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Viva!

Reminder: tomorrow is a ‘training for the trainer’ free webinar to help you understand what new health care reform means for your clients. Thursday, November 10, 2011, 10:00-11:00 a.m. Learn more and register.

In this week’s Must Know:

  • Viva!
  • Small Business Saturday
  • The Goodies: information on important opportunities like trainings, funding, scholarship programs. This week’s highlight is the Small Business Revolution Summit on November 15 in North Hollywood. The summit’s goal is to devise the criteria for what it means to be pro-small business. CAMEO has led several brainstorming calls about technical assistance. Register.

Viva!

This week, about 50 women of all shapes, sizes (I’m 4’10” in my boots), colors and ages gathered at the Los Angeles office of the San Francisco Federal Reserve for a heavy dose of inspiration and insightful advice. As Forescee Hogan-Rowles, (bio) the C.E.O. of Community Financial Resource Center, summed it up: Be informed; Be relentless; Have a Plan (yes with a capital ‘P’); Write your own Plan; Don’t do it on your own. You’ve probably seen/heard this advice before, but the energy and camaraderie in the room really hammered it into the heart. I’ve posted my notes and resource links from the conference. Share them!

You can see photos from the event on our facebook page, tag yourself if you attended the symposium and “like” us while you’re there.

We had several people approach us to help plan for for 2012. If you would like to be on the Viva! committee, email Shufina.

P.S. Claudia is at a Federal Reserve in D.C. today for the Small Business and Entrepreneurship during an Economic Recovery Conference. Claudia was a discussant on a panel – The Importance of a Robust Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. Just so happens that the panel after that was about minority- and women-owned businesses with two new papers: Gazelle Index: New National and On the Earnings and Employment of Female Hispanic Entrepreneurs in the 2000s.

Small Business Saturday

First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. Now, Small Business Saturday is an event that drives shoppers to local, independently-owned merchants. Small Business Saturday is a national initiative that marks a day to support the local business that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country – something that CAMEO and its members do every day. Learn how you can get involved and support the national recognition. Check out the small biz stats. Two of our sister organizations, AEO and WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy), are national sponsors!

Help throw Small Business Saturday over the 2 million “like” mark on Facebook. We “like”-ed Small Business Saturday. Help support the communities and small nusinesses you love and “like” the second annual Small Business Saturday: Facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturday!

The Goodies

New opportunities for trainings, conference information, funding, scholarships, and other information that have crossed our desks since the last Must Know. A running tab of current Goodies is on the CAMEO website.

Free Webinar on Health Insurance Laws: Help your clients understand the new health care reform. Our friends at Small Business Majority recently launched the California Health Coverage Guide in English and Spanish that provides California small business owners with objective, step-by-step information on how to navigate the healthcare market since the passage of national healthcare reform. This webinar for CAMEO members will walk you through the extensive website to help you understand this new tool available to California entrepreneurs. The webinar is Thursday, November 10, 2011 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Learn more and register.

California White House Conference Call: Monday, November 14th at 1:00 PM PDT. White House officials will provide a series of updates, including the American Jobs Act, the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget, and President Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” series of Executive actions. Please RSVP with your name, organization, and city, state. Dial In: (800) 553-0349. Passcode Title: California American Jobs Act Call. This call is off the record and not for press purposes.

Small Business Revolution Summit on November 15 in North Hollywood. The summit’s goal is to devise the criteria for what it means to be pro-small business. CAMEO has led several calls about technical assistance. Other issue areas include access to capital, role of government, and regulation. Learn more and register.

Free Webinar on Measuring Success by Field: Free webinars to learn how to adopt data analytic techniques long used by the private sector to improve performance. On November 15th, you’ll learn how microTracker can help you explore the size and diversity of the field; assess microloan lending performance; and evaluate the cost of microenterprise. The December 1st and December 9th webinars will help you use benchmarking tools in detail to understand the state of the industry and assess your program’s performance. Register today!

Federal Reserve Symposium: Addressing Poverty Through Asset Building, Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Burbank Airport Marriott. Learn more and register.

For your clients: CARAT is providing technology training programs for free to small businesses in California. Check out the schedules for November 2011, December 2011 and January 2012.

CAMEO Member Event: Valley Economic Development Center hosts Where’s the Money? Access to Capital Business Expo on November 19, 2011 from 8:00a.m – 2:30p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco. Joining VEDC are other CAMEO members and many of our banking partners. Register for $10.

Capacity Building Grants for Consulting: Three consulting grants are available for Women, Green and General Microenterprise Development through several organizations who are working with Friedman Associates – CAMEO member, Women’s Initiative is one of those organizations. Applications are due at the end of November.