In honor of our upcoming “How to Use Video to Market Your Business” workshop, we have a video blog for you.
Why Do Passionate Entrepreneurs Fail?
Written by Frank DeSantis, Certified Growth Wheel Trainer, Former Emerging Enterprise Center Program Director
The link below is to a great article in HBR on Passion vs. Preparedness, and reflects what I believe is the approach the Emerging Enterprise Center tries to take with their Incubator companies.
An entrepreneur has to have passion. It’s entirely too hard to start and run a business if you don’t absolutely love what you are doing! Apparently, according to this research, passion is a key ingredient to attracting attention of investors, especially novice investors, those typically found on crowdfunding sites.
Long term success, however, depends upon your ability to be prepared to scale the business. For that you need to have a vision (what do you want to be when you grow up), a game plan (strategy or business plan), and the processes and procedures to replicate what you do and how you sell. For more experienced investors, the passion and the concept may attract them initially, but they move quickly to determining how prepared they are for success; what is the experience of the management team; have they started a business before; is there a market; have they proved the concept?
At the Emerging Enterprise Center, they try to help you focus first on DRIVING YOUR BUSINESS (sales), while in parallel, developing the business skills and the policies/procedures to enable you to take advantage of opportunities that help you achieve your vision.
I believe you can have and, in fact, need both: PASSION AND PREPAREDNESS!
https://hbr.org/2015/07/for-founders-preparation-trumps-passion
We moved!
Williams Humphreys and Company to Sponsor Swim with the Sharks Video Pitch Competition again along with others
The Emerging Enterprise Center is excited to once again have Williams Humphreys and Company as the Presenting Sponsor for the Swim with the Sharks Video Pitch Competition Program.
By being a Presenting Sponsor, Williams Humphreys and Company can bridge the gap between the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the small business community in New Castle County, Delaware.
In addition, the Emerging Enterprise Center has received sponsorships from Young, Conaway, Stargatt, and Taylor, LLP, as well as Advertising is Simple (a graduate from the EEC).
For more information on the Swim With The Sharks Video Pitch Competition please click here.
If you are interested in sponsoring this program, please contact Erica Crell at [email protected].
Breaking News – New Program Director Announced!
The Emerging Enterprise Center is proud to announce Dora Cheatham as the new Program Director. Dora has had a long career focused on sales, marketing and product development in a corporate setting. For the past several years, she has run her own consulting shop focused on assisting small businesses here in Delaware and throughout the region. She has also been a key player in organizational and promotional work for the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance.
Dora Cheatham was born in the UK and grew up in Europe, studying and/or working in the UK, France, Spain and Cyprus regions. She holds degrees in foreign languages and business from Thames Valley University and the University of London and speaks fluent Spanish, French and Greek.
She relocated to Delaware 25 years ago and has since held several positions in International Business Development and Marketing, most recently as International Business Development Manager with Celeste Industries Corp-a subsidiary of ITW, Inc. Where she implemented and managed New Product Development & Marketing procedures to create and commercialize new products on the global stage, generating over $5 million in new business and helping to establish Celeste Industries as a leader in aviation industry cleaning chemicals. On a local level, she has also worked as Director of Development at Kent-Sussex Industries, Milford, Delaware, where she coordinated a $2.2 million capital campaign and successfully increased non-campaign donations.
She has published several editorials for the aviation industry including:
- “How Safe Is Your Water?”
- “Complete Hygiene-Cleaning & the Disinfection Myth”
- “How Green Is My Cleaner?”
Thanks to all of you for your patience and understanding during the time we have taken to search for a person to fill the role of EEC Program Director. We are very excited to have Dora join the team at the EEC to continue to provide support, access to resources, and advice to our members.
Dora will begin work with us on Monday, June 26th. Join us in congratulating her.
Program Director, Emerging Enterprise Center
DORA CHEATHAM, Program Director, Emerging Enterprise Center
Dora Cheatham is the Program Director of the Emerging Enterprise Center. Dora has had a long career focused on sales, marketing and product development in a corporate setting. For the past several years, she has run her own consulting shop focused on assisting small businesses here in Delaware and throughout the region. She has also been a key player in organizational and promotional work for the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance.
Dora Cheatham was born in the UK and grew up in Europe, studying and/or working in the UK, France, Spain and Cyprus regions. She holds degrees in foreign languages and business from Thames Valley University and the University of London and speaks fluent Spanish, French and Greek.
She relocated to Delaware 25 years ago and has since held several positions in International Business Development and Marketing, most recently as International Business Development Manager with Celeste Industries Corp-a subsidiary of ITW, Inc. Where she implemented and managed New Product Development & Marketing procedures to create and commercialize new products on the global stage, generating over $5 million in new business and helping to establish Celeste Industries as a leader in aviation industry cleaning chemicals. On a local level, she has also worked as Director of Development at Kent-Sussex Industries, Milford, Delaware, where she coordinated a $2.2 million capital campaign and successfully increased non-campaign donations.
She has published several editorials for the aviation industry including:
- “How Safe Is Your Water?”
- “Complete Hygiene-Cleaning & the Disinfection Myth”
- “How Green Is My Cleaner?”
Dora is a member of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee, the Delaware Sustainable Chemistry Alliance Operations Team and is an active volunteer for the Biggs Museum of American Art.
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Congrats You Found the Egg
You have found the Easter Egg!
With this code (EGGFREE) you can attend two workshops for free!
April 25 –How to Overcome Customer Objections –
A Growth Wheel Workshop Series
A Finding Your Next Customer Workshop Series
Each workshop is $25 but we are offering the 2 workshops for FREE for you as a valued customer and someone who found the prize. This offer is only valid until April 21.
Use the promotional code: EggFree to receive the discount for registering for both workshops.
Information about the two workshop series:
- The beauty of the Growth Wheel process, like in running your business, is that there is no set beginning, and no end. Based on the situation or opportunity, you jump right in and work towards a solution. And, nothing happens in a vacuum. Everything you do, every decision you make is connected to something else in the business. It’s all about consistency: consistency in your brand, in your message, in your execution. The key is the process you take. The Growth Wheel process is designed to help you:
Focus – Set an Agenda – Make Decisions – Take Action.
- The Finding your Next Customer workshop series is a series that focuses on marketing, networking, social media, and sales topics. Each topic offers a strategic and hands-on context that allows business owners and their appropriate employees a chance to learn from business professionals, on how to work smarter, not harder, to grow the business.
Bulk Workshop Deal
EXTENDED DEAL. This deal will be available for 1 more WEEK!
As someone who is a regular attendee of the Emerging Enterprise Center‘s Business Education Workshops, I wanted to invite you take advantage of our combined offer!
The EEC would love to give you a special deal. 2 workshops at a reduced price.
April 25 – How to Overcome Customer Objections – A Growth Wheel Workshop Series (click on link or bottom of page to read more about this workshop)
May 18 – How Do the Pro’s Overcome Sales Objections? – A Finding Your Next Customer Workshop Series (click on link or bottom of page to read more about this workshop)
Each workshop is $25 but we are offering the two workshops for you as a valued customer of the EEC for $35. That’s a $15 savings. This offer is only valid until March 31st.
Register with this discount here in the April 25th workshop fee section and we will automatically register you for the May 18th event. Login with your member login. Register for “Two Workshops on Sales Objections,” and use the promotional code: 15offmember to receive the discount.
If you happen to be a nonmember and receive this. You can still get $15 off for the two workshops. Login as a nonmember. Click the register for “Two Workshops on Sales Objections,” and use the promotional code: 15offnonmember to receive the $15 discount for nonmember fees.
Information about the two workshop series:
The beauty of the Growth Wheel process, like in running your business, is that there is no set beginning, and no end. Based on the situation or opportunity, you jump right in and work towards a solution. And, nothing happens in a vacuum. Everything you do, every decision you make is connected to something else in the business. It’s all about consistency: consistency in your brand, in your message, in your execution. The key is the process you take. The Growth Wheel process is designed to help you:
Focus – Set an Agenda – Make Decisions – Take Action.
The Finding your Next Customer workshop series is a series that focuses on marketing, networking, social media, and sales topics. Each topic offers a strategic and hands-on context that allows business owners and their appropriate employees a chance to learn from business professionals, on how to work smarter, not harder, to grow the business.
Emerging Enterprise Center Announces Billy D. Productions, LLC as official videographer sponsor for all Finding Your Next Customer and Business Fundamentals workshops for 2017 at the EEC
The Emerging Enterprise Center (EEC) has officially announced that Billy D. Productions, LLC will be the official videographer sponsor for all Finding your Next Customer and Business Fundamentals workshops for 2017. One of the key missions of the EEC is to help businesses develop business skills to tackle not only the nuts and bolts aspects of running a business but also marketing, networking, and sales skills so that they can grow. Billy D. Productions has just recently joined the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce (affiliated with the EEC) and is looking forward to growing his business with the Chamber and the EEC. With this new sponsorship, the EEC can provide one more benefit to its businesses for attending the business education workshops.
The Emerging Enterprise Center wants you to join us for Educational Workshops and Networking! Find a workshop for you and your business at www.eecincubator.com. Register today at www.eecincubator.com. Contact Frank DeSantis at [email protected] or 302-737-4343 for more information on the Emerging Enterprise Center and its many programs that assist businesses in the community.
About Billy D. Productions, LLC:
Every video is a chance to tell a story and at Billy D. Productions I want to be the one to help you tell it. From eternalizing the love on a wedding day to introducing the world to your service or product, I aim to tell your story in a way that will captivate your audience and effectively grow your business.
