by Nancy E Williams
October 11, 2025
Melinda F. Emerson is the founding father of SmallBizLadyUniversity.com and has been delivering sensible training and coaching to assist professionals begin, develop, or purchase small companies for shut to twenty years
Melinda F. Emerson is the founding father of SmallBizLadyUniversity.com and has been delivering sensible training and coaching to assist professionals begin, develop, or purchase small companies for shut to twenty years. Identified within the business as America’s No. 1 Small Enterprise Knowledgeable, Emerson is a speaker for the U.S. State Division, podcast host, and best-selling creator of Repair Your Enterprise: 90-Day Plan to Get Your Life Again and Scale back Chaos in Your Enterprise. Emerson has assembled among the prime specialists within the enterprise and franchise world for her upcoming The Subsequent ACT CEO Summit, a three-day digital convention going down Jan. 22–24, 2026.
The summit will information senior girls leaders age 45+ to turn out to be entrepreneurs by way of acquisition—shopping for an present enterprise or franchise. This system focuses on the sensible know-how required to step into possession with confidence on day one, together with financing, authorized, know-how, coaching, and important companies. “Girls with a long time of management expertise are decisive and creditworthy. They don’t want one other job in company America—they want a transparent path to wealth creation by way of entrepreneurship,” explains Emerson. “This occasion will demystify entrepreneurship by way of acquisition and supply the instruments, companions, specialists, and group to make possession a actuality.” The Subsequent ACT CEO Summit is designed to fulfill this second, offering course, assets, and vetted companions. Organizers are concentrating on 350 certified attendees from the U.S. and Canada.
Over the three days, convention attendees will learn to:
Evaluate impartial acquisitions vs. franchise possession and select the best lane primarily based on price range, time, and expertise.
Supply and consider actual listings (brokers, resales, franchise consultants, marketplaces) with red-flag checklists.
Navigate the financing matrix (e.g., SBA, vendor financing, franchise lenders, CDFIs, ROBS) and assemble lender-ready packages.
Conduct due diligence on operations, folks, and financials.
Construct an ownership-ready tech stack (CRM, e-signature, invoicing, payroll) and perceive authorized and insurance coverage fundamentals.
Emerson shared with BLACK ENTERPRISE that now could be the time for this summit as a result of “A rising variety of skilled girls are actively looking for ‘what’s subsequent’ past company roles. They wish to personal belongings, not a job. They need programs, groups, and income that they will scale with their enterprise expertise. They usually don’t have time to construct a enterprise from scratch.”
For Sponsorship alternatives, occasion particulars, and registration, go to the web site at https://smallbizladyuniversity.com/nextactceosummit/
RELATED CONTENT: D.C. Sisters Have a good time 20 Years Of Rita’s Italian Ice Franchise Possession
