San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 11, 2014
What’s the best way to jump-start a business? Learn from entrepreneurs who have been there.
The San Francisco French American Chamber of Commerce Business Booster, a four-day entrepreneurship program, features workshops by business veterans enlisted to help new entrepreneurs learn key fundamentals to jump-start their businesses and help them avoid the most common business mistakes.
Two startup veterans were on board for the Fall 2013 Business Booster. Donna Bletzinger of Strategy for Global Markets and Marilyn Suey of Yerba Buena Financial Partners, shared their startup experiences with the group.
Bletzinger’s Go-to-Market Strategies for startups introduced the components of an effective launch, covering the task-driven framework to get a product or service into the marketplace. Her workshop emphasized the methods employed by American business, comparing them to potential differences between an American and a French approach.
“The Go-to-Market plan and its execution is the make or break point for a startup,” she said. “It’s where lots of companies fail.”
Suey addressed five missteps she encountered during her tenure as an executive in the high tech industry. Her remarks encouraged entrepreneurs to learn from mistakes and start fresh with a transformed sense of what it takes to run a successful startup.
“What defines success for a startup? What defines failure?” she queried the group. “One is finding the right people to fit the company’s culture. If it’s not the right fit, don’t wait too long to make changes. It’s upsetting but more so if the entire firm fails.”
“The Business Booster is one of our most popular events,” declared Sophie Woodville-Ducom, Executive Director for the San Francisco Chapter of the French American Chamber of Commerce. “It assists French companies looking to expand into American markets and provides guidance on how to get started in the Bay Area.”
The French American Chamber of Commerce is a primary forum in Northern California for French and American business leaders to meet and discuss common interests. Members benefit from the opportunity to exchange ideas with other business professionals in a wide variety of fields with emphasis on relationships in France and the United States.
The Business Booster has existed for eight years at the Chamber.
Yerba Buena Financial Partners, LLC is a private wealth management firm providing truly independent boutique service with a clearly defined dynamic process that seeks to grow and protect wealth. Based in San Rafael and with clients nationwide, we are dedicated to helping select individuals, businesses, and non-profits manage and distribute their wealth. Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Dyer Stephenson, Yerba Buena Financial Partners and LPL Financial are all separate entities.
Strategy for Global Markets is a division of Dyer Stephenson, a strategic marketing consultancy that facilitates intercultural understanding for companies entering global markets. The company is based in the San Francisco Bay area.