Would you like to learn how to market your business, increase revenue, and enhance your management skills? Learn how in this eight-week program designed for women, LGBTQA, disabled, minority, and veteran-owned businesses!
Each participant will:
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Develop skills critical for growth
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Be introduced to additional resources that can create new opportunities
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Interact with Cox and Strome Business Subject Matter Experts
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Receive a certificate
Program launch date: June 4, 2024
Program end date: July 30, 2024
First and last sessions are in hybrid format, but in-person attendance strongly recommended. All sessions meet from 5.30 pm-9.30 pm.
Program Plan
June 4
Instructor: Prof. Jennifer Vaziralli
Introduction and welcome from Dean and our program sponsors, Cox Communications.
Keys to Grow Effectively focuses on the employment of the 5 fundamental keys for business development:
- RAISING RATES, discussing how to build the business by increasing volumes, optimizing prices, expanding geographic and ancillary markets
- CUTTING COSTS by negotiating with suppliers, reducing inputs, managing staff, increasing overall efficiency
- PROMOTING the business with emphasis on building market share through guerilla marketing, customer service, automated customer contacts, social media, etc.
- EXECUTION, emphasizing the importance to"get er done," leading staff, holding staff accountable and the tools to simplify and improve execution.
- INNOVATION, discussing the necessity for the business i) to keep abreast of industry developments; ii) to identify and implement enhanced processes, new techniques/products, best practices, and iii) to transform the business to capitalize on innovations.
June 11
Instructor: Prof. Jennifer Vaziralli
Keys to Grow Effectively focuses on employment of the 5 fundamental keys for business development:
- RAISING RATES, discussing how to build the business by increasing volumes, optimizing prices, expanding geographic and ancillary markets
- CUTTING COSTS by negotiating with suppliers, reducing inputs, managing staff, increasing overall efficiency
- PROMOTING the business with emphasis on building market share through guerilla marketing, customer service, automated customer contacts, social media, etc.
- EXECUTION, emphasizing the importance to"get er done," leading staff, holding staff accountable and the tools to simplify and improve execution.
- INNOVATION, discussing the necessity for the business i) to keep abreast of industry developments; ii) to identify and implement enhanced processes, new techniques/products, best practices, and iii) to transform the business to capitalize on innovations.
Fundamentals of Business Strategy
June 11
Instructor: Prof. Jennifer Vaziralli
Fundamentals of Business Strategy examines the strategies of cost leadership and differentiation, assessing the tactics and merits of each and the potential for optimizing business development in competitive environments.
June 18
Instructor: Prof. Michelle Carpenter
This module will provide a dialogue on the marketing challenges that small businesses face. It will offer exercises to help identify target audience and market positioning for the business.
Creating the Marketing Plan
June 18
Instructor: Prof. Michelle Carpenter
The marketing plan module will discuss the development of a comprehensive marketing plan for the business. It will integrate the topics discussed so far to help formulate an overall marketing strategy for the business.
June 25
Instructor: Prof. Michelle Carpenter
Social media offers a cost-effective way for small businesses to reach out to new customers and engage with existing customers. This module will teach the power and intricacies of marketing through social media channels, demonstrate ways to effectively use social media tools to engage consumers, and achieve concrete business goals.
Building Customer Loyalty
June 25
Instructor: Prof. Michelle Carpenter
There is no one customer experience model that fits all businesses. As a small business, it is important to consciously design the customer experience to fit the business' market and goals. This module will teach principles from behavioral design, brand identity, and customer loyalty to help a small business examine and improve its customer experience design.
July 2
Instructor: Dr. Andrew Bennett
In the Negotiations module you will learn about your individual negotiation style, understand the role of emotions in negotiation, and gain hands-on experience building your negotiation skills.
July 9
Instructor: Dr. Ryan Klinger
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize, understand, and manage emotional information. In this workshop session, we learn about the importance of being an emotionally intelligent leader, how this skill impacts work outcomes, and how individuals can invest in developing and leveraging their emotional intelligence.
Getting the Most from Employees
July 9
Instructor: Dr. Ryan Klinger
Why do great employees fail to reach their full potential? Why do great leaders -with great ideas -fail to inspire action from others? In this session, we examine the building blocks of human motivation to uncover reasons why efforts to motivate our workforce founder. We discuss guiding principles and specific actionable steps for creating a more motivated workforce.
July 16
Instructor: Prof. Samuel Johnson
Many often say accounting is the language of business. In this course, you will learn what that means. The focus will be to introduce you to the role of accounting. Attendees will learn the importance of accounting in business decision-making.
Sources of Capital & Their Pros/Cons
July 16
Instructor: Prof. Samuel Johnson
Now that you have a business idea the next step is to make it happen. To do so, you need money. This course is designed to introduce you to sources of capital and the pros and cons of using those capital streams. When completed, the course will arm you with how to decide on what capital approach suits you.
Financial Statement Analyses
July 16
Instructor: Prof. Samuel Johnson
How did I do and what do I need to do? These questions often accompany decision-making, Through financial statement analysis, you will be able t address these questions in order to plan for now as well as the future.
July 23
Instructor: Prof. Samuel Johnson
Cash is King!!! Indeed, while sales may be good the real tool for a business is cash flows. Attendees will be exposed to how to plan for inflows and outflows in the present and future. Several tools will be introduced that will allow you to project current and future cash needs.
Taxes
July 23
Instructor: Prof. Samuel Johnson
Business is about managing taxes. Attendees will be introduced to tax structures and exposed to how decision-making has to include projecting, managing, and paying tax liabilities.
July 30
Instructor: Prof. Jennifer Vaziralli
Putting It All Together: Business Plan Review will be an interactive discussion of the participants' businesses, allowing everyone to summarize how they might implement the Academy's lessons followed by review and suggestions from class members.
Graduation Celebration & Ceremony
July 30
Instructors: Cox Executive and Commencement Speaker TBD
Instructors
Andrew A. Bennett is an Assistant Professor of Management at Old Dominion University with a research focus on negotiations and employee well-being. He has taught courses in negotiation, communication, and management skills for eight years, has been several multiple grants to create negotiation training materials, and has led negotiations training for multiple Global 2000 companies.
His work has been profiled in outlets like the Harvard Business Review, the BBC, and the Virginian-Pilot.
Michelle Carpenter serves as a Senior Lecturer of Marketing in the Strome College of Business. She teaches students the value of marketing, social media, and public relations, and actively looks for opportunities to mentor students through special projects and experiential learning. Michelle serves as the Chapter Advisor of American Marketing Association (AMA) club at ODU and is the Chief Department Advisor.
Her dedication to students in the classroom is supported by more than 15 years in the industry instructing businesses and organizations across the Commonwealth. She holds an M.A. in Communications from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and an MBA with a specialization in Marketing from ODU.
A seasoned professional with a significant level of business and professional experience who was a partner in the Richmond office of Cherry Bekaert LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, through April 30, 2021.
Dr. Ryan Klinger is an Associate Professor of Management and Director of the Annual Hampton Roads Workforce Survey and Colloquium. He received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Florida and has spent the last nine years at Old Dominion University's Strome College of Business.
Dr. Klinger's academic areas of expertise focus on designing workplace systems around employee personality, leadership styles, and team dynamics. His consulting workshops center on training and developing employee emotional intelligence, leadership, motivation, and team-building skills.
A lover of all things business, Jennifer spent the last decade as a senior executive within high-growth technology and SaaS firms across New York City, Chicago, Richmond, and Washington D.C. As a Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Operating Officer at five different startups, she drove strategy across a range of industries from edtech and fintech to marketing and advertising services and healthcare. Jennifer's performance as a powerhouse growth executive garnered industry and regional recognition including leading her firms to the top of the Washingtonian's Fastest Growing Companies list three years in a row. Her ability to deliver results along with her cross-functional expertise across product strategy, sales, financial management, and marketing have earned her a well-deserved reputation as a go-to resource within the startup community.
Jennifer is committed to inspiring entrepreneurs and coaching the next generation of startup leaders. She now works as a startup and small business advisor and also teaches management at Old Dominion University. Jennifer serves on the board for Women in Venture, an organization committed to closing the funding gap for women through increased women-led investments and ventures, and she hopes to continue advocating for underrepresented founders. She also serves as a board member for 757 Angels, which is one of the largest Angel Investment groups in the United States. Jennifer earned two bachelor's degrees from Virginia Tech and her MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Andrew A. Bennett is an Assistant Professor of Management at Old Dominion University with a research focus on negotiations and employee well-being. He has taught courses in negotiation, communication, and management skills for eight years, has been several multiple grants to create negotiation training materials, and has led negotiations training for multiple Global 2000 companies.
His work has been profiled in outlets like the Harvard Business Review, the BBC, and the Virginian-Pilot.
Michelle Carpenter serves as a Senior Lecturer of Marketing in the Strome College of Business. She teaches students the value of marketing, social media, and public relations, and actively looks for opportunities to mentor students through special projects and experiential learning. Michelle serves as the Chapter Advisor of American Marketing Association (AMA) club at ODU and is the Chief Department Advisor.
Her dedication to students in the classroom is supported by more than 15 years in the industry instructing businesses and organizations across the Commonwealth. She holds an M.A. in Communications from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and an MBA with a specialization in Marketing from ODU.
A seasoned professional with a significant level of business and professional experience who was a partner in the Richmond office of Cherry Bekaert LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, through April 30, 2021.
Dr. Ryan Klinger is an Associate Professor of Management and Director of the Annual Hampton Roads Workforce Survey and Colloquium. He received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Florida and has spent the last nine years at Old Dominion University's Strome College of Business.
Dr. Klinger's academic areas of expertise focus on designing workplace systems around employee personality, leadership styles, and team dynamics. His consulting workshops center on training and developing employee emotional intelligence, leadership, motivation, and team-building skills.
A lover of all things business, Jennifer spent the last decade as a senior executive within high-growth technology and SaaS firms across New York City, Chicago, Richmond, and Washington D.C. As a Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Operating Officer at five different startups, she drove strategy across a range of industries from edtech and fintech to marketing and advertising services and healthcare. Jennifer's performance as a powerhouse growth executive garnered industry and regional recognition including leading her firms to the top of the Washingtonian's Fastest Growing Companies list three years in a row. Her ability to deliver results along with her cross-functional expertise across product strategy, sales, financial management, and marketing have earned her a well-deserved reputation as a go-to resource within the startup community.
Jennifer is committed to inspiring entrepreneurs and coaching the next generation of startup leaders. She now works as a startup and small business advisor and also teaches management at Old Dominion University. Jennifer serves on the board for Women in Venture, an organization committed to closing the funding gap for women through increased women-led investments and ventures, and she hopes to continue advocating for underrepresented founders. She also serves as a board member for 757 Angels, which is one of the largest Angel Investment groups in the United States. Jennifer earned two bachelor's degrees from Virginia Tech and her MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Need more information?
Contact Tarsha Turner at tturner@westridgeparkapartments.com.
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