Elisa Balabram
Elisa Balabram is an Adjunct Lecturer at Baruch College, teaching the Entrepreneurial Experiences class to undergraduate BBA students. She holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship Management from Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, CUNY, and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. She is a Business and Self-Love Coach, Speaker and the Author of Ask Others, Trust Yourself: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Key to Success. She was the director of the SBA Women’s Business Center at 2 non-profit organizations for a total of 8 years. Through one-on-one business coaching, workshops and long-term training, she has assisted aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners with starting businesses, writing business plans, securing loans, winning business plan competitions, developing and executing marketing and sales strategies, hiring and managing employees, and with growing their businesses. She also founded and managed an online magazine for women business owners from 2003 to 2012, archives of the interviews can be found at Womenandbiz.com. Ms. Balabram was named the U.S. Small Business Administration New York District 2008 Women in Business Champion of the Year. Prior to moving to New York, she assisted in running her family’s business (Coffee shop and chocolate business) in Brazil.
Allison Lehr Samuels
Allison Lehr Samuels is a full-time Lecturer in the Management Department with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Small Business, and a Field Mentor at the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship at Baruch College. Her consulting work has included over 1400 small business owners and entrepreneurs who have ranged from fashion designers, radio producers, and restauranteurs, to hedge fund consultants, violin makers and graphic designers. She has extensive experience developing business and marketing plans, obtaining small business loans and building up the knowledge and confidence of her clients so that they feel empowered to take action. Most recently, she was the first rececipient of the Zicklin Hybrid Online Teaching with Technology Award for her work in curriculum development. She has co-developed and implemented a course on Women and Entrepreneurship which looks at the challenges specific to women owned businesses, and explores the necessary skills for women to successfully obtain resources and run successful businesses. She holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship Management from Baruch College and a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University in Theatre.
