Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative

💫 Ready to connect with your ideal customers?

Join us for a hands-on workshop where you'll create a marketing strategy that actually works for YOUR business. What you’ll gain:
✅A clear picture of who your ideal customer really is
✅Measurable marketing goals aligned with your business vision
✅Proven best practices for content marketing that resonates
✅A practical marketing plan you can start using right away
✅Connection with fellow business owners navigating the same challenges

Workshop details:
📅 Wednesday, June 8, 2026
⏰ 4:00 - 6:00 PM PT
📍 Virtual (Zoom)

Click link to register: https://bit.ly/4ueU6Mt
This workshop is hosted by:

Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative is the nation's first cooperatively owned business support organization, providing holistic and culturally relevant education, advising, and community to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses.

The Antioch Business Collaborative is a new program by the City of Antioch to support the small business community in Antioch through on-on-one advisory services, workshops and trainings, and help with access to capital.

💫 Price It Right: Strategies for Financial Sustainability

Join fellow entrepreneurs for an interactive workshop on developing pricing strategies that reflect the value of your business’ products and services and support your business’ growth. You'll learn:
✅How to identify and analyze key pricing drivers
✅Different pricing models and when to use them
✅Techniques to develop pricing that aligns with your business values
✅Methods to adjust your strategy as your business evolves
✅Practical approaches to communicate your value proposition

Work alongside fellow business owners to explore various pricing scenarios and create a pricing structure that balances profitability with market competitiveness.

📅 Wednesday, May 13, 2026
⏰ 4:00 - 6:00 PM PT
📍 Virtual (Zoom)

Click link to register: https://bit.ly/4daTxNw
This workshop is hosted by:

Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative is the nation's first cooperatively owned business support organization, providing holistic and culturally relevant education, advising, and community to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses.

The Antioch Business Collaborative is a new program by the City of Antioch to support the small business community in Antioch through on-on-one advisory services, workshops and trainings, and help with access to capital.

Today's economic landscape is creating real questions for small business owners about how to adapt and stay resilient. This May, as part of Stockton Small Business Week, Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative and the City of Stockton are bringing business owners together for a practical, hands-on workshop.

What you'll walk away with:
- A working assessment of your business model using the Business Model Canvas
- Practical strategies for strengthening your business finances
- Hands-on activity time to apply concepts to your own business
- Connection with fellow Stockton entrepreneurs

Navigating Economic Uncertainty
📅 Tuesday, May 5, 2026 | 3:00–5:00 PM PT
📍 Huddle CoWork | 110 N San Joaquin St, 2nd Floor, Stockton, CA

Register today: https://bit.ly/4vTM11N

This workshop is sponsored by:

City of Stockton Economic Development leads the City's efforts to support a thriving local economy, including small businesses, which make up the majority of Stockton's business community. Stockton Small Business Week is a collaborative effort bringing together the City and local business service organizations to celebrate and support Stockton's entrepreneurs.

Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative is the nation's first cooperatively owned business support organization, providing holistic and culturally relevant education, advising, and community to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses.

💫 Get Your Books in Order: QuickBooks Setup Workshop

Join fellow entrepreneurs for a hands-on workshop on setting up QuickBooks for your small business. You'll learn:
· How to configure QuickBooks and set up your chart of accounts
· Best practices for data entry and organization
· How to establish workflows for ongoing financial management
· Practical tools to manage your business finances with confidence

Setting up your accounting system properly from the start can save you time, money, and headaches down the road. Come work alongside fellow business owners to build a solid financial foundation.

📅 Tuesday, April 28, 2026
⏰ 4:00 - 6:00 PM CT
📍 Virtual (Zoom)

Click link to register: https://bit.ly/4tyLT6l

This workshop is hosted by:

Southeast Chicago Commission (SECC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to facilitating and supporting economic development within Chicago's Southeast lakefront communities.

Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative is the nation's first cooperatively owned business support organization, providing holistic and culturally relevant education, advising, and community to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses.

💫 Get Your Books in Order: QuickBooks Setup Workshop

Join fellow entrepreneurs for a hands-on workshop on setting up QuickBooks for your small business. You'll learn:
• How to configure QuickBooks and set up your chart of accounts
• Best practices for data entry and organization
• How to establish workflows for ongoing financial management
• Practical tools to manage your business finances with confidence

Setting up your accounting system properly from the start can save you time, money, and headaches down the road. Come work alongside fellow business owners to build a solid financial foundation.

📅 Wednesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ 4:00 - 6:00 PM PT
📍 Virtual (Zoom)

Click link to register: https://bit.ly/4vveB9B

This workshop is sponsored by SCALE: Success, Capital Access and Leadership for Entrepreneurs, created by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA).

A lot of people are rethinking work right now. With job instability, rising costs, and traditional employment feeling less secure, more people are asking whether starting a business makes sense for them.

It's a fair question – and the honest answer is that it depends on both this moment and your own motivations.

Our latest post takes a realistic look at what it actually takes to start a business right now:
✅ Get clear on what's driving you – pressure and intention lead to very different decisions
✅ Understand the current context – costs, capital access, policy uncertainty, and AI disruption are all real factors
✅ Know what readiness actually looks like – it's not about having everything figured out, it's about how you approach the process
✅ Recognize when it makes more sense to wait – a concept that depends on conditions that don't exist right now may not be viable yet
✅ You don't have to go all in – the most common path right now is starting a business alongside a job, not instead of one
✅ Build the skills that matter – finances, cash flow, pricing, and marketing become even more important when conditions are uncertain

Read the full post: https://bit.ly/4t0HOrw

💫 Get Your Books in Order: QuickBooks Setup Workshop
Join fellow entrepreneurs for a hands-on workshop on setting up QuickBooks for your small business. You'll learn:
• How to configure QuickBooks and set up your chart of accounts
• Best practices for data entry and organization
• How to establish workflows for ongoing financial management
• Practical tools to manage your business finances with confidence

Setting up your accounting system properly from the start can save you time, money, and headaches down the road. Come work alongside fellow business owners to build a solid financial foundation.

📅 Tuesday, April 8, 2025
⏰ 4:00 - 6:00 PM PT
📍 Virtual (Zoom)

Click link to register: https://bit.ly/4bT4XGb

This workshop is hosted by:

Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative is the nation's first cooperatively owned business support organization, providing holistic and culturally relevant education, advising, and community to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses.

The Antioch Business Collaborative is a new program by the City of Antioch to support the small business community in Antioch through on-on-one advisory services, workshops and trainings, and help with access to capital.

When everything around you is shifting, making good business decisions gets harder. Rising costs, policy changes, supply chain disruptions – the variables keep changing and the stakes feel higher.

But good decisions aren't made faster. They're made with a clearer process.
Our latest blog post walks through a practical framework for making better business decisions right now:

✅ Take time – speed matters, but knee-jerk decisions can be just as costly as slow ones
✅ Stay informed and think forward – the signals are usually there before the impact hits
✅ Revisit your business model – use the Business Model Canvas to see what's actually being affected
✅ Look at the numbers – short-term cash flow and long-term ROI
✅ Ask for advice – peer networks are especially valuable right now
✅ Consider timing – sometimes the most strategic move is to pause and revisit
✅ Commit to it – trust the process you put in

Read the full post: https://uptimacoop.com/how-to-keep-cash-flowing-when-everything-else-feels-uncertain/

📊 Your financial statements are telling a story—are you listening?

Every business owner has hard of income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, but many struggle to understand what these critical documents reveal about their business's health and future potential.

Join us for Understanding Financial Statements and discover:
✅ How to read and interpret your income statements with confidence
✅ What your balance sheet reveals about your financial position
✅ How to use cash flow statements to track money movement
✅ How these documents work together to tell your complete financial story
✅ Practical strategies for using financial data to make informed business decisions

This interactive virtual workshop includes hands-on exercises with real-world examples, peer discussions, and you'll walk away with the confidence to use your financial statements as powerful decision-making tools.

📅 Tuesday, March 24, 2026
⏰ 4:00 - 6:00 PM CT
📍 Virtual (Zoom)

Click link to register: https://bit.ly/4cxXpcC

This workshop is hosted by:

Southeast Chicago Commission (SECC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to facilitating and supporting economic development within Chicago's Southeast lakefront communities.

Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative is the nation's first cooperatively owned business support organization, providing holistic and culturally relevant education, advising, and community to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses.

Understanding Your Financial Statements Make sense of your business numbers.

⏰ Last Day to Apply: Spring 2026 Launch Academy

Applications close tonight at midnight.

Over the past few weeks, we've shared stories from entrepreneurs who came through Launch Academy – a vegan baker who learned to price for steady income throughout the year, a photographer who went from avoiding her numbers to feeling empowered by them and hiring her first employee, a visual artist who published 14 children's books and built a 10-year plan.

They all started exactly where you might be right now – with a real idea, real talent, and a need for structure and support to build it into a business.

Launch Academy is an 8-month program for creative and social entrepreneurs at the idea stage. Over 8 months, you'll:
• Clarify your business idea and test it with real customers
• Learn to price your work and manage your finances
• Make early sales and adapt based on what you learn
• Set up systems to run your business
• Get regular feedback from instructors and peers as you build

You might be ready if you:
• Have an idea for a creative or social enterprise
• Know your field but need help with the business side
• Can commit 15-20 hours/week to building your business
• Want to build alongside other mission-driven entrepreneurs

📅 Program runs May - December 2026
💻 100% virtual
⏰ Application deadline: Tonight at midnight

Learn more: https://uptimacoop.com/program/launch-academy/
Apply: https://uptimacoop.com/apply/