As a key initiative to support local startups in our 2014 program, we’ve been holding workshops each Monday focusing on different aspects of launching  successful startup venture.

These workshops are part of our 2014 open accelerator program that is open to a6ll who want to attend workshops presented by experts in areas such as legal identities, intellectual property, SEO, building successful business models, and much more!

Here’s what you’ve missed:

Branding, Messaging and Positioning

Rod Whitson, Bankers Bancorp of Oklahoma

Rod presented attendees with the question, “What is your brand promise?”

 

Failing to properly communicate a brand promise can stop the launch of a startup company before it can actually start. Brand promise is key to a startup’s pitch and promotion. Startup entrepreneurs have to be able to sell their brand by answering the question, “If I engage in a relationship with you what can I expect?”

 

Rod’s presentation hit the point by calling up popular brand logos and asking attendees to name the brand promise.

 

Along with brand promise, Rod presented the concept of brand identity asking attendees to assign human personality attributes to a brand to create a brand that people can relate to.

Legal Essentials for Startup CEOs

Gabe Bass, Bass Law

Gabe’s presentation approach to legal essentials created a casual atmosphere for attendees to openly ask burning legal questions about company identities, legal documents, tax filing, and legal issues that can arise when seeking investors.

 

The presentation opened by introducing the pros, cons, and whys of choosing a particular legal entity for a startup company – e.g. Limited Partnership (LP), Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), S Corporation, etc. Then, he delved into the formation of documentation for a startup company and how to avoid unmet expectations with the proper documents.

 

As many startups seek investors to get their companies off of the ground, Gabe introduced how term sheets create an outline for an investor interested in a startup company and how to handle valuation of shares.

 

Overall, Gabe’s workshop provided attendees with great, free legal insight into the hows, whys, and what ifs of launching a startup.

SEO for Startups

Ruth Burr Reedy, OPUBCO Digital Marketing Services

Ruth, current head of OPUBCO Digital Marketing and former head of SEO at Moz, is passionate about SEO and the benefits that it can have for a startup company when properly used and managed.

 

With the growth of social media marketing and promotions, SEO is a hot topic. Ruth presented our workshop attendees with insight into what their website needs to really succeed:

 

Your website needs to be fast and full of rich content! Lagging or slow page generation loses your audience’s attention and flat content will lose their interest.

LaunchOklahoma will be holding more workshops through September. Don’t miss these great opportunities to hear from local experts!  Click the links below to find out more information and RSVP to the workshops!

Awesome Business Models – How To Find One For Your Startup

Monday, September 8, 2014

Presented by Piyush Patel, Founder of PL Studios and Digital Tutors

Financial Planning & Fundraising for Startups 

Monday, September 15, 2014

Presented by Richard Gajan, Professor in Entrepreneurship at OSU School of Entrepreneurship

Intellectual Property

Monday, September 22, 2014

Presented by Doug Sorocco, Owner and Intellectual Property Attorney at Dunlap Codding

Angel Investors

Monday, September 29, 2014

Presented by Kraettli L. Epperson, Owner of JumpPhase Ventures 

For questions regarding our workshops and program, please contact our Program Coordinator, Andrea Jones at AJones@LaunchOklahoma.com.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Kraettli Lawrence Epperson

Managing Director at JumpPhase Ventures

This blog is dedicated to providing advice, tools and encouragement from one entrepreneur to another. I want to keep this practical and accessible for the new entrepreneur while also providing enough sophistication and depth to prove useful to the successful serial entrepreneur. My target rests somewhere between the garage and the board room, where the work gets done and the hockey stick emerges.

Latest posts by Kraettli Lawrence Epperson (see all)

• The Entrepreneurial Journey: Interview with Our Founder Kraettli L. Epperson - October 12, 2024
• Do entrepreneurs do their own taxes? - August 31, 2019
• A venture capital firm asks to interview you; What do you do? - August 31, 2019