Rescheduled for 3/3/22

Good to Great 

Registration for this event has closed. Please contact Chapter Manager, Arien Lawless at arien@nawbocbus.org if you would like to be put on a cancellation list. 

Take your business from Good to Great! Start 2022 off with this annual event where the speaker is at your table! 

Don't miss your opportunity to attend one of the most popular NAWBO Columbus events - Good to Great!  

Attendees will rotate tables, spending time with 2 different business leaders as they present on specific topics geared towards helping entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level. Register now to receive your first choice of speakers. Attendees will choose their top 3 speakers at registration.

This year's speakers and topics include:

• GROWING YOUR BUSINESS WITH GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS with Deonna Barnett, Aventi Enterprises

• USING YOUR UNIQUE CORE VALUES TO ATTRACT CUSTOMERS & TALENT with Jason Fain, Gerber, LLC

• MOVE FROM COMBATIVE TO COLLABORATIVE IN 4 STEPS with Teresa Harlow, Promethean Publishing LLC

• BAD CONTRACTS: RED FLAGS TO WATCH FOR with Maritza "Shay" Nelson, Law Office of Maritza S. Nelson, LLC

• THE POWER OF NETWORKING with Ralph Smithers, Jr., Encova Insurance

• STRATEGIC NETWORKING & RELATIONSHIP BUILDING with Gina Studer, First Penguin Coaching LLC

• CREATING LEADERS IN THE WORLD OF WORK- EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION with Jackie Walker, Executive Director, SkillsUSA Ohio

• BLOW YOUR OWN DAMN MIND with Melissa Wick, Owner, Wick Law Offices, LLC
  

See below for key takeaways and learn more about our speakers!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

TABLE SPONSORS

EXHIBITORS

Click HERE for Good to Great Sponsorship Opportunities. Support the mission of NAWBO Cbus and gain exposure for your business!

Growing your business with Government Contracts

Deonna Barnett, CEO & Managing Consultant, Aventi Enterprises

Women-owned businesses are leaving money on the table. City, state and federal government agencies set goals to do business with women-owned businesses each year but not many women come to the table to make the deal. Contracts can offer a sense of stability in business with consistent, monthly payments with 1, 2, or 3 year contracts. In this session, we'll discuss ways to do business with the government and getting on track to win government contracts in 2022.

Key Takeaways:

• What types of products and services the government is looking buy.
  
• How to leverage your WBE certification to get contracts.
  
• Where to find contract opportunities.

Deonna Barnett is a small business strategist and consultant with expertise in business planning, financial management, operations, and marketing strategy development.  She is owner and consultant of Aventi Enterprises, LLC, strategic consulting firm in Columbus, OH that helps small business owners access capital and government contracts.  Aventi focuses its efforts on the development of women and minority-owned businesses with emphasis on business strategy and planning, preparation for financing, certification and contract assistance.

Using your Unique Core Values to attract Customers & Talent 

Jason Fain, Advisor, Gerber, LLC.

Core values are the principles that guide your business and culture. They show your clients who you are and help your team work together towards the same goal. Establishing the right core values for your organization is the first step in building your business for success. Join Jason Fain from Gerber, LLC for an interactive workshop to establish your core values and understand what really makes your business unique!

Key Takeaways:

• Create core values that can be used to attract the right people on your team
  
• Understand the impact of carefully crafted core values and integrating them in your business
  

With over a decade of experience in the financial industry Jason is passionate about helping first-generation entrepreneurs integrate their business and personal goals. As Gerber’s Client Advisor, Jason enjoys interacting with clients – who he considers to be some of the most creative and successful people in Columbus – to manage their overall experience, relationships, and outcomes for their business and life. Jason joined the Gerber team because he was intrigued by the firm’s unique role in the advisory world, and was excited for the opportunity to help first-generation entrepreneurs succeed in business. Advising and consulting are skills he has refined after working the last decade for two of the most well-respected institutional asset managers in the industry. 

Move From Combative to Collaborative in 4 Steps

Teresa Harlow, Promethean Publishing LLC

Conflicts with co-workers, customers, or suppliers can have devastating impacts on business productivity, profits, company morale, and employee satisfaction. For over 30 years, best-selling author and speaker, Teresa Harlow has been transforming combative relationships into collaborative partnerships while leading large teams to achieve extraordinary results. She does this by applying her 4-step Combative-to-Collaborative (C2C) formula to her most challenging relationships. Now she's sharing this formula with you so that you too can achieve the success and happiness you desire. Participate in this roundtable and walk away with an action plan to improve your most difficult relationships.

Key Takeaways:

• Name the 4 steps to transform a combative relationship into a collaborative partnership
  
• Identify business relationships that could benefit from applying the C2C 4-Step formula
  
• Create a 4-step Combative-to-Collaborative Plan for at least one business relationship
  

Teresa Harlow is a bestselling author, speaker, and collaboration champion. She has spent over 30 years in corporate settings and as a business owner working with people to achieve feats they thought were impossible. As an author and speaker, Teresa helps teams and individuals adopt an empathetic mindset, reconcile combative behaviors, and enjoy more collaborative relationships. She is a member of the National Speakers Association and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Her latest book is Combative to Collaborative: The Co-parenting Code. Learn more at TeresaHarlow.com. 

Bad Contracts: Red Flags to Watch For

Maritza "Shay" Nelson, Law Office of Maritza S. Nelson, LLC

Small businesses are often relationship driven. And this leads many entrepreneurs to doing business on a handshake or with poorly drafted agreements that don’t protect their best interests. Unfortunately, I see too many problems and disputes arise that could have been avoided or minimized with a well drafted agreement. And those problems and disputes are incredibly expensive and time consuming to resolve, which takes time and money away from growing your business and reaching your goals. 

Key Takeaways:

• Having a well written contract doesn't mean you don't like or trust the other party.
  
• Even with like and trust, a good contract addresses what happens if things don't work out. 
  
• How do you make sure your contracts protect your business interests---financial, intellectual property, ownership of the business, etc.?
  

Prior to venturing out on their own, Maritza “Shay” Nelson spent 7 years at two of the nation’s largest law firms. Shay then decided that practicing law could be about more than how many hours could be billed and now works almost exclusively on a flat fee basis. Clients range from start-ups to growing businesses and non-profits with nearly 100 employees across a wide variety of industries. Shay is a proud graduate of Howard University (B.A. Political Science summa cum laude) and The University of Texas School of Law (J.D.) 

The Power of Networking

Ralph Smithers, Jr., Encova Insurance

Networking is the life blood of business, and for that matter, life itself.  Ralph will talk about his personal journey and provide practical tips and techniques to be better at networking.

Key Takeaways:

• Networking comes naturally to some but can be learned by those who struggle
  
• Networking all the time and at unexpected places can by big dividends
  
• Too late to buy a fire hose if the building is already on fire.   Play the long game!

Ralph Smithers, Jr. leads Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement at Encova Insurance. He leads the company’s diversity and inclusion efforts as well as manages the Encova of Ohio Foundation (including relationships with community stakeholders).   Ralph joined Encova (Motorists) in 1989.   He has extensive experience in a variety of operational roles including personal lines, commercial lines, customer service as well as human resources.   Ralph has been recognized as an Outstanding Diversity Champion in 2019 by Columbus Business First, the President’s Award from the Columbus Urban League Young Professionals, 2020 Advocate of the Year by the Ohio Minority Suppliers Development Council. 

Strategic Networking & Relationship Building

Gina Studer, First Penguin Coaching LLC

People buy from people that they know like and trust, and it takes time to cultivate those relationships.  My experience has taught me to learn and trust the process.

Key Takeaways:

• Every person has value.  Every person can offer something. 
  
• Covey's Time Management Quadrant - How much of your time as a business owner are you spending on making new connections and cultivating current ones?  
  
• Strategic Networking - what businesses serve the same audience as yours?  Who would make a great strategic referral partner for your business?  
  

After spending the majority of her career in sales and marketing, Gina Studer pursued a lifelong dream by becoming a Certified Career Management Coach and launched First Penguin Coaching.  Gina’s mission is to empower career changers throughout the discovery process, to educate them on all aspects of career management, and to connect them with resources that can help them move forward with their goals.  Her clients walk away with clarity, confidence, and lifelong skills that will serve them throughout their professional lives. 

Creating Leaders in the World of Work- Empowering the Next Generation

Jackie Walker, Executive Director, SkillsUSA Ohio

Empowering students to understand and realize their potential is critical to ensure the success of not only America's Economy but the World’s Economy. So many stigmas today surround our youth when in fact maybe they have just never had someone that will say “I believe in you”, or “I am proud of you”. The youth of today is ready, but we need to give them the opportunities to learn, grow, succeed, and yes, even fail. 

Key Takeaways:

• Invest in the future of work
  
• Be a part of the conversation
• Believe in the potential of our youth
• Always say "yes" to an opportunity 

Jackie Walker is the Executive Director for SkillsUSA Ohio, she has a Master’s Degree in Nursing from Drexel University with a focus in leadership and management systems. She was a practicing Emergency Trauma nurse for 12 years and while finding that incredibly rewarding she has discovered working with students Career Technical Education to be her true passion. Her history with SkillsUSA began in 2001, as a student. Since then, her primary focus within the organization is building partnerships between business and industry, educators, students, and community leaders to provide the most opportunities for students to be Job Ready Day 1. 

Blow Your Own Damn Mind

Melissa Wick, Owner, Wick Law Offices, LLC

As an attorney, I love the law. Legal keeps you safe, and good legal gives you confidence. But over time I've noticed clients need more. They need a blueprint to help them address things like overwhelm, fear, failure. So, I became a life coach! My kind of coaching is WILD. It is NOT elevator pitches and business plans…instead….it’s blow your own damn mind using thought work to create the results you want! Your thoughts create feelings, your feelings drive your actions, the actions you take create your results! Let me show you how!

Key Takeaways:

• Recognize that you can choose how you want to think about any circumstances in your business.
  
• Understand that your thoughts about the circumstances in your business cause your feelings, NOT the circumstances themselves, i.e., take your power back, baby!
  
• Recognize that your feelings come from your thinking...and, understand how intentionally generating the right feelings are key to achieving goals and feeling amazing

Hi! I’m Melissa. With over 15 years of experience as a small business attorney, my passion lies in helping you create, manage, and grow the business of your dreams while making sure you are legally protected. How do I do it? I take the time to understand YOU and the unique needs of your business. Of course, I give you spectacular legal representation, but the BEST part is that I teach you how to get over your own BS so that you can blow your own damn mind! Legal + Mindset = AMAZINGNESS! Fear, overwhelm, anxiety, confusion...BRING. IT. ON. 

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Registrations must be paid in advance. There are no refunds for cancellations. 

Special Notes:

Are you a new member or a first time guest? Stick around after the meeting to attend the Huddle, where you can learn more about the benefits of NAWBO Columbus and how you can get more involved!

Registrants agree to the NAWBO Columbus photography release unless they have otherwise notified us at arien@nawbocbus.org.

• All special dietary and meal requests must be submitted with your registration by the registration deadline. We regret that we can not provide alternative meals or substitutions that are requested at the luncheon.