Posts Tagged ‘YWCA’
C.O.D.E. Conference
Posted on: February 24, 2013
On Saturday The Money School of Delaware held it’s annual C.O.D.E. Conference for National Entrepreneurship Week at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. This FREE event was held to give guidance to the small business community in the state of Delaware.
The doors opened at 8:00 am, and after completing a registration form you received a reusable shopping bag courtesy of Shoprite. Attendees then entered the Riverfront Ballroom where over 30 exhibitors including the SBA, SCORE, PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, DEDO, Traci Lynn Jewelry and the YWCA had tables that showcased their products/services as well as items for sale or small giveaways.
On this cold and rainy morning the hot coffee and danish was a welcomed delight, but for each of the attendees all of various ages and ethnic backgrounds they delighted in a common goal; to obtain information and guidance to make their small business more successful. Small businesses are the engine that drives the economy in Delaware and if they are successful, we are all successful.
The conference was kicked off by Mary Caracciolli, The Money Confidant, who emphasized that the day wasn’t about networking but about meeting people, building relationships and doing something for someone else. Opening remarks were made by Lt. Governor Matt Denn, a major supporter of education in the state. Chase was the #1 sponsor of C.O.D.E. and Daryl Graham spoke about the importance of supporting small businesses. Ken Anderson, a DEDO rep stated that small businesses have created the most net new jobs in the state of Delaware. State Treasurer Chip Flowers was also in attendance and video remarks were given by Governor Jack Markell and U.S Senator Chris Coons.
Judy Travis, Founder of Stockings for Soldiers Delaware spoke of how passion drives your business and presented a slide show. Last year, over 10 thousand packages containing 47 thousand stockings were made and shipped thanks to the many volunteers who devoted their time. Volunteers in this effort included students from elementary schools to members of Senior Citizen centers, but donations and volunteers are always needed. One of the major rewards in volunteering for this program is knowing you are improving the morale of our troops serving overseas.
There were two sets of morning sessions from which to choose that began at 9:30 am: Business Start-up 101, and Run Your Business, Don’t Let It Run You. The next two sessions started at 11:00 am: The Business of Your Business and Service…Your Secret Weapon To Success!
I sat in briefly in all 4 sessions and found them to be very informative, enlightening and one was quite entertaining. Ellyn and Robert of SBA and SCORE started their session by having everyone stand and sing along to the song “Good night, I Gotta Feeling”, by The Black Eye Peas, it was a great way to rev up the brain cells.
A light lunch of pizza, and snacks were provided before the final General Session, “Understanding Social Media”, presented by Eric Holtzclaw, Founder and Chief Strategist of Laddering Works, LLC. Using a PowerPoint presentation Eric highlighted the various groups of social media users; discussed understanding social media and how it makes an impact on today’s business.
Audience participation with questions followed, several asking how social media impacts their small businesses and why it was important to brand themselves on the Internet. Social Media whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Google+, is here to stay however, the advice of only using what is comfortable was the underlying message from Eric.
The conference ended with the awarding of Door Prizes ranging from a $100 gift card to autographed copies of Eric’s new book, Laddering: Unlocking the Potential of Consumer Behavior. Overall, it was a great event for anyone with or who is thinking about starting a small business in the state of Delaware. Kudos to the staff of The Money School for all their hard work and effort that made this yet another successful event.
Tags: autographed, black eye peas, C.O.D.E. Conference, chase center on the riverfront, Chris Coons, DCRAC, DEDE, DEDO, Delaware, Delaware Division of Libraries, dfli, door prizes, education, entreprenueurship, exhibitors, Facebook, free, free event, Google, I Gotta Feeling, instagram, LinkedIn, Lt. Governor Matt Denn, Mary Caracciolli, Pinterest, PNC Bank, registration form, reusable shopping bag, Riverfront Ballroom, SBA, SCORE, ShopRite, skill developmet, small business, social media, The Money Confident, the money school of delaware, Tracy Lynn Jewelry, Twitter, US Senator, Wells Fargo, Wilmington Economic Development, Wimington, YWCA
“For Women, About Women, & By Women and the Men in their lives!”
From Purses to Portfolios was a free conference presented by the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute and supported by Citi Foundation. This was the 5th year of the conference which empowers women to take charge of their financial future. Several years ago hubby and I attended a free financial program sponsored by The Money School of Delaware and the presenter was Alisha Adams, from Primerica Financial Services. She later became our financial adviser and I attended other free events, however, this was the first time at the all-day conference.
The 2012 Conference was sponsored by numerous companies including Citizens Bank, The News Journal, State Farm Insurance, United Way, Wells Fargo and others. This year’s theme was FAB – FOR women ABOUT women BY women. Women of all ages, young and old, black and white as well as more than 60 Exhibitors filled the Chase Center on the Riverfront. Some of the FAB Exhibitors included AIDS Delaware; Ardyss; Bank of America; City of Wilmington; Declutter Enterprise, LLC; Delaware Hospice; Easter Seals; Dollar Build; Garages Aux Trois; Goodwill of DE; Mary Kay; SCORE Delaware; Primerica Financial Services; Senior Helpers; Stop The Violence; Wilmington Women in Business;Tastefully Simple and YWCA DE Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship.
Arriving early Saturday morning waiting outside for the 8:30 opening, I stood in line and socialized with a variety of women all there with a common goal – to become more financially literate. Upon entering we received a program, a name badge, two tickets for lunch/beverages and a cute pink leopard print tote in exchange for completing a demographics survey form. After having a cup of coffee and muffin, I walked up and down “Women’s Biz Boulevard” checking out the vendors, filling out forms, taking pictures and exchanging business cards. Later on I met up with my girlfriends and we walked, talked, and then attended the opening session with the key note speaker Mary Caraccioli, The Money Confidante. State Treasure, Chip Flowers and New Castle County President, Tom Kovach spoke for a few minutes as did Governor Jack Markell who almost didn’t make it due to state preparations for Hurricane Sandy.
There were four seminars from which to choose for the morning and afternoon sessions. We chose, Perfect Credit:7 Steps to a Great Credit Rating. Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, a personal financial expert and a NY Times bestseller talked about credit; credit repair; credit scores; rules and regulations; how credit scores affect interest rates on loans as well as insurance rates; jobs and employment. The seminar was very informative and there was ample time for audience questions.
For perfect credit follow these 7 rules:
PULL your credit report regularly
EXAMINE your credit report carefully
REDUCE debt and manage bills wisely
FIX errors to protect your credit
ENHANCE credit file regularly
CONTACT creditors and negotiate
TAKE time educate yourself and reevaluate
For more information check out her blog at @askthemoneycoach.com
Bag lunches were provided and the choices were either a Turkey Sandwich or Vegetarian Wrap, both included a packaged cookie and apple, I chose the wrap which was fresh and delicious!
After lunch we walked “Women’s Biz Boulevard” gathering information from the FAB exhibitors, stopping to test products, enter drawings and purchase raffle tickets.
The afternoon session began at 2:00, and we chose to attend “Retirement:Never Too Early, Never Too Late” sponsored by AARP, and presented by Jean Setzfand, VP of Financial Security. I learned more about retirement funds as well as Social Security benefits and of making wise financial decisions that will affect me in my golden years. I also learned that AARP uses Linkedin to identify and promote the best companies for it’s members, currently at 152. I will definitely enroll the next time I get the application in the mail – lol!
The day ended with a Recognition Ceremony, Closing Remarks and Door Prizes which included items donated by Big Fish Grill; Brew HaHa; Citi; Delaware Art Museum; Hagley Museum; Star Nails & Spa; Trader Joe’s and WAWA as well as new Michael Kors and Coach purses provided by Mrs. Carper and First Lady Markell. None of us won a door prize, however, we did win additional knowledge that will assist in making wise financial decisions and having me think twice before purchasing that next pair of shoes!
Thank you Delaware for a great “Girlfriend Day Out” and I look forward to the 2013 Conference.
Tags: aarp, AIDS Delaware, Ardyss, Bank of America, Big Fish Grill, Brew HaHa, chase center on the riverfront, Citi, citizens bank, City of Wilmington, Coach purse, conference, credit repair, credit scores, declutter enterprises, Delaware, Delaware Art Muesum, Delaware Hospice, Dollar Build, door prizes, Easter Seals, empowerment, entreprenurs, Financial Seminar, free, from purses to porfolios, Garages Aux Trois, Goodwill of DE, govenor jack markell, Hagley Museum, Home Based Business, hurricane sandy, llc, Mary Kay, retirement, SCORE Delaware, social security, Star Nails and Spa, state treasurer chip flowers, Stop the Violence, Tastefully Simple, the news journal, tom kovach, trader joe's, united way, vendors, WAWA, Wilmington Women in Business, women, YWCA
Fashion and Fun after Fifty 
