Make no bones about it: a small business owner needs to be able to communicate effectively.

Janet McCarty of Cotton’s Café, as part of the Big Bad Business series, will speak at 6 p.m. Monday at the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce on the topic of “Perfecting Your Business Pitch.”

McCarty is the owner of Cotton’s Cafe, a small local business that offers an all-natural array of dog treats.

“I hope they walk away with the confidence to pitch their products in a dynamic and memorable way and turn that into revenue,” McCarty said.

Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation have teamed up with other community partners to present the monthly series, including Monday’s workshop, as a way of nurturing small business and entrepreneurial ideas in the community.

“We want to make sure that people who are thinking about starting a small business are also thinking about how to tell their story in a unique way that connects with a consumer or audience,” said Wayne Andrews, director of YAC. “A product or service becomes more exciting if there is a story behind it.”

McCarty is the winner of the 2015 AdvoCare Entrepreneur Challenge organized by the EDF. She has additionally led a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $10,000 to help build her business.

“The Big Bad Business Series is all about connecting passionate entrepreneurs to local resources and we are excited to continue this effort through Monday’s business pitch workshop,” said Allen Kurr, vice president of the EDF. “Janet’s passion for presentation development is infectious and this workshop is a perfect opportunity for local entrepreneurs to mold their own stories into a well-crafted business pitch.”

McCarty’s unique story and business idea for Cotton’s Café germinated with her four-legged friend, Cotton. She started creating her own solutions to treat Cotton’s ailments testing a theory that local honey could help Cotton’s allergies. She made dog treats from local farm produce, including honey and no artificial ingredients.

The workshops are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged due to limited seating. For more information, visit incubator.oxfordarts.com or call the YAC at 662-236-6429 or the EDF at 662-234-4651.