The ATHENAPowerLinkŪ
program is here to help.
ATHENA PowerLinkŪ helps established women-owned businesses grow
and increase their bottom lines. Our customized one-year program
features expert mentoring to address specific needs as well as
ongoing networking. The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce is
proud to be the first to offer the ATHENA PowerLinkŪ program in
Arizona.
The ATHENA PowerLinkŪ program is currently accepting
applications for mentors only.
The ATHENA PowerLinkŪ program is administered by a governing board that works with qualified businesses to understand their challenges and assemble a panel of advisors to provide the expertise and insight to help address those challenges. Each advisory panel is tailored to your company needs and may include experts in finance, accounting, banking, legal, marketing, public relations, or human resources. As part of the process, the panel will review and provide input as required on your company’s business strategy, financial statements and marketing plan. The panel works with your business for a full year. And the best news is that all of this happens at no cost to you. Ultimately, the panel helps you implement "best practices" in the areas where you need the most help.
To qualify, your business must meet the following criteria:
The business
must be 51% owned and actively managed by a woman or women.
You must have been in operation for a minimum of two
years.
You must have a minimum of two full-time employees
(including yourself) or a number of
employees whose total work schedules add up to two
full-time positions.
Annual revenues must be at least $250,000 if you are a
retail or manufacturing business.
Annual revenues must be at least $100,000 if you are a
service business.
The ATHENA PowerLink program provides business leaders with an
opportunity to help drive the success of small businesses in the
Valley. The women business owners participating in the ATHENA
PowerLink program come to us because they recognize their
challenges and are receptive to help. These are dynamic
self-starters who want to make things happen in Phoenix. Our
mentors report a strong sense of fulfillment from participation
and continue on the program after their first experience.
- Have the ability to see the big picture and think
strategically, assisting mentee with seeing it as well
- Be able to commit to approximately 25 hours during a 12
month timeframe
- Commit to attending advisory panel meetings and meeting
one-on-one with mentee as
requested by panel chair
- Hold self and mentee accountable for achieving objectives on
the action plan
- Be objective, provide options, and help mentee stay focused
on overall goal
- Help mentee assess risk/return without making the decisions
for her
- Keep mentee on target
- Lead courageously by providing direct, honest feedback to
mentee
- Be willing to take feedback from mentee and APL board
Finance
•
Financing options
•
Franchising
•
Running a small business
•
Basic accounting skills (i.e. Quickbooks)
•
Tax preparation and/or tax law for small
businesses
Marketing
•
Advertising options and value add of each
(TV, paper, radio, signs, flyers, etc.)
•
Developing a marketing plan
•
Marketing events / programs (ie: parties,
incentive award programs, etc)
•
Defining a brand and value proposition
•
Identifying the highest potential target
for goods or services
•
Identifying creative ways to build awareness for
a company and offering
Business Strategies/Operations for a small- to
medium-sized company
•
Efficiency in use of office space
•
Charging for products/services
•
Options for developing partnerships / service
providers
•
Using key assets effectively
•
Understanding business impacts of market
conditions
•
Understanding when to expand business, products,
services
•
Supply chain management
•
Turning strategy into action plans
•
Defining metrics and measures of strategic
success
Information Technology
•
Using the web to further your business
•
Using technology to enhance your business
•
Building a data base
•
Efficient back office systems
Sales
•
Developing and extending client base
•
Developing and expanding products
Human Resources
•
Using contract resources (law and tax
implications)
•
Recruiting, hiring, termination process for
small business
•
Developing and retaining good employees
•
Mentoring
•
Leadership development
For more information or to become a mentor, please
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