Strome Small Business Cox Academy
Cox Small Business – Coleman Yates
My idea to start a business came at a transitional time in my career in 2017. As a 19+ year administrator at Tidewater Community College, I was a part of the first college-wide reduction in force (RIF) in 2017. While at TCC. I had worked extensively with the business community to provide consulting, coaching, and training for government agencies, corporations, non-profits, and community- based organizations in Hampton Roads. I had even operated the Department of Labor WIA (WIOA) Regional and Military One Stop System (Education and Training Centers) in the region. Therefore, I was quite knowledgeable of multi-stakeholder engagement and developing education and training strategies to meet the intersecting needs of multiple industries and government agencies along with understanding the impact meeting those needs ultimately has on the local, regional, and statewide workforce development.
Yet, my passion for students and higher education led me to serve as the Dean of Student Success at Elizabeth City State University in late 2017. While serving as the Dean, I had inquiries from potential customers, and I was unable to take advantage of them while holding a demanding, full-time position. However, in January 2019, I decided to pursue opportunities to build the Coleman Yates Group LLC full- time. I reconciled my passion for helping and developing students and adult learners with serving as a consultant, coach, and trainer to not only corporations, government agencies, nonprofits, and community-based organizations, but also secondary schools and post-secondary institutions. This would be my time to share experiences, research, trends, and best practices to make a difference.
During 2019 and through March 2020, I began cultivating relationships and secured a contract to conduct a training series for a local agency. Then the pandemic happened. I was left focusing on the many tasks associated with a business that is beyond word of mouth and past relationships. I had to learn how to build a visible brand and market it broadly. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed, and I am still a bit overwhelmed.
Nevertheless, I began the process of getting connected through the Women's Business Center at ODU. I remembered the value of personal learning and development during tumultuous times. Therefore, I decided to participate in the Cox Academy at ODU's Strome Business School. The Cox Academy was a great opportunity to learn business growth strategies and build a network of other small business owners. While we were all at different parts of the journey as business owners, the shared experiences, suggestions, and engagement were invaluable. I believe we all had an opportunity to lead, offer suggestions, and learn from our cohorts strategies to move our business forward during the pandemic and beyond.
I enjoyed all of the courses! If I had to list the courses that were the most valuable to me, I would include Emotional Intelligence, Marketing, and the Negotiation. I wholeheartedly recommend the academy to colleagues just starting their small business owner journey along with those who have been in business for quite some time. There is incredible value in this program.
Johnna Coleman-Yates, M.P.A. is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Coleman Yates Group.
Cox Small Business – Blue Violet
When I applied for admission into Cox's Small Business Academy, I was not sure what to expect. I had participated in other programs, seminars and webinars and was fortunate to have acquired some knowledge from participating. Cox's Small Business Academy offered so much more. In five weeks, I learned how to better manage, market and maintain my small business.
During week one, I learned essential business development keys to help me better manage my small business. In week two, I was introduced to more management strategies such as the importance of setting goals, developing an achievement plan, offering incentives, and holding staff accountable.
In week three, marketing took center stage and for the very first time, I had to take an in-depth look at my customers and ask simple questions that required complex analysis; questions such as "who are your customers?" Yuping Liu, the instructor, did not just present the idea, she carefully walked the class through the process of not only identifying our customer base, but even more important, learning how to effectively reach them. Liu also explained how search engine optimization works and how to make it work for us. The next day, I updated keywords associated with my small business, making it much easier for customers to find us via Google search engine.
Weeks four and five were dedicated to addressing my greatest fear as a small business owner...accounting. The instructor, Royce Burnett wasted no time addressing those fears, teaching us how to maintain our business through meticulous accounting. Burnett's lecture series thoroughly explained the dynamics of tracking and documenting in a system that society refers to as accounting. We laughed a lot and I learned so many things that I could immediately implement. Today, I am proud to assert that I have successfully filed my business taxes utilizing the quarterly reports that Burnett introduced during his accounting lecture series.
The Cox Small Business Academy was so much more than a series of lectures. Knowledge was shared, mentorship was given, friendships were formed, and businesses were saved. On a personal note, I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate. As a small business owner, I am not confident that Blue Violet Productions, LLC would have remained operational during this pandemic without the guidance and shared knowledge acquired through the Cox Small Business Academy.
Monica Womack is the president and CEO of Blue Violet Productions, LLC, a video production company specializing in documentary media, located in Stafford, Virginia. For additional information, please visit the company's website: www.blue-violetproductions.com
