View this email online. January 19, 2023 Top News A Marvel of An Experience Historian Gerardo Aldana, an expert in Mesoamerican civilizations, consults on “Wakanda Forever,” propelling his research into the MCU — and ending up on screen. Read more…
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS CHALLENEGE
From the California Green Business Network
Most businesses in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties are now eligible for $500 in incentives to help reduce their operational costs and become a certified Green Business. Start off the new year with a resolution to be green, and get certified by Earth Day 2023! The Sustainable Business Challenge is a great opportunity to start reaping benefits now as your business gets started on its sustainability journey.
Kids Workshop
Adventures in Theater with Ms. Alina
WHEN:
Wednesdays
January 18 – March 22, 4:30pm – 6pm
(Jan 18, 25, Feb 1, 8, Mar 1, 8, 15)
(No class Feb 15 and 22)
Show: Mar. 22, 5:30pm
City Manager Alexander Nguyen announced today that Oxnard’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Betsy George announced her retirement from the public sector, effective Jan. 19.
Former City of Phoenix CFO Denise Olson has been appointed by Nguyen to serve as Oxnard’s Interim CFO until a permanent replacement is found.
“We thank Betsy for her public service and the great work that she, and the Finance team, have done to strengthen Oxnard’s financial standing,” said Nguyen. “We’re also grateful to have Denise join our City in the interim. I’m confident that her leadership managing the finances for the fifth largest city in the nation will be an asset to Oxnard.”
NEW this year:
‘Buy it Now’ at our
Heart Art & Experience Package
Preview Sale starting NOW!
January Storm Recovery Information
Since the onset of the January 2023 storms, the State of California has been working closely with federal partners to provide support to impacted communities. On January 8, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration, which was approved by President Biden on January 9, 2023, to include Ventura County. The Presidential Emergency Declaration provides state and local assistance to providing emergency services, such as protecting lives and mitigating damage.
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara will reopen this month to provide contemporary art and community-focused programming — as it has done since its beginnings as the Contemporary Arts Forum in the 1970s. We invite everyone to take part in MCASB and our collective project of critical thinking, cultural literacy, risk-taking, and discovery.
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El Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santa Bárbara reabrirá este mes para ofrecer arte contemporáneo y programación centrada en la comunidad, como lo ha hecho desde sus inicios como Foro de Arte Contemporáneo en la década de 1970. Invitamos a todos a participar en MCASB y nuestro proyecto colectivo de pensamiento crítico, conocimiento cultural, toma de riesgos y descubrimiento.
The County of Ventura is pleased to announce that Natalie Hernandez has been selected to serve as the Public Information Officer for the County Executive Office. The appointment was made by County Executive Officer Dr. Sevet Johnson following a lengthy search which included strong internal and external candidates.
Hernandez has over a decade of experience working in public relations, crisis communications, and event management across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. She comes to the role having served most recently as the Public Information Officer for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and, prior to that, as the Assistant Public Information Officer for the County Executive Office.
“I am excited to have Natalie rejoin our team”, said County Executive Officer, Dr. Sevet Johnson. “Natalie’s extensive experience working with our diverse communities to share vital and important information will help enrich our service to the public.”
iHub² TIPS AND TRICKS: BOOT STRAPPING WITH PAUL SHRATER
January 18 @ 6:00 pm
Entrepreneur Paul Shrater co-founded Minimus.biz, the world leader in all things travel-sized and individual-sized. He navigated his company through all its growth stages, developing the marketing, sales, purchasing, operations, administration and accounting departments. Paul acquired extremely valuable tools, processes and strategies along the way and will share these best practices with attendees. A graduate of the acclaimed Wharton School, Paul received a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Entrepreneurial Management. He has spoken at several conferences and guest lectured at universities on topics such as film finance, marketing, intellectual property and screenwriting. Location: 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd. Community Room Camarillo, CA 93012.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
SANTA PAULA — WEV (Women’s Economic Ventures) will present a free Emprendimiento Program in Spanish from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the Blanchard Community Library, 119 N. 8th St., Santa Paula.
WEV’s Emprendimiento Program is free, taught in Spanish, and an incredible opportunity for any Ventura County business owner/new entrepreneur. Our 8-week class will help Spanish-speaking business owners learn the steps to grow their business, write a business plan, understand budgeting, projecting profit and expenses, and gain additional resources for their business journey. And, after completing the course, participants will have the opportunity to apply for a $7,500 small business grant plus additional assistance from mentors and advisors!
The Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura (AHA) will be accepting applications beginning February 1, 2023 for the Public Housing Program from low income households.
Applications will be accepted online beginning Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 8:00am and will close on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 4:00pm. Applications will be accepted via an online portal at onlineportal.ahacv.org
Click on image for more information
After a three-year hiatus due to challenges brought on by the pandemic, the 2023 California Strawberry Festival will take place May 20-21. For the first time ever, the event will be held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
“We are thrilled to relaunch the California Strawberry Festival in 2023 at the Fairgrounds,” says Dean Kato, Chairman of the California Strawberry Festival Board of Directors. “We realized that the event had outgrown the available space at our longtime venue, Oxnard’s College Park. It’s our ‘comeback’ year – and we want to come out bigger and better than ever.”
The West Ventura County Business Alliance (WVCBA), the chamber of commerce serving Camarillo and Oxnard, is pleased to announce its annual Chairperson’s Awards of Excellence recipients, the Ambassador of the Year, and the Ken Cunningham Award winner. By tradition, all were selected by outgoing 2022 Chair of the Board Dawn Simmons, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones.
Honorees will be celebrated at the WVCBA’s Annual Meeting and Installation of Directors on Friday, January 20, beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Spanish Hills Club in Camarillo. Tickets to the luncheon are $60 for members and $75 for non-members. Registration is available online at www.wvcba.org or by calling (805) 738-9100.
First of all, I want to sincerely thank every single person who evacuated and otherwise followed guidance from safety officials regarding sheltering in place and staying off the roads. Because so many followed the orders, our first responders were able to focus their attention on those who most needed it. Thanks to your efforts there have been no fatalities or serious injuries reported.
Effective immediately, all evacuation orders are lifted for the Alisal, Cave, and Thomas fire burn scars and all of Montecito, Toro Canyon, Padaro, and Carpinteria. There are still restricted areas to allow for the draining of storm water and clearing of debris. In particular, North Jameson Lane will be closed from Sheffield to Olive Mill. Roads that are only accessible from Jameson will be accessible to residents only. Show proof of residency and safety officials will let you through.
Aera Energy, a longtime leader in the California energy industry, and the Ventura College Foundation (VCF) are excited to support young adults interested in pursuing future careers in energy, through a new endowment that provides STEM scholarships.
The Aera Energy STEM Scholarship Fund will award annual scholarships to students studying and seeking a degree in STEM disciplines and interested in pursuing a career in the energy sector. The endowment was launched through an initial $25,000 donation from Aera in December. A $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a student every April.
“The future of reliable, safe and affordable energy for this and future generations of Californians relies, in part, on investment in our future workforce. These students are tomorrow’s engineers, teachers and geologists. That’s why Aera supports education in the communities where we operate,” said Amy Fonzo, external affairs advisor at Aera-Ventura. “We’re proud to help the VCF support young adults who are pursuing STEM education. These energy workers of the future will help power our state while innovating new technologies to meet the state’s climate goals.”
The Safety Net for All Coalition is deeply disappointed to see that Governor Newsom’s proposed budget does not include unemployment benefits for excluded immigrant workers. An Excluded Workers Program is an essential step to creating a more equitable and resilient economy that works for all Californians.
California’s immigrant workers are the foundation of our economy, contributing to its standing as the 4th largest economy in the world. Seventy-eight percent of California’s undocumented immigrants work in industries that are “essential and critical” to the economy, such as agriculture, construction, and domestic work. Yet, due to historic racist exclusions from our safety net, California’s undocumented workers are not able to access economic support when they face unexpected job loss. Despite the fact that California employers pay an estimated $485 million annually into the Unemployment Insurance system on behalf of these workers, these workers are prohibited from accessing these benefits.
On Tuesday, January 10, in the first County Board of Supervisors meeting for 2023, County officials who were elected to office following the 2022 elections were ceremonially sworn in by Judge Kevin DeNoce. The officials sworn into office were:
Supervisor Jeff Gorell, District 2
Supervisor Janice S. Parvin, District 4
Assessor Keith Taylor
Auditor-Controller Jeffery S. Burgh
Clerk-Recorder, Registrar of Voters Michelle Ascencion
District Attorney Erik Nasarenko
Treasurer-Tax Collector Sue Horgan
New for 2023 :we are having a Preview Sale so that you can peek at the fantastic heart art created by local artists and purchase any must have pieces before the live event at a set price – haggle free!
Also, a chance to purchase great auction packages, even if you cannot attend the live event.
The link to the sale will be sent via email on Thursday morning at 10am and you will have 2 weeks to shop before the live event.
Please keep your eyes peeled for the link Thursday morning, and happy shopping!
Our County first responders held their 3rd emergency press conference Monday at 4 pm. I’ve included the video of the press conference below.
We expect heavy rain and potential thunderstorms overnight, with a high risk for flash flooding throughout Santa Barbara County and our neighboring counties. The request from our first responders is to please stay off the road unless you are evacuating or otherwise absolutely need to be. If you went to work today and must commute home, please do not attempt. Stay put for tonight. The northbound 101 freeway is closed from Highway 33 to Santa Claus Lane and again at the Gaviota tunnel, along with Highway 154 in both directions. The County has one emergency shelter open at the Wake Center located at 300 North Turnpike in the Eastern Goleta Valley between Goleta and Santa Barbara and is looking to open more. Please check the County of Santa Barbara’s social media and other news sources for updated emergency shelter information. You can also call 805-678-3073 for more Evacuation Center information.
EN ESPAÑOL: CLASE GRATUITA DE COMPUTACIÓN BÁSICA
Comenzando el 10 de enero los martes a las 6:00 pm y los sábados a las 10:00 am
Este curso de 6 semanas enseña a estudiantes adultos conocimientos esenciales de computación que son necesarios en la vida diaria. Este curso está diseñado para personas con un mínimo o ninguna cualificaciones digitales que operan una computadora y es especialmente útil para los estudiantes adultos que necesitan más conocimientos de computación para conseguir un trabajo o pasar a un trabajo mejor pagado.
Happy New Year! The new year has brought many new laws into effect. Read on and check out the links to learn more!
Minimum Wage: Effective January 1, 2023, the minimum wage is $15.50 per hour for all employers. Some cities and counties have higher minimum wages than the state’s rate. There is a list of City and County minimum wages in California maintained by UC Berkeley.
Wage Transparency: SB 1162 requires businesses with 15 or more employees to include information about salary ranges for all job postings. Workers will also have the right now to know the pay scale for their current position. Companies with 100 or more employees are required to submit pay data and wage history to the state by May of each year or face penalties. More information can be reviewed in this Fisher Phillips overview.
January is National Mentoring Month, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County (BBSVC) is celebrating by recruiting mentors through Starbucks locations across the county for the 80 Littles on their waitlist.
All month long, QR codes placed at over 15 Starbucks locations will connect patrons to a video where a waiting Little shares what they hope to do once they are matched with a Big. These QR codes are displayed with an item representing a waiting Little’s interests – like a miniature bike to represent Madeline, who wants to ride bikes with her future Big Sister.
The California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC) is an income tax credit available to businesses that want to locate in California or stay and grow in California. Businesses of any industry, size, or location compete for over $180 million available in tax credits by applying in one of the three application periods each year. Applicants will be analyzed based on twelve different factors of evaluation, including number of full-time jobs being created, amount of investment, and strategic importance to the state or region.
Application Period Timeline: For the remainder of the 2022-2023, applications for the California Competes Tax Credit will be accepted during the following periods:
January 3, 2023 – January 23, 2023
March 6, 2023 – March 20, 2023
Cottage Health has appointed Dr. Miriam Parsa, a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric rheumatologist, to the role of Chief Pediatric Medical Officer.
As Chief Pediatric Medical Officer, Dr. Parsa will continue to help advance the development of pediatric services and community partnerships. She will also provide leadership in maintaining Cottage’s high standards of clinical quality and patient experience.
Dr. Parsa joined the Medical Staff of Cottage Health and the Cottage Children’s Medical Center in 2013 and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Rheumatology.
A Weather Advisory has been issued for Montecito and the Thomas Fire burn area in preparation for another significant storm event this week. Heavy rain, strong winds, and high surf are expected in Montecito Wednesday into Thursday. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for our area through Thursday.
During a Weather Advisory, community members are urged to:
Monitor the weather.
Plan how to get out and where you might go.
Prepare and protect your home.
The Weather Advisory has been issued in light of the recent storms that have produced 8-13 inches of rain in the last 30 days, plus the forecast incoming storm that may produce 4-8+ inches of rain across Montecito and the Thomas Fire burn scar.
The Economic Development Collaborative encourages you to sign up for our no-cost events and webinars. Space is limited. Register today!
IHUB² TIPS AND TRICKS: BOOT STRAPPING WITH PAUL SHRATER
January 18 @ 6:00 pm
Entrepreneur Paul Shrater co-founded Minimus.biz, the world leader in all things travel-sized and individual-sized. He navigated his company through all its growth stages, developing the marketing, sales, purchasing, operations, administration and accounting departments. Paul acquired extremely valuable tools, processes and strategies along the way and will share these best practices with attendees. A graduate of the acclaimed Wharton School, Paul received a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Entrepreneurial Management. He has spoken at several conferences and guest lectured at universities on topics such as film finance, marketing, intellectual property and screenwriting. Location: 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd. Community Room Camarillo, CA 93012.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
On March 1 of 2022, CenCal Health launched the Quality Care Incentive Program (QCIP) to maximize the quality of care for its health plan members on the Central Coast. QCIP is a value-based incentive program that directly rewards plan providers who deliver exceptional medical care in their community. After nine months, the innovative initiative has resulted in a distribution of over $7 million in payments to participating primary care providers (PCPs). QCIP emphasizes the clinical priorities of significance to CenCal Health members, such as diabetes and asthma care, breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings, and child and adolescent well-care visits. In Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, CenCal Health is the Medi-Cal plan that partners with over 1,500 local physicians, hospitals and other providers in delivering patient care to more than 225,000 members. Medi-Cal is the name of California’s Medicaid benefits program; the federal government administers Medicaid.
The Ventura Port District has been honored with the prestigious Jewel Key Award by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce at the 2022 Poinsettia Awards for beautification of the Ventura Harbor Village. The Chamber selects the recipient of this significant annual award based on overall improvements over the past year.
Accepting the award from the Ventura Chamber of Commerce was Ventura Port District General Manager Brian Pendleton and Ventura Port District Board Chairman Chris Stephens.
Throughout this year, we have witnessed modern-day war as there are continued attacks on Ukrainians and their sovereignty. We have all experienced the transition out of COVID-19 and continue to see its devastating effects on our mental, physical, and emotional health. This year we have also seen communities continuing to come together to work towards common goals, like the completion of the Randal Road Debris Basin. After two long years of a global pandemic, we finally gathered to celebrate fiestas, birthdays, and other community events. I have continued pushing and advocating for more housing and alternative transportation methods. As we enter 2023, I will continue to advocate for local community needs, help improve our infrastructure and stand up against injustice. Thank you for all your support. Best wishes and a Happy New Year from my family to yours.
he Housing Trust Fund Ventura County invites anyone interested in learning about affordable housing impacts and solutions to its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. via Zoom. Register free at www.housingtrustfundvc.org/2023annualmeeting. Recognizing, “Lives Connected Through One Common Need,” the nonprofit is hosting two recognized experts on affordability of homes in California – Richard Green, Ph.D. Director and Lusk Chair in Real Estate at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate and Alan Greenlee, Executive Director of the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing.
Entrepreneur Paul Shrater co-founded Minimus.biz, the world leader in all things travel-sized and individual-sized and navigated his company through all its growth stages, building marketing, sales, purchasing, operations, administration, accounting departments and special projects. Paul acquired some extremely valuable tools, processes, and strategies along the way and will share these best practices with attendees.
Entrepreneurship Speaker Series Presents…
Good Sports: Finding and Involving Professional Athletes in your Startup
Wednesday, January 18 | 7:00 pm | In Person
When Matthew Weisman and Jordan Orlick founded LetzChat, a real-time language translation service for video, websites, and SMS, their goal was to make it easier for people to connect with each other around the world. Little did they know that professional athletes would be a critical component of LetzChat’s go-to-market strategy as brand ambassadors, investors, and team members, including a COO who’s also an NFL Super Bowl Champion.
Below is the agenda for The Port of Hueneme’s 10-Year Strategic Plan review.
Drop in anytime to view renderings and leave comments!
Keep an eye out for more details on this event.
Click here to view the Port’s highlights of 2022!
We are excited to announce our Homebuyer Education workshop is back in-person! We can’t wait to see you at our next workshop. If you prefer virtual workshops, we’re still offering online sessions!
Check out our workshops below
Save the Date for the Community College Education Center Townhall presented by Santa Paula Latino Townhall. To build the future economic prosperity of the Santa Clara Valley Region, a long overdue promise of building a Community College Education Center in Santa Paula must become a reality. T
Business professionals seeking to increase marketing for their companies in 2023 can learn the latest marketing tips and tricks at an upcoming, meeting of the Santa Barbara Executive Roundtable (SABER) on Thursday, February 9, 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the University Club.
Jonathan Boring and Jennifer Goddard Combs, two of the Central Coast’s leading experts in marketing and digital communications, will present “New Tools to Market Your Business in 2023!” The presentation will cover a variety of digital and traditional marketing techniques including Tik Tok, Instagram reels, websites becoming fashion statements, the importance of publicity, and offer inspirational ideas for boosting exposure and sales.
Join us Wednesday, February 15th 11:00 am – 5:00 pm!
Tap into the guidance, information and resources you need to strengthen your business in 2023. Learn about business training, employee recruitment, funding and microgrant opportunities, mentorship and other resources. Receive one on one support from the EDC, Santa Barbara Foundation, SCORE, the Workforce Development Board and WEV.
21 East Canon Perdido Street Suite 301 Santa Barbara, CA 93101
According to the most recent information, some 104,000 undocumented immigrants live in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Some 87,000 of this group have come from our neighboring country, Mexico (83%).
This conference unveils a comprehensive study of the socioeconomic profile of undocumented immigrants and their regional and statewide economic impacts. The economic impacts will be captured through gross regional products, labor income, employment, and tax revenue at local, state, and federal levels.
Employment law firm LightGabler is presenting a free employment law webinar, “The Weather’s Great, Wish You Were Here–Handling Employee Absence, Use and Misuse of Paid Time Off and Related Disciplinary Issues.” The webinar is Wednesday, February 22 from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Providing state-mandated sick leave, vacation or combined paid time off to employees is the easy part. Figuring out how to handle employees’ use and misuse of that time is a far bigger challenge. What is an excused absence? When can you ask the employee to provide a doctor’s note? How do you address excessive absenteeism without inviting a disability discrimination lawsuit?
Moorpark College, Oxnard College, Ventura College and Ventura College East Campus are holding free Cash 4 College workshops to help students apply for funds to help with college costs. Funds can be used for tuition, books, housing, transportation, childcare, computers and more.
In-person workshops are scheduled for Feb. 11 and 25. The workshops are free and open to the community; anyone may attend a workshop on either date and can drop in at any time during the events.
The Ventura County Planning Division is researching potential disadvantaged community designations in unincorporated areas, also referred to as Study Areas, near the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, and Santa Paula. Designated disadvantaged communities (DDCs) are low-income communities that are disproportionately burdened by environmental pollution. If the Board of Supervisors elects to identify one or more of these unincorporated communities as DDCs at a future public hearing, these communities would benefit from County policies and programs intended to help address environmental and economic disparities in DDCs
Addendum:
Due to the campus closure from Tuesday’s storm activity, our Superintendent/President candidate forums were rescheduled. See the revised version of the article “College announces selection of 3 finalists for position of Superintendent/President,” for a link with updated dates and times of the forums.
Read how to participate in the candidate forums (rescheduled due to the campus closure on Tuesday, March 14) – before, during and after the March 15 and 16 sessions, here.
The National Association of Women Business Owners, Santa Barbara chapter, will host its 2023 BRAVO Awards ceremony on March 16th to celebrate the achievements of eight women community, industry, and business leaders.
This year’s luncheon and awards ceremony, titled “Dream Big, Power On,” is the largest since the BRAVO Awards launched nine years ago. The event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Santa Barbara/Goleta from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The BRAVO AWARDS were created to recognize local women leaders who have enriched Santa Barbara economically, politically, philanthropically, and socially. Award recipients have taken the initiative to make an impact, brought new ideas to their industries, and motivated, educated, and inspired others to become better.
Winners of this year’s awards include Marsha Bailey, founder and CEO Emerita of Women’s Economic Ventures, who will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for her decades-long work to improve society through the economic empowerment of women.
Have you ever considered selling to South Korea? Well, it’s never been easier! The U.S. Commercial Service is partnering with Coupang, South Korea’s largest eCommerce company, to help U.S. cross-border online sellers to compete and win in this dynamic consumer goods market.
Join EDC Small Business Development Center Trade Advisors Simona Racek and Siddhi Khara at LA City Club where you will hear from experts discuss how you can take advantage of this exciting opportunity. Registration CLOSES Tuesday, March 14! For additional information, please email Cynthia Torres at cynthia.torres@trade.gov.
Lumina Alliance is hosting its 2nd annual fundraiser, Lumina Nights, on Saturday, March 18th, at Rava Winery in Paso Robles. The gala will feature a special performance from the 2022 Atascadero Dancing with Our Stars— a concept the agency plans to fully implement in 2024. This exciting event will raise funds to support those impacted by sexual and intimate partner violence in San Luis Obispo County.
The Economic Development Collaborative(EDC) and Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) are partnering to bring you a WEVWorks Webinar: Weathering the Economic Storm – helping small business owners feel prepared.
Free webinar, March 22 from 12pm – 1pm.
Register today: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/reg…/WN_yYPaDt8XRxO24RJVidqf5Q
Live translation to Spanish will be available!
How would a recession impact my business? What do I need to know about inflation? This webinar will provide some of the answers. The Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) and Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) have partnered to offer a FREE WEVWorks webinar. The webinar aims to provide small business owners with guidance on how to prepare their businesses for periods of inflation and recession. The webinar will begin with an economic overview from Dr. Peter Rupert, founder of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project, followed by small business-specific guidance from Dr. Ray Bowman and Gonzalo Fernández of the EDC Small Business Development Center. Nicki Parr of WEV will moderate the session, and a Q&A session will follow.
A live translation will be available for Spanish speakers during the webinar!
Join us March 22 @ 12:00 pm!
CLICK HERE to register
Grab a pen and join us for this lively 90-minute workshop, sprinkled with ideas and stories to inspire and empower writers of all types. We’ll start by checking out today’s book business (both traditional and indie publishing), then share valuable resources to help aspiring authors connect with literary agents and editors.
Seeking to boost your command of the craft? We’ll offer ideas you can employ to add some spunk and sparkle to your prose, including a gem from a gutsy, trailblazing comedy star. If reaching readers via promotion is on your radar, listen in for stories about how authors choose and use marketing tactics that fit their style.
The “1-2-3” session also includes real-time writing prompts, handouts, and Q&A.
