Past Meetings
June Meeting
Thursday, June 19, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Robin Culbreath - Branding and Marketing
Robin Culbreath Limited
Gammelgården Museum in Scandia, MN
Robin Culbreath specializes in designing brands, products, residential and retail environments. She is passionate about design and color in all forms.
She has been designing brand identities and images for more than twenty years.
Robin seamlessly merges her intuitive understanding of lifestyle trends with strategic processes, creating powerful, experiential brands and products.
With a degree in Art History, Robin loves to write about what she sees. She recently launched her magazine, Savvy Hip | Smart | Aware.
Robin routinely writes for:: Fine Furnishings International, Midwest Home, Midwest Home Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine.
She is an in-demand speaker and authority on consumer lifestyle trends and color forecasting. She has been quoted in numerous publications.
She is a member of the Color Marketing Group and US Green Building Council.
Robin founded the OverAchieva Diva Alliance of high-octane women entrepreneurs with go-getter attitudes, helping each other achieve success.
When not designing, Robin enjoys a lovely life in the award-winning conservation community of Jackson Meadow with her husband Mitch, their yellow-lab Rembrandt Van Rijn, and three cats, Lily, Tom and Mila.
Robin is currently writing a home furnishings book.
Thursday, May 15, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Topic: Follow up to "Successful Marketing Plans Begin with SWOT Analysis"
Speaker: Kathelen Weinberg
Where: Gammelgården Museum in Scandia, MN
SWOT Analysis Notes
Thursday, April 17, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Topic: Successful Marketing Plans Begin with SWOT Analysis
Speaker: Kathelen Weinberg
Where: Gammelgården Museum in Scandia, MN
In this hands-on working session, you will learn how to analyze your business for its strengths and weaknesses. You’ll learn to identify opportunities and threats to your business, exploiting the first, protecting against the second. You’ll leave this working lab session with the skeleton of a marketing plan that you can apply to your business. Bring a notebook or a 3-ring binder so that you can capture “your business” marketing plan on paper.
Bonus: 25 ways to market for FREE!
Thursday, March 20, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Topic: Business Owners, How Much Is Your Time Worth?
Speaker: Kathelen Weinberg
Where: Gammelgården Museum in Scandia, MN
The topic for the March 20th meeting is, "How Much is Your Time Worth?" Hopefully it will give all of us an idea how much per hour we should consider our time so we can try and figure out which things that we should do ourselves as business owners and at what point to we bring in assistance and use outside resources.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Gammelgården Museum
What information do you need to get ready for your website?
Thursday, January 17, 2008
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Gammelgården Museum
20880 Olinda Trail
Scandia, Minnesota 55073
651-433-5053
Guest Speaker: Don Berry of Berry Bros Inc.
"Using your website to market your small business" by Joan Berry
Web Design Basics (.pdf document)
"Search Engine Optimization... what's it all about" by Kate Houst
Search Engine Optimization (.pdf document)
"On-Line Payments... which is best for your business" by Nadya El-Afandi
Hosting by Sue Nickelson, Ironwood Golf RangeWednesday, November 14th, 2007
8 a.m.- 10 a.m.
Coldwell Banker Burnet
2020 Washington St
Stillwater, MN
651-430-7764
(Located near Herberger's and Perkins)
The following is the presentation I will bring to your Entrepreneurial Group on Wed. November 14 at 8 am. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you. I know you'll find this information very interesting especially given how we view our business success.
Joni Polehna
Mind Body Spirit Integration
651-592-6181
Mind Body Spirit Integration
How we view our world plays a huge part in how we live out our life. There's nothing new about that, right? But when we actually begin to take stock in what our thoughts and beliefs are, we realize how they promote or penalize what we are trying to do and how we are trying to live. How we perceive our world can help us to soar into new horizons or stress us into shutting down. You will learn how and why you react as you do under stress and things you can do to release that stress in order to function and remember more fully. We will also discuss being clear about what you want and ways to direct your energy to those desires. Most of all, our time together will be fun. Put on your FUN hat before you come to the meeting. It's a must! See you Wed., November 14.
Thursday, October 25th, 2007
Jake's on St. Croix
651-275-9700
117 Main Street South
Stillwater, MN 55082
Jen Stewart and Peter Grimes: Shop owners of Jakes on St. Croix
a Genuine Neighborhood "Life is good®" Shoppe.
The idea of opening a Life is good® Genuine Neighborhood Shoppe store was first introduced to Pete and Jen by friends in Duluth with a successful GNS of their own. They tossed the idea around, and wondered if they could, or would want, to be business owners. Between the two of them they had over 30 years combined experience in outdoor retail sales in the following areas: Cashier, Sales floor associate, Merchandising, Independent sales reps, Store manager, and Buyer, They had no business background or training.
Sometimes the universe lets you know that it is time to get in gear, and while Jen was out of town Peter committed to a space on Main St. with a three-year lease. Upon Jen's return and after a few days of panic they decided to open the Life is good® store in downtown Stillwater. As with most other aspects of their lives they figured they'd jump in and learn what they needed on a day-to-day basis. Jen and Peter took possession of their space on March 1 and opened their doors for business on May 11. Five months have passed and it's beginning to make sense... some days... other days, not so much.
Thursday, September 13th, 2007
Join the St. Croix Valley Entrepreneurs' Group to hear from Kirsti Raney of Red Rover Kids and from gondolier John Kerschbaum about taking the business plunge in the St. Croix Valley... and making a GO of it!
Kristi Raney and her husband Mark own Red Rover Kids, a wonderful children's store located in the Brick Alley at the south end of Stillwater. They have clothing, shoes, and lots of unique toys for kids. If you haven't been to this store yet, you should go see!
John Kerschbaum is the owner of Godola Romantica, the now-famous Venetian gondola experience for the St. Croix Valley. John has been featured in many news clips, from Good Morning America to Minnesota Monthly and Minnesota Business. And yes, it's a real gondola from Venice, and no, there is no hidden motor!