Concurrent Sessions

Tuesday
9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

Minority and Youth Entrepreneurship Policies
Some of the tremendous entrepreneurial potential of minority ethnic groups, women and youth continues to be untapped. Explore programs that create and promote policies, networks and systems, including those in rural areas, that feed minority and youth entrepreneurship.

Tuesday
11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Urban Policy Issues and Entrepreneurship
Health insurance, real estate zoning, regulatory barriers, and urban growth patterns are some of the issues especially pertinent to entrepreneurship in urban areas. Discuss the impact of such issues on the ability of entrepreneurs to succeed.

Entrepreneurship in the Economy
Participants will hear about research on the role of entrepreneurship in innovation and economic growth. Communities, regions and states nurture enterprise by initiating activities that involve more risk than usual and by being prepared to engage in economic growth and development that may be more complicated.

Tuesday
1:45 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

Rural Entrepreneurship
Discuss policy issues that are unique and relevant to smaller communities and rural and isolated areas, including access to technology. What alternatives are there to traditional smokestack chasing and business recruitment from other areas that could produce long-term results?

Wednesday
8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m.

Technology Transfer and Institutions of Higher Education
Many colleges and universities are on the forefront of privatizing research and creating viable small businesses. Hear how these institutions work with incubators and other programs to facilitate technology transfers and help entrepreneurs translate knowledge into businesses.

Social Entrepreneurship
Enterprising nonprofits are generating revenue to support a social mission. What is the role of the nonprofit sector in enterprise development? Find out about the current landscape in social entrepreneurship and how private enterprises are breathing new life into public programs.

Wednesday
10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Differentiating National, State, Regional and Local Policies
Learn about the interplay of national, state, regional and local policies in the advancement of entrepreneurship. Discover how policymakers at all levels have worked together to layer programs in order to create a viable entrepreneurship strategy.

Tuesday
9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

Start-up Finance
Bootstrapping for the entrepreneur: Get the latest information on where money comes from to start a business. How can leaders facilitate or make improvements to the availability of capital and credit for entrepreneurs in their towns, cities and states?

New Partnerships
Partnerships can open new doors for entrepreneurs and leverage funds from government, industry and higher education. And partnerships can be the key to creating the right climate for entrepreneurship. Discover how to create a collaborative environment that can provide fertile ground for such partnerships.

Tuesday
11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Working Capital
The availability of working capital influences the character and scope of businesses. This session will look at the sources for working capital and the current state of equity, trade creditors, factoring, lines of credit and short-term loans.

The Mindset of the Entrepreneur–Why Are Some Successful While Others Are Not?
This session will help lenders understand the characteristics of entrepreneurs. By discussing what successful entrepreneurs do, how they think and how they build businesses, a benchmark can be established for gauging the potential for success of would-be entrepreneurs.

Tuesday
1:45 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

High Growth and Expansion Financing
Venture capital fuels much of the entrepreneurial expansion today. Understand the options for high-growth financing and what those sources are looking for as they make investment decisions.

Building an Alternative Finance Lending Team
Microlenders, credit unions, revolving loan funds, community development financial institutions: Financing comes from many sources and some may be new. Learn how to build a lending team that includes nontraditional partners.

Wednesday
8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m.

Investment Tax Credits
Learn about New Market Tax Credits, Enterprise Zone Tax Credits and the Rural Strategies Investment Program. Hear how these tax credits are being used to start and grow small businesses

Wednesday
10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Small Business Administration and Small Business Investment Companies
The Small Business Administration seeks to stimulate and support business growth and innovation. Hear information on the newest programs and tools such as Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) and how they can be used to advance enterprise.

Policies That Attract Investments
The only bad thing about incentives is that they may not produce the desired results. What is working to attract investors to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship development systems? How can policymakers and other stakeholders create a welcoming environment for investments in enterprise?

Tuesday
9:30 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

Integrating Entrepreneurship, Microenterprise Development and Asset Building in Low-Income Communities
Review successful examples of how community-based organizations have integrated microenterprise and other asset-building tools (IDAs, the Earned-Income Tax Credit, and other savings and credit products) to increase the financial security of low-income families.

Tuesday
11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Access to Markets
Entrepreneurs must have a viable market for their products and services. Customized technical assistance, value-added networks, supplier chains and other activities and techniques help entrepreneurs tap new markets.

Tuesday
1:45 p.m.-3:00 p.m.

The Business Plan – Fact or Fiction?
Why are business plans so important? How is a business plan analyzed to determine the level of risk involved in a business? What questions should be asked?

A business plan can provide the information and data needed to minimize the possibility of failure and maximize the likelihood of success.

This session, designed for small business lenders, focuses on the two aspects of the business plan: (1) the elements or information a good business plan should contain and (2) how to analyze the business plan. Participants are provided a tool that helps evaluate business plans.

Wednesday
8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m.

Collaborations to Build Regional Technology Infrastructure
The right infrastructure is vital to the success of entrepreneurship. And access to the latest technology is especially important to entrepreneurs in the 2lst century. Learn how regional technology centers have been established and how clusters have been used to build efficiencies for small businesses.

Wednesday
10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Innovative Networks, Regional Systems and Angel Investors
For entrepreneurship to thrive, there must be support. Entrepreneurs need research, access to markets and suppliers, nontraditional partners – and a way to connect to all of these things. Hear about innovative networks and referral systems that are helping to make such connections and leading to greater success for entrepreneurs.