Women's MBA Network: Becoming a Woman of Influence

The Women's MBA Network, in collaboration with the Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs, is proud to present:
"Preparing Today's Entrepreneurs for Tomorrow: Entrepreneurial Exchange"
Developing and Supporting Entrepreneurial Women through Education and Networking
Sponsored by: Penn State University Great Valley, Blank Rome LLP, Bookminders and CEO Think Tank

Entrepreneurial Exchange: From Ideas to Revenues

PROGRAM SESSIONS

Session 1A
1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Creating a Business Plan (Beth Cohen, Blank Rome LLP)

Every business needs an executable business plan and strategy. The entrepreneur must be able to clearly articulate the critical points that will impact the launch and growth of the business, including: the need being addressed by the product or service; target market and size; competitors; path to sales; and achievable financial projections. Beth Cohen serves as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Blank Rome and has advised hundreds of early stage businesses on business plans, strategy and raising capital. This session will offer the "Do's and Don'ts" of business plans, including guidelines for thinking through your business plan and strategic advice for launching and growing your business. The discussion will include how to communicate a compelling business plan that will make a positive impression on an investor or lender, and what to expect when seeking outside capital.

Session 1B
1:45-p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Intellectual Property (Nicole Galli, Feldman Gale LLP, Lori White, CSS Industries, Lisa Salley, Entrepreneur and Lorraine Marchand, BioSpark LLC)

In this session, Nicole D. Galli, Esquire, Lori White, Esquire (in-house counsel, CSS Industries), Lisa Salley (entrepreneur, engineer and investor), and Lorraine Marchand (President and CEO of BioSpark LLC) will discuss best practices for entrepreneurs when dealing with intellectual property (IP) issues. Questions to be addressed include: (1) What IP issues need to be considered when starting or in the early stages of a business? (2) How are the issues different if the company is acquiring versus developing the IP? (3) Do all kinds of companies need to be concerned about IP? (4) Why is it important to worry about IP when you are just starting a business? (5) Can't this wait until later, when the business is more developed? (6) How do you find and select an IP lawyer? And (7) How much does all this cost and are there ways to manage the cost?

Session 1C
1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Sales: Considerations in the Launch of a New Product (Larissa Milne, Consultant and Lola Sergeant, Covidien Corporation)

This session will look at the sales component of a company's growth. A company can have a terrific business plan and valuable products to offer, but it needs to know how to identify and reach the right customers. The focus of this program is how to identify and/or create new markets for products in development, channel development, value propositions (B to B and B to C), and advertising. The panelists will use practical real-life examples as they discuss this important topic.

Session 2A
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Money – Executive Compensation and Finances (Linda Resnick, CEO Resources and Mary Brislin, Citrin Cooperman)

Linda and Mary will talk about considerations for the new company related to executive compensation and how to set up and operate a solid financial system. Linda will focus on the various ways to compensate your executives now to retain the talent you have, and how to recruit and compensate additional talented executives as your business grows. Mary will talk about what good financial statements can say about your company and discuss some basic building blocks for establishing the finance and treasury functions of a new and growing organization, including fundamentals for getting started on the right foot.

Session 2B
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Finance for the Life Sciences Industry (Kate Shay, Duane Morris and Adele Oliva, Quaker BioVentures)

Financing a life sciences company is a challenging and sometimes difficult process. Kate and Adele will discuss how to identify potential financing sources, keys to approaching such sources, the capital raising process and the impact and roles the venture capital investor will play in your company after the initial (and hopefully subsequent!) financings.

Session 2C
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Practical marketing concepts for right now and for the longer-term (Matt Sarkees, Ph.D., Penn State Great Valley)

This session will focus on practical marketing strategies and tactics that promote effective and efficient decision-making for use in both today's difficult economic environment and over the longer-term. Topics include understanding the customer base, managing customer relationships, managing marketing resources, and social networking in the context of marketing.

Session 3A
4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.: Outsourcing – How, When and Why? (Tom Joseph, Bookminders, Angie Nader Penn Valley Group and Ron Woodmansee, Woodmansee & Co.)

As any new CEO knows, one of the trickiest parts of starting a new high growth business is determining how and where to obtain the necessary support services. Our panelists will talk about the use of outsourcing over the life span of a business, from virtual company start-up to more mature companies, with a focus on the outsourcing opportunities available for the most vital functions - the financial function, human resources and employee benefits.

Session 3B
4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.: Funding the Business for the Non-Life Science Company (Catherine Adams, Wells Fargo Bank; and Ellen Weber, Robin Hood Ventures)

Funding comes from many sources, and different businesses pursue different kinds of financing, based on their needs and business plans. This panel will focus on bank financing, personal asset financing, angel investing and government-sponsored programs (SBIR, KIZ) as sources of capital for a business, and discuss the different implications arising from the chosen method.

Session 3C
4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.: Human Capital – How to Motivate the Staff (Karen Fascenda, GSI Commerce and Carol McCoy, GSI Commerce)

Doing more with less can sometimes be hard, but ultimately can be very rewarding. This panel will discuss issues and considerations in motivating and incentivizing employees and consultants through the lean years, and adapting and changing your incentive arrangements as the company grows and expands. Our panelists have worked for and in rapidly growing businesses and can provide valuable insights.

Plenary Session
5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Donna Marie De Carolis, Ph.D., LeBow College of Business, Drexel University (Sponsored by CEO Think Tank)

The AWE education year closes with this inspiring discussion by Dr. DeCarolis of where we are, and where we are going. Dr. DeCarolis will talk about the current state of entrepreneurship – its challenges and rewards, with a focus on local companies who have successfully weathered this challenging economy to succeed.

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Networking Reception

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