The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team is sponsoring a Dare to Dream seminar on January 5, starting at 104 N. National Avenue for women entrepreneurs. It starts at 5 p.m.
“Our goal is to connect up-and-coming female entrepreneurs with local women who can mentor them,” HBCAT CEO Jody Hoener said. “We want to inspire these ladies to take on their dreams to become business owners themselves! The HBCAT wants to provide opportunities to help our community build wealth and income, to come out of poverty, and to take control of their destiny.”
“This has been a series of four events that have been incredibly well attended and successful,” she said. “Women are coming and asking questions of the panel and speakers. They are talking to each other at their tables, networking, and building each other up”.
A dinner, catered by Drywood Creek Cafe, and a networking time will begin the evening from 5-5:30 p.m.
The Keynote Speaker will be Kristi Banwart.
Banwart will speak about how her hobby of making little girl hair bows for her daughter turned into a multi-million-dollar business in 15 years, Hoener said. “Not only did she build regional and national relationships–but international relationships to help her business grow.”
The agenda also includes a short panel speaker session which will include Rebecca Williams with The Butcher Block, Angela Simon with Bids and Dibs, and Katie Casper with Union State Bank.
“They will each discuss a component of business relationships with its supplier, customer, or professional relationships–they are all instrumental in helping build any business,” Hoener said.
“We will then have open question and answer so the attendees can ask questions to the speakers, The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce staff, HBCAT staff, or Pittsburg State University’s Small Business Development Center staff,” Hoener said.
There is free childcare available if registered prior to the event.
The support for the seminar is grant funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to Healthy Kansas.