York Regional Entrepreneurial Week
Over 125 entrepreneurs attended a series of educational workshops during the York Regional Entrepreneur Week sponsored by the York Keystone Innovation Zone. Workshops featured regional entrepreneur service providers and targeted a variety of groups from investors to young businesses.

A workshop entitled Finance 101 was presented by the Ben Franklin Venture Investment Forum helping young businesses learn how to use their financial information as a management tool to monitor the financial health of their business.  They learned about ratios, breakeven analysis and growth calculations to better communicate with their bankers.

The JD Brown Center for Entrepreneurship held their 2nd Annual York Entrepreneurship Symposium with workshops, roundtable discussions and expert advice from emerging entrepreneurs including:  Women Entrepreneurs: Opportunities & Challenges, The Urban Entrepreneur, Show Me the Money, Entrepreneurship as a 2nd Career, Starting a Part-time Business, and Growing Your Existing Business.

The York KIZ, in conjunction with the Investors Circle of York, held a workshop on the types of information needed for different types of lending and funding agencies to obtain capital.  Entrepreneurs also learned about being “bankable” and types of non-traditional funding sources. Nationally acclaimed “Pitch Doctor,” Steve Bowman, was the featured speaker and a first time presenter gave his investment pitch before the audience and panel giving the participants a firsthand look into the do’s and don'ts of presenting.

The HACC Institute for Entrepreneurial Center and Business Start-up Center kicked off its inaugural event at the new HACC York Campus.  The First Monday events are geared to giving would be entrepreneurs the tools to know what it takes to open their own business.  Participants learned about the rules and regulations that exist for business start-ups and defining business structures.  This program was the first in a monthly series held at this new location.

The Pennsylvania Technology Assistance Program (PennTAP) gave inventors an overview of what is involved in getting your product on the market.  Steps to concept development and the process to protecting the idea were discussed.  Participants also learned about how to assess business opportunity and develop a commercialization plan as well as resources to help make their idea a reality.