** THIS IS AN IN-PERSON WORKSHOP

“You Want to Start a Business?” You have an idea and people have told you that you should turn this into a business. How hard can it be? That’s easy for them to say, especially if they have never done it before. The key questions that will be addressed in this introductory workshop are: Why start a business? Is there a market for what I have to offer? As much as I like this work, am I ready to put aside the idea that this is a pleasant hobby and treat this like a business ? Am I willing to get organized and then sell what I have to offer? Do I have what it takes to make this a success?

About the Instructor:

Roy Wallen is a management advisor who leads Directional Healthcare Advisors, a NH-based services firm. He has served in executive leadership roles for new product initiatives in medical technology companies ranging from pre-revenue start-up to multi-billion, global concerns. His focus is on the startup community, helping entrepreneurs take their ideas to commercial success. Roy has spent his career managing existing businesses for sustainable profits and bringing new technologies out of the laboratory and into the market. His current work as advisor to emerging companies, supports their need for access to capital markets, crafting the stories that demonstrate market needs, matching technology to those market needs, and translating this into a compelling business case. Roy also serves on the Board of Directors of a Colorado-based nonprofit, as a mentor and judge for MassChallenge, and as a volunteer for the Youth CITIES Lifescience Learning Laboratory (L3) to teach middle school and high school students how to apply their STEM interests to areas of innovation.