Author: Joan Koerber-Walker

Join us at AZEC11 on November 16th

AZEC09-attendeesLast week in a board meeting, I listened as the chairman opened his remarks with the opening quote from Dickens’ classic novel A Tale of Two Cities:

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”

There is no doubt that the last few years have been challenging ones for entrepreneurs at every stage of development. Yet through it all, new companies have been born, new innovations have launched and every November Arizona’s entrepreneurs have gathered to connect, engage and share ideas at AZEC – the Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference.

AZEC11This year on November 16th at Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix, the theme is growth through each of the stages of entrepreneurship. This year’s speakers are some of the best yet as we’ll explore funding, support, successful models and successful exits.

Not only will AZEC 11 bring together our entrepreneurial and investor community, it will again fund OTEF programs to educate, mentor and support members of our community who truly need a hand up and assistance in gaining economic self-sufficiency through entrepreneurship.

The links below will take you to all the information you may want to view before deciding to join us.

(If you are already signed up, thanks! Please feel free to share them with a friend.

· AZEC11 Registration

· AZEC11 Home Page

· AZEC11 Agenda

· AZEC11 Speakers

· OTEF – The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation

I hope you will be able to join us on November 16, 2011. If you choose to register, you can use discount code “jkw25” to save $25.

All the best,

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Joan Koerber-Walker

Chairman, CorePurpose, Inc.

Chairman, OTEF, The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation

President and CEO, AZBio, The Arizona BioIndustry Association

Entrepreneurs: Get your business growing in 2011

Attention Arizona Entrepreneurs:  Four FastTrac entrepreneur training programs are open for registration at www.arizonaft.com :

Kauffman FastTrac®

Take Charge of Your Business™

What is FastTrac?

FastTrac is a practical, hands-on business development program designed to help entrepreneurs hone the skills needed to create, manage and grow a successful business. As a FastTrac participant, you won’t just learn about business, you’ll live it. You will work on your own business ideas or ventures throughout the course – moving your ventures to new levels of performance. Continue reading “Entrepreneurs: Get your business growing in 2011” →

A look back at AZEC10 in Pictures

AZEC10: OTEF Chair Joan Koerber-Walker. Photo by Mark Goldstein IRC. Used with permission One of my favorite days of the year is when the AZEC photos are posted by our photographer.  This year, looking back at the photos on Flickr from the Fifth Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference on 11/17/10 at the Desert Willow Conference Center is no exception.   Over 200 entrepreneurs, investors, and community leaders gathered to connect, share, and engage while raising money to help others in our community find new hope and opportunities along the path of entrepreneurship. Continue reading “A look back at AZEC10 in Pictures” →

Entrepreneurs are Different and That’s OK

As part of our continuing series on student take aways from AZEC10, here’s a great message to keep in mind… It’s OK to be different.

By Ian Newell, Richmond Virginia

My name is Ian Newell, a recent college graduate with a degree in a philosophy and religious studies. Life up until this point has been pretty straight forward which many people find comfort in. You go to college, get a job, maybe find someone along the way and have a few kids. But now it’s time to pull myself off of that path of certainty. It’s time to start anew in something without any planned life expectancy or security, filled with unknowns and risk. This will be something that doesn’t start and stop with the tick of a clock or a punch of a card. I am in the process of starting my own business. Continue reading “Entrepreneurs are Different and That’s OK” →