Count Me In and Capital One Host National Conference to Help Women Veteran Entrepreneurs Accelerate the Growth of their Small Businesses and Create New Jobs
First African-American Female Combat Pilot Will Inspire Women Entrepreneurs from Across the Country and Provide a Motivational Speech on Leadership and Success
As part of its
The conference will feature a business pitch competition that will give the winners an opportunity to join Count Me In’s celebrated Business Accelerator Program. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of panels and workshops, some of which will be led by established women veteran small business owners and Capital One professionals will offer coaching and mentoring during the event.
“The skills and qualities that made these women outstanding military
members – a strong work ethic, discipline, the creativity needed to
overcome obstacles – are precisely the qualities that can translate to
business success,” said
At the
- Learn growth strategies from nationally renowned small business experts.
- Meet women who have built their ideas into million dollar successes through Count Me In programs, who will offer advice and insights on how to think like a CEO, position a business for success, improve work-life balance, and more.
- Pitch their businesses for a chance to join Count Me In’s celebrated Business Accelerator Program, a six-month intensive business education program designed to help women grow their businesses significantly within 18-36 months.
- Connect with motivated women veteran entrepreneurs from across the country in a variety of business sectors – new clients, vendors and peers.
To help women prepare for the conference, Count Me In has been hosting a series of free Pitch Parties for the past six months in select cities across the U.S. for interested business owners. At these events, participating women practice their two-minute business pitch and receive expert feedback and network with other women veteran entrepreneurs.
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Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, VAI Consulting and
Training, LLC ; America’s First African American Female Combat Pilot; -
Brigadier General
Wilma L. Vaught , USAF (Retired) and Board President, Women In Military Service For America Memorial; -
Nicole Baldwin , Owner & Founder, BAIO Skincare; -
Amanda Crow , Owner, PostNet Business Services; -
Harvetta Spann , Co-Founder, The “WAVE” Women as Veteran Entrepreneurs, US Army Veteran; -
Tatiana Stead , Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Capital One, Lt. Colonel (Ret.), United States Air Force Reserve; -
Alicia Marie , Managing Director,PeopleBiz Inc. ; -
Heather Cox , Executive Vice President, Operations, Capital One; -
Cassaundra St. John , CEO and Founder,F7 Group ; -
Susan Wilson , Founder & CEO,The Judgment Group , Spouse of US Military Veteran; -
With
Dawn Halfaker ,CEO, Halfaker & Associates , Board President,Wounded Warriors Project ; -
Cassaundra St. John , CEO,F7 Group ; -
Theresa Daytner , CEO,Daytner Construction Group ; -
Leah Brown , Lead Innovator, A10 Clinical Solutions; -
Stacey Schieffelin , CEO, YBF Beauty, and -
Dr.
Garnett Newcombe , CEO,Human Potential Consultants .
“The energy and motivation that women veterans bring to their business
ventures is unmatched, and we are very excited to use our experience
helping women reach their entrepreneurial potential to help this
important - and growing - group of new entrepreneurs,” said
Forty-six percent of U.S. women veteran business owners say that being a
business owner has helped them transition to civilian life after
military service, according to a survey conducted by Count Me In for
Women’s
Women vets face a number of challenges to growing their businesses, found the Count Me In and Capital One study. For example, nearly half of the women surveyed (46 percent) report that they do not have business plans in place for the next one to two years, a shortcoming that can impact growth and profitability. They also recognize that they have more to learn about building and expanding their business. Twenty-eight percent say their greatest need is learning about securing new customers, while 24 percent say they need guidance in gaining access to capital. Other issues women veteran business owners report facing include managing finances and cash flow (19 percent), creating a marketing strategy (15 percent) and developing a clear strategy for growth (14 percent).
The WVEC program builds on Capital One’s three-year,
Capital One’s partnership with Count Me In is aligned with its commitment to helping aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses of every size grow and thrive – whether it’s directly through their products and services, or through innovative partnerships and programs like WVEC that provide tailored business training, mentoring, and other professional support and resources.
About Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence
Count Me In is the leading not-for-profit provider of business education and resources for women interested in growing their micro-businesses into million-dollar enterprises. Founded in 1999, the organization inspires and instructs thousands of women business owners online, at live events, and through peers, coaches and experts to significantly increase revenues and create new jobs. CMI has developed a reputation nationally and internationally for accelerating business growth and positioning women in the forefront of global economic recovery. For more information on Count Me In programs and resources visit www.countmein.org.
About Capital One
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130423005574/en/
Source:
Capital One Financial Corporation
Shelley Solheim, 917-589-6203
shelley.solheim@capitalone.com
or
Count
Me In
Jodi Brockington, 212-245-1245 x201
jbrockington@countmein.org