Mel Lambert

How to Create a Memorable Brand Voice Follow these tips to create a brand voice that stands out and keeps customers coming back.

Struggling with your brand voice? Read these tips from the US Chamber.

Small Business Heroes | QuickBooks Introducing the Intuit QuickBooks and Mailchimp Small Business Hero Program—a year-long initiative designed to celebrate and empower small businesses that invigorate and serve their communities.

Funding Opp! Intuit QuickBooks and Mailchimp Small Business Hero Program. Year-long initiative designed to celebrate and empower small businesses that invigorate and serve their communities. $20K awarded.

Funding Opp! Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Chocolate History Grant. Grant funds will be awarded for project(s) that investigate and/or educate on the history of chocolate, uncover new chocolate innovation, development of cocoa science as well as highlight the chocolate making process.

How Successful Entrepreneurs Manage Their Time & What You Can Learn From Them Discover the essential strategies successful entrepreneurs use to manage their time and stay focused to prevent burnout as an entrepreneur.

LOVE me some Eisenhower matrix! Check out this article from the US Chamber. "How Successful Entrepreneurs Manage Their Time & What You Can Learn From Them"

It's happening! I'll see you all next week in Excelsior Springs for Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities! I can't wait!

My birthday is coming up, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than to host a panel for National Women's Small Business month! Come hang out in person, because it's definitely possible I bought my favorite STL snack (Red Hot Riplets) to celebrate. Register: buff.ly/EniMyDh

About | Kindness in Business Children's Grove and Missouri Business Alert met in late 2019 to discuss partnering to host an awards ceremony to honor local businesses and organizations. In March 2020, plans quickly shifted after the...

Kindness in Business Awards? It would be awesome to see something like this in STL! But if you're in Boone County - you should nominate!

You ever just want to bounce your small business idea off of someone and hear their thoughts? That's what Virtual Startup Office Hours are for! Drop in our zoom session to ask questions, hear from others, and learn what you don't know. Every last Wed of the month.

buff.ly/VM0HlNI

When you're at the airport and you see a BALSA Foundation alum's art on the wall!!!

The CO—100 List: America's Top 100 Small Businesses This exclusive list recognizes 100 of the best and brightest small and mid-sized businesses across America, celebrated for their remarkable contributions in driving innovation, growth, and ingenuity…

The CO— 100 were announced and not only is there two companies in Missouri - there is ONE in STL! Congrats to Exit 11 Coffee in Washington MO and KRe8 Spaces in STL!

I Love My Librarian Award - Nominate a Librarian! Nominate a librarian you love for the 2026 I Love My Librarian Award - they could win $5,000 and the recognition of a lifetime! Nominations close December 15, 2025!

LOVE your librarian? Nominate them to win $5K! There are some really amazing folks here in STL who are quietly killing it in libraries. Give your favorite a shout out! (Even if a librarian doesn't win - they get all the nice things you said about them...which we need).

Leave Your Mark IMG's Leave Your Mark Essay Contest offers mission organizations a chance to win $5,000 to make a difference for their cause.

Funding Opp: IMG will be granting funds to 5 winners — 2 mission or social good organizations and 3 individuals participating in a mission, volunteer, or service trip. The 2 winning organizations will receive $3,500 each, and the 3 winning individuals will receive $1,000 each.

Reminder: if you post a job opening and hope that I'll share it. It better have the pay outlined or I won't be sharing it.

Everyone does better when we're transparent with the pay. Even you! Folks are more likely to apply for a job if the pay is outlined.

#TheMoreYouKnow #SayThePay

I won a grant to provide funding for our 2026 One Author, One Kirkwood program! What author would you all love to see in the STL area?

Who wants to come hang out and learn how to fund your nonprofit? I don't have ALL the answers, but I do have access to some pretty cool resources that can help you get funded! buff.ly/M3qRktd

Hey Helen Grant • Start Your Application! | Visionaries Presented by

Funding Opp: The Hey Helen Grant gives $10,000 in financial support to women founders building impactful, mission-driven businesses in the USA .

Small Business Readiness for Resiliency Program: How It Works Last updated: June 2025 The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation partnered with founding sponsor FedEx to develop the Readiness for Resiliency (R4R) Program, with additional support from Allstate,…

Opportunity: Small Business Readiness for Resiliency Program. The R4R program is designed for a small biz with 500 or fewer employees. It guides a biz through a 3-step process and, if eligible, provides grants when an emergency order or disaster declaration is made in their county.

NEA’s Creative Writing Fellowship Program Canceled On Friday afternoon, writers who applied for the National Endowment for the Arts’ 2026 Creative Writing Fellowships received an email from the NEA saying that the program, and their applications, had…

I'm heartbroken because a lot of my favorite authors have received this grant.

Wondering how to support my library work? We need sponsors to fund this year's Leadership Course, initially made possible by an IMLS grant. Last year, it was free for 25 people with all the speaker sessions open to the public. If you or someone you know can help, check out this info: buff.ly/Br8spaU

Don't forget! The last Wednesday of the month is for asking questions about your startup! Virtual only - register for the zoom link. buff.ly/Zm36a4b

2025/08/19 - Assets: Understanding Trademarks, Copyrights and Patents This workshop provides a high level introduction to intellectual property, explaining how trademarks, copyrights, and patents can protect your business assets and how to manage these rights

Webinar tomorrow! Assets: Understanding Trademarks, Copyrights and Patents

Spark Good Local Grants Guidelines Local Community Grants

Funding Opp: Spark Good Local Grants. Each year, Walmart U.S. stores, Sam’s Clubs and Distribution Centers award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5000.

15 Percent Pledge Introducing Rooted In Growth, a national grant initiative presented by amika in partnership with the Fifteen Percent Pledge, created to nurture and fund the next generation of professional hair care…

Funding Opp: Rooted in Growth grants. 4 hair care businesses will be selected to receive: $50K in flexible grant funding, Access to founder-focused mentorship program, Networking opportunities, Brand visibility. For underrepresented founders.

Companies Using Threads to Successfully Market Their Business Learn how these five businesses are effectively using Threads to market their brands and gain traction on the platform.

US Chamber shouting out brands for using Threads...which is my favorite social media platform. Are you using it for your company yet?

Here's a list of the August 2025 short-term career training programs offered at St. Louis Community College. Each month St. Louis Community College offers opportunities for short-term training
in health care, manufacturing, transportation and trades. buff.ly/abmmZOj

How to Find and Reach Your Customers on LinkedIn: 8/5/2025 Learn how to reach your most promising prospects on the most powerful business network on the planet – LinkedIn. With more than 1 billion professional members, it’s likely your potential customers are

Interesting online session from SCORE! How to Find and Reach Your Customers on LinkedIn.

Email Compliance: Unsubscribe Laws and Best Practices Understand email unsubscribe laws and best practices to become a stronger email marketer.

Listen - if you don't have a way for me to unsubscribe from your email list, I may not turn you in, but I will mark it as spam, and that hurts too.

How to Perform a Competitive Salary Analysis Learn how to perform a compensation analysis to ensure your company is offering competitive pay to retain top talent and strengthen your reputation.

Are you competitively paying your employees? This US Chamber article outlines some GREAT resources, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics websites. I teach job seekers how to use these to negotiate with you and make sure you're paying them fairly. Shouldn't you do the same?

Need help with bookkeeping and accounting? Check out these upcoming 1x1 sessions from the Women's Business Development Center on Aug 13th. buff.ly/XzxhNt5?

I'm so excited to bring back the business brainstorm session. If you're stuck with an idea - come out and participate on August 13th! buff.ly/qzkC9RF