New ways to train, network and brainstorm in Southeast Missouri

Anthropologist Margaret Meade is known for saying, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Southeast Missouri business leaders have many opportunities to gather for networking, workshops, community projects, brainstorm sessions and leadership courses. They may not be changing the world -- yet -- but they're getting one step closer. Here's a look at just a few of those opportunities for innovation:

__Women Inspiring eNtrepreneuership Conference__

The third annual Women Inspiring eNtrepreneurship Conference is set for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 11 and 12 in Cape Girardeau. Organized by Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the conference includes female speakers on topics relevant to small business and entrepreneurship, displays by local business and services and more.

"It's a day of networking and activities and inspiration for women who are entrepreneurs or small business owners or support female entrepreneurs in some way," explains Sandra Cabot, assistant director of outreach at the CIE. "Sometimes we have couples who have a business together. It's a special day for women to get together and talk about common issues surrounding small business ownership and growth."

Cabot is expecting 80 to 100 attendees from Southeast Missouri and beyond.

"What we hope to come out of the conference long-term would be to have women in our region more connected with each other and with other female entrepreneurs, and to connect them to resources available to them to help their businesses start up and grow," says Cabot.

The conference kicks off the university's Global Entrepreneurship Week, an annual celebration set for Nov. 15 to 20 this year. The week is a chance for students, faculty, staff and members of the local business community to get together for business activities, contests and presentations.

For more information or to register for the WIN conference, visit www.semo.edu/cie/win.htm.

__Dale Carnegie courses__

Hendrickson Business Advisors began offering the prestigious Dale Carnegie training courses in Cape Girardeau this year, graduating its first class in late May. There are 305 courses available, says Rhett Hendrickson, but Dale Carnegie is famous for its four foundation courses: the original Dale Carnegie Course in Effective Communications and Human Relations; Leadership Training for Managers; High-Impact Presentations; and How to Sell Like a Pro.

"They're valuable because they are so widely recognized throughout business world," says Hendrickson. "They are offered in 88 countries around the world and because each one is ISO 9001 certified, you get the same course in Cape Girardeau that you would get in London or Tokyo or Beijing. You're trained at the same level as people anywhere in the world."

Some courses are public, while others are arranged privately with businesses or small groups. Participants so far have represented a mix of career fields, from not-for-profit and government to service and manufacturing, but Hendrickson says the courses are open to all who want to improve their relationships with other people. In fact, he describes the program not as a series of business courses, but a series of personal development courses.

"I hope that we can develop a community of people who are better at communicating with each other without arousing fear, resentment or anger. It seems that these days we communicate more with satire and malice and derision, and then we tend to respond in kind when people speak that way to us," says Hendrickson. "What we give participants in the Dale Carnegie course are tools that they can use in conversation to respond positively when people speak that way. People can use those tools to help them engage in conversations where they don't necessarily agree with the other person, but they can still have a conversation that allows them to state their position without arousing resentment or anger."

For more information about the courses, call Hendrickson at 573-335-1885.

__Leadership programs in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Sikeston, Mo.__

The chambers of commerce in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Sikeston, Mo., offer leadership programs for area business leaders to network with others, brainstorm ways to improve the community, boost their leadership skills and simply learn more about the community they work in every day.

"We started (Leadership Sikeston) to support our young professionals in the community, and it has proved to be a very successful and popular program. It is useful for new business members to our community as well as born-and-raised Sikestonians," says Missy Marshall, executive director of the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce. The Bootheel community's program covers government, community service, media, education and medicine, says Marshall, with agricultural business being one of the most well received sessions.

"We have already seen increased participation by our younger leaders in our community and governmental organizations, as board members and volunteers, so I think it is safe to say this is making a difference," says Marshall.

Leadership Jackson consistently graduates diverse classes representing education, the medical field, small businesses, banking, not-for-profits and more, says Brian Gerau, executive director of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce.

"The main goal is to educate people on the inside of Jackson and what goes on behind the scenes. The primary goal is so people have a better idea of what goes on a day-to-day basis," says Gerau. And it seems that once participants learn more about the local business scene, they graduate with a renewed enthusiasm for community involvement.

"A lot of leaders want to get more involved in Uptown Jackson and helping to bring more retail and other businesses to the area," says Gerau. "We also lead focus groups to get ideas from Jackson-area residents."

__Operation Main Street__

Old Town Cape and Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship partnered this summer for its first Operation Main Street business success series. The training program was designed specifically for the needs of Old Town Cape businesses, says Gina Harper, project coordinator at the CIE, and was open to some 300 businesses in Old Town Cape's district.

"This was a series designed to strengthen existing downtown businesses," says Marla Mills, executive director of Old Town Cape. "It was tailored to the businesses involved and attempted to give them a good look at where they were, discuss where they wanted to be or what the next level would be, and gain some tools and design a plan to get there, moving them to the next level."

Once businesses were accepted into the program, they were offered mystery shopper reports, one-on-one needs assessments and financial business counseling, says Harper. Based on the information gathered during that process, training was customized to meet each business' needs, whether it was human relations, finance and customer service or marketing and QuickBooks tutorials. The series concluded with a review of the business' three-year goals.

Harper hopes those who completed the series will be better prepared for an increase in customer traffic once the Isle of Capri casino opens, and as Broadway Corridor projects progress. Thanks to grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Small Business Administration, Operation Main Street was offered at no charge to local businesses.

"We hope to use this successful model in other communities and customize training for a downtown or business district area of a community, because most downtown businesses in our region have the same issues," says Harper. "We found some amazing experts living right in this immediate area, so we are confident other communities have experts who just haven't been introduced to the small businesses that need their help."