Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image
Select a Page

Web Developers | incuba8

29 Jul

By

Past Events

Summer Events- 2009

July 29, 2009 | By |

We are proud to present Incuba8 2009(pronounced “Incubate”)! Local startup consultant Caryn Shick of Opportunity Analysts, LLC is teaming up with Midland Tomorrow, the Mid-Michigan Innovation Center,Northwood University- Alden B. Dow Creativity Center, and an array of entrepreneurs from all over the country to bring you a series of three entrepreneurial conferences that will guide you through the start-up process and help you launch your dream business. (Thank you sponsors!)

Come hear how Alex Lindahl founded www.collegemogul.com, and how a variety of other successful entrepreneurs have built their businesses from scratch. If you are serious about creating new revenue streams, launching a product, building an info site, or just developing a small source of automated income, Incuba8 will have something for you. Incuba8 will allow you the opportunity to develop your concept, create your vision, and launch your company from start to finish.

Below are the breakdowns of the events that will be held throughout August. If you are excited about pursuing your dreams, generating income, and want to learning how to navigate the startup process, register today!

Incuba8 is looking for:

  • People with great business ideas
  • Local inventors with that would like to be included in the area innovation showcase
  • Business mentors and presenters with startup expertise
  • Entrepreneurial support organizations that would like to be included in the organizational fair

Why Incuba8?

  • Too many great ideas sit without being pursued
  • It is possible to do what you want and get paid
  • There are many free resources waiting to be tapped into
  • The entrepreneurial process is full of ambiguity and learning to navigate that ambiguity can be daunting on your own

 

——————————————————————————————————————————————

 

Below are the events this summer. Come to the an individual event or the whole program!

Area Innovation Showcase – August 10th, 10:15- 11:30 am, Alden B. Dow Creativity Center, Midland, MI

  • Meet the area’s most creative innovators, services providers , inventors, and product creators.
  • Showcase your new invention or business idea to angel investors, customers, and other entrepreneurs at the first Area Innovation Showcase. REGISTER Here!

Concept Crafting Boot Camp – August 10-12th, Alden B. Dow Creativity Center, Midland, MI

  • A workshop that helps you create a viable and feasible business proposal by helping you walk through the ideation process needed to outline your startup’s purpose, strategy, and revenue model. This workshop targets motivated entrepreneurs under 30.
  • Suggested donation: $65 (scholarships available upon qualification). REGISTER Here!

Entrepreneurial and Social Entrepreneurial Meetup – August 12th, 7:00 pm, 2470 E NewCastle Ln, Midland

  • A networking event creating connections among smart, driven people from all walks of life in Mid-Michigan to build a better community and world together.
  • Suggested donation: $5

Mid Michigan Innovators Speakers Series, Alex Lindahl, Co-Founder of College Mogul – August 13th, 4:30 pm, The Sloan Building at Northwood University, Midland, MI

Business Launch Weekend – August 13-16th, The Sloan Building at Northwood University, Midland, MI

  • Develop your own business concept with the help of our mentors and experts targeting motivated individuals under 30.
  • Don’t have a business concept? Jump on board with some of the hottest new concepts in Michigan and contribute your talent to making them a reality. REGISTER Here!

Business Setup Conference – August 18th,  8:00 am-7 pm, Mid Michigan Innovation Center, Midland, MI

  • Have all of your startup questions answered by the experts.
  • This event is focused on walking startups through the organizational structure, legal & accounting setup, intellectual capital strategies, and licensing your idea.
  • Attendees will receive instruction from Intellectual Property Specialists, Start-up Lawyers, Accounting Specialists and more.
  • Suggested donation: $100.  REGISTER FOR THE BUSINESS SETUP CONFERENCE Here!

If you or someone you know is interested or is considering a business start-up check out our website or contact Caryn Shick at [email protected] or 989-430-3518.

13 Jul

By

Past Events

Aug 13-15: Business Launch Weekend

July 13, 2009 | By |

The Business Launch weekend is held at the Sloan Family Building at Northwood University, 4000 Whiting Dr. Midland, MI 48640 (click on address for map) on Thursday August, 13 – Saturday, August 15.

Sloan Conference Center

We’re looking for people with big ideas, graphic designers, marketers, web developers, and finance people. Let’s work together to make concepts a reality.

Who?
• Young people with great business ideas
• Business mentors and presenters with startup expertise
• Entrepreneurial support organizations that would like to be included in the organizational fair

What?
The Business Launch Weekend will bring together people interested in starting up or contributing to businesses from the surrounding area to work on developing specific concepts over a weekend. The first night is spent discussing ideas, presenting possible launches, choosing opportunities to be pursued, and organizing into teams. The rest of the weekend will be spent creating a business plan, website, business systems, and operational plans. Students who participate may be able to apply for internship credit from their university.


Day 1 -Thursday August 13, 2009

6:00pm Arrival, Introduction of Volunteers and Participants
6:30pm New Venture Pitches (Open to all participants with business concept- please submit on website beforehand)
• 7 minute presentation with 3 minute Q&A follow-up
8:00pm Self-Selection Process of Teams
9:00pm Check Point 1- Elevator Pitch
• Description of elevator pitch components will be available on website.
10:00pm Social Mixer – Event breaks to local establishment to continue developing ideas and meet participants

Day 2 -Friday August 14, 2009

9:00am Building Opens (Teams can meet if desired)
9:30 – 10:00am Welcome & Overview of the Business Plan Blitz
12:00pm Check Point 2- Teams have completed name (keywords), tagline, executive summary, vision statement, and have purchased URL and hosting
12:30 Lunch Break and Debriefing
4:00pm Check Point 3- Create basic live website/ wire frame, personalized email
1 page description of your business to inform the public, credibility establishing plan, identify keywords & setup sample Google Adsense & Adword campaign, logo & business card design (possibility of extension)
5:00pm Event Break- Teams finish all check points and fully debrief

Tentative Presentations (10-20 minutes each throughout the day, optional attendance):
Website tips and trick
Simple strategies for securing web traffic
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Integration

Day 3 –Saturday, August 15, 2009

9:00am Building Opens
9:30- 10:00am Official Start and Marketing Blitz Overview
12:30pm Lunch break
2:30pm Check Point 4- Basic survey for potential customers, pricing, sales strategy plan, startup costs, create web presence strategy integrating social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
5:00pm Checkpoint 5- Pro forma statements draft, report on what was learned, what worked, what didn’t work, and packet of all previous deliverables and accomplishments, elevator
pitch (take 2)
6:30pm Mixer and Final Debrief

Tentative Presentations (10-20 minutes each throughout the day, optional attendance):
From basement to board room: how to create business credibility & consumer confidence
Pricing models
Attract buyers: New strategies and new guarantees for generating sales.

Day 4 –Sunday, August 16, 2009

2:00pm Community Presentation of New Business Concepts & Entrepreneurship Fair
5:30pm Closing Comments

These events are being hosted free on your behalf by Opportunity Analysts, LLC and our sponsors. There is a suggested donation of $65.00 for this event. The sponsors and many volunteers who will be bringing you these events will greatly appreciate any support you can provide.

Register Now!

10 Jul

By

Past Events

Aug 18: Business Setup Conference

July 10, 2009 | By |

The Business Setup Conference is held at the MidMichigan Innovation Center, 4520 E. Ashman Rd., Midland, MI 48642 (Click on address for map) on Tuesday, August 18 from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm.MidMichigan Innovation Center

Who?
• Entrepreneurs of all ages
• Business mentors and presenters with startup expertise

What?
Setting Up Business will be comprised of seminars to help walk new startups through the legal setup and basic financial statements. Attendees will be provided with free resources and outlines, and advice. Takeaways for Business Setup are:

  • Setting up your organizational structure
  • Process for filing
  • How to License
  • Setting up your accounting
  • Legally protecting yourself and your concept
  • Wordmarks, Trademarks, Logos, Patents

Agenda

8:00- 9:00 The Best Organizational Structure for Your Organization- Gary Gudmundsen, J.D,  Braun Kendrick Finkbeiner P.L.C.

9:15 –10:45 , Work Smarter Not Harder – Leveraging Internet and Personal Resources to Save you Time, Caryn Shick

11:00 – 12:30  Finding and Using the Best Intellectual Capital Strategy to Protect Your Idea, Reed Shick, Ph.D

Do you have a product concept but not sure how to protect your idea or even how to do a basic patent search? Dr. Shick will be shedding light on a confusing subject to most entrepreneurs, Intellectual Capital. Dr. Shick will be speaking on what IP is and some of the basic tools entrepreneurs can use to review their IP position, IP strategy, and make recommendations specific to the companies represented.

12:30- 1:30 Lunch Break

1:45 – 2:45 Out Licensing Your Technology- Gary Bellaver, Dow  Licensing & Technology

This presentation will focus on the critical aspects of licensing as it pertains to a business. Basic concepts such as types of licenses, important terms and conditions, resources for creating and sustaining a license business, and valuation of licensed intellectual property will be discussed.

3:00 – 4:00  Accounting Setup for Startups- Michael Zimmerman, CPA, Yeo & Yeo

One of the greatest mistakes made by owners of small businesses is not keeping good financial records and making improper or poor business decisions based on
inadequate information. We will guide you through the basics and also share information on accounting software that is easy to use for a new business.

4:15 – 5:45  Navigating Trademarks! What most entrepreneurs dont know will kill their business! Karen Kimble, JD, Technology Law, PLLC

Karen will be discussing the key mistakes entrepreneurs make with regard to trade marks. It is never a good idea to create a product, slap a logo or custom label on your creation, and begin selling to the public. To many small companies have infringed on large company’s trade mark’s and have been taken to court and forced to cease operations, costing the operator precious time and money. Allow Karen Kimble to show you how to do basic trade mark searches and how to safely navigate your product into the marketplace without infringing on other trademarked material.

* This agenda is subject to change as we continue to line up new speakers.

These events are being hosted free on your behalf by Opportunity Analysts, LLC and our sponsors. There is a suggested donation of $100.00 for this event. The sponsors and many volunteers who will be bringing you these events will greatly appreciate any support you can provide. Register Now!

07 Jul

By

Past Events

Aug 10 – 12: Concept Crafting Boot Camp

July 7, 2009 | By |

Held at the Alden B. Dow Creativity Center, 2203 Eastman Road, Midland, Mich. 48640 (Click on address for map) on Monday, August 10 – Wednesday, Aug 12 from 10:30 am – 4:30 pm.

Do you have a great idea that you’d like to pursue? Come to our concept crafting bootcamp. Concept Crafting is a interactive workshop designed  help you walk through the steps needed to have a viable business proposal. Takeaways for the Concept Creation event are:

  • Creating, clarifying, and articulating the participant’s organizational vision, and purpose
    • Including needs and problems being addressed and the desired impact of the business
  • Understanding who the customer’s will be, identifying their primary and secondary needs, and defining the scope of the venture
  • Service and product development
  • Creating a viable business model
  • Mapping the next steps in launching the organization

    • whiting house

Monday, August 10, 2009

10:15 Welcome
10:30-11:30 Area Innovation Showcase
11:30- 12:30 Food Mixer
12:30- 4:30 Vision Crafting Workshop covering:
• Creating, clarifying, and articulating the organizational vision, and purpose
• Defining needs and problems being addressed by the startup and the desired impact of the business
• Learning and understanding who the customers will be, identifying their primary and secondary needs, and defining the scope of the venture in meeting these needs

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

10:30 -11:30 Participant Progress Review (Optional)
11:30- 12:30 Food Mixer
12:30- 4:30 Service/Product Development and Strategy Workshop covering:
• Identifying who is paying for the product, why they would pay, and the value of their purchase defined
• Identifying different groups that would be impacted by the business and how the business is attractive to each group
• Creating incentives
• Aligning strategy to customer needs
• Developing strategy to provide the service/product
• (Possible IP/ Idea protection mini-session)

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

10:30 -11:30 Participant Progress Review (Optional)
11:30- 12:30 Food Mixer
12:30- 4:30 Defining Your Business Model and Mapping Future Action Workshop covering:
• Creating a viable business model
o Different online, and service business model options
o Pricing
o Industry benchmarks
• Your pro-forma statements
• Mapping the next steps in launching the organization

* This agenda is subject to change, any changes will be imediately posted.


These events are being hosted free on your behalf by Opportunity Analysts, LLC and our sponsors. There is a suggested donation of $65.00 for this event. The sponsors and many volunteers who will be bringing you these events will greatly appreciate any support you can provide. Register Now!