Twitter For Business

I have been getting a lot of questions about Twitter and how to use it to further your business. People are even curious if Twitter even has a place in the marketing mix. So to answer like the true consultant that I am... IT DEPENDS!!!

In my opinion, it works better in the B-to-B format where a company can mention what they are doing and the followers (if potential customers) can think, I could use that too. I have not seen it as effective when marketing to consumers but that does not mean that it could not work.

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Niche Markets.

The other day I received a phone call from one of The Oklahoman reporters researching information for an article on niche businesses, specifically the lighting and also the battery business. One thing I have learned from an amount of time in working with small businesses, is that there are all sorts of niche markets around.

When we talked about batteries, for example, the reporters personal experience was with the "usual" batteries such as a AA, AAA, C, D and so forth. You would be hard pressed to find a company who could make it off of the common consumer battery like that. As we talked, and I just looked around my office environment, the streetscape and commercial building landscape from that venue, it was obvious that there were many, many types of batteries and ways that batteries were used. She needed to expand her thinking as to the market.

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Working collectively to keep the wheels of business turning - a success story

“I love it when a plan comes together”

Those words are by the late, great George Peppard -AKA “Hannibal” Smith of the A-Team. Now, if your sensibilities are offended by the combination of A-Team and cycling metaphors, please go no further than this line. But if you’re curious about how the business-support community works in a collaborative fashion to make things happen, step this way, please!

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Attention Springfield: Free Small Business Technical Assistance April 14th

We are working with three springfield businesses currently. If you are a retailer, home based business, nonprofit or just thinking of opening a small business, you will benefit from talking to one of our Certified Business Analysts.

SPAR has recently joined with the Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida to provide free technical assistance and confidential guidance to business owners and nonprofits in Springfield and the surrounding area. Certified Business Analysts Kevin Monahan and Paul Arrington are available to meet at the SPAR office on the second Tuesday of each month.

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SBDC Service Center Program Announcement

The University of California Merced Small Business Development Center (UC Merced SBDC) requests for proposals (RFP) for the following regions: Kern County Region; Salinas Valley Region; and, San Luis Obispo County Region. The purpose of the RFP is to solicit proposals for the selection of a contractor to operate a Small Business Development Center in the areas listed. The mission of the SBDC is to provide quality management and technical assistance for existing and potential small businesses resulting in success for the entrepreneur and sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all Central Californians.

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Managing Projects program offered by SBDC

GREEN BAY — The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Small Business Development Center is offering “Managing Projects,” a two-day management program focused on the critical skills to make projects run efficiently.

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Stimulus Rumor: Grants for Small Businesses

At the Small Business Development Center, we have been getting a lot of inquiries about free money for people who want to start a business or are in small business debt. Take our word for it, there are no small business grants (and there never have been).

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Is Your SBDC Using Multimedia Effectively? - Audio

Audio is probably the cheapest way to use multimedia for your SBDC. The only real need is a headset with a microphone, which many of us already have in our possesion due to Skype and other voice over internet protocal (VOIP) programs. If not, they can be picked up between fifteen and fifty dollars at any store that sells electronics. Unlike Skype, if you are making audio recordings for a website or podcast you will need to edit them.

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A Public Program That Actually Returns Money to the Treasury

Most of the time that you read about the U.S. Small Business Administration in the news, the topic is small business lending or perhaps the federal budget.

You may even have wondered why there’s so much fuss about the SBA. If you’re not in the market for a loan, you may wonder what good is it?

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New recommendations for policies to support women entrepreneurs

By: Rieva Lesonsky

What do women business owners want? The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) asked them, at six Town Hall Meetings held across the country in 2007 and 2008, and has compiled the answers into a new report, Current Priorities and Challenges of Women Business Owners. The report summarizes what women business owners said they would like the government to do to help support women-owned businesses in today’s economic crisis.

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Partnering Up: Why Web Partnerships Make Sense for Small Businesses

No business is an island in the online ocean. There are other businesses that sell complimentary (but not competing) products or services, bloggers who write about your industry and distribution channels that stretch across the globe. Big businesses are constantly negotiating and entering into partnership agreements and small businesses can reap the same benefits. Making connections with online partners can help you grow your small business whether you’re a one person entrepreneur or a fifity person company.

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Real Small-Business Stimulus Starts With SBDC

By Tim Berry

Quietly, outside the headlines about bonuses and bailouts, the smarter entrepreneurs among us head to their local SBDC. There, they find classes on starting a business, classes on running a business, classes on business planning, tips, introductions…and sometimes just a touch of real-world experience, when it’s badly needed.

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New Small Business Development Center Director Named

This week the Santa Clarita Community College District announced the appointment of Steven Tannehill as the director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hosted by College of the Canyons.

Tannehill, who comes to College of the Canyons with more than 20 years of business experience in the real estate finance industry, will work closely with Bruce Getzan, Dean of Economic Development at the college, to provide leadership, direction and managerial oversight of the SBDC and its operations.

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Does Your Business Need a Check Up?

by Heather Robinette

During difficult economic times, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the cash flow of your business. A business that’s experienced success and growth in the past may find that it isn’t operating as efficiently as it could be. One way to improve the efficiency and potentially increase profits is to conduct a financial analysis in which trends and margins are reviewed and compared to industry benchmarks.

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Start A Home-Based Biz? Answer 4 Questions

Gary E. Smith, an instructor at the Lane Community College Small Business Development Center said a desire to run your own company isn’t enough. He stated four things people should think about before they start their own company.

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Small businesses encouraged to tap into government market

MASSACHUSETTS — The Federal Government is the largest consumer of products and services in the country, and a market just ripe to be tapped if small businesses know the steps they need to take.

That’s where the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (SBDC) comes in. As part of its Government Procurement Technical Assistance Center, businesses are taught the ins and outs of how to sell their products to the government and be successful doing it.

"It (government procurement) opens up enormous markets to these businesses that allows them to dive into a customer base that will allow them a more predictable income stream," said Melinda Ailes, SBDC senior counselor.

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Planning a Start-Up? Help and Advice Abound

By: KELLY K. SPORS

Laid off in the recession and thinking of starting a business? Or just tired of working for someone else?

It's hard to start a business alone. Aspiring entrepreneurs must tackle an onslaught of questions like what and where to sell, how to effectively market their product or service, how to structure their business -- even whether going solo is the best option for them.

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The "R" Word and Small Business: It's a Jungle Out There!

Turn on your television to watch the news, read your morning paper, everywhere you look the word "recession" rears its ugly head. It's amazing to me that a word that was mostly avoided up to a year ago and was "something we were not in" according to the past administration, suddenly became the vocabulary of the day.

My theory is, if the government really would like to know when a recession will occur, interview some SBDC consultants. Based on what happened back in the early 90's and what has happened recently, there are certain predictors we often see in terms of the small business habitat.

Not unlike Marlin Perkins and Wild Kingdom, we can do a little safari run, and look at some of the predictors we see that indicate we may be coming into a "dry season."

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FranklinCovey’s ‘7 Habits’ workshop offered by SBDC

GREEN BAY — The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Small Business Development Center is offering FranklinCovey’s “7 Habits of Successful Small Business Managers,” a two-day program based on Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

The program gives new and experienced managers a set of tools that will help them meet today’s management challenges. Participants will gain skills in conflict resolution, strategic leadership, collaboration, prioritization, and performance management.

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Small Business Success Story

2003 SUCCESS AWARD

Name of Business:           Enviro Shield Products
Nature of Business:         Manufacturer of patented spill prevention devices and absorbent products
Owners:                        Robert Shane Herman and LeAnn M. Herman
Address:                       1021 S. Thomas Ave., Yuma AZ 85385
Phone:                          (928) 344-3113
Fax:                             (928) 344-5639
Email:                            shaneespllc@aol.com
Website:                        www.enviroshieldproducts.com
Business Structure:          LLC
Year Business Began:       1999
Employees at Start Up:     2
Employees in 2003:          6
First Year Revenues         $120,000
Revenues in 2002:           $120,000
2003 Revenue Forecast:   $ 600,000 - $ 1 million
Start Up Capital:             $ 10,000

Source of 

Initial Capital Funds:        from 401K
2003 Line of Credit:         None/self-funded

SBDC Counselor Randy Nelson

Shane Herman's idea for his business, Enviro Shield Products, welled up in the oil fields of the sweeping Alaskan slope at Prudhoe Bay. Shane grew up among the oil rigs of North Dakota and he found opportunity in his changing industry. He saw the oil industry boom in the 1970s and bust in the 1980s. He went to work for British Petroleum in Alaska in 1990. In 1994, the company implemented a zero tolerance spill policy.

Shane and his father-in-law, Amie Volz, started developing spill protection devices during their off-duty hours at Prudhoe Bay. Shane resigned from BP (by then renamed to mean Beyond Petroleum {BP} in 1999 and went home to Yuma to start Enviro Shield Products in his garage.

Now, the family business occupies a 5,000-square-foot facility that provides increased electrical and manufacturing requirements. Amie is production manager. Shane's wife, LeAnn, manages the office. Shane and LeAnn have a 15-year-old son, Chase.

Enviro Shield manufactures and sells a full line of environmentally sound portable and attached spill containtment devices. The devices protect against engine drips and accidental spills. A line of absorbent products is being developed. Enviro Shield products were patented and trademarked in 2002.

Shane cashed out his BP 401K to raise start-up money. Expansion capital was scarce. The Arizona Department of Commerce suggested that Shane seek advice from the Small Business Development Center. Although Shane has remained self-funded, he found other help at the SBDC.

His counselor, Randy Nelson, has helped with sales and market development. The strategies foster growth. They also help to reversre the adverse impact of the terrorist attack on America to compensate for ustable oil prices. Shane and Randy are exploring other growth opportunities that include government procurement and new products.

With Shane's true grit of a self-reliant and creative American entrepreneur, Yuma may become the home of the world's ultimate in spill protection devices.

"THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER is a valuable asset to my business. My counselor walks the talk. When he says he's going to do something, he keeps his word. That's unusual today."

Robert Shane Herman, Founder
Enviro Shield Products, LLC
Yuma Arizona

Good Advice:

"Know your industry. Have a superior product and a good price. Make your customers happy with your honesty, service and know-how."

Secret of Success:

"Can't, won't and don't care are not words that belong in your vocabulary. You must find a way to do whatever needs to be done."

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