Blogs - SBDC National Network

SBDC Modernization Act of 2009 Passes House

Lost in the Shuffle of last saturday's health care debate is that H. R. 1845, also known as the SBDC Modernization Act, passed the House. The bill still needs to go through the Senate and be signed into law by the president. So what does this bill do, here is a quick summary: Small Business Development Centers Modernization Act of 2009 amends the Small Business Act relating to small business development centers to: (1) require institutions of higher education that are provided SBDC grants to… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on November 13, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Make the Internet Work For You

Information is everywhere. Lately, I've had to do a ton of research on Medical Insurance and Dental Plans as the budget year nears an end and the next one begins. This is the first time I've really had to give much thought to this as I've been on my parents plans for most of my life and then really didn't pay m… Continue

Added by Howard Strang on November 11, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments

Do people really matter that much when it comes to sustainability?

Dana Weddle and the UT-Arlington SBDC Center for Enterprise Excellence recently posted a really good article on people and sustainablility. Their original post on teir site can be found here: UT-Arlington SBDC Blog The “People” part of the Triple Bottom Line often gets overlooked when we discuss Sustainability. As an environmentalist and a Planet advocate, I can talk about the environment all day long… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on November 6, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Thriving In Interesting Times

Kansas SBDC Center Director Will Katz and SBDC consultant Maggie Bornholdt's slides from their presentation on how small businesses can thrive in Interesting times.

Will Katz: Thriving In Interesting T

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Added by SBDCNet on November 5, 2009 at 12:31pm — No Comments

Successful Business in a Tough Economic Climate

Here are some slides we got from the Kansas SBDCs to share with everyone. These are from a presentations SBDC Counselor Frank Choriego does on how businesses can be successful in a tough economic climate.

Tough Economic Climate

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Added by SBDCNet on November 5, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

Truth in Marketing: Not What You Think

By Curt Clinkinbeard, Executive Director The FAMEE Foundation I have a wonderful four year old son. He makes my heart sing even thinking about him for a second. Like other father’s, my children mean the world to me and I think they are perfect. If you’ve been a parent in the last few decades, you probably know how children get addicted to a given movie; when given the option, they go the favorite time and time again. Currently my son’s fa… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on October 28, 2009 at 9:43am — No Comments

What Does Your Brand Say?

Another Great post from Michael Bowers of the Ohio SBDC @ Columbus State and his Ideas to Deals Blog: A couple of months ago I attended a presentation by my friend Nate Riggs at the Ohio Web Leaders meeting. Nate presented "Brand You" (many of the concepts of the presentation can be found in the post "Brand Ownership"). What I… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on October 26, 2009 at 12:25pm — No Comments

Coffee Farmers To Reap From Stable Global Prices

By ALLAN ODHIAMBO Price volatility due to speculation in global coffee trade has eased in the past decade, a new survey in international markets has revealed, raising hopes for exporting countries such as Kenya to adopt effective sales policies. "The volatility recorded from 2000 to the present is not more marked than in previous years. The general trend is rather towards reduced volatility despite the emergence of occasional peaks from time to time as a short-term response to exogenous impacts… Continue

Added by Cliff Gachewa on October 18, 2009 at 2:58pm — No Comments

Issues in having your own business

I was listening to a recently graduated doctor talking about trying to make ends meet with his own practice. He is finding it difficult to handle the cost of Medical insurance for all of his employees. He is finding that offering some form of Temporary medical insurance is holding the practice together until he c… Continue

Added by Cindy Fallsen on October 7, 2009 at 9:08pm — 1 Comment

Using Technology to Small Business Advantage

It shouldn't be Small business news to think that cutting edge technology is reserved for the big boys. It's not! I have found things like Call center software that can run on a PC, inventory software that outperforms big ticket packages, and even… Continue

Added by Lincoln Builds on October 5, 2009 at 10:14pm — No Comments

Challenge for Small Business Owners

The recent recession has hit the small business owner pretty hard. We are seeing lots of small businesses in our town go out of business after many years. We had a jewelry shop close after 49 years of business a while back. It is so sad. How can these people afford Dental plans or even Travel ins for employees. I hop… Continue

Added by Cindy Fallsen on September 28, 2009 at 3:05pm — 1 Comment

E-Verify News

E-Verify Effective Sept. 8, 2009, federal contractors and subcontractors are required to use the E-Verify system to verify their employees' eligibility to work in the United States. This requirement will apply to all contracts awarded after September 8, 2009 that include the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify Clause. At this time, the ruling does not apply to contracts awarded before this effective date. We’ve had calls from a number of small business owners who have received… Continue

Added by Manuel Barba on September 15, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Top Eight Causes of Business Failure - Number 7

Number 7: This is the second in a series of eight posts concerning the top causes of small business failure. We will work our way up to the number one cause; however each one is an important issue for any small business to consider. This week’s post is on personal use of business funds being a cause of failure. While this seems like a no brainer and implies something criminal, it really gets at the issue of… Continue

Added by John Krech on August 11, 2009 at 11:47am — 2 Comments

Small business owners need a ‘reality check’

Source: business@toledofreepress.com-written by: Bill Wersell There has been a lot of attention in the media lately on the downturn in the economy and what it has meant to small businesses across the country: stories of businesses closing, employees losing their jobs and even homes, as well as the domino effect on other businesses caused by one company’s failure. So what is the reality of what is happening to small businesses? How are they really faring in our region? What is being done to hel… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on July 29, 2009 at 1:32pm — 1 Comment

Small business part 3: Funding

by J. Bruce Hughes In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I discussed ways your Small Business Development Center can help you with counseling and training. This last part talks about ways that some SBDCs can help you with funding that does not involve borrowing money. SBDCS and equity funding If your business needs equity funding, the counselor typically can give you an introduction into the equity funding process, and may have contacts with local angel capital networks or state economi… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on July 23, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Contracts For Designers Who Hate Contracts

Every designer creates original work that is protected by copyright. Take the time to understand and protect your rights. crowdSPRING is committed to education and we’re very happy to share our first of many upcoming e-books: Contracts For Designers Who Hate Contracts. It’s a quick, 20 page read and I’ve shared a template agreement that you can modify for your own use. Continue

Added by SBDCNet on July 16, 2009 at 3:09pm — No Comments

Help us Design the Tech Forward Magazine Logo at crowdSPRING.com

Our newest program sponsor, crowdspring is posting a project where you can help design the logo for the new SBDCNet Tech Forward Magazine which will highlight technological innovations at SBDCs around the country. The logo project is up at crowdspring and the chosen design will be awarded $375 dollars to view the designs or get involved with the project go to… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on July 15, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Small Business Role in Economic Recovery

Some new thoughts on the role small businesses can play in economic recovery from the Office of Advocacy suggest that additional investment in helping small businesses is a national imperative. Brian Headd, an economist at the Office of Advocacy, notes that "best hope for job creation may shape up to be expansion of existing firms with 20-499 employees." His conclusion is based on a comparison of… Continue

Added by Ken Gaebler on July 7, 2009 at 9:41am — 1 Comment

Small business growth and local economic impact: Alameda County Small Business Development Center

Examiner.com The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has its roots in the Great Depression, when President Herbert Hoover created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to provide federal loans to businesses harmed by the era’s economic collapse. In subsequent years, the federal governm… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on July 6, 2009 at 10:47am — No Comments

Even shy people can network like pros

Jacqueline Taylor, Associate Region Director, Houston, TX, from the Houston Chronicle Q. I go to a lot of luncheons and networking events with the idea of making business connections, but then I get nervous and don’t really meet anyone. How can I overcome my shyness and make better use of these events? A. Promise yourself that at the next such event you’ll meet two new people. Don’t think in terms of getti… Continue

Added by SBDCNet on July 6, 2009 at 10:38am — No Comments

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