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Greetings Hennepin County business community. In this week’s newsletter, we invite you to read about the following topics:
- In Hennepin County, we Love Local
- Congrats to CEO Start participants!
- Elevate Answers: Angel vs venture investment
- Event Spotlight: Building a great pitch deck
If you know someone who would benefit from the info covered in this week’s newsletter, please forward it to them.
During this busy holiday shopping season, Hennepin County joins the national conversation to highlight all local businesses and business owners give back to the community with the annual Love Local campaign.
It's one way to remind residents why their local businesses are so important.
“Shopping at a local business means good jobs, a robust economy, and products and services by and for our neighbors," said Commissioner Debbie Goettel during a Hennepin County Board meeting.
As part of that business community, be sure to highlight the unique value you bring and encourage friends, neighbors, and customers to shop local, get local services, and dine at local restaurants. One way to do that is sharing your experience with the #LoveLocalHC hashtag whenever you find community online.
 (Top) The Brooklyn Park CEO Start cohort. (Above) Facilitators and County Commissioner Debbie Goettel celebrating with the Bloomington CEO Start cohort.
Congratulations to the latest class of CEO Start! These entrepreneurs worked hard over 10 weeks to validate their ideas, test their assumptions, and develop a strong business plan to move forward.
We can’t wait to see where they go next!
And thanks to our city collaborators in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park for hosting this great group-learning opportunity.
Learn all about CEO Start, and if this group-learning opportunity can support you as you get started today. For established businesses, don't forget to explore the rest of the CEO Growth Series and training opportunities like CEO Now and CEO Next.
 Entrepreneurs are busy with holiday markets, bazaars, and markets all across Hennepin County through the holiday season, and the county Environment and Energy team has some tips to keep things local and sustainable as you shop.
As you're out shopping, support your local makers and microbusinesses with the Choose to Reuse guide.
The Dayton's Holiday Market in Minneapolis is also back this year. More than 100 local businesses and makers will be there through December 28 and it's a great way to support local micro businesses and solopreneurs.
 Businesses seeking investment should know the difference between angel investors and venture capitalists.
An angel investor is someone who gives entrepreneurs money to get their business off the ground in exchange for equity in the business or convertible debt. These investors are often hands-off in their approach.
Venture capitalists are generally entities that provide operating capital for entrepreneurs and ask for considerable control of existing business operations, making them much more involved.
At Elevate Hennepin, our expert advisors can support you with access to capital questions, preparing for investment, and deciding what kind of investment is right for your business.
A pitch deck is a visual representation of an entrepreneur’s business plan. It is a presentation designed to persuade key decision makers to invest in your business.
Learn how to create a well-designed pitch deck that clearly conveys what your business does (value proposition), why and how you will be successful and how investors will benefit with Elevate Hennepin advisor MBMentors.
In this webinar, you will learn:
- The five steps to building a pitch deck.
- Know how to create a clear, concise, compelling presentation of your business product, service or idea.
- How to identify your TAM, SAM and SOM.
- The 10 most important things to include in your deck.
Online event, January 8, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
No-cost
How to build your personal brand on a budget
In today’s competitive market, a strong personal brand can set you apart and help drive your business forward. Join Elevate Hennepin education partner SCORE and explore the elements of personal branding and how to build an authentic, effective brand that resonates with your audience.
Online event, November 26, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
Register today
SBIR and STTR programs
The Department of Defense (DoD) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are congressionally authorized small business set-asides established to support scientific excellence and technological innovation. Learn how to navigate the acronyms and find funding opportunities.
Online event, December 3, 9 a.m. - 10 a.m.
Register today
Growing your business with a CRM
Dig into what a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool is and the habits and processes that complement the technology with Elevate Hennepin education partner SCORE. Learn what structures are needed in order to attract more prospects, engage and convert more leads, and delight your customers.
Online event, December 3, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
Register today
What you need to know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Join LegalCORPS Lead Staff Attorney, Joshua Franklin, for an online workshop about the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and what it means. Notably, most small businesses need to register with FinCEN before January 1.
This online event will be offered twice in December.
Thanks for following along with us! If you know someone who could use any of the resources above, please forward this newsletter or tell them to sign up!
We’ll be back in your inbox in a couple weeks. Until then, you can follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram! Be a part of our online community by sharing your #ElevateHennepin stories and tagging @ElevateHennepin in your posts.
Have a great week!
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