Show A little business savvy j s sKim Kim Nguyen Contributing Writer A change in career after ten years can be an intimidating thought for most people but for forone forone forone one person it was vas the chance to do what she loves Danielle Lower worked it in the corporate banking field for ten years handling big clients like Huntsman but then decided she wanted to todo todo todo do something different while still utilizing her background in finance and her MBA The change ultimately turned int o 0 a rewarding position for Lower as the Director of Women's Business Institute Lower is now part of a multi- multi layered program to help women entrepreneurs start their own business or grow their existing Business San Savvy Continued on Business Savvy Continued from fromAl Al business Lower states that the helps about women a year and has seen various business ideas transform from dreams into reality These businesses es esrange range from a healthy living diet charts business to a amobile amobile amobile mobile pet washing and grooming business The assists entrepreneurs along the different stages of business development nt focusing on practical business know-how know instead of business theories We are designed to help the broader business community through business and economic development Our courses are more practical Instead of teaching business concepts and theory its it's here are the things you need to run your business says Lower This on hands-on approach includes different entrepreneur courses and workshops such as the First Step F class This 12 week class is an education program to help individuals evaluate and develop their business idea Another resource available is one- one one on-one counseling sess sessions ons where clients receive professional coaching on a weekly basis weekly bi-weekly or more if needed Other tools available include assistance with market research networking events and a resource library Most of these resources are available for free or at minimum cost The not only help local women become successful entrepreneur they have branched out their efforts to help international women as well through the Women's India Trust Karen Gunn the Dean of the School of Professional and Economic Development went on a Governors Governor's Trade Mission in India In India Gunn met Nath Chief Executive of the Women's India Trust who requested help from to promote their WIT mission of providing income generation opportunities for impoverished women in the region In 2007 the Women's India Trust Initiative was launched to fulfill the requests of receiving entrepreneurial training obtaining micro- micro loans to purchase equipment and supplies and creating of US U.S. market opportunities to sell the sewn good produced by WIT We a team from the went over last spring and trained 65 of their women They are an organization that helps bring women out of poverty by giving them skills training to sew household goods and sell them in an open market We trained them in entrepreneur skills says Lower Lowers Lower's hope is to expand the WIT Initiative to business students through internships and classes This expansion would give business students experience running an international company and marketing these products in inthe inthe inthe the United States Helping people from different countries gave way to another idea to help refugee entrepreneurs in Utah Its morphed We started just working local entrepreneurs entrepreneurs' offering our basic services Then Karen went to India on a trade mission with the governor and made contact with WIT Then we expanded into the international market Then we naturally connected with the state office of refugee services who needs these kinds of services for refugees and women group It naturally has taken its course and grown Which is great says Lower The has collaborated with different organizations to develop some pilot programs to help refugees In the first fast pilot program the along with Fashion Institute are collaborating with Art F Form a non profit organization to train refugee groups in inthe inthe inthe the sewing business Right now they are working with two refugee groups One of the groups is from Sudan who wanted to make their traditional African dresses which are hard to come by in Utah but didn't know how to make and sell them The combination of Fashion Institute know know how how howin in sewing and the to know know- know how ow in business will make this possible The second pilot program is a collaboration with the State Office of Refugee Services The pilot program will start in May 2009 and will help a Somali Bantu group The will provide a 12 week management training to this group on organizing as non profit This will allow them to obtain funding from grants to help build and support their group in inthe inthe inthe the community The has asked members of the community to help out with different areas such as legal accounting leadership human resources and volunteer coordination If these pilot programs prove successful the hope is to open these programs up to the Utah refugee population at large T BE E |