- CAMEO’s Annual Meeting and SEA
- Shark Tank – Help CAMEO Member Client
- The Goodies: information on important opportunities like trainings, funding, scholarship programs. This week’s highlight is a new member benefit. Through 2012, CAMEO members will receive a 20% discount to the Mighty Minnow Web School in Oakland. Contact CAMEO for the discount code and information on assistance with travel costs.
CAMEO’s Annual Meeting and SEA
CAMEO’s Annual Meeting was last Wednesday and Thursday in Sacramento. We had a blast and hope our members did too. At the Rural Summit we learned Internet niche marketing strategies and how Stewardship Tourism can bring new visitors who want to give back. We role played diverse stakeholders to sharpen our negotiating skills; we learned how to grow firms with ‘economic gardening’ tools and then celebrated our Face of Entrepreneurship winners. Mendocino Solar’s Bruce Erickson and Maggie Watson with West Company’s Pamela Patterson (and CAMEO board member) are in the photo to the left. MIHO Gastrotruck’s Kevin Ho and Juan Miron flank ACCION’s Elizabeth Schott and Claudia in the photo to the right.
To open our Legislative Day, Judy Hawkins led a great discussion with Barbara Halsey of the California Workforce Association, who gave us the insider’s view of working with local WIBs. Then in the Speaking Truth to Power session, we gave you tools to use – data, media, messaging and advocacy.
The focus of our advocacy last week and right now is bringing the federal Self-Employment Assistance program to California. The SEA law will allow the unemployed to keep their unemployment benefits while they start their own business plus it provides funding to administer and provide training. Thanks to member visits, we have gathered enthusiastic support amongst legislators. Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (D – Davis) is willing to sponsor a bill that will enable the State to participate in SEA. CAMEO is ready to launch a public awareness campaign promoting this legislation through our social networks. This is a historic opportunity and a big breakthrough for our industry.
I posted lots of notes and resources, as well as videos of the awards (Mendo, MIHO). Also, checkout your colleagues and tag yourself in the photos from CAMEO’s 2012 Annual Meeting!.
Shark Tank – Help CAMEO Member Client
One of the 2011 graduates of Goodwill Orange County Microenterprise class, Leezette Lopatic, auditioned for ABC’s Shark Tank a couple of weeks ago. She has made it through the second set of call backs and they have now asked her to submit a short video audition. She has placed it on You Tube, and is asking for people to ‘like‘ it. She says:
Your “Like” will help me solidify my brand’s appearance on Good Morning America. They contacted me last week about featuring my line. This will also help me solidify my deal with Nordstrom… I met with the National Director of Retail and her daughter and spoke to the Director again two weeks ago. She wants my
line in Kids, BP and Women’s Accessories. I’m working on my proposal now.
Vote for Fashion FLEXY and Haute Things, Inc.!
The Goodies
New opportunities for trainings, conference information, funding, scholarships, and other information that have crossed our desks since the last Must Know: I have posted a running tab of current Goodies on the CAMEO website that lists items that were in past emails. Check it out to make sure you’re not missing anything, like grants whose deadlines are still alive!
New Member Benefit: Through 2012, CAMEO members will receive a 20% discount to the Mighty Minnow Web School in Oakland. Mighty Minnow is picking up the role of teaching technology to non-profits as Compasspoint has discontinued its tech classes. For non-Bay Area members, remember that CAMEO can help defray travel costs. Contact CAMEO for the discount code and information on assistance.
Take Action: Support Senator Harkin and Senator Casey’s microloan amendment (SA 2245) to the Farm Bill. The amendment would authorize micro-lending opportunities within the Department of Agriculture. Learn more and sign on. It takes about 30 seconds.
More for Rural Members: On Monday, President Obama announced nearly nearly $2 billion in additional funding will be invested by the end of fiscal year 2016 to help rural small businesses expand and hire. And the White House released a new report Strengthening Rural Communities.
Free NDC Training: Citibank will pay the $690 tuition for NDC Training’s Mixed Use Real Estate Financing Class, June 26-28 in San Jose.
Free Webinar: CAMEO co-sponsors a webinar with Small Business Majority – Credit Crunch: Small Business Lending on Friday, June 29, 2012 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PDT. Learn more and register.
For Your Client: Chase and Living Social have a new grant program for small businesses Mission: Small Business They will award up to 12 individual grants of $250,000 to 12 small businesses. The deadline is June 30, 2012.
New Report: CFED releases “The VITA Value Proposition”, a new report that justifies the expansion of free tax assistance programs to include low-income entrepreneurs. The report argues that tax time is a crucial opportunity for low-income entrepreneurs to formalize their businesses, thereby minimizing risk and gaining access to money-saving tax credits.
Job Opportunities: Check out our jobs page. The Aspen Institute/FIELD, CFED Opening Doors, and Working Solutions have new openings.