New Address: Two Embarcadero Center, 8th floor, San Francisco, CA 94111     

Women Vets in LA Nov 6 & Building Etsy Biz

  • WOVEN: Women Veteran Entrepreneurs Network
  • Webinar: Building Etsy Businesses
  • The Goodies – This week’s highlight is to read Claudia’s piece in the Huffington Post about the gender gap in business ownership. Then support Women’s Small Business Ownership Act of 2014. Visit WIPP’s Action Center to write a quick letter.

WOVEN: Women Veteran Entrepreneurs Network

CAMEO invites you and your clients to a special intensive business training, as part of Veterans Small Business Week. Participants will gain valuable, expert insight on finding financing, applying for government certifications, and other resources for Women Veteran Entrepreneurs.

WOVEN-ButtonNovember 6, 2014
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Bob Hope Patriotic Hall
1816 Figueroa St, Los Angeles

We need your help to spread the word about this great event. Download a WOVEN flyer, forward it to your local veteran groups; print it and pass out at your events; send an email to your mailing list.

This one-day training will:

  • Provide skills and business training for 200 women veterans;
  • Connect participants with community-based training;
  • Connect participants to capital resources; and
  • Network women veterans with each other for ongoing support.

The registration fee of $40 includes a full day of training, continental breakfast, and lunch. Whatever stage your clients’ businesses are in, we’ll have interactive, informative sessions that will give your clients concrete steps to move their businesses forward. Scholarships are available, contact Andrew Cole.

Learn more about the day’s agenda and the event on the WOVEN page on our website.

Building Etsy Businesses

CAMEO hosts Rachel Meira Greenwald and Lauren Weisenthal of Etsy on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 11:00am PT for a free webinar – Building Etsy Businesses.


In our increasingly big box world, entrepreneurial artisans, craftspeople, and creative manufacturers struggle to connect with customers who value their one-of-a-kind craftsmanship. During this 45 minute presentation, we’ll illustrate how niche entrepreneurs use Etsy to gain exposure to their target market, share tips for identifying clients who could benefit from having an Etsy shop, give a walk-through of the platform, and review our top tips for advising clients who use the Etsy platform.

To access the webinar and the slides, register for Building Etsy Businesses. For audio, dial (626) 677-3000 with access code 4284853.

The Goodies

New opportunities for training, 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 Industry 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!

Extra Extra: Read Claudia’s piece in the Huffington Post about the gender gap in business ownership.

Member Kudos: The U.S. SBA will provide $1.12 million of funding to resource partners to participate in SBA’s Boots to Business program. Congrats to our member SBDCs and WBCs who serve veterans and work with the program.

California Nonprofit Regional Reports: CalNonprofits released regional and county-level versions of Causes Count: The Economic Power of California’s Nonprofit Sector.

California Employment Reports: Beacon Economics has the employment picture by county for California. Check out your region.

Take Action: Last week, the House introduced a bill that’s identical to the bill introduced by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) – the Women’s Small Business Ownership Act of 2014, S. 2693. Please urge your Senators to support S.2693 by signing on as a cosponsor of the bill. Please visit WIPP’s Action Center to write a quick letter. ( And of course, we’d be grateful if you emailed me to let me know you contacted the Senators.

Take Action: Our friends as ASBC are asking us to spread the word about The Democracy for All Amendment, introduced by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM). It would overturn Citizens United and establish that Congress and the states have the power to regulate election spending. ASBC asks that you add your support as we continue to work against the Citizens United decision and fight to keep dark money out of our elections.

Policy Briefing: Mission Asset Fund will hold a policy briefing on Monday September 29, 2014 10:00-11:00 am PST on SB 896to answer questions and discuss implications of the new law to the asset building field. on Monday September 29, 2014 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PST. Sign up here. The passage of SB 896 makes California the first state to regulate and recognize credit-building as a vehicle for good.

Grant Opportunity: CFED is seeking proposals from nonprofit organizations for the MetLife Foundation’s “Out of the Classroom: Fresh Ideas for Financial Capability” contest. This contest seeks to identify fresh ideas for moving beyond classroom-based financial education and providing financial advice in practical, actionable ways. Ten organizations will be selected to receive a grant of $10,000 each to refine strategies for making these programs more effective. Applications are due Tuesday, September 30, 2014, at 5 pm EDT.

For Your Clients: Chase is giving away $3 million to help 20 small businesses make it big. The application deadline is October 4, 2014.

Member 30th Anniversary: Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center celebrates 30 years of growing Bay Area small businesses on October 8. Renaissance is also proud to honor their Emerging and Established Entrepreneurs of the Year including:

  • Abraham Lopez, Owner of YucaTech Technology Solutions
  • Veronica Granillo, Owner of The Law Office of Veronica B. Granillo
  • Marcel Banks, Owner of Frisco Fried
  • Elizabeth Leu, Owner of Fiddlesticks

Healthcare Webinars: The Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority are helping businesses navigate health care through the webinar series What the Healthcare Law Means For Your California Small Business . It’s every two weeks in English and monthly in Spanish. The next ones are on October 8, 2014 at 10:00am and October 22 , 2014 at 1:00pm respectively. Note the Small Business Health Option Program’s online enrollment function is on hold and will be back online in the fall. Businesses can still purchase insurance through the traditional paper process, working with your Certified agent or the SHOP Service Center. Also Small Business California helped create a new Spanish-language website to help Latino business owners and employees learn how to comply with the health care law.

Economic Forecast Conference: Beacon Economics hosts the 2014 Riverside/San Bernardino Economic Forecast Conference on October 23, 2014 from 7:00-11:00am at The Riverside Convention Center, 3637 Fifth Street, Riverside, CA 92501. CAMEO members receive a discount price of $100 by entering “cameo14” when registering.

New Report: FIELD, in partnership with the Citi Foundation, is pleased to announce the release of the newest findings from the Asset Building through Credit Pilot. The demonstration project worked with five microenterprise programs to test the delivery of secured card, combined with credit coaching, as a tool to help aspiring entrepreneurs to build their credit and move toward their business goals.

CAMEO White Paper: Read the CAMEO White Paper: Do-It-Yourself Economic Growth: How Communities Can Cultivate Their Talent and Thrive.