We are excited to have Christien Fontaine of Altered Ego Design creating his custom laser cut arts and automotive accessories at the CBI Maker Space. Christien owns the same Full Spectrum laser that we have in the Maker Space and has been making some of his creations and volunteering to help others learn what the laser can do. Continue reading
Tag Archives: incubating businesses
Your Invitation to Pitch Night
The Cumberland Business Incubator invites the community to attend the Crash Course MBA Accelerator Pitch Night, May 3rd at 6pm, Roane State Community College, 2569 Cook Road, Crossville. Presenting will be the participants completing the 15 week long Crash Course MBA program. Pitch Night is the final night of the program where the accelerator participants will share their ideas with the community, answer questions and accept feedback.
Participants in Pitch Night will include: Continue reading
Planning for What You Don’t Expect
Planning is difficult for any business. It takes time and intention – and knowing the results you want and how you’re going to get them. How often has one of your plans fallen by the wayside for unforeseen circumstances and pivoting meant starting over from scratch? If you’re like most business owners, that scenario is probably more true than not. So what can you do to reduce your vulnerability? How can you plan for the things you don’t expect?
The answer….you don’t, and yet, you do. Continue reading
How to Use Birdseed to Get Clients & Customers
I think it was a scene in a movie, but something made me think about how that scene related to getting clients and customers. Picture in your mind you are watching people in a park feeding the birds.
Children are chasing after the birds trying to catch them. Almost every child eventually starts to chase the birds. It was quite amusing because the birds always scattered away! Camera pans and now we’re watching the adults interacting with the birds and noticed something fascinating… Continue reading
Introvert Entrepreneurs’ Marketing
We all know that marketing and promotion is an essential part of business – but what if it takes you well beyond your comfort zone and seems to conflict with the essence of who you are? I found this article by Amanda Jesnoewski has some good pointers.
This is for the shy, humble and introverted entrepreneurs among us – the ones who would rather stay in their office than get out and network, and the ones who feel inauthentic and at times even arrogant when singing their praises. Continue reading
Mark Your Calendars!
Roane State Community College’s Cumberland Business Incubator (CBI) will be hosting an Open House on April 13th from 1:00-3:00pm Central Time. The community is invited to the Open House to network, meet CBI entrepreneurs and business representatives, mentors and volunteers, tour the Maker Space and see samples of the projects completed in the Maker Space. Continue reading
Direct Selling Update
The following is a summary of an article that appeared in the March 2016 issue of Direct Selling News:
What is the promise of the opportunity offered by any direct selling company? Direct Selling News (DSN) Ambassador John Fleming: “Direct selling companies offer an opportunity to people from all walks of life, regardless of background, education or skill level, the chance to own and operate their own business backed by material support from a larger brand and supported by a pathway of training.” Continue reading
Marketing Consistency
Many of the CBI clients ask for help with their marketing message. Some of the things we cover during business coaching sessions are summarized below:
A successful marketing plan is built on consistent messages. When you’re building your business it’s tempting to want to try to be all things to all people. Your marketing messages can end up being all over the map. The result: It confuses your customers, and can get confusing for you as well. Continue reading
CBI Crash Course MBA Accelerator Participants
Congratulations to the Roane State Community College Cumberland Business Incubator Crash Course MBA Accelerator participants that will be working on their business skills and business growth over the next few months. Mark your calendars for Pitch Night – May 3rd when all are welcome to hear the business presentations and the outcome of the accelerator process. The Accelerator participants include: Continue reading
Change Your Life…
Change your life… by the books you read. The list below is from Stephen Heiner, “an American in Paris” who sold his business in Kansas City to move to Paris and start several more. I have read many of the books that Stephen lists, and although I may not have considered it before, I do believe that many of them have had an influence on my life. I thought you might enjoy reading what Stephen and I have read. From Stephen: What follows is a brief list for those interested in the life of travel and entrepreneurship you can create for yourself through deliberate and personal lifestyle design. Continue reading