Do you have a great business idea but lack the necessary business know-how to get started? Does your small business need a little coaching to keep moving in the right direction? Do you want to network with some of the best and brightest business minds in the city of New Orleans? Learn from the region’s top mentors at IDEAInstitute by The Idea Village, sponsored by the Downtown Development District.
IDEAinstitute is the Idea Village’s signature business education program and it’s free and open to the public. Workshop attendees will learn about various aspects of running and maintaining a business from some of the most prominent business minds in Louisiana. The workshops only have capacity for 25, so act fast and enroll today! There are two sessions this week: Building your Brand Identity with Dirty Coast’s Blake Haney, and Market Sizing & Opportunity Assessment with Dr. Ralph Maurer, Executive Director of the New Orleans Startup Fund.
To register for an IDEAinstitute session you must sign-in and enroll through the Idea Village’s entrepreneur portal by clicking here.
The IDEAInstitute regularly brings together entrepreneurs and mentors covering a broad variety of educational topics.
Building Your Brand Identity
Presenter: Blake Haney (Dirty Coast)
Date and Time: November 15th from 3:30-5:00pm
Location: The Idea Village, 515 Girod Street
Capacity: 25
Description: A strong brand is invaluable. A brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot. In this workshop, entrepreneurs will explore how to access their customers’ needs and feelings, and create potent and sticky brands around their products and services. Blake Haney is the founder of Dirty Coast Press and the Creative Director at the Canary Collective. He’s a fiercely proud New Orleanian, and he’s committed to building brands that honor and speak to the city’s vibrant, wild spirit.
Market Sizing and Opportunity Assessment
Presenter: Dr. Ralph Maurer (New Orleans Startup Fund)
Date and Time: November 17th from 3:30-5:00pm
Location: The Idea Village, 515 Girod Street
Capacity: 25
Description: Many entrepreneurial ventures fail because they are not designed to exploit a true market opportunity. They are “solutions looking for problems” or “products looking for markets,” instead of the other way around. This seminar is designed to help entrepreneurs answer the following questions: Is there a real market for my product? If so, how big is it? What percentage of the market can my product or service realistically hope to capture? After thinking about these questions, entrepreneurs will have a better idea of whether it’s time to go to market, pivot, or totally reconsider their plans. Dr. Ralph Maurer is the Executive Director of The New Orleans Startup Fund and responsible for the day-to-day operations of the fund. He is also currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at Tulane University, Strategy Director of the Levy-Rosenblum Entrepreneurship Institute and a principal (on leave) of the strategy consulting firm EMH.