What: A FREE, informative business roundtable led by an industry professional

Who: Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Members & Prospective Members

June 7 Topic:  “Refine Your Pitch, Refine Your Plan, Grow Your Business”

Refine Your Pitch – Efficient, Effective, Compelling!  Come participate and get a sample of the highly interactive, entrepreneur-focused peer-learning environment in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. Ibrahim Firat, Entrepreneur and Lead Faculty, presents one small exercise from this groundbreaking initiative designed to propel forward small businesses owners in accelerated growth.        

Refine Your Plan, Grow Your Businesses – Is your growth plan in your head? The 10,000 Small Businesses program (www.hccs.edu/10ksb ) helps small business owners create growth plans, sharpen their skills, connects them with the best entrepreneurial resources in Houston, and provides opportunities for access to capital.  Small business owners connect with local and national businesses to create a vibrant and rich network of resources. Now that’s collaboration and synergy!

Sandra Louvier will describe the program and how to apply.  She will also introduce some small business owners who have graduated from the 10,000 Small Businesses program.   It is a $25 million grant won by HCC for Houston small business owners, funded by Goldman Sachs.  Every applicant accepted into the program participates at no cost! 

Ibrahim Firat Lead Faculty 10,000 Small Businesses Owner, Firat Education Systems

Sandra Louvier Outreach Director 10,000 Small Businesses Director, Center for Entrepreneurship, HCC NW

RSVP for this Event

To RSVP for this event, please email Ilene@hwcoc.org

A Special Thank You to Our Coffee & Donuts Sponsors:

• Hill Schwartz Spilker Keller LLC

• Shipley Do-Nuts (12225 Westheimer)

• City of Houston (COH) – Mayor’s Office of Business Opportunity – Representatives will discuss the recently released Disparity Study on the COH MWDBE spend.
• Port of Houston Authority (PHA) – William A. Wachel, Jr., Managing Director of Engineering and other representatives will discuss the PHA Small Business Program, review the PHA 2012 Capital Improvement Plan, and outline opportunities for small businesses.
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Colonel Christopher Sallese, District Commander and other representatives will discuss how to do business, review 2012 Budget and identify upcoming opportunities.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Houston Independent School District
• Metropolitan Transit Authority
• University of Texas System
• Houston Community College Center for Entrepreneurship & 10,000 Small Businesses Program

BUSINESS TIP OF THE MONTH

• To be Announced

RSVP

To RSVP: Reply to info@houstonbiz.org

Admission: $5.00 at Door

www.houstonbiz.org

Event Sponsors: ARVO Realty Advisors and Navarro Insurance Group

First Place $12,000 – Brenda Prejean and Christi Carter, Hour Playtime

First prize of $12,000 went to Brenda Prejean and Christi Carter of Hour Playtime, the “play”care alternative to daycare which gives parents time to play. Hour Playtime provides a fun and safe environment for children with educational reinforcement activities. Children with special needs are also welcome at Hour Playtime. The first place winner was advised by Harry Tallichet and Troy Utz.

From left to right: Harry Tallichet, HCC Newspring Business Plan Competition adviser, Brenda Prejean and Christi Carter, 1st prize winners of the contest for their business plan Hour Playtime and Jack Barry, retired CEO, author, consultant and competition leader.

Second Place $8,000 – Brendon Tripp and Brian Hart, Trinity Garden Solutions

Second prize of $8,000 went to Brendon Tripp and Brian Hart for Trinity Garden Solutions, an environmentally friendly lawn and pond care company. Both Tripp and Hart are alumni of the HCC horticulture program housed at the college’s Katy campus. Trinity Garden Solutions was advised by Marcus Greenspan and Art Fallon.

Third Place $4,000 – LaTasha King and Joseph Crump, LL Bridal

The third place winners, LaTasha King and Joseph Crump, won $4,000 for their business LL Bridal, a bridal and formal dress boutique for plus-size women and teens. The team was advised by Scott Owen and Clarinda Bell-Fletcher.

Honorable Mentions $1,000 – Lauren Taylor, The Block Party; $1,000 -  Nishantha Gajanayake, Spear Applications

Honorable mentions include Lauren Taylor for the The Block Party, a survey Web site that captures an individual’s ideology and matches them with like-minded political candidates, and Nishantha Gajanayake for Spear Applications which develops web-based applications. Each honorable mention received a $1,000 check for their business plan.

When Hour Playtime was announced as the first-prize winner, Prejean was flooded with emotions of gratitude. As she and her partner accepted the award, Prejean shared how the uniqueness of welcoming special needs children stems from the love she has for her own special needs child. Prejean also thanked her advisers who were guiding her and her team mate through the 11th hour.

“The Business Plan Competition made a big difference in the direction of our business. My partner and I thought we were ready to start our business, but we needed this experience and direction from our advisers to help us get to the next step of making our business a reality,” Prejean said.

The annual Business Plan Competition is held in partnership with Newspring, a local social entrepreneurship, non-profit organization founded by Robert Westheimer in 2006. Part of Newspring’s mission includes nurturing new and existing businesses in Spring Branch. This mission is supported by their recruitment of business leaders who serve as mentors and advisers for students who enter the Business Plan Competition.

Westheimer compared Newspring and the competition to “The Little Engine That Could” since the organization started off with a dream with nobody knowing where it would go. The comparison rang true for several of the competition’s contestants, and Westheimer encouraged all of them to know that their hard work did not go unnoticed.

“There will be a time in your life when you will need to describe your idea to someone, and they will get it and understand you,” Westheimer said. “What you gained through this experience will be rewarded with tremendous dividends in the future.”

Jack Barry, retired CEO, consultant, author and Business Plan Competition leader, offered further inspiring words for all of the contestants and the winners.

“This competition is not about today only. It’s about what you do with the rest of your lives. What you do from here will make the prize money trivial. What is more important is how many people you can positively influence,” Barry said.

Dr. Zachary R. Hodges, President of HCC Northwest, closed the reception by emphasizing the importance of collaboration and mentoring.

“Why would we want to go at something like this alone, when we can do it together? At the same time, we are building communities and building lives,” Hodges said.

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.

“The Center prepares aspiring and recently launched entrepreneurs to weather the rigors of a real-world business plan competition,” Louvier said. “Some participate to create growth plans to grow smaller businesses. Our goal is to empower success and mitigate risk for small business owners.”

The Center is positioned to provide a focal point to new entrepreneurs for on-going training and networking within the business community through workshops, seminars, classes and entrepreneur certificate programs.

For more information about the Center and the HCC Newspring Business Plan Competition, browse this website or contact Sandra Louvier at c4e@hccs.edu or 713.718.6650.

For more information about Newspring and how they are revitalizing the Spring Branch community, visit newspringcenter.org or call 713.590.0100.

In its fifth year of awarding prize money to aspiring entrepreneurs, the HCC Newspring Business Plan Competition is providing a pathway for individuals with a dream to receive business education, advising and mentoring from local business leaders.

Featuring Panel Moderator John Cruse of Small Business Radio Talk and SCORE, ACCION Texas, Capitol One Bank and Members Choice Credit Union. In economic times like these it is very common to be concerned about how you will raise working capital to fund your business venture. This workshop is designed to clear up some of the confusion of what funding sources are actually available, while assisting business owners to better understand the qualifications needed to apply for loans. Advantages and disadvantages of some of the options will also be reviewed.

For an Agenda and Registration: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e5u67m8s05e78efc

NOTE: THIS EVENT IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, ATTENDANCE IS BY INVITATION ONLY. Check back here after April 30th for notice of the winners!

• The Block Party – Lauren Taylor, advisers Tracy Little and Robert Westheimer
• Hour Playtime – Brenda Prejean and Christi Carter, advisers Harry Tallichet and Troy Utz
• LL Bridal – LaTasha King and Joseph Crump, advisers Scott Owen and Clarinda Bell-Fletcher
• Spear Applications – Nishantha Gajanayake and team, advisers Tim Moore and Michael Hick
• Trinity Garden Solutions – Brendon Tripp and Brian Hart, advisers Marcus Greenspan and Art Fallon

Judges for the 2012 HCC Newspring Business plan Competition include Jack Barry, retired CEO, author and consultant, and member of the Newspring Business Council; Gerald Bennett, board member and former Chairman, Memorial Hermann Health System; Trudy Nix, Senior Vice President, Bank of America; Gary Olander, President, Sovereign Bank Houston; Larry Pulliam, Group President and Executive Vice President, Sysco Foods; and Jay Sears, Co-founder and Principal, Newquest Properties.

NOTE: THIS EVENT IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.

Eddy Seng will discuss: Financial Management & Profitability, Tips on how to read and interpret financial statements and utilized financial tools to: Better understand your business, Detect signs of trouble, Plan for profitability and achieve your business goals. The presentation will be followed by a time for networking. Register a First Time Guest and their lunch is on us!

Register for this event

• Register online through the Newspring Center

Mike Campbell will show the 5 Keys to Leading a Successful Business:

1. Values – “what is important”
2. Attitude – “what do people see”
3. Plan – “how will I get there”
4. Execution – “do I have the discipline”
5. People – “do I have the right people to build my business”

The presentation will be followed by a time for networking. Register a first time guest and their lunch is on us!

More Information

• Learn more about Mike Campbell

Register Online

• Register for this event

Who: Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Members & Prospective Members

April 5th topic:

“The Four Keys to Client Retention”

Presented by: Linda Stiles, Stiles & Associates and Errol Allen, Errol Allen Consultants

Register for this event:

To RSVP please email sarah@hwcoc.org

A Special Thank You to Our Coffee & Donuts Sponsors:

Hill Schwartz Spilker Keller LLC

Shipley Do-Nuts (12225 Westheimer)

• Eight-week-5/14-7/6,
• Ten-week-6/4-8/10,
• 5-week-6/4-7/6 or 7/9-8/10

Find out more about class schedules and enrollment information