About Entrepreneur & Small Business Academy

The Academy is sponsored by Tactical Execution. Visit the Tactical Execution website for more information or connect with us on Facebook. Follow Patrick Schwerdtfeger on Twitter. Connect with the group on LinkedIn.

OUR MISSION: To provide an educational forum for local entrepreneurs to share contacts & expertise.

The Entrepreneur & Small Business Academy provides a structured forum where entrepreneurs and small business owners can share experiences, resources and expertise. Each meeting has a predetermined topic about either innovative marketing or small business logistics. Sales pitches are strongly discouraged and every effort is made to ensure meetings are valuable for members.

Marketing and revenue generation are a major focus. Getting the word out is difficult - no question. There's so much marketing out there that your message carries less weight than ever. But there's also a number of things you can do to increase your level of exposure. Indeed, there ARE still things that work and it's usually a creative, multi-faceted and persistent approach that wins out in the end.

Every marketing campaign has a cost and you have to spend that money long before you ever know if it will work or not. So what do you spend your money on? Which campaign do you start first? And how much cash do you have backing you up? These are the questions we address in our meetings.

Nobody can guarantee success. But the Entrepreneur & Small Business Academy takes a serious and budget-driven look at the various options available in today's increasingly online world. The group also encourages participants to share their own experiences with past campaigns, all designed to maximize the tangible benefits received by everybody.

A standard agenda is available (in PDF format) on the FILE tab so please take a look and provide feedback. We all need to play a part in the organization of this group to maximize the benefits for all members. Some of our past topics are listed below. Take a look at our upcoming events to see if you'd like to attend.

July 2007: Become a Recognized Expert in Your Field.

August 2007: Search Engine Optimization

September 2007: Options for Website Development

October 2007: Grow Your Business with Workshops & Seminars

November 2007: Blogging, Podcasting & YouTube

December 2007: Accounting, Bookkeeping & Tax Saving Strategies

January 2008: Goal Setting for Entrepreneurs

February 2008: Writing a Business Plan

March 2008: Offline Promotion (Sales & Media Advertising)

April 2008: Online Promotion (Driving Internet Traffic)

May 2008: Getting Funding & VC Capital

June 2008: Leveraging Technology Applications

July 2008: Taking a Product to Market with Michael Levin(watch video)

August 2008: Joy in the Jungle; Adventures in Entrepreneurial Thinking with Rosemary Senjem

September 2008: Social Media Integration with Patrick Schwerdtfeger (watch video)

October 2008: Giving a Powerful Presentation with Brad Warren (watch video)

November 2008: WordPress Tutorial with Lee Rodrigues (watch video)

December 2008: Effective Business Networking with Karla Garcia (watch video)

January 2009: Online Branding with Rick Rochon (watch video)

February 2009: Website Conversion with Cheryl Liquori (watch video)

March 2009: Negotiation Skills with Kane Minkus & Jeffrey Slayter (watch video)

April 2009: SEO / SEM with Kimberly Pointer (watch Patrick's video or Kimberly's video)

May 2009: Connect Your Way to Millions with Larry Benet (watch video)

June 2009: Building Social Capital with Craig Peters (no video - sorry)

July 2009: Project Management with Debra Russell

August 2009: Build a Referral Based Business with Annette Bourget

September 2009: Selling Your Product to Retail with Karen Waksman

October 2009: Kane Minkus & Jeffrey Slayter (by popular demand)

November 2009: Accounting for Small Business with Steve Peterson

December 2009: The Art of Personal Branding with Ellen Looyen

January 2010: Google Apps in Detail with Joshua Zerkel

February 2010: Christine Comaford

March 2010: Become a Sales Ninja with Michael Gould

Members are encouraged to give presentations of their own when topics arise where they have relevant expertise. Please review the topics listed above and see where you may be able to contribute. Then just let the organizer know and you'll be added to the schedule for that day.

We hold our meetings at the downtown Berkeley Public Library, right across the street from the downtown Berkeley BART station. It's free, allowing us to hold our meetings without charging a penny. Networking frequently continues after the meeting at a local watering hole. Come spend an evening with a great group of local entrepreneurs and bring enough business cards to hand out.

Thank you!