SE Lady Bosses Affinity Group (virtual)

Lady Bosses

Funding Panel - Funding Your Business May be Easier Than You Think

If you have been wondering how you will fund your new or existing business venture, you owe it to yourself to attend the Inforum Lady Bosses Funding Panel on Wed., June 2, 10:30 a.m. - noon. You'll likely learn some avenues of business funding you may have never considered before.

The Pandemic has become a catalyst for career change with many people. In fact, studies show that 59% of the workforce expect to change jobs/careers within the next year. In addition, women have been seeking new ways to achieve work/life balance with one option being business ownership.

Having a clear picture of your funding options allows you to confidently narrow down what will work best for you.

Panelists include:

Wendy Skemer, Senior Consultant, Benetrends Financial

Wendy Skemer brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry, joining Benetrends in May 2013. Benetrends jumpstarts its client's American dreams, helping entrepreneurs get up and running with innovative funding solutions for the last 35 years.

Prior to her position at Benetrends, Skemer was Senior Manager of Financing Strategies, at Direct Connect Ventures, responsible for developing new business plans and Small Business Administration (SBA) lending programs. Skemer’s career path also has taken her to Japan where she worked in accounting, merchandising and development for The Gap.

Skemer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo, NY and a Master’s Degree in Accounting from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, CA.

Ron Davison, Managing Partner, AllCap Funding

Ron is an experienced entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. With over 13 years in franchise funding, Ron and his team use data science to help give consumers a competitive edge to find the capital they need to start their dreams of owning their own business.

Ken Gadd, Founder, Gadd Business Consultants, Business Professor and Former Banker

Gadd came from an entrepreneurial family where half of the family own businesses. Since he was 13 he has owned his own business, even when he was working for others in industries including banking. He left the banking world in 1981 to launch his full-time consulting practice.He founded Gadd Business Consultants, Business Growth Specialists, in 1982, a firm dedicated to the advancement of businesses and organizations that wish to grow successfully and ethically. He has clients throughout the for-profit, non-profit, and faith-based sectors. As the owner, Gadd has assembled a highly skilled team of consultants who share his vision and values. He has degrees in Business (BBA from the University of Michigan, and MBA from Wayne State University, Detroit) and Theology (M. Div. and D. Min from Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Detroit). In the past 30 years, Gadd has served as a faculty member at several local colleges and universities. He currently serves as an adjunct professor in the College of Management at Lawrence Technological University, where he has developed and directed several entrepreneurship and business programs.

Moderator: Carol Ward, FranNet of Michigan, franchise consultant/business owner, and Lady Bosses co-chair, will moderate the panel.

The purpose of the Lady Bosses is to provide educational programming (speakers, workshops), support, inspiration, accountability to and from other Inforum business owners or prospective owners. While much of the Inforum membership is in the corporate world, Lady Bosses Affinity Group is designed to meet the unique needs of business owners. It can also become a catalyst to encourage women to start or purchase their own businesses. The group also can provide and gain synergy from Inforum’s inGAGE strategy. In 2017 just 17 percent of companies had a female founder, a number that hasn’t changed in five years, according to Crunchbase.

First Wednesday of the month, 10:30 a.m. – noon

Virtual platform will be sent to you 24 hours before the meeting.

View Attendee List

Group Leadership

Carol C. Ward, (248) 590-7190, cward@frannet.com

Michelle Cantor, (248) 705-9008, michelle@volarconsulting.com

Joscelyn A. Davis, (248) 860-8858, joscelyn@jadestrategies.com