Wisconsin SBDC: Event Marketing and Presentation Design

Challenge
The Wisconsin SBDC at UW-Milwaukee runs a packed calendar of free workshops for entrepreneurs across the state, on topics ranging from LinkedIn marketing to succession planning to employee ownership. The events are free and genuinely valuable, but free doesn’t market itself. The SBDC needed marketing that would make a busy small business owner stop and register, event after event, across different counties, audiences, and topics. They also needed a way to tell the bigger story: what their programming does and what results it delivers for the entrepreneurs and communities they serve.

Services Marketing, Social Media Campaigns and Presentation Deck Design

Process
As an entrepreneur myself, I approached each event knowing what makes a small business owner say “this is for me” instead of scrolling past. I built a distinct visual identity for every workshop that spoke to the outcome an entrepreneur cares about, not just the topic on the flyer.

I applied the same thinking to the SBDC’s pitch decks. These presentations communicate the programming the SBDC is running and the results it is delivering to stakeholders and funders. The goal was to turn program data and client success into a clear, credible story that earns confidence and support.

Outcome
Ten event campaigns in 2026 and two pitch decks. The events were consistent in quality but distinct enough to speak to each region and audience:
The LinkedIn Glow Up, Say It Anyway, Emotional Intelligence for Small Business Success, a Lunch and Learn on accessing funding in Ozaukee County, A Strategic Approach to Financing Your Business at KIN in Kenosha, The Succession Moment in Milwaukee, a Lunch and Learn on employee ownership, and Market Ready: Holiday Sales Strategies for Makers, a free, hands-on workshop that helped artisans and small business owners make the most of holiday markets. The year also included two sessions of Ready to Open, an ongoing series helping entrepreneurs plan their first commercial space.

The two pitch decks give the SBDC a polished, persuasive way to share its impact. The relationship has grown from single-event promotion into an ongoing partnership across marketing and communications.