• Wednesday, February 8, 2012, HCC Southeast Campus
• Wednesday, February 15, 2012, HCC Spring Branch Campus

Event Information

“Overview – Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses”

You may qualify for an exciting new program for small business owners. Been in business two years? Have four or more employees? Annual revenues between $150,000 and $4 million? Learn how to apply. All accepted applicants receive full scholarships to a training and education program sponsored by Goldman Sachs and Houston Community College.

“The Power of Email Marketing for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs”

More than 500,000 businesses use Constant Contact to help grow their business! You’ll learn how to build relationships that are the key to the success of your business with easy, inexpensive and highly effective email marketing! We will explore the basics of what email marketing is, why it works so well, how it easily integrates with social networking sites, and how to use it in your business planning and marketing strategy to achieve special goals.

This session will teach you how to master email marketing communications with a comprehensive look at best practices and winning strategies for getting and keeping quality subscribers, increasing deliverability and open rates, writing good headlines and content, saving time, getting readers to take action, and more!

Seminar leaders are men and women professionals, each with over 20 years of business experience, who have created this seminar and presented it to thousands of potential and existing business owners. They’ll make sure you’ll leave this seminar with skills and insights on how to run a successful business.

Agenda:

(click on the presenter’s name to see the bio)

8:30am REGISTRATION

8:50am Welcome HCC / Newspring

9:00am Personal Factors/Art of Mgmt

9:50am Business Opportunities

10:40am BREAK

10:55am Marketing

11:40am Business Organization / Insurance

12:30pm LUNCH

1:00pm How to Start or Grow Your Business

-HCC Entrepreneurial Programs

1:30pm Sources and Uses of Funds

2:25pm Cash Mgmt/Recordkeeping

3:25pm BREAK

3:40pm Business Plans

4:30pm Questions & Adjourn

More on the Topics:

• Seminar Outline

Contact:

• Email: ruth@scorehouston.org
• Phone: (713) 487-6565

Cost:

Includes Lunch, Coffee, Soft Drinks

PAY NOW AND SAVE $5 (Credit Card Option on the left side of the payment screen)

• Online: $35
• At the Door: $40 (cash or check only)

Online Registration:

• Register online through Constant Contact

Launched in 2009, HCCBIZCONNECT Centers for Entrepreneurship began at HCC NW under the direction of Dr. Maya Durnovo and Dr. Zachary Hodges with the implementation of 7 key strategies: 1) “Starting a Business” workshops and boot camps, 2) college credit classes mirrored with continuing education, 3) Entrepreneurial Certificates, 4) Partnerships with local community organizations, 5) Website, 6) Business Advisory Board, and 7) a Business Plan Competition.  These strategies drew over 1,000 participants eager to start a business or struggling to grow their business.  The HCC entrepreneurship programs are playing an important role in helping entrepreneurs from concept development to opening and growing businesses.

The success of the HCC Center for Entrepreneurship played a role in winning the $25 million Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program to HCC.  Announced in February, 2011 by Mayor Parker, the first class of 53 small business owners graduated in early October.  In the next four years, the goal is to graduate three to four classes per year.

By 2012, HCC SE College and HCC Central College will also offer entrepreneurship programs.  Velva Tyson’s entrepreneurial program at HCC Central is being fueled by a vibrant and active Student Chamber of Commerce.  Tiffany Champagne, Director at HCC SE, is planning the development of a Small Business Incubator in 2012.

Sandra Louvier will also be a featured panelist in an upcoming NACCE Webinar on November 9, 2011 called Success Stories from Portland: Growing Your Program with Email & Social Media Marketing.

More information

Download a PDF version of the presentation

The HCC Center for Entrepreneurship hosted a packed house on Tuesday October 18, 2011.  The event featured John Whaley, owner of the PERT Center, serial entrepreneur, HCC graduate of the Entrepreneurship Certificate, and Business Adviser to the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative.  John’s fast-paced, action-packed session demonstrated to aspiring and existing business owners the benefits of incorporating social media marketing. HCC “Best in Class” students, who specialize in Social Media, presented their services and expertise at student prices.  The event was attended by HCC students, small business owners, and graduates of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program.  Some lucky attendees won gift certificates to the November 5, 2011 HCC SCORE Business Ownership Workshops.  The Social Media Workshop was so successful, it will become a recurring event! Those who missed it can check on hccbizconnect.org in the Spring and Fall 2012 for another event.

More information:

• Event Photos

Social Media Strategies followed by access to “Best In Class” HCC Students who provide various Social Media Services at Student Prices!

Cost: $20.00

Register On-Line, in advance, and Arrive Early for Check-In and Networking 6:00pm-6:30pm. Payment is at the door; seating provided to first 70 participants. (Cash and checks only).

This event is in the past

1. Winter Mini Session: December 16th – January 6th
2. Spring Classes beginning January 17, 2012: If you have taken other business classes, already own your own business or have worked in a management capacity in a small business, you might qualify to apply for an exception to the rule that the class be taken prior to the competition.  Sign up for the spring class. State your experience in the application for the competition.  The BPC staff will assess each application for approval into the competition.

If accepted, you’ll receive training and mentoring to help you polish your plan. You could win prize money in 2012!

Click here to view the fast track schedule!

Winners of the 2011 HCC Newspring Business Plan Competition, sponsored by Sterling Bank, were announced at a reception Monday, May 2 at Houston Community College Spring Branch. The 2011 competition drew 19 teams, culminating with five finalist teams who presented their business plans before a panel of distinguished judges. Contestants were advised by over 40 volunteer business professionals through Newspring.

First prize of $12,000 went to Desiree Worrell-Mosley for Time for Tots, a drop-in daycare business that currently provides childcare on location at weddings and other events. Worrell-Mosley hopes to expand the business to an actual daycare facility in the Spring Branch area which would charge by the hour for daycare services. The first place winner was advised by Robert Westheimer and Tracy Little.

Second prize of $8,000 went to Anas Maguz for Soccer Revo, an indoor five-player soccer enterprise. Maguz describes this type of soccer as action-packed and appropriate for most age levels. He was advised by Steve Rosencranz and Steve Taconnelly.

The third place winners, Khurum Choudry and Shazia Choudry, won $4,000 for their business Human Nation, a philanthropic clothing store where three percent of their sales would be donated to charities. The team was advised by Richard Tyler.

Honorable mentions include Meredith Howse for Paleo Place, an Earth Science Retail, and Melissa Sanders and Shervetta Sanders for Rising Stars, a daycare. Each honorable mention received a $500 check for their business plan.

“Going through the steps of constructing a business plan opened my eyes and helped me to literally map out the success of my business. My advisors did an amazing job steering me in the right direction,” Worrell-Mosley said.

Jack Barry, retired CEO, consultant and author and Business Plan Competition judge, offered inspiring words for the contestants.

“Think of the Business Plan Competition as the first leg of a relay race. You have completed the first leg by developing and writing your business plan. Leg two will be to find funding for your business, and then leg three will be implementation of your business. The fourth leg of your business is very important – keep it growing,” Barry said.

The annual Business Plan Competition is held in partnership with Newspring, a local social entrepreneurship, non-profit organization founded by Robert Westheimer. Newspring is dedicated to nurturing new and existing businesses in Spring Branch. This mission is supported by their recruitment of business leaders who serve as mentors and advisors for students who enter the Business Plan Competition.

“What is most critical about this competition is the pairing of the business advisors with the student teams. These unions create inspiration and opportunities that the college cannot do alone,” Dr. Zachary R. Hodges, HCC Spring Branch and Katy Campus President, said.

Westheimer, Board Chairman for Newspring, spoke about how the competition is not about winning, but rather about the relationships which emerge. He encouraged all of the teams to reach out for help in launching their business.

The HCC Center for Entrepreneurship, a collective vision of Hodges and Westheimer, was established in 2009 by Dr. Maya Durnovo, HCC Dean of Economic and Workforce Development, and Sandra Louvier, HCC Center for Entrepreneurship Director, to better prepare aspiring entrepreneurs to weather the rigors of a real-world business plan competition.

“The prize money is wonderful, but every contestant has immediate access to the greater prize which is the training, mentorship and guidance that can allow them to create a solid business plan,” Louvier said.

The Center, which is positioned to provide a focal point to new entrepreneurs for on-going training and networking within the business community, offers workshops, seminars, classes and entrepreneur certificate programs. For more information about the Center and the annual Business Plan Competition, visit hccbizconnect.org or contact Sandra Louvier at c4e@hccs.edu or 713.718.6650.

Houston: They put their careers on hold to look after house and family. Now the oil ladies in Houston are studying entrepreneurship too.  Some are planning a business to help other Norwegian expat families in Houston.

“I want to be a billionaire so frickin bad!”  Spontaneous singing breaks out in a quiet suburb of Houston, confusingly similar to Wisteria Lane in the television series “Desperate Housewives.”  In one of the luxurious villas are four Norwegian ladies refining a business plan.  They have just tried to explain to a Finansavisen reporter (Norway’s second largest financial newspaper) the song to add as soundtrack for the PowerPoint presentation about their proposed business.

Life was turned upside down when their spouses got their jobs in the U.S. oil capital.
Highly educated “oil wives” had to terminate their jobs to join their spouses and move abroad.  In Texas, they have become housewives, removed from their own networks and with modest career opportunities.  What happens when the husband’s contract expires and they are going home to Norway?  After living abroad for a few years, it would be nice to come home with more than a master’s degree in pedicure on my Curriculum Vitae (resume)”, says Line Skaar (43).

Norwegian Expat Spouses Study Entrepreneurship in Houston

It’s early in the morning, and the husband Asmund is at work. He heads DnB NOR’s operations in Houston and is busy taking care of clients in the world’s largest oil conference, OTC.  Home in Bellaire, Line Skaar has invited her work group for a team meeting.  As one of 30 participants, she is attending a course in Entrepreneurship at Houston Community College (HCC).  The program was initiated and organized by Innovation Norway and the HCC Center for Entrepreneurship at HCC Spring Branch in Northwest Houston.

Line’s group has been tasked to develop a business plan for a new business. They have not gone far to find inspiration.  The group wants to start “ExpatPower,” a specialized company offering relocation services to employees of Norwegian companies sent to Houston.  This consists of everything that is needed to ease the transition for employees that are sent abroad: a house to live in, school for the children and training in local customs and culture.

When you move here you know nothing, says Anne Lier (29).  Anne is the youngest in the group, but has already lived six years in Houston. She has full days raising her two children while her husband Kristian Lier is looking for new investments for the Norwegian Energy Ventures.

Many Wives had full Careers in Norway
Norwegian companies are very generous with salary packages to attract the staff, especially because many families have to take into account two career paths.  Thus, Norwegian expats living in Houston are experiencing a relatively luxurious life compared to living in Norway.  Many companies have covered everything from flights, to house to a maid for these families.  According to Innovation Norway, up to 7,000 Norwegians live in Houston in connection with work, mainly in the oil industry.  There are 140 Norwegian companies established in the area.

High interest means that Bjørn Tormod Akselsen, Chief of Innovation Norway in Houston, would like to extend the current course offerings.  We do this primarily for the spouses to allow them to build their network over here, both socially and academically. The goal is to increase job satisfaction for the posted and their families, says Akselsen.
According to Akselsen, it is a known fact that several Norwegian “expats” terminate the stay because the family feels uncomfortable.  It is very passive to just be a housewife
after having had an active career, says the Innovation Norway boss.

Spouses Continued Growth is a Win-Win for Host Companies & Entire Family

He points out that most people marry into same demographic level.  If you have higher education, then you usually marry someone who also has it. This means that the career comes to a temporary stop for the spouse not working.  Increasing the well-being of the spouse, increases job satisfaction for the employee and the entire family, says Akselsen.  He estimates that about 90 percent of the participants in the course have higher education.   Among the ladies attending the course at the HCC Center for Entrepreneurship are teachers, economists, engineers and lawyers.

Is it a part of Innovation Norway’s mandate to increase job satisfaction for spouses overseas?  Our mandate is to encourage and help Norwegian companies to grow abroad.  When they send people overseas, it is basically a cost for the companies.  It takes two to three years to build a network, so a stable workforce is of great value for the companies, says Akselsen.

Norwegian Entrepreneur Students Say Class Activities Are Productive and Social

Laughter rises around the table when Line’s laptop speakers accompany her power point presentation blaring “You work hard for your money!”

She shows the rest of the group the presentation she has crafted the evening before. The company logo consists of a gold fish that jumps from a glass bowl to another. The slogan is “Enrichment for the entire family”. In addition, the group is committed to their own enrichment. Companies that want to hire “ExpatPower” need to pay $6,000, in addition to $700 per family that are supervised.  The price includes four seminars, two in Norway before moving and two in Houston. “ExpatPower” will also offer job search assistance to spouses coming to Houston.

“We have all been through this move, and it was not always very easy, “says Siri Janvin (55), married to the Statoil project manager Sigurd Liland.  The companies take care of the employee, but not the family that comes in tow. “There is much ground to plow,” says Inger Simonsen (55), civil engineer with background from ConocoPhillips.  Her husband is still working for the same company in Houston.  The children work very hard to handle school change.  Partly because of the life change, but also because the schools here require that you follow up on a completely different level than in Norway, says Inger Simonsen.

An Oasis From Dual Career Pace – Chance to Enjoy, Grow and Explore

Despite the unfamiliar environment, the girls agree that they feel privileged that they do not need to work while here.   It is wonderful. I look at these years more as an oasis to fill with other things in life. I enjoy myself, says Line Skaar.  She looks at the stay as a break and an opportunity to reflect on her own career and perhaps to re-position it.

Many people in Norway are experiencing the situation with two careers as a constant rush. You get to spend time with the kids in a completely different way over here,

says Inger Simonsen.  None of the girls regret having left their own career in the home country, but agree that it can be an obstacle for many. They think that courses of this type can make the decision easier.  “It is important to have something that you feel is meaningful to do”, says Siri Janvin.  And the husbands are said to be “very positive” about the course.  “As long as we are happy, they are happy. I guess that is the whole thing to it”, says Line Skaar.

Expats

• Derived from the English phrase “Expatriate”
• Formally defined as a person who lives outside country where he or she is a citizen
• Used mostly about employees being sent abroad of their businesses to work

Anne Lier (29)

• High School, Management Certificate HCC
• Married to Kristian Lier, investment manager in Energy Venture
• Six years in Houston

Line Skaar (43)

• Econimist, leave of absence from Det Norske Veritas (DNV)
• Married to Asmund Skaar, head of DnB Nor Houston (Norwegian bank)
• Two years in Houston

Siri Janvin (55)

• Teacher
• Married to Sigurd Liland, project manager in Statoil.
• Two years in Houston

Inger Simonsen (55)

• Civil Engineer, worked in ConocoPhillips
• Married to Jim Sylte, reservoir engineer in ConocoPhillips
• Eight years in Houston

HCC is the fourth community college in the nation selected for this $500 million dollar, nation-wide initiative.  Dr. Maya Durnovo, NW College Dean of Economic and Workforce Development, and Executive Director of 10,000 Small Businesses will lead a team to deliver a groundbreaking training program developed by Babson College, ranked number one in the nation in collegiate entrepreneurship.

The program is designed for existing small business owners who will create a growth plan to raise revenue and increase personnel. The opportunity for loan funding will be available this summer and will be administered by the University of Houston Small Business Development Center, a 10,000 Small Businesses strategic partner.

The first two classes or cohorts begin May 13 at HCC Northwest and Southeast Colleges. The Southeast College cohort is scheduled on Saturdays from May through September; the NW College cohort is an accelerated schedule (five Friday-Saturday week-ends) from May through July.  Interested small business owners can learn more and apply at www.hccs.edu/10ksb.  For questions email 10ksb@hccs.edu or call 713-718-8348.

	Dr. Mary Spangler, HCC Chancellor with 10,000 Small Businesses Directors at Mayor Parker’s press conference 2/24/11; Left to Right: Tiffany Champagne, Project Director SE, Dr. Mary Spangler, Chancellor, Dr. Maya Durnovo, Executive Director, Sandra Louvier, Project Director, NW.

HCC Field Trips to Rice Alliance Elevator Pitch Competition and Business Plan Competition

By invitation from the Rice Alliance, a team of 20 students, advisors and leaders from Newspring and the HCC Center for Entrepreneurship will attend Rice University’s Elevator Pitch Competition and the Rice Alliance Business Plan Competition. The 2011 Rice Business Plan Competition will award more than $1 million in cash and prizes; a record year for prizes. The world’s largest and most affluent business plan competition brings 42 teams from across the globe to pitch their new technology business plans to 250 judges who themselves are successful venture capital investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. The mentoring, networking and access to the Houston entrepreneurial community inspires our contestant teams as they move through our Business Plan Competition.

• Thursday, April 14, 5:30pm – 9:00pm Rice University
• Friday, April 15, 2010 BPC Preliminaries, 7:30am to 7:00pm
• Saturday, April 16, BPC Finals and Shark Tank 7:00am to 4:00 pm

Business Plan Competition Presentation Training Session #5

Tuesday, April 19, 6:30-8:00pm, HCC Spring Branch, Eagle Room 115. Designed to hone contestants’ communication skills for presentations to the HCC/Newspring BPC judges; and valuable for presenting business plans to lenders and/or investors. Open to all contestants who submitted written plans. Attendance is required for all finalist teams. This event is closed to the public.

HCC Newspring Business Plan Competition- Finalists Judging Session

Thursday, April 28, 2011 1:00 pm-5:00 pm, HCC Spring Branch Eagle Room 115. The 2011 HCC Newspring Business Plan Competition has been a great success. There are 20 teams, advised by over 40 Newspring business professionals. The five finalists will present their business plans to the Newspring Judges on April 28, 2011. Judges include Jack Barry, retired CEO, consultant, and author; Gerald Bennett, Chairman of Memorial Hermann; Downey Bridgwater, President & CEO of Sterling Bank; Trudi C. Nix, Senior Vice President of Bank of America; Scott Fordham, CEO of Champion Energy Services; and Larry Pulliam, Executive Vice President of Sysco’s Foodservice Operations. This event is closed to the public.

Awards Ceremony for HCC Newspring Business Plan Competition

On Monday, May 2 , 2011, 4:30pm-6:00pm (Eagle Room 115), HCC NW Center for Entrepreneurship and strategic partner Newspring will gather with local Entrepreneurial VIPs and Contestant Teams to announce the winners of the 2011 HCC Newspring Business Plan Competition! Sponsored by Sterling Bank, Capital Prizes will be awarded to the winners to launch their dream business. Dr. Zachary Hodges, President of HCC Northwest; Jack Barry, Business Plan Competition Director, Robert Westheimer, Chairman and Founder of Newspring and Victor Alvarez, Executive Director of Newspring will officiate the awards ceremony. Hors d’oeuvres will be served. Attendance is by invitation only. Winners will be published on our website after May 2!

Enrollment Process

Enroll as a college credit student to earn credit or enroll as a Continuing Education student to earn continuing education units (CEUs).

• For College Credit OR
• For Continuing Education Units

Course Descriptions

The following courses can be taken individually and they will also apply toward Houston Community College’s Business Plan Certificate and/or Entrepreneurship Certificate.

Fall Schedule

The Fall Schedule for entrepreneur classes (both academic and continuing education sessions) will be posted here soon!  In the meantime, if you would like to look up the academic courses and your specific course sessions in the larger fall schedule, feel free to do so by using these links:

• Schedule of Classes
• Academic Calendars
• Admissions and Registration