To help Nevada County’s businesses thrive and survive during this challenging economy, Sierra Commons is hosting a Lunch & Learn  series that includes a presentation or roundtable discussion by some of our area’s leading business professionals.

There will be plenty of time for questions, networking and socialization. The series includes topics relevant to small business owners, entrepreneurs and working professionals and are available to all Nevada County residents.

Bring a brown bag filled with your favorite midday meal and learn something to move your business forward.

A $10 donation is requested.

For a complete scheduled please visit the Lunch & Learns page.

Facilitated by Paul Platner of Work Is Worship, the group is helping people people find employment and get back to work.  Check it out!

About the class: Students from Cat’s class receive all the skills and knowledge needed to launch a basic WordPress website publicly or privately through live, in-person training. The class is geared to folks who are new to WordPress, though for those who already have a WordPress site, the class will also have great benefit since each student can work at his/her own pace.

Cat takes students from the ground up with getting a domain name and web hosting service, through installing WordPress and setting up a website for success. Cat provides individualized attention to each student by keeping the class size small (8 people maximum).

By projecting her laptop onto a large screen, Cat directs students in real time, so students can ask questions in real time, and work on their own website in real time.

Registered attendees receive email support during the class and for 2 weeks after the 4th and final class is complete. Students also receive a link-filled PDF for future reference and access to a private membership site with video screen captures from the classes (and soon to come, networking opportunities with other members).

Please note: Students must attend all 4 sessions of the class to receive PDF and other resources.

REGISTER HERE

Nevada City, CA January 6, 2012 – Some Nevada County, CA residents are stepping up to very publicly shave their heads to keep the South Yuba River and Malakoff Diggins State Parks from closing.

The State’s budget issues have led to draconian cuts, and the State Parks are one of the hardest hit, but regions that have fought for their parks have seen progress towards taking them off of the closure list. The South Yuba River Citizen League (SYRCL) is spearheading this fight locally, educating the public and generating community energy to save the parks and keep them open and accessible. A petition is circulating, the goal is to send 5000 signatures to California Gerry Brown to show support for the parks and, hopefully, stem their impending closures.

Generating as many signatures as possible inspired a new movement – “S(h)ave Our Yuba State Parks.”

It started when former SYRCL Director Shawn Garvey agreed to bare his dome once the petition reached 2000 signatures, a number achieved in just a few days. Soon after, two more residents, Robert Trent and Mike Mooers, agreed to undergo the same hair-styling procedure should other benchmarks be reached.

Mooers set that benchmark at six thousand signatures. “Let’s show the state that this community needs and loves these parks. Five-thousand signatures sends a powerful message, but when we hit 6000 it gets loud.” He notes that getting buzzed is a bit of a sacrifice. “I have nice hair – definitely nicer than Garvey’s – but our parks are far more valuable than vanity.”

Adds Trent: “There’s an alignment: The Yuba is the fiber of our community, my hair is the fiber of my head. I love my community and the parks that are such a big part of it. I will proudly sacrifice my personal fibers for the greater good, and to get people to step up and sign.”

“The ‘S(h)ave the Yuba State Parks’ movement has definitely raised the stakes of personal commitment to keeping our parks open,” said Caleb Dardick, SYRCL’s Executive Director. “We surpassed our goal of 5,000 signatures in only 10 days so we raised the goal to 7,000 – maybe that will challenge a few others to put their locks on the line too.”

The heads will be publicly shaved during SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Every year Wild & Scenic brings leading filmmakers, activists, social innovators, celebrities and adventurers to the largest festival of its kind in the country, and the audiences pack the small town. This year’s begins Friday, January 13th, with hair styling commencing at 5 PM in front of the Mowen-Solinsky Gallery on Broad Street. Stylists from Bel Capelli Salon will provide professional shearing services.

Garvey, who spends much time at the Yuba with his children, is putting tremendous effort into raising awareness about the closures. “The parks are so important to us. The river is our soul, and Malakoff is our history. Beyond the personal connections my family and I have to these parks is the impact closures would have on the community. Tourism would drop off, jobs would be lost, and it would be emotionally and economically devastating to Grass Valley, Nevada City and the entire area.”

Now with SYRCL’s leadership, the community is responding to the increased goal. “Anyone can sign, adults, kids, whether you live here or not,” says Garvey. “All you need is a love for the river, or Malakoff’s link to our history.”

If you are interested in signing, visit SYRCL’s website, www.yubariver.org, and click on the link for the on-line petition. Or take it up a level, download a printable petition form, and go get some signatures in person.

About the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and the Wild & Scenic Film Festival:

SYRCL (pronounced “circle”) is the leading voice for the protection and restoration of the Yuba River and the Greater Yuba Watershed. Founded in 1983 through a rural, grassroots campaign to defend the South Yuba River from proposed hydropower dams, SYRCL has developed into a vibrant community organization with over 3,500 members and volunteers based in Nevada City, CA. SYRCL is the leading regional advocates for creating resilient human and natural communities throughout the greater Yuba River basin by restoring creeks & rivers, regenerating wild salmon populations, and inspiring & organizing people—from the Yuba’s source to the sea—to join in the movement for a more wild & scenic Yuba River. More information at www.yubariver.org,

This January 13-15th, SYRCL’s 10th Annual Wild & Scenic® Film Festival returns with another incredible selection of films to change your world.  Each year, the Wild & Scenic® Film Festival draws top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators and well-known world adventurers to the historic downtown of Nevada City, California. More information at http://www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org/

Nevada County’s business and environmental communities don’t always agree. But on one subject, we have a consensus: closing access to the South Yuba will be a devastating blow to our county’s future.

Join us and thousands of Californians: ask Governor Brown to work with Nevada County residents to keep our state parks open.

While the state has been drawing up plans to close both Malakoff Diggins and South Yuba River State Parks, a coalition of local residents has been working to find an alternative. In December, over 400 people packed a town hall meeting in Nevada City to discuss ways to keep the park open. Sierra Commons strongly endorses this community-driven effort.

Tourism brings over $250 million into our local economy every year (Nevada County Economic Resource Council, PDF). The South Yuba is the backbone of Nevada County tourism—park closures are an unaffordable and unacceptable threat.

This is a big deal for all residents of Nevada County. Stand up for our livelihoods—it only takes a few seconds. Or, download a printable petition to share with friends and family.

Sincerely,

Max Norton, Interim Chair
Robert Trent, Executive Director
and the Sierra Commons Board of Directors

P.S. For more great resources on this issue, visit SYRCL’s Save our Yuba State Parks page.

P.P.S. Please chip in $10 to help support Sierra Commons.

E*Spark

Are you ready to strike out on your own, but haven’t quite figured out what you want to do?  Have you considered the Business Ignitor class but aren’t quite sure what your business is? Are you ready to have your inner entrepreneur sparked?  Right-Click, in partnership with Sierra Commons, is offering a course in just that: a viable business that aligns with who you are.  In ten sessions over four weeks, you will identify your talents, develop your understanding of entrepreneurship, embark in creative brainstorming, do market research, and develop and present three preliminary business concepts.  This course will make you “shovel ready” for the Sierra Commons Business Ignitor.

Course Description

Where does entrepreneurial inspiration come from?  We typically picture entrepreneurs as part genius and part workaholic; the superhuman among us.  Successful entrepreneurs, contrary to conventional belief, are not wild risk takers.  They are methodical thinkers who use an understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses to communicate and lead us towards a common vision of valuable products or services.

This course will show us that creativity is in all of us, and that we can develop and present viable business ideas that meet our personal criteria using a combination of creativity strategies, problem solving tools, and structured practice.  In this 4-week, 10-session class, we will quickly develop a close working group as we identify our core strengths and professional goals.  We will then use brainstorming activities and a bit of field work to develop three short business proposals: practice runs for the final pitch session. The final pitch session will be made to the class and to the Sierra Commons business team.

Objectives:

You will develop a viable business concept that meets your personal goals.

You will get a head start in developing your business concept and making the most of Sierra Common’s Business Ignitor course.

At the least, even if no business concept comes directly out of your participation in this class, it might indirectly.  You will move further along your own road of discovery, have the support of like-minded people during the process.

Course Elements:

• Short Readings, homework, and classroom discussion
• Classroom exercises in creativity and developing possibilities
• Field and office research; preparation for short business presentations
• Presentations and Peer Critiques

Logistics:

• Ten 90 minute classes held at Sierra Commons,
• A team building activity and pot luck dinner the weekend of Jan 14-16
• Final Presentation to the class and the Sierra Commons Business Team
• Class Size approximately 5 – 9 students per section
• Up to three sections, depending on enrollment
• Cost  $300

Course Schedule:

For more information, EMAIL US NOW

Nevada City, CA – One year ago Wicked Good Copy & Communications launched from Nevada City’s business incubator, Sierra Commons. The firm focuses on copywriting, delivering proven results for a wide variety of clients, national and local, and they have rapidly added several prominent accounts. Now, building on the momentum of their success, they are ready to add even more and further grow the business.

Wicked Good’s national roster includes Discovery Communications, Gaiam, Mountain Hardwear, KEEN footwear and mortgage software giant, Ellie Mae. Local clients include, BriarPatch, Boga Paddleboards (Sierra Commons Graduate), Flour Garden Bakery, J.J. Jackson’s, Think Local First and the Wild & Scenic Film Festival.

This mix of local and national keeps creativity and variety flowing, helping Wicked Good to enjoy what they do that much more.

“We’ve had a lot of success, and serious growth in just a year,” says Wicked Good’s principal writer and creative director, Mike Mooers. “Adding to the client family is great fun – each new one stretches us creatively, allowing us to better serve everyone.  We’re mixing cowboy boots, yoga mats, mortgage software, organic groceries, non-profits and NGO’s, and mountaineering gear. It’s quite a soup. They each require distinctive voices, yet the specific approach towards one informs nuances within the others. We love it, seems like they do too.”

This client soup has led to a variety of different projects. “One favorite was the BriarPatch ad campaign,” says Mooers. “Personal ads for food – cabbage, avocado, milk, eggs, beef, watermelon – that stressed their qualities and healthy features, especially the fact that were locally produced, organic, and GMO free. It took something preachy and made it fun.” Mooers collaborated with local graphic designer, Stephanie Camp, to create this original approach.

On a national scale Wicked Good has crafted lead generation campaigns, print ads, e-books, and lots of web content. One pet project is writing copy for Discovery Communication DVD packaging. “Love those. This is not a major revenue stream, but it’s fun to create something that is going to compel a consumer’s interest at the point of purchase, and drive them to buy the disc.” Samples of the work may be seen at wickedgoodcopy.com.

Working with local clients is important to Mooers. He is very active with Think Local First, and understands the broader economic benefits of local business-to-business relationships. “Whether it’s BriarPatch and me, or farmers and restaurants, performance spaces and piano tuners – locals hiring locals keeps our dollars circulating in our community, and keeps your neighbors employed.” He also attributes much of Wicked Good’s success to the educational and networking opportunities provided by Sierra Commons. “It is THE place to kickstart your new business,” says Mooers.

Bottom line? “Look, customers know when copy doesn’t work. It can be any number of things– the wrong tone, lack of flow– they just know it’s off, and that pushes them away from your brand. It is a fine, fine line between copy that stinks and copy that engages. You need to be on the right side of that line.”

Where? Sierra Commons in Nevada City, CA.
When? Fridays: February 3, 10, 17 and 24th from 9:30am-12:00pm
Cost? $180
Prerequisites: You must first register and then complete payment via PayPal. Class size is limited, so register now to reserve your place.

About the class: This WordPress class series will give you all the tools and knowledge you need to launch your WordPress website (publicly or privately) and set it up for optimized success in marketing your product or service on the web. Each registered attendee will receive a rich, link-filled PDF the day after each class which outlines what we covered.

Registered attendees will also receive email support during the class and for 2 weeks after the class is complete. There will be plenty of time built into each 2.5-hour class to answer individual questions as we go along.

Topics Covered:

Bring a laptop with wireless internet access to work on your site live in class!

 What is it?

There are two components to this event :

First – the “entrepreneurs” set up a table with their business plan and whatever else may be necessary to create an interest and show their inventions, ideas, new businesses, products, services, etc.

The second component – the public is invited to take part and become a “financial supporter”.  The idea is everyone is a potential investor, lender, partner, sponsor, donor, etc.  

We’re still taking applications for “entrepreneurs” with inventions, ideas, new businesses, products, services, etc.
email or  call  530-277-7251

The amount could be as little as $25 – The relationship that develops is between the “entrepreneur” and the “financial supporter.”

Please come and support our local entrepreneurs.

More information

“At the core of capitalism is the so-called entrepreneurial spirit: Anyone who’s willing and able to cultivate an idea into a business has a chance to succeed. Under capitalism and the free market, everyone’s offered the same opportunity for success. That said, this shot at the big time is a largely theoretical one. Some entrepreneurs simply don’t meet the criteria that lending institutions rely on to avoid risk. Most bankers are, after all, capitalists as well, and the best way for a lender to ensure a profit is to lend to those likeliest to repay the loan. It’s a caveat (some would say, flaw) to the capitalist system: the door to wealth or self-sufficiency is open only to those who meet certain standards. Unfortunately, the poor generally don’t meet those standards.  Another type of lending has emerged to combat this vicious cycle, known as micro-lending. Compared to traditional lending practices found in capitalist economies, micro-lenders are mindlessly risky in the loans they make: They loan money to the indigent, those without collateral, career changers and those without any work experience. To some, the concept of micro-lending is merely a noble idea that doesn’t work in practice or an innovation that will eventually lead to a developed, globalized world. Who’s right?”  (From an article by Josh Clark, “How Stuff Works”)

For more information or questions please email or call 530-277-7251

This event is sponsored by:

Work Is Worship – a temp agency that makes hiring easy.

CeeBeez Elixirs
Owner: Britt Bartlett
Private club

Heart of Nepal Ayurveda
Owner: Bonita Carol
Ayurvedic retreat center

Outer Barcoo
Owner: Diana Cobbe
Personal empowerment

Blank Slate
Owner: Ramsey Demeter
Apparel Collective

Right-Click Consulting
Owner: Mike Freedman
www.right-click.biz
Operations a la Carte

Evolution Studios
Owner: Kim Goode
Nevada City Pilates studio

Mediation Works
Owner: Deborah Gilcrest
Dispute resolution

Garden Exchange
Owner: Lizzie Hart
Farm and garden consignment marketplace

Horse training
Owner: Jodi LaChance

Nourish Nutritional Therapy
Owner: Victoria LaFont
www.nourishsystem.com
Certified nutritional therapist

Polly’s Paladar
Owner: Megan McCollam
www.pollyspaladar.com
A Supper Club

Of the Earth
Owner: Shari Phillips
Nutritional Consulting, Organic Catering/Event Planning

PAS-Time
Owner: Ronda Trujillo
Tools for HR

qatab
Owner: Matt Vanderpol
qatab.com
Website quality assurance web app Sierra Commons is Nevada County’s business ignitor. With a focus on creating jobs, incubating new businesses, and launching entrpreneurs, Sierra Commons provides education, mentoring, networking and a professional shared office in downtown Nevada City’s Stonehouse building.In just two years, the Sierra Commons business community helped hundreds of entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses.  The Business Ignitor Course, our flagship educational program, is directly responsible for transforming 28 aspiring entrepreneurs into inspired business owners.  This six-week course brings together top professionals in our area to mentor, instruct and motivate students.  This fall’s course is under way, and its impressive roster of new businesses will directly and positively impact our local economy.  The next Business Ignitor Course is scheduled to start February 22nd, 2012, and we are currently accepting applications.E*Spark, our newest educational offering, will ignite students’ inner entrepreneur. It is geared towards individuals who are ready to strike out on their own, but haven’t quite figured out what business to start. In partnership with Right-Click, E*Spark helps students identify a viable business that aligns with their passions.

The four-week E*Spark course starts January 10^th, 2012.With its hive-like, buzzing energy, our community office space provides low-cost, quick-start opportunities for new business to hit the ground running.  For as little as $150 per month, members have access to 20Mbps Internet, professional conference room, a downtown address, and a bevy of other benefits.  Memberships are available for individuals looking for a supportive, dynamic work environment that accelerates business activity and inspires productivity.