Testimonials
Circle Membership Testimonials
“I’m grateful I selected the MIC as a starting point for my business. It’s a wonderful community, and I look forward to MIC’s upcoming events.”
Exceeding Sales Goals Testimonials
As an early-stage business owner it’s vitally important that I develop and master sales strategies to have business success. I enrolled in both of Frank’s courses: Exceeding Sales Goals & Leveraging Technology To Capture Clients.
The 101 course content was just what I needed.
- He taught techniques to improve phone skills when cold calling
- To craft qualifying questions to who to work with.
- To develop ‘value statements’ to be comfortable sharing who I am and what I do.
The 201 course:
- Learned the client journey, and the importance of building a connection with each step
- Developed a “One-Pager” – a great tool to send when prospects ask, “do you have anything you can send me.”
- Defining the perfect customer – avatar, know who your target audience is
Frank taught us techniques that he’s personally used to be successful in his career. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
If you need the sales skills to take your business to the next level, I highly recommend Frank’s classes.
Owner, Pinn Cooper Financial
“The Exceeding Sales Goals course through the MIC was extremely valuable in helping to create a sales strategy for my new coaching practice. Frank walked us through the sales process, from creating a value statement to forecasting and tracking future sales. I was familiar with some of the topics covered, but learned a great deal from the content of the course, the other individuals in the cohort and the role plays done during class. The individual coaching that is offered with the course is also invaluable, as Frank took the time to really get to know and understand the concept of my business and help me create individualized messaging and planning.”
Divorce & Co-Parenting Coach, Divorce by Allison
“Exceeding Sales Goals has exceeded my expectations! I estimate my business will increase its sales effectiveness at least 30-50 percent after applying the knowledge I gained from this class. If anybody is interested … “
Founder, and CEO, DIY Reality Inc.
“As a scientist and technical person, sales is not at the top of my mind. However, I took a chance and registered for Frank’s ‘Exceeding Sales Goals’ course with the MIC and was pleasantly surprised. Frank made engaging with prospective clients about my services more systematic and less forced, with helpful insights and tools. I highly recommend Frank’s approach to engaging entrepreneurs, business owners, and non-sales professionals!”
Principal, The Idyeas Group
“The class content and material have exceeded my expectations. I estimate we will increase the effectiveness of our sales at least 30-50 percent once we apply the knowledge gained from this class. This is the class to take if anybody is interested in improving their sales effectiveness for themselves or their organization.”
Founder, and CEO, DIY Reality Inc.
Kauffman FastTrac Testimonials
“I am very glad to have graduated from the Kauffman FastTrac program at the MIC. It was like a mini-MBA course over a couple of months. It would be foolish not to take advantage of this very unique program, especially when Howard County subsidizes it. The 3 facilitators have different areas of expertise, and they gave me three fresh perspectives for my own business in the area of financial education, services, and content creation. When you enroll in the program, you get access not only to the course but also to one-on-one time with Vance, Doug, and Russell, which is invaluable. Time with Vance made me think about my business from a design perspective, which I had not really thought about before. Doug was my sounding board and offered much-needed pep talks and words of advice for growing my business. Russell gave me tools to think about business from a financial perspective. If it doesn’t work on paper, it doesn’t work. The program also offers networking opportunities, and I am glad to have met a cohort of wonderful entrepreneurs from the DMV area.”
Founder, Foolproof Financial Freedom
“Vance MacEwen is an exceptional entrepreneur coach. I enjoyed his insights on design thinking and visualizing your business strategy as a roadmap to entrepreneur success in your business and projects. His approach is very professional, thoughtful, patient, kind, and human centered. Vance meets you where you are and helps you to go to the next level.”
Denée Barr Multimedia, LLC, MIC Kauffman FastTrac Graduate
“I attended the FastTrac Program at the MIC where I met Vance who was one of the instructors. Fleshing out a business idea is not easy so I was delighted to meet Vance who was supportive and very knowledgeable about business due to being an accomplished business owner himself. I am truly grateful for the MIC and its programming. I’ve taken advantage of several of the classes that help put me and my business on the path to success.”
ConceptionPoint, MIC Kauffman FastTrac Graduate
“As a first-time video person, I was very happy to utilize Vance’s insight and coaching. He helped me to refine the messages to a diverse set of potential customers and do so in a succinct and clear way. I highly recommend using Vance as he proved to be an amazing resource and advisor.”
A-G Associates, Inc., MIC Affiliate
Mentorship Testimonials
Cong Xu
Mary Jo Neil
Natalie Jobity
“BRITE mentors have been instrumental in guiding me to determine the viability and practicality of my ideas while also providing valuable insights on strategic design. I am extremely grateful for the supportive environment they foster. The classes BRITE offers are excellent for seeking guidance and asking pertinent questions.”
Nicole King
Founder, The Librarian
“As I’ve worked to develop the concept for my new business, BRITE mentoring and classes have been a pivotal part of my success. The mentors are engaging and take a holistic approach to teaching. You leave the class aware of what you must do and how to do it. BRITE is one of the most comprehensive programs that I’ve seen.”
CEO, Vision Resources Housing LLC
“As a whole, the MIC is a best-in-class resource. BRITE classes are offered at a low cost but have a high value. I’ve encouraged my colleagues to take their programs, and they’ve been equally impressed. Their programs and mentorship are fantastic opportunities, no matter where you are in your career.”
Pitch and Mingle Testimonials
“I chose to pitch at the event because I wanted the opportunity to share my business idea with my community. I saw it as a learning experience to band together with like-minded entrepreneurs and hear about the innovations and impact they were trying to make within their respective industries. Standing in front of judges answering critical questions, and getting feedback from a diverse audience of individuals who could be prospective consumers of my product was invaluable. The experience of 1:1 coaching from a seasoned professional also made a difference. I’m now planning to seek further mentorship. All in all, this has grown my confidence, stretched my mind, and given me the conviction to keep going!”
Creator, Black Wedding Experience
“I chose to participate in Pitch and Mingle as I have been looking for opportunities to improve my pitch after changing careers and starting my own business. Over several sessions, I received in-depth feedback and coaching, which completely transformed my pitch deck and presentation style. While I had been working on my startup for a few years, this was the first time I felt confident about my pitch, and I have since felt much more at ease discussing my business with potential investors.”
Founder, and Chief Executive Officer, NeuroSonics Medical, Inc.
“I had a great experience as a competitor in the MIC’s Pitch & Mingle competition. It was an excellent opportunity to present my work from the past several months as a member of the MIC’s spring Kauffman FastTrac cohort to the larger public. With the help of my pitch coach, I worked to refine and condense my message into a four-minute pitch with a PowerPoint presentation to match. The competition also introduced me to a group of up-and-coming companies that I could potentially partner with in the future. Lastly, as a winner, I enjoyed receiving the competition trophy. I now have something fun to display in the background for my video conferences!”
Founder & IT Solutions Designer, Sentinel Forge Technologies
Social Capital Builders
“Edward DeJesus is a leader/trainer/mentor who walks his talk out loudly. He not only teaches and motivates you to strengthen your social capital, but he also becomes your advocate, using his platform and privilege to help you build yours. As a fellow author, he has been extremely supportive of my new book and has even purchased several copies for his students. Ed cares about his impact on youth and small businesses like mine, where leveraging my network of supporters and allies may be my most underutilized secret weapon. Attending his course through MIC has been rewarding in many ways and I’ve been implementing and incorporating many of Ed’s teachings. But most gratifying is seeing how effectively Ed models his leadership and how generous he is with sharing his access and gifts. I highly recommend Ed’s work in this space and his Social Capital Builders course at Maryland’s Innovation Center.”
The Brilliance Unveiler and Best-Selling Author, The Unveiled Way
“Working with Ed DeJesus of Social Capital Builders really helped me understand how I could leverage the networks I already have to help me grow my business. I’m so grateful that the Maryland Innovation Center made this class available for me, since most of my consulting business is referral based!”
Owner, Key Process Partners