Najiba Benabess, Dean-Tabor School of Business

You constantly need to tweak, change and sometimes abandon your methods. If you've recently hit a wall in your own leadership approach, let me share with you how to lead with authenticity in the workplace and suggest alternative ways to be a better leader.

Recorded Zoom Meeting: www.facebook.com/899788100125013/videos/1237346766631078

Becky Newton, Owner, Wren’s Gate Garden & Studio

A "farmener" is both a farmer and a gardener! When most of us hear the word farmer, we think of combines and commodity crops, but Becky strives to do things differently! Becky grows hard-to-find, stop-you- in-your-tracks flowers in an environmentally friendly way then sells them to local flower shops, and also offers workshops and tours at her farm. She also wears the hats of small business owner, designer, and nature enthusiast. As we eagerly await spring, come discover this unique industry and get your gardening questions answered too! 

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David O. Edwards, Attorney, Owner of Edwards Group LLC

David has two main goals when helping people with estate planning: To make it easy on your family and To protect what you worked so hard for. Join us to learn the keys to making your estate plan work right and some pitfalls to avoid. You will walk away with a clear idea on what to do now and in the future. David will also be discussing some important legal tools such as wills, trusts, and powers of attorney. Come with your questions and consider inviting a friend who might be helping a parent navigate this situation right now

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Failing Forward: A Female Business Owner's Failures in Pricing, Scaling and Prioritizing

And Why All Entrepreneurs Should Tell These Failures to Market their Business

Kelly Gignon, Founder Grit HQ

Kelly Gagnon a nonprofit, social media guru and owner of Grit HQ will share her business failures, her reasoning for partnering with nonprofits and how she and her team help nonprofits and small businesses with branding, web design, fundraising, content marketing and social media management.

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Speaker: Janet McConville, Life Coach, Path Less Traveled Coaching

Ready to make a real change in your life that lasts beyond mid-January? Join us to learn why taking small steps actually leads to sustainable change. As a Health and Life Coach, Janet McConville will teach us why a coach is so important in this area and how she can provide support and accountability to help you make lasting habit changes.  Plus all attendees get a free life coaching session! Janet coaches individuals in health & wellness, career, relationships, personal and professional growth.  You will finish the evening having learned 4 easy steps that don’t cost anything, help with digestion, provide weight loss, and increase energy… all without changing ANYTHING you eat.  Let’s learn together how we can make small changes to truly change our lives!

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Speaker: Jessica Ashmore

There are a lot of clever ways criminals can rob you or someone you love of your entire life savings. Join us as Jessica Ashmore, DAWN member and Financial Consultant with Edward Jones, describes the most common types of scams and how to identify red flags. You will feel more confident and secure with your sensitive information once you've learned how to protect yourself.

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Speaker: Kim Fields, Co-Owner of 4 Papa Murphy’s Pizza Locations & Account Executive at Jones & Thomas Marketing 

Do you ever feel like you’ve said yes to too many things?  Are you struggling to juggle all of your work, family, and personal commitments?  Join us as Kim Fields shares how she juggles two professional roles, her personal life, and community involvement. Kim is the Co-Owner of several Papa Murphy’s Pizza locations and an Account Executive at Jones & Thomas Marketing. She will share how she got into Papa Murphy’s and what tactics she’s used to grow her franchise business. She’ll also share how she managers to juggle both Papa Murphy’s and a full time job and why giving back to our community is so important amongst a busy life.  If you are looking for some tips to juggle your responsibilities, inspiration from someone who does it all, or just a fun night with some fellow DAWN members, be sure to attend and invite a friend as we wrap up the DAWN season before summer.

Speaker: Rocki Wilkerson, Executive Director, Workforce Investment Solutions

Have you or a loved one needed extra support while looking for a new job?  Or are you having trouble finding the right individual to join your team? Workforce Investment Solutions can help! Join us as Rocki Wilkerson shares what services WIS provides job seekers and how they can help your company find the right team members.  We will hear about the One-Stop Center which provides additional services to the public and wrap up by learning about partnerships between their Business Services Team and the Workforce Board – something your company might be interested in joining.  Be sure to join us for this informative evening!

Speaker: Laquitta Ford, Director of Student Support Services/TriO Program

Join us to hear how Laquitta Ford, Director of the TRiO Program & Student
Services at Richland Community College, targets and assists students who are
first generation college attenders, those who meet federal low-income
guidelines, and/or those with disabilities. For all of these students,
college can be extra intimidating, so Laquitta and her team are there to
help smooth the way to success with the ultimate goal of seeing everyone
graduate.  She will uncover the truth about some of the negative stereotypes
associated with TRiO participants, and in the end, reveal just a few of the
many success stories of TRiO participants and how you can help them achieve
their goals.  You won't want to miss the opportunity to learn about this
inspiring program!

Speaker: Lori Barrett

Join us to hear Lori Barrett share how the MBN has helped take her small business to the next level. The Micro Business Network was created to be a resource and partner to local small business owners and non-for-profit organizations. Through speakers, workshops, and round tables, the MBN discusses topics geared toward smaller organizations that want to think BIG. They know that small businesses cannot always attend all-day training sessions, so they have found ways to break these into smaller sessions that work better around busy schedules. Their mission is to help you work ON your business and still have time to work IN your business! Want to learn more about how the MBN can help your small business, non-for-profit, or organization grow? Join us! Also check us out at www.millikinmbn.com and on Facebook under “Micro Business Network – MBN”.

Speaker: Tony Caccomo

National Foodworks Services (NFS) is the new incubator kitchen in Decatur located in the former Brush College Grade School. NFS has partnered with ADM to help food entrepreneurs with everything from sourcing ingredients to shipping finished goods. Their “food incubator” allows small businesses to share processing equipment and production space to lower their start-up and production costs. They can also get connected with other food entrepreneurs, such as Tony Caccomo, who has already started up a successful small food business. Join us to hear Tony explain what National Foodworks Services does and how they hope to benefit the Decatur area for years to come.