Entrepreneurship

Jeníca always showed up engaged and encouraging. She had a fresh perspective and advanced knowledge of social marketing platforms and engagement strategies. I had been working with a marketing expert for a few years and had achieved quite a few milestones in terms of branding, so I wasn't sure how Jeníca would help me in this area. However, she shared a wealth of knowledge and tactics that were timely and appropriate to where I was with my startup. I was confident going into the mentoring; I feel capable of achieving my marketing goals with the tools and support Jeníca has provided.

Jeníca listened attentively and was able to figure out how to best support my business's marketing efforts. I took this class because I didn't know a great deal about business development. I learned that in some ways what I had already done to create my businesses assisted me with being able to tap into additional resources aside from startup things that I'd already done such as applying for a business license, filing for my FTB, obtaining my resales certificate, and obtaining my trademark. Programs and mentors like Jeníca are needed throughout our communities.

Jeníca's communication skills and attention to details were amazing. Her patience with understanding my thought process and making sense out of my business plan to be able to create a concise marketing strategy for my business was exactly what I needed. My first meeting gave me the confidence to know what it took to support my business ideas. I felt unstructured and uncertain about my plans but after meeting with Jenica, she was able to give structure to my business plan.The process of working on my SWOT analysis was an eye-opener to the depth of my thought process and my vision for my business. Thank you for your commitment to working with your clients and giving clarity to their business goals.

Working closely with Jeníca to formulate a marketing strategy for SOLARIS Aeroponics helped my company to properly identify its market. Jeníca was able to come up with client personas, in terms of who are the people buying the product. What I liked best about working with Jeníca was her attention to detail. By brainstorming what my company has to offer, Jeníca was able to formulate a strategy for SOLARIS Aeroponics to get traction in the market. She provided me with a detailed report that I can use towards my website and marketing. Having another perspective allowed me to add ideas that I have never thought of. I have participated in other highly regarded incubators in the past but came away with more from this incubator.

The experience that stood out to me the most was that Jeníca was able to take my crazy ideas and turn them into marketing material. The best part was not feeling alone and feeling like I had someone else to go to. Being a business owner can be lonely especially when things are not going well. Having someone to express those things to and have them turn it into something was amazing. I was worried that I would sound crazy and I wouldn't be able to come up with anything for marketing but working with Jeníca, she was able to take all of my ideas and thoughts about my business and word them in a professional manner that I can present to the world.

I followed the presentation directions quite literally and created a pitch deck with an investment ask at the end. I made a joke about "following the directions too closely" and said "if anyone has some money burning a hole in their pocket, come see me." This was 100% a joke and was not intended to be taken seriously. HOWEVER, after the presentation, I had 2 people approach me asking if I was serious about looking for investors, as they are interested in investing in Foot Kinetics. I was blown away and caught completely off guard, as this pitch deck was put together over the weekend and only practiced 8 times. The Small Business Virtual Incubator Program gave me the vote of confidence I needed...as it truly is the push that so many entrepreneurs need to feel confident in taking the leap!