That’s it for the World Series – Startup Spring Training 2022 has come and gone!
In its debut year, the 5-week event series helped Phoenix, Arizona’s amazing business and venture communities plan, build and grow. In this three-part blog series, we take a look at the sessions that were covered and bookmark resources for you to return to time and again.
We’d like to give a special shoutout to all of the sponsors, partners, speakers, and attendees who made this series so great. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Here’s what we learned in Week One and Two:
Week 1:
“Meet Local Businesses Leading Social Change with SEED SPOT”
- Four SEED SPOT alumni entrepreneurs shared their experiences and advice from starting social impact businesses in Phoenix, AZ. Catch the recording
- Drew Shaw’s advice: “The best way to start taking action on something you want to do is to start a conversation with someone who is important to you. The next step should be writing down your goals – putting things into writing makes them real!” Keep up with Drew and Voyce Threads.
- Jaime Martinez’s advice: “Go talk to the customers you want to sell to, even before you have anything real built, and try to sell them something! Selling is how you’ll get your company funded.” Stay in touch with Jaime and Schola.
- Sandra Flores’ advice: “You need to know yourself and what you’re offering inside and out – many entrepreneurs aren’t as clear on this as they should be. Understanding YOUR unique offering helps you avoid comparing yourself to others, increases your self confidence, and allows you to stay true to yourself!” Connect with Sandra and learn about LISC’s small business support.
- Kirk Johnson’s advice: “Take care of yourself, entrepreneur. YOU are the machine that drives your business machine. Nothing happens if you’re not rested, well, and sustained. Forgive yourself and be patient!” Keep up with Kirk and Sounds Academy.
“Destigmatizing Financial Conversations: Women & Money”
- Kim Ho, Director of Sales at evolvedMD, shared tactical advice, useful phrases and questions, and real-life examples for how to start conversations about compensation, salaries, and payments. Access the slides and notes.
- Kim’s advice: “Everyone’s relationship with money has been influenced by their unique ‘fi-motional history’: how our life experiences have shaped our emotional relationship to finances. It’s critical to explore our personal ‘fi-motional history’ to overcome barriers to money conversations.”
“Entrenamiento de Primavera | Técnicas para conocer y encantar a sus futuros clientes”
- Did you know that Startup Spring Training has Spanish language classes available as part of Entrenamiento de Primavera presentado por Prestamos CPLC?
- Natalia Ronceria led a hybrid presentation for finding, meeting, and delighting your future customers. Watch the recording here!
“Design Thinking Workshop: Unlock Your Creativity”
- Design Thinking is a “build as you go” approach to creating new solutions that customers will use and buy. When you use design thinking, you involve your customer in your design process, getting their feedback along the way to ensure they love what your business will offer.
- One of our favorite resources for design thinking is the free Stanford d.school Starter Kit that teams can use (even remotely through a video call!) to learn the method and practice design thinking together. Check it out!
“Techniques for Meeting and Delighting Your Future Customers”
- Manny Lucero, Business Advisor at Prestamos CDFI, led a hybrid (in-person and virtual) presentation full of directions and examples for defining your target market, building relationships with customers, strengthening your customer service skills, and improving retention. Watch the recording here!
- The Prestamos WBC (Women’s Business Center) is a great place to find education, business support, and access to capital – get involved.
Week 2:
“Business Models for Making Social Impact with SEED SPOT”
Tristan Gandolfi led entrepreneurs through an interactive workshop that combined social impact goals with a solid plan for earned revenue. Watch the recording and download this useful Revenue Models Workbook resource.
- Tristan’s advice: “Most businesses have the potential to earn revenue from multiple ‘revenue streams.’ Getting creative about monetizing your value gives you more resources to use to make the impact you want to see.”
“How to Sell Your Products into Retail”
Evelia Davis, a top tier retail executive with over 30 years of experience in retail buying and planning at big brands, led a virtual workshop on how retailer buyers stock their shelves. Watch the recording and access the slides. (Bonus: it’s full of amazing quotes!)
- Evelia’s advice: “When talking to a retailer, you’re not just trying to sell your product, you’re also interviewing them to see if they’ll be a good partner for you. You should be listening twice as much as you talk; it should be a 2:1 ratio.”
- Stay in touch: Visit Evelia’s business, The Diaspora Collective, online and subscribe to her newsletter to get notified when her Phoenix space opens!
“Crafting an Attention-Getting Elevator Pitch”
In this interactive session full of live coaching and examples, participants honed their 30-second pitch with Dinora Gonzalez from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
- Catch up with the recording! (password: 5i6r$q==) At minute 17:00 there’s a useful elevator pitch template.
- Dinora’s advice: “The elevator pitch is a great tool that not only communicates your business, but forces you to define things like your market segmentation in a very clear way. This keeps you focused so you can earn more revenue from those who are most likely to be your clients!”
- Free online courses: Check out amazing free courses on DreamBuilder (available in English and Spanish) that teach you all the skills and knowledge you need to start or grow your own business!
- Esta sesión también fue impartida en español por Ana Paula Chavarry Pizzorno; mira la grabación en español aquí. (contraseña = &+pKt4ti)
“Entrenamiento de Primavera | Construir su equipo y la cultura de la empresa”
¡Startup Spring Training ofrece clases de español como parte de Entrenamiento de Primavera presentado por Prestamos CPLC!
- Instructora Natalia Ronceria Ella nos enseñó cómo construir un equipo diverso y una cultura empresarial sólida. Mira la grabación en español.
“Building Your Team and Company Culture”
During a hybrid (in-person and virtual) workshop, Manny Lucero, Business Advisor at Prestamos CDFI, provided frameworks and core concepts to businesses of all sizes to assist in building a diverse team and strong company culture. Watch the recording here!
- If you are looking for education, business support, or funding, the Prestamos Women’s Business Center is the place for you! Get involved.
“Hustle PHX Grind Clinic: Social Media Channels”
Huy Nguyen, Content Creator at Phoenix-based OH! Partners marketing agency, shared examples, advice, and instructions for how to build your brand’s social media presence.
- Huy shared this useful “Social Media 101 Cheat Sheet” resource.
“Emprendimiento con un propósito” con Univision Arizona
- Jorge Méndez y Vanessa Nielsen hablaron sobre cómo marcar una diferencia positiva sin sacrificar los ingresos del negocio. Mira la grabación en Facebook Live.
- Visite los negocios de Vanessa en Sol Book Box y BILINGUIFY!
To find more Spring Training resources to help accelerate your business, visit Part 2 and Part 3 of this series!
If you’re looking for one-on-one assistance with your business, take a look at SEED SPOT’s other programs, such as the Impact Accelerator or 2-Day Launch Camp – programs designed specifically for early-stage entrepreneurs (that’s you!!!)!
More questions? We’ve got you! Email us at connect@seedspot.org.
