SMART Sessions | Headwaters North

SMART Sessions is a series of weekly 1-hour Zoom Q&A and Info sessions that are designed to give business owners and any of their team members practical advice they can use right away. Each session focuses on a specific topic, like "Business Contracts 101," "Leading Your Junior Leaders so You Can Prepare for Retirement," or "Business Financials: What you Need to Know to Build a good Banking Relationship" all presented by Michigan business experts.

Attendees will get clear steps to make their businesses stronger and more stable.

Each session is free!

These sessions provided by Headwaters North for the Eastern UP Small Business Support Hub (SBSH) program are designed to help you achieve real, measurable results in a way that fits your goals and timeline. Whether you're just starting out or planning for the future, SMART Sessions will guide you toward success. You can register for as many sessions as you want.

If you attend one or more SMART Sessions, you’ll win an opportunity to apply for the 2nd round of SBSH direct grants that will be available later this year.

Eastern UP area attendees will also have the opportunity to meet one-on-one at no cost with the experts to get help implementing insights in a way that makes the most sense for their businesses.

If you have questions about SMART Sessions, please use the contact form below.

Additional SMART Sessions will be added in the coming weeks!

SMART Session #1 | Setting up and Negotiating Business Contracts 101

January 21, 2025 9-10 a.m.

In this session, attendees will hear critical components to any solid business contract and learn the most important components to negotiating a good contract.

Expert - Zach Meyer from Varnum

Zach is a seasoned business attorney with over 14 years in experience advising clients in many industries. He prioritizes problem-solving through meaningful counselling. He is eager to assist clients in navigating the risks of business and legal compliance.

Zach Meyer
Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett
See Zach on LinkedIn

SMART Session #2 | Earned Sick Time Act: Deciding What To Do and When

January 29, 2025 9-10 a.m.

Attendees will walk through a decision tree type process to better understand how the law may affect their business and its employees. Key takeaways include knowing which employees may be eligible for the leave, how the leave accrues, how much may be used annually, how to rollover, what types of absences are covered, and when an employer can ask for a doctor’s note.

Contact Us

Expert - Robin Chapekis

Robin Chapekis, SHRM-SCP and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, is the founder of SVELTE HR, specializing in HR efficiency and effectiveness. With a passion for transforming HR into a competitive advantage, she collaborates with organizations to enhance education, networking, and global HR standards. Based in Escanaba, MI, Robin is also working with ISO/TC 260 on the development of international standards for Human Resource Management.

SMART Session #3 | Small Business Financial Planning

February 5, 2025 9-10 a.m.

This session will provide an overview of the key aspects of financial planning for small businesses, equipping you with the knowledge to make informed financial decisions and achieve long-term success. We will review budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management and financial statements.

Expert - Diana Goode

Diana Goode is the Chief Finance Officer of TechTown Detroit and Finance Director at Wayne State University. She has been involved in the TechTown and Wayne State University ecosystem for years and was previously with TechTown as CFO/COO from 2015-2016. She then joined in various roles across Wayne State University over the last eight years including the CFO of Wayne Health and the Sr. Associate Vice President of Finance and Treasury for Wayne State University.

SMART Session #4 | Solve your Biggest HR Headache

February 11, 2025 Noon to 1 p.m.

“Solve Your HR Headaches” is a session that will help you deal with some of the biggest HR problems you face as a business owner, including compliance, recruitment, and retention. We’ll walk through some tips and tools to ensure you are setting your business, employees, and yourself up for success!

Expert - Erica Bachran

Erica Bachran is the Associate Director of Business Operations and Strategy at TechTown Ops+. She has a B.B.A in Finance and Human Resources Management from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Erica is passionate about helping the small business and entrepreneur community, with a focus on developing company culture, team member development, and organizational success.

SMART Session #5 | How To Set SMART Goals & Solve BIG Issues

February 19, 2025 Noon to 1 p.m.

Is your business running you? In this session, you'll learn how to effectively solve important issues during status meetings, minimize distractions and emergencies, and build a culture of teamwork and accountability. We'll explore how to set quarterly goals that stay on track and directly impact the growth and sustainability of your business, all through the lens of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and supporting philosophies.

Expert - Tyler Sharette

Tyler is an operations leader with over 13 years of experience driving growth across diverse industries, including marketing, nonprofit fundraising, and manufacturing. As an expert in EOS and the Six Key Components of Traction, he helps small to mid-sized businesses streamline operations, align around a shared vision, and develop proven processes and customized playbooks that bring clarity and structure to their organizations.
See Tyler on LinkedIn

SMART Session #6 | Getting Past QuickBooks Road Blocks

February 25, 2025 9-10 a.m.

Need a little help with some of the QB basics? Attend this session and we'll cover some basics that often trip-up QB users like: an effective chart of accounts, difference between customers and venders, storing vender data, adding credit card an bank accounts and uploading receipts to your account. Attendees will be able to as questions and if you are part of the Easter UP SBSH hub, arrange for one-on-one help with QB.

Expert - Diana Goode

SMART Session #7 | Technology and Your Data are Your Secret Weapons

March 4, 2025 noon - 1 p.m.

Don't hire another person just yet. Seeing how you use technology and store your business data could get you a much better idea of what you would need a new person to do if you need a new person at all. Once you have this figured out, growth will be easier.

Expert - Tom Meloche

Tom co-founded Menlo Innovations LLC, a leading Agile software development firm featured in Joy Inc., and was instrumental in creating workplace transformation techniques studied by tens of thousands worldwide. As an Agile pioneer, Meloche taught Michigan's first public Agile class and helped design courses that trained over 20,000 people. Tom has a 25-year history of helping leaders, companies, and teams.

Special SMART Session | Balancing Cashflow and Tax Liability

March 6, 2025 9-10 a.m.

Tax time is here—are you prepared? Many small business owners underestimate their tax liabilities, leading to last-minute stress and unexpected hits to cash flow.

Join this Special SMART Session to get clear, practical guidance on managing taxes and balancing cash flow. Learn how to plan ahead so tax season doesn’t catch you off guard. This session is a must for business owners who want to stay in control and avoid surprises.

Expert - Kristy McPherson of Northshore Tax & Accounting

Kristy, a St. Ignace business owner, graduated with a Bachelor of Science from LSSU and a Masters in Finance from Baker College. She has been doing taxes and tax planning for over 25 years and opened Northshore Tax & Accounting in 2023 to specialize in assisting small businesses.

SMART Session #8 | Marketing: Exploiting your Truth

March 12, 2025 9-10 a.m.

Join a marketing discussion on how to uncover, exploit and communicate your business truth. This approach focuses on distilling the value your business creates and making it visible to the key players.

Expert - Matthew Monte, Monte Consulting

Matt has worked in sales and marketing since 1997, and supports his team of writers, designers, and developers in generating high level branding for businesses across the U.S. Educated in engineering, communications, and theater, he has substantial expertise in product development and industrial marketing. He often focuses on product naming, business storytelling, and photo/video.

SMART Session #9 | Lead your Jr. Leaders so you can Retire One Day

March 19, 2025 noon to 1 p.m.

Coaching your team every step of the way so that your retirement doesn’t get delayed. If you are thinking about retirement and you want your business to move into the future, protecting your legacy and your assets, learning how to coach the next leaders without adding more to your plate each day is important. Come and find out how you can take care of the future and the present at the same time.

Expert - Dave Haviland, Phimation

Dave is a business coach and strategy advisor to about a dozen companies, and serves on the board of directors or advisors at several Stage 2 companies. His focus is on “ROI with heart,” emphasizing good business decisions while honoring each company’s culture and relationships. His clients either are family businesses or act like them, and his smallest client has 6 people and his largest has 200.

SMART Session #10 | Don't Make These Hiring Mistakes Again!

March 25, 2025 9-10 a.m.

In this session, attendees will hear about the four biggest hiring mistakes made in small businesses and solutions that can be implemented to get great at hiring for their own culture and the skills they absolutely need.

Expert - M. Miche Rayment

Miche has been in organizational design and development for over 30 years and published her book The Hire EffectTM | Hire for Culture and Skill in 2017. She is focused on always adding value, being genuine and guiding business owners to solutions that work for them.