2007 Business Plan Contest Workshops

Time: 5:30 to 8pm – Dates below
Location: HTR’s Lennox Tech Enterprise Center, 150 Lucius Gordon Drive, West Henrietta
Fee: $35 each workshop for general public; included for Business Plan Contestants.  Refreshments included.
Registration: Call Kathy Goforth, at (585) 327-7921
More info: www.htr.org or contact Christopher Burns at (585) 214-2403

February 7, 2007: Planning your Business/Planning the Plan

• Arrive at this workshop with your business idea, leave with a strong sense of the additional pieces you’ll need to articulate that idea into a business opportunity, and leave with the tools you’ll need to evaluate the strengths (and weaknesses) of that opportunity.
• Bring the information you have on your business idea—could be a design sketch, could be notes you scribbled on a cocktail napkin, could be market data, etc. Be ready to have a checklist of what you do know, and what you’ll need to find out before moving forward.

February 28, 2007: Writing the Plan

• Come away from this workshop with a strong sense of how all the parts of the business plan fit together, and why they are all important. Learn why omitting sections can spell disaster for your planning efforts and for your chances with potential investors!
• Bring the components and information you collected after attending Workshop One. Bring any questions you have on how to fill any informational holes as you start to write your plan.

March 7, 2007: Presenting the Plan

• Arrive at this session with your business plan substantially complete (at least in concept!), leave with a roadmap for building your investor PowerPoint presentation based on the content in your business plan. You will get an understanding of your audience, their expectations, and strategies for making a high-impact presentation.

March 14, 2007: Presentation Practice & Instant Feedback

• Come to this optional workshop to watch and learn from others’ presentations, and/or to practice your own investor presentation. Learn how important flow and being concise are to your presentation. Get and see real-time feedback from a friendly audience on how presentations can be improved for maximum effect.