AGENDA

I.  Introduction   

II.  Getting Started & Planning  9:00am -10:00am

Topics covered: Key Steps and Skills, Business Plan, Market Research, Target Clientele, Business Organization Types, Tax ID, Pivoting in Challenging Times.

·  Bill Feingold, SCORE Advisor

·  Nancy Gerardi, Northeast Regional Director, Mass. Small Business Development Center

·  Tom O’Donnell, Sr. Director, UMass-Lowell Innovation Hub

·  Sophia Kambonis, Executive Director, Massachusetts Innovation Network

III.  Funding Your Business 10:00am -11:00am

Topics covered: Budgeting, Cash Flow, Bootstrapping, Building a relationship with a bank, How to apply for a loan, micro-loans, crowdsourcing

·  Eddy Desir, AVP, Financial Education Specialist, Cambridge Savings Bank

·  Jorge A. Andrade, Vice President-Business Banking Relationship, Eastern Bank

·  Mark Drew, Senior Loan Officer, Mass Growth Capital Corp.

·  Charles Smith, Director, Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork

IV.  Marketing & Permitting 11:00am -12:00 PM

Topics covered: Marketing & Promotions Overview, Digital Marketing, Social Media, E-Commerce, Licensing and Permitting

·  Ani Vong, Small Business coach, Entrepreneurship Center at Community Teamwork

·  Michelle Mercier, Massachusetts Innovation Network

·  Jeffrey King. Housing and Economic Development Director, Town of Bedford

Resource Tables & Networking

Resource Tables & Networking will be available before and after the panel discussions