social venture labs offers a focus group workshop model to small business owners who are looking to improve their marketing, web site and project management. Additional focus is offered on the “virtuous cycle” of social entrepreneurism: bottom line contribution in their community.  Participants will work directly with the social venture labs creator, Christine Haskell, as well as learn from peers. 

Clients can attend at any stage of their development. The lab is for making progress on projects related to the topics below and I assist clients with specific needs outside of the forum (help with business or marketing plans, or more general consulting).  

What the lab covers

Brand/Marketing 101
- Is your brand identity clearly aligning with your service offering?
- Do you find that brand resonates with your audiences?
- Is your value proposition clear?

Finance Lite
- How often do you review your numbers?

- Do you concentrate solely on the bottom line? What project-based metrics do you measure?

- Do you have a view that communicates a holistic story of your business?

- How do you contribute to your community?
- Are you measuring too little or too much? Not at all?

Web Site Review
- Can your audiences figure out your purpose in 3 seconds?
- Are the most effective paths on your website easy for customers to find?
- Does your web site compliment your on-offline programs?

Social Marketing
- How does Facebook and other social networking sites help you collect more customers?
- How can blogging affect your business?
- Do you have a point of view to communicate? Does your business have something to tell people?

What clients learn:

• How to evaluate the messaging for their business
• How to critique the customer experience on your web site
• How to think of your web site as a blended environment (integrating both on and offline)
• How to prioritize your key marketing/sales needs in your site design
• How to look at your balance sheet as a tool for project management
• How to think of project initiatives that will serve you and the community—and make money
• How to hone in on a social networking strategy that works for you (blogging, twittering, app du jour)

I am looking to support business owners that want to make progress on projects and who are looking to learn from others’ experiences. If this is what you are seeking or if you want to talk with me directly, feel free to contact me with questions.