THE INSTITUTE FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP HOSTS SMALL BUSINESS MENTORING EVENT AS PART OF PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL COMMITTEE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE JANUARY 18
Hackathon Event Matches Volunteer Business Experts With Small Businesses Owners To Help Them Overcome Challenges & Prepare For Growth
Small businesses who are struggling, experiencing challenges or need some expert capacity-building advice to get to the next level can attend the Small Business Hackathon hosted by the Institute For Entrepreneurial Leadership on Monday, January 18 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST. The event is hosted virtually through ZOOM.
Business experts will be available to render assistance on a specific set of projects. Business attendees can choose 3 projects that interest them. They will then be matched with a volunteer to help them on one of the selected projects. Attendees must be available for the duration of the two-hour event and complete prerequisites at least 48 hours in advance. Registered attendees will receive a ZOOM link prior to the event. Registration is available by visiting
The list of available projects includes:
Create Financial Projections using our Excel template
- Deliverable: 36-month financial projections
- Pre-requisites: Pricing and cost information
How-to: Reading Financial Statements
- Deliverable: Discussion about what your financial statements are telling you
- Prerequisites: Print out of your income statement and balance sheet (and cash flow statement if you have one)
Create a Competitive Analysis Framework
- Deliverable: List of primary competitors and key differentiators/competitive advantages
- Prerequisites: Links to competitor websites
Create a Better User Experience for Your Website
- Deliverable: Prioritized checklist of ways to improve the user experience on your website
- Prerequisites: Link to your website; Description of your target audience
How-to: Driving More Traffic to Your Website
- Deliverable: Discussion about strategies for driving more traffic to your website
- Prerequisites: Link to your website and social media sites
Social Media Setup or Review
- Deliverable: Setup up of at least one social media platform and discussion about how to get the most out of it
- Prerequisites: Description of your target audience
Creating Social Media Content Templates
- Deliverable: Discussion about the elements that make strong social posts; 10 social media templates including hashtags
- Prerequisites: Description of your target audience, link to any existing social media sites
How-to: Creating Job Descriptions
- Deliverable: Up to 3 job descriptions for key positions
- Prerequisites: List of the job descriptions needed, review of job description template,
How-to: Strategies for building your present or future team
- Deliverable: Prioritized list of key hires
- Prerequisites: List of current team members; list of functional responsibilities, i.e. what
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP
Founded in 2002, the Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership (IFEL) is an independent, not‐for‐profit organization that supports economic development through entrepreneurship. We are experts in creating and implementing small business programming in support of larger economic development objectives. Our mission is to eradicate the systemic barriers that prevent entrepreneurs of color from being able to access the knowledge, networks, and capital required for business success. Visit us at https://www.weareifel.org