BREATHE
SMALL BUSINESS INCUBATOR
WHAT IS IT ABOUT
The BREATHE small business incubator supports existing and emerging businesses within the Breathe community. This program will help you rediscover your business purpose and translate this into a business strategy centered around that purpose. At the end of this 2-day business accelerator you can expect to:
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Articulate your business purpose and the value it brings to your communities
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Define your business model and operating plan, with clear steps towards future growth
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Characterize and expand your leadership ethos and team capabilities
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Establish your place in the BREATHE small business network for collective business support & collaboration
WHO IS THIS FOR
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Business owners and business leaders who are looking to refresh or tighten their strategy and operating plan.
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Future business owners and business leaders who plan to launch their own small business and want support with strategy and operations.
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Community professionals who have an interest in business management and are looking to transition into a small business leadership position.
TOPICS COVERED
THE WHY
The purpose behind your business and how to live into it through your business operations.
THE LANDSCAPE
Explore the communities and markets around your business and how they impact your business model.
THE ROOTS OF THE BUSINESS
Characterize the value proposition of your product and service while articulating your unique position amongst your competitors.
BUSINESS MODEL DEVELOPMENT
Perform business model mapping and explore the function of your business units, including your supply chain, your operational activities, your customer experience, your cost structure, your financial budget and your administration activities.
THE HEART OF THE BUSINESS
Explore your own leadership characteristics and analyze your team dynamics. Articulate the critical skill sets required to successfully operate your business and establish best practices for internal growth and external hiring.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
The BREATHE Small Business Incubator will take place earlier in the festival weekend. The program schedule is TBD
No business is too big or small, and all products and services are welcomed. Registrations will be accepted up to 2 weeks before the festival. Spaces are limited. Secure your spot today!
COST
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$60 Per Person
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It is required to purchase a Ticket to the Festival before buying a Ticket to the Incubator.
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Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite
Meet Your Facilitators
Alice Havill
Alice has a passion for developing teams, businesses, and technologies that translate emerging social and environmental needs into business opportunities. Alice has held a variety of roles focused on scaling up climate technologies and has worked in all stages of the innovation and business lifecycle. Companies she has worked with include LanzaTech Inc. (greenhouse gasses to fuels and materials) and Vartega Inc (carbon fiber recycling) and Colorado Impact Fund (impact investing) Alice is currently a Business Fellow in the Breakthrough Energy Fellows Program, where she guides inventors on commercializing groundbreaking climate technologies needed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. She is also on the board of Circular Colorado, a non-profit working to match Colorado waste streams with companies that can use them as feedstocks to make value-add end market products.
As a resident of Colorado and a native of New Zealand, Alice can often be found exploring mother nature in her trail shoes, on her mountain bike, in her skis or on the rock wall. Alice holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical and Materials from the University of Auckland and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Corporate Finance from the University of Denver.
Dr. Megan Ross
Dr. Megan Ross is an educator and multidisciplinary psychologist focused on the experiences and awareness of individuals, organizations, and nations. Dr. Ross specializes in trauma, somatic, peace and conflict, organizational and international psychologies. Her work is used to understand our relatedness and to bring our humanity into creating solutions for us in our world.
Dr. Ross is the founder of the Project of Remembering, a social health consultancy, advocacy, and educational organization where she leads embodied organizational development and health solutions for all sectors. Dr. Ross also operates her own clinical psychology practice and is a professor of Clinical Psychology, Business Psychology, and International Psychology. Previously, Dr. Ross served for over 15 years as CEO, Chief Clinical Officer, Director of Program Development and Trauma Awareness, and Clinical Development faculty for national healthcare organizations. In these roles, Dr. Ross established organizational infrastructures and developed cultures of leadership in all levels of operations.
Through rigorous and enlivened education, consultation, and conversation, Dr. Ross facilitates collaborative processes across multiple industries to address common problems and designs dynamic solutions that evolve with the people within an organization. Her attentive methodology and decades of experience working in various leadership contexts among top-tier organizations has positioned her to help leaders elicit their knowledge, integrate their skills, design creative solutions, and effectively move development forward from one phase to the next. She sees this as a process of Remembering ourselves to Remember others, building bridges of humanity to serve the global ecosystem.
Alex Riewer
Alex has over a decade of experience in recruitment and talent acquisition, and she has developed a deep understanding of how to build successful teams. Alex is the founder and owner of independent recruitment firm, Vaiyana Talent, that works with technology startups to make impactful, early-stage hires, and she has worked with companies in industries such as climate technology, AI/ML, space and defense, and SaaS. Prior to starting her own firm, Alex worked for tech companies like Amazon and Motorola, as well as Fintech startup OppFi. Alex also has experience coaching and mentoring teams on how to hire, with a focus on employer brand, diversity recruiting, and developing strong interviewing skills. Alex is also the Director of the Nutrition Wellness Committee for BREATHE.
Alex is based in Colorado, and when she is not connecting organizations with top talent, you might find her practicing yoga, rock climbing, skiing, cooking, or gardening. She also has a furry companion, a rescue dog from Aruba named Kovu. She has a BA in English and French from Salve Regina University.
Michael Matrejek, M.C.P.C.
I introduce myself not just as a life coach, but as a fellow traveler on this journey we call life. Alongside my life coaching, I have spent over 18 years as a senior studio production artist in the dynamic world of marketing and advertising, where I honed my ability to help others navigate the professional sphere. I have also had the privilege of leading the BREATHE festival for nearly a decade, a community learning event celebrating mindfulness, balance, and creativity. As a member of the Project Adam Men’s Group, I support and am supported by fellow men as we explore life's intricacies and embrace our limitless potential.
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Lorin De Spirito
Lorin is a mission driven individual that has successfully interwoven her strong passion for the outdoors into her professional career. She has over a decade of experience in event marketing, program management, and community engagement. Her experience has made her a dedicated professional to organizing and executing experiences and events for diverse groups of people.
During Lorin’s undergraduate program, she studied Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Human Ecology from Indiana University. More recently, she received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Western Colorado University. Her untraditional path aided in the development of a strong desire to cultivate and nurture deep sustainable bonds to other humans and the natural world through outdoor adventures, movement, and business. Lorin has worked with a large number of organizations professionally including, Otterbox, NOLS, Indiana University, Emerald X, The Wright Collegiate Challenge, PrAna and Patagonia.
In her free time, Lorin spends a lot of time volunteering. For the last 6 years, she had the privilege to help organize the Breathe Festival as a Director. She also sits on an advisory board for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of Colorado, helping provide strategic direction and planning outreach events to bring like-minded young professionals together to promote conservation. Through her work at TNC, she was asked to join the Poudre RiverFest (PRF) planning committee. PRF is a festival that celebrates the local river, promotes restoration, and educates people about natural resources in Fort Collins, Colorado. Breathe is a special event for Lorin, as she grew up less than an hour away from the venue and it’s where she met her fiancé.