Belleville CEO Trade Show Coming Soon

The Belleville CEO students would like to invite you to their Trade Show on April 19 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Southwestern Illinois College PSOP Center (210 North Church Street, Belleville).  There will be 20 businesses showcased that evening such as:

• Acts of Assistance
• Awali Tee's
• Belleville Sport Support
• Design by Pallet
• DSK Designs
• Emilie's On-the-Go Studio
• EmployATeen.com
• Fat Food
• GameFlesh
• Graphogo
• HoneyTees
• J&E Detailing
• JR's Lawncare and Landscaping
• Mechanic on the Move
• Noteify     
  
• Purple Diamond
• Rettro
• Senior Craft Masters
• Stickers for Sustainability
• The Second Hand

Mentoring Monday

Belleville CEO hosted another Mentoring Monday.  We wanted to thank the following mentors for stopping by and reviewing their mentee’s portfolios:  Brian Mentzer, Matt Warren, Josh Lane, and Brett Baltz.  Before Brian Mentzer met with his mentee, James Wiegers, he discussed briefly the importance of time management with the group.  We also want to congratulate Dr. Mentzer again on completing his dissertation this last week. 

Brett Baltz helping his mentee, Nick Lippert with his website.

Martrell Robinson getting some help from our class mentor, Matt Warren.

Josh Lane stopped by to meet with his mentee, Teonna Davis.

Final Review of our Portfolios

JoAnn DiMaggio-May and Adrine Krikorian

Kaleb Leatherman getting some help from Mrs. DiMaggio-May.

On Tuesday, Mrs. JoAnn DiMaggio-May and graduate student, Ms. Adrine Krikorian came to class to help review the students’ final portfolios one last time.  The Belleville CEO students would like to thank Mrs. DiMaggio-May and Ms. Krikorian for all of their time they spent with us on our portfolios.

Ms. Krikorian helped Emma Huynh on her business plan.

Understanding Your Audience During an Elevator Pitch

Kurt Artinger, CEO of Artigem

On Wednesday, Mr. Artinger stopped by to talk to the Belleville CEO students about their upcoming elevator pitches.  Although this may seem like a generic elevator pitch that they will be giving next Thursday, he told the students that they should always understand their audience before they give their pitch.  One must understand their need so you can tailor make your pitch to show that you can solve their problem.  Thank you, Mr. Artinger, for stopping by and sharing your knowledge with us.   

Mr. Artinger went through the judges sheet with the students. The first thing they will be judged on is did the business concept address a customer-centered problem or opportunity?

Secondly, he said that their pitch should show an understanding of their position in the market and what is their distinct competitive advantage.

Mr. Artinger said that they should discuss their marketing plan and their customer acquisition strategy.

He said that they should talk about their passion and their finance plan, scale, and how they will sustain their business.

We would like to thank Artigem Replacement Services for being a Belleville CEO Class Investor $1000

Learn More about Artigem Replacement Services

Practicing our Elevator Pitches

After Mr. Artinger left, three Belleville CEO students volunteered to practice their elevator pitches in front of the group.  Thank you to Ian Hass, Antwan Davis and Jimmy Monken.  It allowed their classmates to reflect on their pitch and give them advice on how it could be improved.

Ian got some feedback from his classmates.

Next, Antwan pitched his JR Lawn Services & Landscaping company.

Jimmy pitched his EmployATeen.com company.