcoming.  This start date is a tentative date based on interest from March 5 webinar. 

weVENTURE WBC is proud to partner with the ATHENA Leadership Institute for an eighth year! Today, the ATHENA Leadership Model® can help women transform their leadership skills and empower them to step up during these times of economic turmoil, and a worldwide movement for economic and racial justice, to be the leaders we need them to be. 

Based on the Eight Principles of Enlightened Leadership™ identified by ATHENA International, this course is designed to help emerging female leaders grow in confidence and clarity of purpose. Each class session is a dedicated deep dive into one of the principles with engaging discussion and activities that cultivate women on their personal growth journey while inspiring them to connect and share with others. 

LIVE AUTHENTICALLY -  LEARN CONSTANTLY  - BUILD RELATIONSHIPS - FOSTER COLLABORATION -  ACT COURAGEOUSLY  - ADVOCATE FIERCELY  -  GIVE BACK - CELEBRATE

Now more than ever, businesses are looking for tangible ways to diversify their workforce and equip emerging leaders with the tools they need to rise into management roles.  Traditional leadership development is focused on teaching people management. However, we know management is very different than true leadership. Management-focused programs don’t teach individuals how to foster personal growth and development in themselves and others, or walk them through the process of self-discovery. ATHENA bridges this crucial gap.

Sponsoring an emerging leader from your business is a great way to invest in her career development and connect her to the weVENTURE WBC and ATHENA International network of women. This provides supplemental ongoing  enrichment opportunities during and after participants in the ATHENA Leadership Program learn core curriculum competencies. 

The ATHENA Leadership Program is designed to create stronger female leaders. Join a dynamic cohort of women from across all industries as we study the 8 principles of ATHENA leadership.  This program is an inspiring and uplifting series that will motivate you to connect, share and grow.

8 Month program, meets one time per month on the 4th Thursday of the month. 

2024 dates: Apr. 25; May 23; Jun. 27; Jul. 25; Aug. 22; Sep. 26; Oct. 24; Nov. 12 and Dec. TBD.   

All sessions are from 8:30am-10:30am at Florida Tech's Center for Aeronautics and Innovation, 1050 W. Nasa Blvd, Melbourne. Breakfast and networking available at 8:00am. 

Scholarship opportunities are available thanks to Zonta Club of Melbourne.  To apply, please email weventure@fit.edu.  If you are interested in sponsoring a woman through ATHENA, or sponsoring the program, email krudloff@fit.edu to discuss how your business can help bring this fantastic program to local women. 

Cost:  $700

Learn to set up QuickBooks for your business.  You will learn how to sync bank accounts, record transactions, invoice customers, and generate financial reports.  This is a three-hour session with a break at 4:30pm. 

Dawn Thompson, owner of Simply Blessed Books is the presenter.

NOTE: weVENTURE WBC clients have access to discounted pricing for NEW Quickbooks accounts.  If you are a registered weVENTURE WBC client - ask your coach or email weVENTURE WBC for the link to access special pricing for NEW Quickbook accounts. 

Join business attorney Kelly G. Swartz as she navigates the intricate landscape of employment law in small businesses. From deciphering employee/contractor classification to crafting employee contracts and non-compete agreements, Kelly will provide insights on pressing issues such as hiring and firing, anti-discrimination laws, joint employer liability, and ADA compliance. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or a budding startup, empower your business with Kelly's knowledge to foster a fair, compliant, and thriving workplace environment.

Celebrating National Small Business Week!  

Are you ready to launch or grow your business?

Join us for a morning of networking, informative workshops, and a delicious lunch. 

Business Workshops

• Twelve Steps to Starting a Business
• Becoming a Certified Business
• Obtaining SBA Funding
• Financial Literacy for Entrepreneurs
• Taking Your Business to the Next Level

When: Saturday, May 4th, 9am-1pm

Where: CAMID - Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design, 2495 Palm Bay Road, NE, Palm Bay, FL  32905

Cost: $20 - Includes lunch

Questions? Call Sondée Lima at 321-343-7899.

In partnership with the SBA, the BCASCA, and the Space Coast Black Chamber.

Are you a small business owner thinking about growing into a brick-and-mortar location?  Are you outgrowing your home office?  Are you currently renting space and interested in exploring opportunities to buy commercial property to add value to your business portfolio?  Or, are you someone who is fascinated by the Real Estate market and eager to understand market trends here in Brevard? 

Join us for a Strong Coffee Strong Women where all your questions can be answered and you can speak with the leading local experts in the commercial real estate market.  Business is booming in Brevard, and there are lots of opportunities to grow your business.  Everything is on the table - so bring your questions!  From how to negotiate a lease to understanding if you are getting a fair price.  Come ready to strategize your growth!! 

Speakers will be Larry Jarnes, Northboro Builders, Inc. and Managing General Partner at Relentless Private Equity Group; Jennifer Brown, Real Estate Advisor, Relentless Real Estate, and Danielle Masucci, Licensed Realtor at Relentless Real Estate.

• Market Evolution Over the Last 15 Years

• Insight into market changes from a high-demand, low-inventory environment to the present situation with more balanced inventory levels.

• The Shift Towards Remote Work

• How the rise of work-from-home culture is reshaping the demand for commercial versus residential real estate.

• Factors Influencing Real Estate Prices

• Discuss the various elements that impact real estate values today and strategies for adapting to these trends.

Cost:  $25

Includes coffee and light breakfast. 

Would you like your business to bring in more revenue? Would you like to become more valuable as an employee? This Sales Skills webinar is just the ticket. Learn to grow your revenue, increase your average sale, “Close the sale”, and help an irate customer. Help customers choose your products and services. You will learn these skills and more. This class is taught by a business professional with many years of coaching and sales experience. Most of the sales knowledge passed on in this class applies regardless of your products or services.

Presented by CJ Castro, SBA Senior Area Manager.

Work for Yourself@50+ is a hyrbrid workshop to help you gain the knowledge, support, and resources you need to make informed decisions about working for yourself and take the right first steps toward successful self-employment. The decision to start your own business can be both exciting and daunting. Work for Yourself@50+ breaks the choices down for older adults in an approachable way through five steps:

1. A careful consideration of the potential benefits and risks of working for yourself
2. Exercises to help develop the self-employment idea
3. A realistic overview of what it takes to pursue a self-employment opportunity
4. Guidance to help avoid pitfalls and scams
5. Ways to find trustworthy support and services

Virtual attendance: in order to access the webinar, you will need either a laptop, tablet or smartphone that is connected to the internet. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email that provides access information to join the webinar. The access information is unique to each user and should not be shared with others.

In-Person attendance: CareerSource Brevard, 5275 Babcock Street, NE, #8b, Palm Bay, FL  32905

As a registered participant, you will receive by physical mail, a copy of the Work For Yourself@50+ 5 Simple Steps Toolkit. Please ensure that you use your desired mailing address when completing the registration.

About The Facilitator:

weVENTURE Women's Business Center in the Florida Tech Bisk College of Business is the leading voice and resource for professional women on the Space and Treasure Coasts. We provide FREE Business Education and Coaching to over 700 unique clients a year. But our program is about so much more than education. We venture to Ignite the Economic Power of Women!

Questions? Email: Jeannette Kraar jkraar@fit.edu Phone: 321-674-7007

Robert Green, ICC Project Design Leader, Business Strategy Advisor and CEO of Melbourne Business Advisors will present three webinars on Pricing Strategies for Your Business.  June 12, July 17 and August 14, 12:00pm-1:00pm.  

Pricing Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them (June 12)

In this webinar, Robert will discuss what is the function of Price, why pricing strategy is important to your business, the 7 most common pricing mistakes in setting prices, and how to calculate prices using a formula that doesn't cut into your expected margins, calculating the break-even, while touching on price elasticity and the concern that higher prices might impact customers.

Pricing to Value (July 17)

In this webinar, Robert will discuss shifting your thoughts on the value of Value, comparison shopping your competition, and how you can consider the value proposition across Time, Identity, Money (or other benefits), Energy, and Reputation, as well as basic formulas to increase prices of your product, programs, or services.

Discounting Strategies that Preserve Profits (August 14)

Robert will discuss the benefits and costs of discounting, and devising a way to package up your value proposition in such a way that you are not losing earnings when someone has a desire to buy at a lower price point, and allows you to have a way to promote a customer to a higher class of products, programs, or services. 

¿Estás listo para lanzar o hacer crecer tu negocio?

Únete a nosotros para una mañana de networking, beneficiosas presentaciones, y un delicioso almuerzo.

¡Todo en español!

Los talleres incluyen:

• Comenzar un negocio desde el primer paso
• Creación de un Plan de Negocios
• Obtención de Capital y Préstamos
• Marketing en la era digital con AI
• Mantener una mentalidad emprendedora
• Educación Financiera para Emprendedores

Cuando: Jueves 22 de junio 9am-1pm

Donde: Clearlake Education Center, 1225 Clearlake Road, Cocoa, FL  32922

Costo: $20 - Almuerzo latino incluido

¿Preguntas? Llama a Sondée Lima al 321-343-7899.

En asociación con la SBA, el Centro Hispano Brevard y Cámara Hispana de Comercio de Brevard.

Gracias a los patrocinadores L3Harris y Johnson & Montas PA.

Join IP attorney Kelly Swartz for a webinar covering the hidden value of intellectual property assets that you may not realize you have—or should have—and why they are crucial for every business. Kelly will highlight the importance of protecting your company’s brand, how to identify what intellectual property you have, how to do so in a way that protects you, and how doing it well can bring value to your company. Discover strategies to secure your trademarks, designs, and other intellectual assets, coupled with best practices to oversee employees accessing these properties, ensuring your trade secrets remain confidential. Join us and learn why it is infinitely more rewarding to create and preserve a legacy than to rebuild from scratch.

This webinar discusses the multiple sources of capital for starting and growing a small business. The pros and cons of the funding sources are also reviewed. Topics to be discussed include familiar options such as self-financing, funding from friends & family, and partnerships. Other sources are reviewed such as:

• Small Business Loans
• SBA Loan Guaranty Program
• Microloans

Some less conventional financing sources along with their pros and cons are also discussed, including selling equity (shares), venture capital, angel investors, and crowd funding.

Presented by CJ Castro, SBA Senior Area Manager.

This is webinar teaches you about managing your businesses finances. After completing this webinar, you will be able to:

• Explain how the personal finances of a business owner impact the ability of a business to get credit.
• Identify financial management practices, rules, and tools that are commonly available to a small business
• Explain financial management basics for a small business
• Explain the basics of financing working capital

Presented by CJ Castro, SBA Senior Area Manager.

This webinar is a vital session designed to empower you with key tax planning strategies that go beyond everyday accounting advice. Tax attorney Kelly Swartz will share how effective tax planning can drive business growth, significantly reduce liabilities, and ensure compliance with legal standards. We will also highlight the critical role of strategic tax advice in making informed decisions that can shape the future of your business. Join us to learn the essential tax insights that every business owner needs to know to reduce your tax liability, optimize your financial outcomes, and secure a competitive edge.  

Bank on your Success

• Manage Your Business Cashflow
• Build and Expand Your Business
• Protect Your Business

Presented by Daniel Wright, Financial Inclusion Leader, Truist Bank

Separating Business and Personal Finances 

• How Do You Pay Yourself?
• Business Structure and Organizing Your Business
• Financial Accounts and Tools

Presented by Daniel Wright, Financial Inclusion Leader, Truist Bank

In this webinar, business attorney Kelly Swartz will arm owners with essential strategies for drafting and negotiating contracts that both protect your interests and foster strong business relationships. This presentation emphasizes the delicate balance necessary to secure favorable terms without hindering potential deals. Join us to learn practical tips to avoid common contract mistakes, mitigate your contractual business risks, and gain a better understanding of how well-crafted contracts can ensure the stability and growth of small businesses.

Borrowing for Small Business

• Where to Find Funding for Your Business
• What Lenders Look for and the Borrowing Process
• Creating Your Business Borrowing Profile

Presented by Daniel Wright, Financial Inclusion Leader, Truist Bank