The PennWest Clarion Small Business Development Center, in partnership with Ben Franklin Technology Partners, is hosting a powerful new speaker series led by entrepreneur and investor Brian Slawin. This monthly lineup runs through March 2026, offering real-world insights, hard-earned lessons, and actionable strategies for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Each session—ranging from topics like challenging industry norms, raising capital, and scaling innovation to lessons learned from the startup journey—is filled with practical tools and interactive discussions.

Each event is scheduled as a one-hour webinar, except for the final networking-focused master class taking place in person on March 19, 2026, from 12:00–1:30 p.m. in Oil City, Venango County.  

In this Real Talk Series for Small Business on Commercializing Ideas for Growth, we will discuss Growth Through Innovation. Whether you’re launching your first business or looking to take your company to the next level, this series is designed to spark new ideas, build confidence, and provide clarity for your entrepreneurial path.

This training provides insights and guidance on how innovation is used – and can be leveraged – to help a company go from good to great!

• How companies balance incremental improvements (quick wins) with disruptive bets (long-term plays) to structure an innovation portfolio to
• Help manage risks while maintaining a pipeline of future growth opportunities.
• The important role that leadership lays in aligning strategic intent with a clear vision, resources and guardrails aligning innovation goals with a broader business strategy.
• The way that customer-centric innovation can drive sustainable growth through deep customer understanding.
• And, helping companies identify what business they are really in, rather than just being a business doing a thing.

Future sessions include: 

Thursday, September 25, 2025 – 8 Questions Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know the Answers To (Webinar)

Thursday, October 23, 2025 – My Dad Stole My Startup’s Money (Webinar)

Thursday, November 20, 2025 – How to Start Your Startup as a Non-Technical Founder (Webinar)

Thursday, January 22, 2026 – How to Hook Investors to WIN (Webinar)

Thursday, February 26, 2026 – Don’t Quit Your Daydream (Webinar)

Thursday, March 19, 2026 – NETWORKING (In person – Oil City, PA)