Jessica Bertsch, Author at Powerhouse Planning

Never Stop Learning

Small business ownership has many layers, from accounting to marketing to human resources and more. There are several avenues to receiving extensive education, for free and tailored to military-affiliated entrepreneurs. Did we mention these are all free? Let’s explore some of the options.

Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF): business owner training for any stage of ownership. Dr. Mike Haynie, a veteran, helped found the program in 2006 to assist veterans and their families in crafting a vocation that defies the traditional barriers to employment. IVMF offers various types of programs for all branch affiliations and roles within the military community. Classes run throughout the year and include online and in-person opportunities.

EBV – Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities
EBV-F – Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families
V-Wise – for female veterans
Boots to Business – for transitioning military members

Check out IVMF for a full listing of dates and program components.

Inc. Military Entrepreneur Program: for veterans and military spouses looking to start or who are currently running a business. Events are offered each year (for free) to connect military-affiliated entrepreneurs with successful CEOs in all sectors.

The next conference, known as GrowCo, will take place in Las Vegas in May. A special delegation will be chosen to attend. Check their website for application information or contact Natalie Thomas for details at nthomas@inc.com.

VetToCEO: offers programs to active duty military, transitioning military, and veterans interested in small business ownership.

Virtual training
Options include self-paced and a structured, seven-week program

Jessica Bertsch2016-02-01T21:34:43-05:00February 1st, 2016|Business Resources, PowerTips e-newsletter|

Nonprofit Profile: The MilSpo Project

When these two military spouses saw a need, they filled it.

Elizabeth Boardman and Nicole Hope, business owners, devised a plan to support other military spouse business owners by founding an organization called The MilSpo Project. The idea for the nonprofit was developed when the two friends were out on a hike. The co-founders learned through their own experiences that business ownership was a natural fit for their on-the-move lifestyles. They made the decision to turn a thought into action after recognizing there was an underserved segment of the military spouse community: entrepreneurs.

“All of our friends at the time had chosen business because growing with another company was almost impossible. Given the large number of military spouse business owners, we realized there was no business conference that brought all of them together so EMBARK (our annual conference) was born,” Boardman said.

In addition to the yearly conference of business leaders, The MilSpo Project offers an opportunity to network through local chapters, online training, a business book club, and monthly webinars with experts. For spouses looking to add to volunteer experience, the organization has a host of opportunities that range from running a chapter to assisting with fundraising.

If you are a military spouse business owner looking to donate your time, talents, or monetary support, visit The MilSpo Project’s website at http://www.themilspoproject.com/donate/ or email info@themilspoproject.com.

Stay tuned to the group’s online community for information about its two-day EMBARK conference happening in Norfolk, Virginia along with an e-course launching this year.

Jessica Bertsch2016-02-01T21:34:52-05:00February 1st, 2016|Giving Back & Getting Involved, PowerTips e-newsletter|

New Hire at Powerhouse

Bianca Strzalkowski joins the Powerhouse Planning team as a technical writer.

She has experience in writing, editing, and social media management. A proud Marine Corps wife of 14 years, she was named the 2011 Military Spouse of the Year for her advocacy within the military community. As a mother of three, Bianca has spent her time volunteering with various organizations, such as the National Military Family Association and the Marine Corps’ Family Readiness program. Because of her volunteerism, the 35^th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Amos, awarded her with a Certificate of Commendation.

Prior to her freelance writing career, Bianca was the Deputy Director of Membership for Blue Star Families and former Managing Editor of The Onslow Times. She is media trained and has appeared in interviews for television, radio, and print to include Fox News, CNN, and Oprah.

Currently, Bianca resides in Jacksonville, NC where her husband is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River. She is a member of the Military Reporters & Editors Association.

Jessica Bertsch2024-01-26T13:48:56-05:00December 2nd, 2015|Powerhouse News|

Meet Rachel Brenke, CEO of The Brenke Group

She’s a business coach, lawyer, and author… all of us can learn something from this dynamic entrepreneur!

Rachel Brenke has created multiple successful businesses from the ground, up. As a lawyer and MBA, she is currently helping entrepreneurs all over the world initiate, strategize, and implement business and marketing plans through various mediums of consulting resources and legal direction. While specializing in photographers at TheLawTog and bloggers at BlogLegally, she has successfully helped business owners across various industries.

Q: What made you decide to start your own company?

A: Carrying a typical job was difficult while my husband was in the military, so I decided to go another way. I took my strong desire to help others, along with my drive, business, and legal training and put it all together to form my business. (more…)

Jessica Bertsch2015-11-18T03:48:56-05:00November 16th, 2015|CEO Highlight, PowerTips e-newsletter|

Did You Know?

In 2015, the Powerhouse team started creating career and life resources. Learn more and download the FREE resources here.

Jessica Bertsch2015-11-16T20:33:17-05:00November 16th, 2015|PowerTips e-newsletter|

5 Ways to Boost Your Business Through Pinterest

By: Joanna Guldin-Noll

I’m a believer.

A believer in the power of Pinterest. As a freelance writer and a blogger, I’ve noticed first-hand how important it is to have a presence on Pinterest and how truly pivotal it can be. And that’s a far cry from what I first thought about the platform. When Pinterest first hit the internet, I avoided it. Like the plague. I didn’t want to bury time in it—hours I could spend working with clients or improving my brand. (more…)

Jessica Bertsch2015-11-18T03:57:18-05:00November 16th, 2015|Marketing Buzz, PowerTips e-newsletter|

The Importance of QA in Social Media

By Jen McKee

In these days of the instantaneousness of social media, there is often not as much importance placed upon grammatical correctness within the message as upon the message itself. That is, people are often in so much of a hurry to get their message out there, that proofreading becomes a casualty.

Unfortunately, despite the frequency with which this happens, it is a detriment to the message itself. Whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or any other social media platform, you want your message to reach its intended audience, and you want your message to be effective. Incorrect spelling, grammar, or punctuation undermines your message – even negates it. (more…)

Jessica Bertsch2015-11-18T03:51:31-05:00November 16th, 2015|Business Etiquette, PowerTips e-newsletter|

Client Profile: EHS Technologies

Powerhouse Service Provided: External Communications

The Powerhouse team works with businesses to provide external communications support in a variety of ways.

Product/service campaigns
Speech writing
Media crisis management
Analyst relations
Branding
Brochures
Social media
Website development and maintenance
Graphic design
Contributed articles drafting
Press releases (writing and targeted distribution)
Media relations
Press/media tours
Magazines
Annual reports
Script development (video, commercials, and radio ads)
e-Newsletters

In 2015, we’ve been fortunate to work with EHS on multiple occasions. Most recently we designed their entire tradeshow display. (Check out the image of the beauty!)

“EHS had a requirement to have our booth for trade show’s updated. We chose Powerhouse to fulfill this requirement based on our past experience with them. Their fast professional staff and low prices enabled us to have an entirely new booth within a few short weeks! I can’t say enough on how pleased we have been with the final product and the compliments we received on our booth at the 2015 AUSA conference.”- William Johnson, Program Manager, EHS Technologies

Interested in learning more about how Powerhouse can help you with your external communications? Email us at admin@powerhouseplanning.com. If you want to learn more about EHS Technologies, visit their website at http://www.ehstech.net/

Jessica Bertsch2015-11-16T20:33:17-05:00November 16th, 2015|PowerTips e-newsletter, Service & Success|

Quick Read: Recommendations on Team Building

The Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace
Inside the Magic Kingdom
Whale Done!
Fish! Philosophy

These are all super quick reads. Grab (or download) one of these on your next
flight. You won’t regret the goodness you’ll learn about motivating your workforce.

What others have you read and loved? Email us at admin@powerhouseplanning.com to share books we should check out.

Jessica Bertsch2015-11-16T20:33:17-05:00November 16th, 2015|Business Resources, PowerTips e-newsletter|

Nonprofit Profile: Worldvision

World Vision is a humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. They work in nearly 100 countries, serving all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. They believe in a full solution to poverty and injustice.