1. Assessing Your Strengths 2013 Assessing Your Strengths 2013

2. Welcome  Introductions  At your tables, introduce yourself with:  Name and discipline;  Your entrepreneurial product or service;  A natural strength you have that can help you be successful.

3. Entrepreneurial Strengths Strengths/Skills/Characteristics: Strengths/Skills/Characteristics: Adaptability (flexibility as market changes) Adaptability (flexibility as market changes) Collaborative (connected; different groups) Collaborative (connected; different groups) Passion (+usefulness = what people want) Passion (+usefulness = what people want) Persistence (pick yourself up) Persistence (pick yourself up) Risk-taking (recognize opportunity) Risk-taking (recognize opportunity)

4. Gender Differences Women: Tend to have less small business experience Tend to have less small business experience Network primarily with other women Network primarily with other women Have financial and non- financial goals Have financial and non- financial goals Different reasons for going into business Different reasons for going into business Men: More likely to believe they have the skills Ask for larger amounts of start-up capital Start businesses with mainly financial goals Are more likely to have multiple small businesses

5. Entrepreneurial DNA Builder Builder Strengths: Driven; Focused Strengths: Driven; Focused Opportunist Opportunist Strengths: Risk-Taker; Act Strengths: Risk-Taker; Act Specialist Specialist Strengths: Expertise; Depth Strengths: Expertise; Depth Innovator Innovator Strengths: Creative; Client-oriented Strengths: Creative; Client-oriented From: Entrepreneurial DNA by Joe Abraham

6. Assessing Your Own Strengths Strengths: Adaptable Collaborative Creative Passion Positive Risk-taking Responsible Self-Confident Visionary Others: Apply your strengths: Example: use Visionary to decide what matters Use Collaborative to partner Use Risk-taking to start Use Passion to stay the course

7. Networking People and organizations to add: YOU

8. Resiliency Facing reality Facing reality Dealing with what is Dealing with what is Making meaning Making meaning Creating opportunity from adversity Creating opportunity from adversity Developing relationships Developing relationships Asking for support Asking for support Improvising Improvising Making do with what you have Making do with what you have Changing Changing Capturing the learning Capturing the learning

9. Covey Quadrants: Important and Urgent Covey Quadrants: Important and Urgent Important, Not Urgent (planning; research; design) Important and Urgent (emergencies; commitments; meetings; planned tasks, etc.) Not Important, Not Urgent (non-revenue) Not Important, but Urgent (interruptions: cell phone, trivial tasks)

10. Taking Action How will you use your two best strengths this week or this month? How will you use your two best strengths this week or this month? Identify at least one person and one organization to add to your network Identify at least one person and one organization to add to your network Pick a development area and decide how to grow. Pick a development area and decide how to grow.