Bad Girl Ventures, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  Please make all donations payable to Bad Girl Ventures and mail to 1220 Vine Street, Suite 5, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.  

BGV loan recipients are eligible for up to $25,000 in a low interest loan or line of credit.  No money offered by BGV comes in the form of a grant, and all money must be repaid, according to the terms laid out between BGV and the borrower.

To be eligible for a BGV loan, businesses must meet initial criteria, including:

·          business must be at least 51% owned by a woman

·          business must be five years old or newer

·          business must be located within the 15-county Greater Cincinnati region

·          principal(s) of business must have a personal credit score of 550 or higher

All borrowers must complete a one-page application to be considered for a loan.  The application is only open four times per year, and can be accessed here. (link to application on portal).

Finalists for BGV loans must complete an eight-week curriculum.  Finalists must attend each class and complete all deliverables to complete the program and receive final eligibility.  The general curriculum is laid out as follows:

Orientation –At orientation, BGV provides finalists with the syllabus for the program, deliverables and due dates, the SBA loan application, the terms of BGV loan and other important documents. You will be introduced to your SCORE counselor and the other finalists at this session.  We will also cover how to repair your credit if necessary. 

Participation is vital to the success of the program. Attendance is mandatory.

1.  Components of the Business Plan – Your business plan is the single most important document you will ever draft for your business.  This class will teach you how to develop your plan for a financing audience.

2.  Marketing Essentials & Branding – Knowing what products and services your customers are looking for is a key component in any business.  This class will help you understand the importance of knowing your competition and knowing and reaching your consumer base.

3.  Leveraging web and social media marketing - You have heard a ton about it and you are probably doing it, but are you doing it right?  Are you measuring your returns form social media?  Are you sure your customers are finding you at the right place and time?  This class will help you to optimize your online marketing strategy.

4.  Legal Structuring – Understanding and implementing the appropriate legal structure is imperative from the very beginning.　Learn which structure suits your business and receive free assistance in setting up this structure with the appropriate Secretary of State.

5.  Pricing Your Product and Service – To appropriately price your products and services you must take many things into consideration.  This class is designed to help you understand and determine at what prices you can offer your products and services by considering your product base, your competition and what the market will bear.

6.  Accounting Essentials – Learn the basic accounting principles to manage your business.  This class will also provide you with tools to manage your accounting and the know-how to use these tools effectively.

7.  Accounting: From Start-Up to Cash Flow – Without proper planning, managing cash flow can be disastrous. This class will help you understand cash flow management by helping you understand the importance of anticipating events.  This class will enable you to manage your business and not allow your business to manage you.

8.  Financing Your Business – Defining your dream and understanding credit are important elements to obtaining your goal of entrepreneurship. This class is designed to help you identify and consider your gifts, talents and interests and be able to begin to communicate your business idea to people to build financial and consumer support.  

Upon completion of the BGV program, all donors who have donated $500 or greater during the program period become a member of the Investment Committee for that program.  As members of the Investment Committee, they will have the opportunity to review finalist deliverables and recommend the business or businesses that they believe should receive the BGV loan.

All participants, Investment Committee donors, faculty, counselors and staff must sign the following non-disclosure agreement:

NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT BETWEEN INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS, BGV PARTICIPANTS AND BAD GIRL VENTURES 

By clicking "I agree", I, as an Investment Committee member, or as a peer participant in the BGV curriculum, agree:

(1) not to disclose any information provided by BGV participants, their attorneys and other parties engaged by them, unless it is specifically designated by the participant or BGV as "non confidential";

(2) not to discuss my recommendation, the results or conclusions of the specific analysis of these materials to other parties;

(3) not to provide similar or related services to, or accept employment by, any other person or entity related to the participants in the designated BGV class, without the prior written permission of the participant.

It is understood that this agreement in no way restricts BGV from publishing results of this program.

* All parties engaged in this program will sign a separate version of this agreement.  A copy will be provided to the participant upon request.