Alison Dodge - Entrepreneurship
Happy Bambino
Founded in 2004 and sold in 2016
Natural Parenting Network (producer of Natural Family Expo and Madison Family Fest)
2011 to present
Allied Bookkeeping & Business Coaching
2017 to present
Non-profit work
Alison Dodge co-founded and managed a retail and resource center for 15 years - from 2004 to 2016 - when it was sold. In 2011, she co-founded an event production company. And in 2017, she founded Allied Bookkeeping. In the meanwhile, she has extensive experience working with other small business owners as a business consultant with Google and with WWBIC.
Madison Family Fest
Produce Madison Family Fest (formerly Natural Family Expo) an annual event since 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin held at Monona Terrace. Including during the pandemic. On March 11, we announced that we would have to postpone our 2020 event (scheduled for March 22) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We ran that as a virtual event with a game and produced a Summer Activity Guide. had to postpone our 2020 event which was scheduled for March 22. The Fest hosts over 3000 attendees and approximately 100 vendors and exhibitors. The goal of the Madison Family Fest is to provide families in Southwestern Wisconsin a venue to learn, have fun and explore their available local resources.
Jan 2004 - March 2016
Happy Bambino is a unique business model with two components: 1) an upscale family-friendly eco-friendly retail boutique (with online retail functionality) and 2) an award-winning resource center which hosts classes, groups, special events, and recurring programming.
The two components work symbiotically to provide a winning business model as well as a “third place” for parents of young children. Our highly trained team strives to treat every customer like family and to provide an exceptional experience to the families we work with. Our goal is to make the experience of parenting less challenging and more pleasurable – by providing helpful tools and products, by creating meaningful relationships, and by building community. It is an honor to often hear, “You changed our lives. This experience is better because of Happy Bambino.”
2011-2012
Business Specialist
Google’s direct field marketing team introduced and educated local organizations about Google platforms and best practice use of the internet for business promotion and growth. As a local ambassador, I fostered partnerships with strategic organizations and built relationships with SMB’s, business affiliations, chambers of commerce, universities, and non-profits. I created collateral and provided training to small and large groups. Additionally, I provided face-to-face individualized consulting to local businesses to help optimize Internet presence. Finally, as part of a national campaign, I provided training to hundreds of businesses around the country on Google Places, Docs (Apps), AdWords, AdWords Express, Analytics, and Webmaster Tools.
Small Business Consultant
WWBIC
2015-2021
WWBIC provides quality business and financial education coupled with access to fair capital and financial products. As a Small Business Consultant, I provide one-to-one consultation to new and existing loan clients that includes comprehensive business plan review and development of action plans. I developed curriculum for and teach business education classes including SEO, Google Analytics, and QuickBooks. Additionally I work collaboratively across departments at WWBIC to increase organizational efficiencies - leveraging technology and implementing process improvements.
Founding Board Member, Treasurer, Vice President - 2010-2015
Breastfeeding Coalition of South Central Wisconsin
The Breastfeeding Coalition was formed in 2011 to expand the scope and breadth of its predecessor, the Madison Breastfeeding Promotion Network. The Coalition strives to improve health outcomes by bringing together community members to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. Current initiatives include annual professional symposium for 150+ health care providers (11 years running); Community Breastfeeding Awards (4 years); legislative advocacy; and establishing web-based communications and online community resources.