Sonja Brown Email & Phone Number

Minnetonka, Mn

Human Centered Design and Strategic Consulting that impacts consumer experiences. Work includes internal and external research for new business insights, products, services and processes. Provide consumer experience insights, product concepts, business plans and new market development strategy. Project Management experience including new product development, events, research, and website redesign. Strong strategic thinking and change management skills. Keen observational, research and interview skills. Developer of brand strategy and new market identification. Creator of consumer insights and new product concepts. Offers strategic and creative leadership to business, education and not-for-profits. Provides project management. Experienced Public Relations, Publicity and Crisis Communications leader. Facilitator and coach for start up business and entrepreneurs. SKILLS USED: New business development, partnership creation, strong writing skills, listening, facilitating, presenting, interviewing and insights.

St. Paul, Minnesota

Providing a three phase branding consulting project for the UMN School of Social Work. The three phases include: Discovery, Story Telling/MATTERS and Implementation. The Discovery phase includes in-depth research to discover insights, meaning and messaging for the school. The Story Telling/MATTERS phase will identify and develop communication methods that showcase and tell why the school matters. The final phase of the project will include a comprehensive plan to help the school brand itself and celebrate its 100 year anniversary.

Bloomington, Minnesota

Instructor for entrepreneur classes for the Healing Arts Business Practice area of Normandale Community College's Continuing Education classes for Integrative Health and Wellness: http://normandale.augusoft.net/index.cfmmethod=CourseSeries.CourseSeriesRegistration&CourseSeriesGroupId=233Class teaches integrative medicine practitioners how think like an entrepreneur to grow their practices. SKILLS USED: Curriculum writing Facilitation & PresentationBusiness and Entrepreneur knowledge

Leading innovation and change for higher education. Identifying and creating opportunities for Normandale Community College to help address the changing needs for higher education. Leading change creation strategy discussions. Presenting to community members and to Normandale Executive teams. Methodology includes interview style research with employers, school districts and community organizations in the SW Metro area. The purpose of this project is to identify and create new program opportunities for Normandale Community College that meets new market demands. SKILLS USED: Interviewing, presenting, strategy, writing and facilitation.

Minnesota

Swim Possible, SBC offers gentle, hands on swimming lessons to all learners - serving students with Autism, Downs, Fear/Anxiety, Health issues and other learning needs. I am the creator of a hands-on, yoga breath and movement based teaching method that helps learners with Autism and other learning needs calm and feel how to swim. I train private instructors in the Swim Possible method and am creating business opportunities for Swim Possible instructors in communities everywhere. As a Minnesota Public Benefit, Swim Possible operates with the public mission of improving the Safety and Fitness of children with autism. We do this by incorporating a family safety component into all of our lessons. Swim Possible was a semi-finalist in the MN CUP.

Minneapolis Farmer'S Markets

A pilot business to put into practice innovation and entrepreneur skills used in consulting and coaching including E-Myth method of focus on entrepreneur, operations and manager roles. Led new product development. Managed sales at three markets. SKILLS USED: finance, purchasing, organization, legal, insurance, finances and all other aspects of running a small business. Social media marketing including Twitter, Facebook and e-mail blasts.

Officer of technology start up company. Identified markets and opportunities for product. Provided concepts and product development strategies. Led branding of product. Developed investor relations. Presenter at technology events. Creator of events for launch. SKILLS USED: Research opportunities, business start-up organization, marketing purchasing, interpersonal, presentation, insights and more.

To create a fundraising toolkit for national nonprofit member organizations of ANSA. The toolkit was designed to introduce methods for raising funds for international food serving kitchens in South Africa that served meals and provided services to people with HIV/AIDS. Toolkit needed to explain how to frame funding message to generate additional revenue for international efforts that did not conflict with agency's local fundraising messages. SKILLS USED: Research, interviews, writing and design.

Lead for Strategic Plan process for Women Venture, a nonprofit focusing on building female entrepreneurs. Conducted interviews with key constituents, led group discussions, provided research and interpretation for organization. Wrote and delivered plan to board. Provided coaching to organization as needed. SKILLS USED: Relational skills, listening, writing, strategic and others.

Created and led entrepreneur groups to assist small business owners with all aspects of their businesses. Wrote monthly newsletter. Groups provided marketing and survival skills to businesses during recession. Company offered business plan writing workshops, entrepreneur groups, business coaching and marketing assistance to small businesses. SKILLS USED: Leadership, presentation, curriculum creation and writing.

St. Paul, Minnesota

Project management, including leadership of Extension website redesign, National Educator conference, Lake Home and Cabin Show presence, Community Development pricing project and WGGYPP new market development project. Strategic consulting including business plan and market plan writing. Research. Business Plan Writer and Coach. Marketing lead including brand development, generating strategic partnerships, web site new market traffic growth, online education promotion, new product development. Communications including marketing plans, publicity for new products, e-newsletters, press releases, author tours, brochures. Award winning work.SKILLS USED: Relationship building skills with team members, teaching, advising, leadership, marketing, promotion, advising, creativity, writing, strategy and more.

Ba, Journalism With Reporting And Environmental Sciences Focuses

Activities and Societies: Sports Reporter, Human Rights Reporter for Minnesota Daily, Gamma Phi Beta, McKnight Scholarship

Innovation/Business/International Development

Coursera: *Word of Mouth Social Marketing (January 2016) *Social Entrepreneurship (September - October 2014) Learning how to create income.

Education record

Activities and Societies: After completing CTI's core curriculum classes, I returned as an assistant to help teach several additional.

Education record

Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies

I am currently taking Alec Johnson's fantastic Entrepreneur 200 as a way to brush up on the newest ideas on entrepreneurism..