HI FRIENDS,
This week, we’ll make it short and sweet – our spring online classes are live!! In honor of spring’s welcome return, we’d like to shine a spotlight on our brand-new Spring Business Series, “Seedling to Start Up”.
Start registering today. Trust us. These classes are glorious!
Instructor: Mary Secor
Date: 4/30/21
Time: 6-6:45pm
FREE informational session
Most business development classes encourage participants to focus on writing a business plan. “Seedling to Start Up” takes a unique approach to business/product development by providing you a roadmap to imagine, test, develop and launch or relaunch your business or product idea. To learn more about this series attend the information session on Zoom. During this session you will have the opportunity to:
Meet the facilitator and other participants.
Learn more about course content, organization, learning objectives and expectations.
Meet the facilitator and other participants.
Learn more about course content, organization, learning objectives and expectations.
Identify each stage of the Accelerated Business/Product Development Process.
Select the stage that is most relevant to you and your proposed business or product idea.
Seedling to Start Up (Part I):
“Imagining or Reinventing Your Business or Product Idea During a Pandemic”
Instructor: Mary Secor
Date: 4/6/21
Time: 6-7:30pm
The pandemic has forced small business owners and entrepreneurs to continually adapt and respond to changing COVID restrictions and external conditions. In this session, you will learn how to conduct an initial assessment and develop a new business or product idea under rapidly changing conditions. By the end of this session, you will be able to:
Conduct an initial assessment of key areas of your business or product idea.
Develop operating assumptions about the future based on changing and emerging conditions.
Imagine the future state of their business/product idea.
Seedling to Start Up (Part II):
“Creating a Compelling Elevator Pitch”
Instructor: Mary Secor
Date: 4/13/21
Time: 6-7:30pm
An essential component to launching a successful business or product idea is creating a compelling elevator pitch that inspires customers to buy your product or service. By the end of this session, you will be able to utilize and apply ideation processes to craft an elevator pitch that:
Identifies the problem or opportunity you are addressing.
Clearly describes your solution.
Identifies your target market.
Clarifies your distribution channel.
Describes your business model.
Seedling to Start Up (Part III):
“Using Market Research to Test and Validate Your Business/Product Idea”
· Instructor: Mary Secor
· Date: 4/20/21
· Time: 6-7:30pm
Starting or relaunching a business is always a risky proposition. In this session you will learn how to use market research techniques to test and validate your business or product idea so that you are able to reduce the risk of investing your time and money on an unsustainable business or product idea. By the end of this session, you will be able to:
Collect feedback from potential customers about your proposed business/product.
Complete a competitor analysis.
Examine different distribution channel options.
Review possible business model options.
Estimate financial costs associated with launching your business/product idea.
Seedling to Start Up (Part IV):
“Preparing for the Successful Launch or Relaunch of Your New Business/Product Idea”
Instructor: Mary Secor
Date: 4/27/21
Time: 6-7:30pm
This session will help you to develop and implement the people, processes, systems and plans that need to be put into place to support the successful launch of your business or product. By the end of this session, you will be able to:
Identify the legal requirements involved in launching your business.
Map your customers’ journey.
Identify and document your production processes and systems.
Develop policies and procedures for recruiting, hiring, and managing employees.
Identify the accounting procedures you need to put into place to operate your business.
Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for monitoring and evaluating your business.
3/24: “Getting Creative with Canva (Part I)”
3/25: “Pinterest Part II”
3/29: “A Longer Look at QuickBooks”
3/30: Seedling to Start Up Introduction (SPRING SMALL BUSINESS SERIES) *6 – 6:45PM, free information session*
3/31: “Getting Creative with Canva (Part II)”
4/5: “Managing Your Online Reviews”
4/6: Seedling to Start Up Part I: “Imagining or Reinventing Your Business or Product Idea During a Pandemic” (SPRING SMALL BUSINESS SERIES)
4/8: “The Musts of Email Marketing”
4/13: Seedling to Start Up Part II: “Creating a Compelling Elevator Pitch” (SPRING SMALL BUSINESS SERIES)
4/15: “Shooting Short Videos on Your iPhone or Android”
4/20: Seedling to Start Up Part III: “Using Market Research to Test and Validate Your Business/Product Idea” (SPRING SMALL BUSINESS SERIES)
4/21: “Build a Blog Part I: Curating Content”
4/22: “How to Frame”
4/27: Seedling to Start Up Part IV: “Preparing for the Successful Launch of Relaunch of Your New Business/Product Idea” (SPRING SMALL BUSINESS SERIES)
4/28: “Build a Blog Part II: The Back End
5/4: “Managing Your Social Media Channels”
FEE: $35 per class for nonmembers/$25 for members/$0 for CDBG Grant Recipients
(all classes run 6 – 7:30pm via Zoom unless otherwise noted)
All of these online classes, as well as class recordings and opportunities for 1:1 technical assistance, are free for CDBG grant recipients and discounted for all WREN members!
Learn more about WREN’s CDBG Microenterprise Grant Program here:https://www.wrenworks.org/grants/
Rediscover you WREN membership benefits (or become a WREN member!) here: https://www.wrenworks.org/membership/
You’ve probably seen the word CDBG pop up a lot in our weekly e-newsletters, but have you ever read a bit more about this amazing grant?
For more than fifteen years, hundreds of emerging and established WREN business owners have received support in growing their enterprises, thanks to Community Development Block Grant dollars.
Funding for this program flows from HUD to the CDFA to Grafton County and then to WREN. Each year we receive funds to assist fifty businesses. As long as a business owner meets our program guidelines, she/he may receive up to three years of free assistance.
Selection for this program depends on three factors: the likelihood that the emerging or established business will grow its earnings and jobs over time, as well as family size and income. As an example of these last two factors, a single person currently living in Grafton County would be eligible if their annual income is less than $40,900.
ELIGIBLE BUSINESS OWNERS RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING ASSISTANCE:
· A free annual WREN membership, valued at $75· Free enrollment in all WREN’s business development classes· Free one-on-one assistance from WREN staff and consultants
In return for this support, participants are expected to annually share data on their business income and expenses for the prior year, current number of employees, total wages, salaries or owner’s draw paid in the prior year, and total business loans taken in the current year.
REGIONAL FYI 
Did you know that NH Grand is a program of WREN?
Whether you’re a local looking to learn more about your favorite region of the state, or you’re a traveler coming to New Hampshire’s North Country for the first time, don’t forget to visit the NH Grand website (and the town of Bethlehem’s website!) for all of your area information.
- Love newsletters? NH Grand has one too! Sign up for the latest on all things tourism related by visiting https://www.nhgrand.com/ and scrolling to the bottom of the page.
- Do you have a special spot in your heart for the scenic town that WREN calls home? Sign up for Bethlehem, NH’s newsletter too while you’re at it! Visit: https://bethlehemnh.org/tourism-e-news/.
Thank you for supporting WREN and your community! WREN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit accepting donations year round. If you would like to show your care for the work we do, visit the “Donations” page on our website.
Many thanks!
The Adair Country Inn & Restaurant is the official sponsor of the Gallery at WREN.