Wednesday, July 31, 2013

New Website Devoted to Women Veterans' Issues


New Website Devoted to Women Veterans' Issues
The department has launched a new website devoted to issues and challenges affecting women veterans. The site is a collaborative effort between the Veterans' Employment and Training Service, Women's Bureau and Office of the Secretary and was created as part of the department's initiative to tackle women veteran employment issues. It highlights potential challenges that may affect the economic security of women veterans, including disabilities (women veterans are more likely than their male peers to have a significant service-related disability); marital status (women veterans are nearly twice as likely to be divorced as male veterans); and parenting (11 percent of women veterans are raising children alone, as compared to 4 percent of male veterans). While veterans overall have a higher median earning rate than non-veterans, women veterans tend to earn nearly $6,000 less annually than their male veteran counterparts. The website also contains links with information on employment opportunities, education and health care options, and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other government agencies.


Source: DOL newsletter

Monday, July 29, 2013

Chamber of Commerce Executive Ongoing Education Idea - Smarts by Chuck Martin, Peg Dawson, Richard Guare

SMARTS -  by Chuck Martin, Peg Dawson, Richard Guare

Twelve specific and very important cognitive functions begin developing in the brain at birth. These "skills" are built in to every individual and are fully developed -- and unchangeable -- by adulthood. Everyone has these same capabilities, but to varying degrees. And it is this unique and unalterable combination of one’s strengths and weaknesses that determines success or failure in any given role.
Smarts contains the groundbreaking Executive Skills Profile: a powerful self-assessment tool that will identify, once and for all, a person’s innate strengths and weaknesses. The results offer tangible proof of why we gravitate to certain tasks and struggle with others. With this newfound clarity, readers will learn to play to their stronger skills, and avoid wasting time on lesser ones they can never improve upon. Most important, they will discover their own unique potential for excellence.
Supported by proprietary primary research and grounded in widely accepted principles of clinical and neuro-psychology, Smarts is a truly eye-opening book that will change how we think about ourselves -- and others.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Loans and Grants Search Tool From the Small Business Administration


Thursday, July 25, 2013

10 Important Quotes About Business Strategy - from Tim Berry


Check out some of these famous sayings about business strategy from business planning expert Tim Berry. These important thoughts to keep in mind are those we probably already know, but often forget, Tim says. 

My favorite quote about strategy comes from Bill Cosby, comedian, author and thinker, not necessarily known for his business wisdom, who said:
1. “I don’t know the secret to success. But I do know the secret to failure is trying to please everybody.”
And that quote reminds me of several other great quotes on strategy. Most of them are more reminders of what we all know, but forget. You’ve probably already heard (or read) some, maybe even most, of these:
2. “People don’t want quarter-inch drills. They want quarter-inch holes.” (Theodore Levitt)
3. “Speed, price, quality: Pick two.” (Anonymous, quoted in The Economist)
4. “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” (Winston Churchill)
5. “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” (Michael Porter)
6. “A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.” (Michael LeBoeuf)
7. “It’s not the customer’s job to know what they want.” (Steve Jobs)
8. “In preparing for battle I’ve always found that plans are useless, but planning is essential.” (Dwight Eisenhower)
In the more than 30 years that I’ve been helping people with business planning, research and occasionally strategy, I’ve worked with several sophisticated strategy frameworks developed by the best and brightest. I learned Porter’s five forces model and the Boston Consulting Group’s growth-share matrix methodologies in business school, and I’ve worked with some others as well. But those methodologies are needed most by large organizations that manage thousands of people and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of resources. Back in the real world, where startups and small businesses are trying to make things happen, the right strategy is almost never subtle or sophisticated.
And that point of view, from the front lines of small business, has me thinking that the most important principle in real-world small business strategy is displacement, which I define as:
9. “Displacement: In the real world of small business, everything you do rules out something else you can’t do.”
That idea comes from the physical principle of displacement of liquids, which is what happens when water splashes as you throw something heavy into it. I’ve seen for years that the small business can’t do everything – although as entrepreneurs and business owners we always want to – so we have to be sure we do the right things, and the most important things.
And, finally, one last quote that I think is wrong and potentially dangerous:
10. “There’s only one growth strategy: work hard.” (William Hague)
What’s wrong with that one? Because so many people work way too hard trying to do everything, or the wrong thing, instead of focusing strategically on the important thing. Consider displacement and what that means. Or the wisdom of the “pick two” quote, or Porter’s “choosing what not to do.” Or, going back to my favorite, “trying to please everybody.”


About the Author



Founder and Chairman of Palo Alto Software and bplans.com, on twitter as Timberry, doing social media business planning at smbplans.com, and blogging at timberry.bplans.com. Stanford MBA. Married 42 years, father of 5. Author of business plan software Business Plan Pro and www.liveplan.com and books including The Plan As You Go Business Plan, published by Entrepreneur Press, 2008.
Tags: Guest BlogsThe Industry WordManagingMarket


Source: sba.gov guest blog

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

US Commercial Service is trade promotion agency of US Dept of Commerce; Export Assistance.

International Sales & Marketing

“Your international business partner”

Leverage the knowledge and influence of the U.S. government and our vast global network of international business experts, contacts and partners.
With offices in more than 100 U.S. cities and 80 countries across the globe, the U.S. government offers U.S. companies exporting information, advice and cost-effective end-to-end international business solutions.
Whether you are new to international sales, trying to enter a new market or looking to expand your business in a specific market here is how we can help you:

For U.S. Companies:

For U.S. Trade Show Organizers:


Information and Counseling

Successful exporters know who they can trust to get the information and guidance they need to make sound business decisions.
The U.S. Government provides U.S. companies with reliable information and personalized counseling at every step of the exporting process – from strategy and planning to financing and logistics to market entry and expansion to advocacy and dispute resolution.

Considering exporting?

Visit our Export Basics section to:
  • Take an Are you Export Ready? online assessment: answer nine questions that will help you identify areas your business needs to strengthen to become a successful exporter
  • Watch the Export University 101 webinar: learn the basic information, methods, and strategies to help sell your products and services internationally
  • Take an International Business Training Course: gain an in-depth understanding of global business management, marketing, supply chain management and trade finance
For more information or assistance, please contact the Trade Information Center at 1-800-USA-TRADE orTIC@ita.doc.gov

Already exporting?

Find out what you need to know to become a more successful exporter:
  • Assess your company to identify areas your business needs to strengthen
  • Evaluate your international sales and marketing strategy
  • Research the most profitable international markets for your products/services
  • Prepare your products/services to enter a new market
  • Determine the best ways to distribute, price and promote your products /services
  • Conduct international business online
  • Ship your products/services with the correct export documentation, packaging and labels
  • Secure export financing to make a sale happen
Get expert advice and counseling from a U.S. Government representative located near you.
  • Request export counseling assistance from your local Export Assistance Center and work one-on-one with an expert in international trade to get answers to your exporting questions and receive guidance on how your company can become more successful in the global marketplace.

Agriculture-Specific Export Counseling

The Foreign Agricultural Service, SRTGs (State Regional Trade Groups), State Departments of Agriculture, food and agriculture industry organizations and international trade groups have a variety of programs and services that can benefit new and experienced exporters.

Productivity and Efficiency Counseling for U.S. Manufacturers (MEP)

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a nationwide network of not-for-profit centers in over 400 locations nationwide. MEPs work directly with U.S. manufacturers to provide expertise and services tailored to their most critical needs, ranging from process improvements and worker training to business practices and applications of information technology.

Strategy and Planning

An international business plan that includes a strategy for entering or expanding into targeted markets is critical to your success in the global marketplace. The U.S. Government provides U.S. companies with cost-effective resources to help you develop or improve your international business plan.

Need to create an international business plan?

Follow the steps below:

Already have an international business plan?

We can confidentially review your international business plan and provide suggestions and cost-effective solutions to help you achieve your goals and objectives.
We can also confidentially review your strategy for entering or expanding into targeted markets and offer suggestions and solutions to ensure you have the best marketing mix.
  • Request strategy and planning assistance from your local Export Assistance Center

Market Research and Due Diligence

Accurate, up-to-date market intelligence is essential for your company to target the best international market opportunities and make informed business decisions when evaluating potential overseas business partners.
You can leverage the knowledge and resources of the U.S. government by tapping into our vast network of experts, contacts and partners in 80 countries across the globe to get world-class market intelligence. 

Customized Market Research (available for a fee)

We can assess the market potential of your product/ services in a given market and prepare a report according to your specific business needs. 
  • Identify and evaluate key market dynamics, opportunities and challenges
  • Address your particular questions regarding the market for your products/services
Learn more about our customized market research program
Order customized market research by contacting your local Export Assistance Center

Due Diligence Reports on Potential Overseas Business Partners (available for a fee)

We can investigate the capabilities, legitimacy and financial strength of a potential overseas business partner and provide useful information gleaned from government, industry and financial contacts, the local press and other sources.
Learn more about our due diligence reports
Order a due diligence report by contacting your local Export Assistance Center

Publicly Accessible Information and Resources (available at no charge)

  • Get Step-by-Step Market Research Tips for finding and assessing markets overseas
  •  Check out the Market Research Library to get overviews on doing business in more than 120 countries and profiles of 110 industry sectors
  • Get the latest Trade Data by country, state, commodity, year, and more
  • Tune into a Webinar to hear about new market and industry information
  • Watch a Webcast to learn international business best practices
  • Search our Trade Lead Database to identify potential business leads for your company
Contact the Trade Information Center for help with our publicly accessible information and resources

Advertising and Promotional Events

Once you’ve developed an international business plan and targeted the best international market opportunities, the next step is to ensure that potential customers and business partners recognize the existence, availability and benefits of your company's products/services.
You can leverage the credibility and influence of the U.S. Government and our vast global network of international business experts, contacts and partners to increase your brand awareness and market exposure in countries around the world.

Promote your products/services in our catalogs and on-line directories

Catalogs and on-line directories offer a relatively inexpensive way for you to reach potential customers and business partners around the globe.
Want to reach more than 250,000 international buyers in 178 countries? 

Then advertise in the U.S. Commerce Department’s official export promotion magazine, Commercial News USA(CNUSA). Distributed free of charge every other month via direct mail and by U.S. embassies and consulates all over the world, CNUSA promotes the products/services of U.S. companies. If you are interested in advertising in Commercial News USA, call 1-800-581-8533.
Want to be featured on U.S. Government websites around the world? 

Then advertise in FUSE, the featured directory of U.S. products on U.S. Commercial Service websites around the world. See a sample listing from our office in China. Register for this program.
Want to be included in the Official U.S. Department of Commerce online directory of U.S. exporters and service providers?

Then request a free company listing in The Export Yellow Pages, a comprehensive, online directory referenced worldwide by the global trade community. Request a listing.

Exhibit at trade fairs and shows supported by the U.S. Government

Trade fairs and shows offer a good opportunity for you company to introduce international buyers, distributors, or representatives to your products/services.
  • Have us exhibit your product/service literature for you
  • Save money by exhibiting alongside other U.S. companies
  • Meet with potential buyers/partners
Learn more about our catalog exhibition service

Organize a promotional event with the credibility and influence of the U.S. Government

From product launches to technical seminars to cocktail receptions we can help you organize a promotional event to reach a target audience of clients, potential business partners or key decision-makers in markets around the world.
Request assistance organizing a promotional event by contacting your local Export Assistance Center

Market Entry and Expansion

Leverage the expertise, resources and connections of the U.S. Government to find and establish business relationships with potential agents, distributors or other strategic partners overseas.

Learn about the methods, channels and other considerations of market entry/expansion:

Find potential agents, distributors or other strategic partners overseas

Our staff located in 80 countries around the globe can save you valuable time and money by conducting an international partner search in a specific market to find potential agents, distributors or other strategic partners.
We will contact a large group of potential overseas business partners using the marketing materials you provide, and then identify the companies that are interested and capable of becoming a viable representative for you in that market.

Arrange meetings with potential agents, distributors or other strategic partners overseas

The most effective method of establishing a successful business relationship with potential agents, distributors or other strategic partners is to demonstrate your willingness to travel to meet with them overseas.
Our staff located in 80 countries around the globe can arrange meetings for you with potential agents, distributors or other partners in a specific market. We carefully screen and qualify potential business partners to ensure that your meetings are productive and informative.
Although traveling overseas to meet face-to-face with potential agents, distributors or other partners is the preferred business practice, if your schedule or travel budget limits your ability to travel overseas we do offer a video conferencing option.

Get long-term, sustained market entry/expansion support

Our staff located in 80 countries around the globe can provide you with market entry/expansion support specifically tailored to your unique needs. We can help design and implement a market entry/expansion strategy and assign a single point of contact to provide long-term, focused support to help you succeed.

Advocacy and Dispute Resolution

U.S. Government advocacy assistance can help U.S. companies overcome trade barriers, bureaucratic problems and unfair trading practices; level the playing field to ensure that your company has the best possible chance to win foreign government contracts; and settle payment disputes with foreign companies.

Need help overcoming trade barriers, bureaucratic problems or unfair trading practices?

Visit our Trade Problems section to learn how the U.S. Government can help you overcome:

Need help pursuing foreign government procurements or projects?

Leverage the resources and influence of the U.S. Government to level the playing field. The U.S. Government’s Advocacy Center has helped hundreds of U.S. companies--small, medium and large enterprises--in various industry sectors win government contracts across the globe.
The assistance provided by the Advocacy Center is wide and varied but often involves the U.S. Government communicating a message to foreign governments or government-owned corporations so that your company receives fair treatment when pursuing foreign government procurements or projects.

Need help resolving payment disputes with foreign companies?

When negotiations with a foreign company to resolve payment disputes fail and the sum involved is large enough to warrant the effort, your company should first obtain the assistance and advice of its bank and legal counsel.
Once your company has obtained the assistance and advice of its bank and legal counsel, then your company can leverage the resources and authority of the U.S. Government to settle the dispute.

U.S. Free Trade Agreements

Why should you care about free trade agreements (FTAs)?

If you are looking to export your product or service, the United States may have negotiated favorable treatment through an FTA to make it easier and cheaper for you. Accessing FTA benefits for your product may require more record-keeping, but can also give your product a competitive advantage versus products from other countries.

What is an FTA negotiated by the United States?

An FTA is an agreement between two or more countries where the countries agree on certain obligations that affect trade in goods and services, and protections for investors and intellectual property rights, among other topics. For the United States, the main goal of trade agreements is to reduce barriers to U.S. exports, protect U.S. interests competing abroad, and enhance the rule of law in the FTA partner country or countries. The reduction of trade barriers and the creation of a more stable and transparent trading and investment environment make it easier and cheaper for U.S. companies to export their products and services to trading partner markets.
How can FTAs benefit U.S. exporters or investors?
U.S. FTAs typically address a wide variety of government activity. One example is the reduction or elimination of tariffs charged on all qualified products coming from the other country. For example, a country that normally charges a tariff of 5% of the value of the incoming product will eliminate that tariff for products that originate (as defined in the FTA) in the United States.
Documenting how a product originates, or meets the rules of origin, can make using the FTA negotiated tariffs a bit more complicated. However, these rules help to ensure that U.S. exports, rather than exports from other countries, receive the benefits of the agreement.
Some other types of opportunities frequently found in FTAs include:
  • the ability for a U.S. company to bid on certain government procurements in the FTA partner country;
  • the ability for a U.S. investor to get prompt, adequate, and effective compensation if its investment in the FTA partner country is taken by the government (expropriated);
  • the ability for U.S. service suppliers to supply their services in the FTA partner country;
  • protection and enforcement of American-owned intellectual property rights in the FTA partner  country; and
  • the ability for U.S. exporters to participate in the development of product standards in the FTA partner country.
With which countries does the United States have an FTA?
The United States has 14 FTAs in force with 20 countries. The United States is also in the process of negotiating a regional FTA, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
U.S. FTA Partner Countries: AustraliaBahrainChileColombiaDR-CAFTA: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, & Nicaragua; IsraelJordanKoreaMoroccoNAFTA: Canada & Mexico; Oman;PanamaPeru; and Singapore.
How can U.S. companies identify tariffs on exports to FTA partner countries?
The FTA Tariff Tool can help you determine the tariff, or tax at the border, that U.S. FTA partners will collect when a U.S. exported product that meets the FTA rule of origin enters the country. You can look up the tariff rate for a given product today, as well as identify when in the future the tariff rate will go down further or be eliminated altogether.

Find your local office: http://export.gov/usoffices/index.asp


Source: Export.gov

John Dussman is Midwest Manager for VillageProfile.com, working with chambers in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Missouri. More than 1500 Chamber of Commerce all over the United States have trusted Village Profile to produce their Membership Directories, Community Profiles, Visitor Maps and Publications, Economic Development magazines and Chamber of Commerce Maps. Contact John at (800)-600-0134 x239.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Small Business Development Centers Offers Free One-On-One Expert Business Advice

With nearly 1,000 locations across the country, Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) offer free one-on-one expert business advice and low-cost training by qualified small business professionals to existing and future entrepreneurs. The SBDC program includes special focus areas such as, green business technology, disaster recovery and preparedness, import and export assistance, veterans assistance, electronic commerce, technology transfer and regulatory compliance. A number of SBDC networks have specialized programs or centers dedicated to these focus areas. 

Here are the Midwestern State-by-State directors:

Janet Roderick
State Director
Arkansas SBTDC
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
2801 South University Avenue, Rm 260
Little Rock, AR 72204
Phone: 501-683-7700
(fax): 501-683-7720
(e): jmroderick@ualr.edu
Website: asbdc.ualr.edu/

Mark Petrilli
State Director
Illinois SBDC
Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
500 E. Monroe
Springfield, IL 62701
Phone: 217-524-5700
(fax): 217-524-0171
(e): mark.petrilli@illinois.gov
Website: click here

Jacob Schpok

State Director
Indiana SBDC
One North Capitol Avenue
Suite 700
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2043
Phone: 317-232-8805
(fax): 317-232-8872
(e): JSchpok@iedc.in.gov
Website: www.isbdc.org

Jim Heckmann

State Director
Iowa SBDC
2321 North Loop Drive, Suite 202
Ames, IA 50010-8218
Phone: 515-294-2030
(fax): 515-294-6522
(e): jimh@iastate.edu
Website: www.iowasbdc.org

Greg Panichello

State Director
Kansas SBDC
214 S.W. 6th Street Suite 301
Topeka, KS 66603
Phone: 785-296-6514
(fax): 785-291-3261
(e): KSBDC.GPanichello@fhsu.edu
Website: www.kansas.gov/ksbdc/

Becky Naugle

State Director
Kentucky SBDC
One Quality Street
Lexington, KY 40507
Phone: 859-257-7668
(fax): 859-323-1907
(e): Lrnaug0@uky.edu
Website: www.ksbdc.org/

Carol Lopucki
State Director
Michigan SBTDC
Grand Valley State University
510 W. Fulton Street
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Phone: 616-331-7480
(fax): 616-331-7485
(e): lopuckic@gvsu.edu
Website: misbtdc.org/

Bruce H. Strong

State Director
Minnesota SBDC
332 Minnesota St., Suite E-200
St. Paul, MN 55101-1349
Phone: 651-259-7420
(fax): 651-296-5287
(e): Bruce.Strong@state.mn.us
Website: click here

Chris Bouchard
Interim State Director
Missouri SBDC
410 South 6th Street
Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: 573-882-9206
(fax): 573-884-4297
(e): bouchardc@missouri.edu
Website: www.missouribusiness.net/sbtdc/index.asp

Robert Bernier
State Director
Nebraska Business Development Center
University of Nebraska at Omaha
200 Mammel Hall, 67th & Pine Streets
Omaha, NE 68182
Phone: 402-554-2521
(fax): 402-554-3473
(e): rbernier@unomaha.edu
Website: nbdc.unomaha.edu/

Bon Wikenheiser
State Director
North Dakota SBDC
1200 Memorial Highway, PO Box 5509
Bismarck, ND 58506-5509
Phone: 701-328-5375
(fax): 701-250-4304
(e): bon@ndsbdc.org
Website: www.ndsbdc.org/

Ezra Escudero

State Director
Ohio SBDC
Ohio Development Services Agency
77 S. High Street, 28th Floor
P. O. Box 1001
Columbus, OH 43216
Phone: 614-466-2711
(fax): 614-644-1789
(e): ezra.escudero@development.ohio.gov
Website: www.OhioSBDC.org

Bill Carter
State Director
Oklahoma SBDC
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
1405 N. 4th Avenue, PMB 2584
Durant, OK 74701-0609
Phone: 580-745-2955
(fax): 580-745-7471
(e): wcarter@se.edu
Website: www.osbdc.org/

Jeff Eckhoff
State Director
South Dakota SBDC
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
Phone: 605-677-5103
(fax): 605-677-5427
(e): jeff.eckhoff@usd.edu
Website: www.usd.edu/sbdc

Gayle Kugler
State Director
Wisconsin SBDC
University of Wisconsin
432 North Lake St., Room 423
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608-263-7812
(e): gayle.kugler@uwex.edu
Website: www.uwex.edu/sbdc

To request personal assistance, go to:

http://www.asbdc-us.org/About_Us/SBDCs.html to find a Small Business Development Center near you. 

Source: Business.USA.gov



+2699741   Recommend this on Google

Monday, July 22, 2013

Chamber Executive Weekly Ongoing Education Idea - What Matters: by David Elliot Cohen


What Matters- The World's Preeminent Photojournalists and Thinkers Depict Essential Issues of Our Time

For more than a century, photography has revealed truths, exposed lies, advanced the public discourse, and inspired people to demand change. Socially conscious pioneers with cameras transformed the world—and that legacy lives on in this eye-opening, thought-provoking, and (we hope) action-inducing book. Like Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and Jonathan Schell’s The Fate of the Earth before it, we believe that What Matters will fundamentally alter the way we see and understand the human race and our planet.
What Matters asks: What are the essential issues of our time? What are the pictures that will spark public outrage and spur reform? The answer appears in 18 powerful, page-turning stories by the foremost photojournalists of our age, edited by The New York Times best-selling author/editor David Elliot Cohen (A Day in the Life and America 24/7 series), and featuring trenchant commentary from well-recognized experts and thinkers in appropriate fields. Photographer Gary Braasch and climate-change guru Bill McKibben provide “A Global Warming 
For more than a century, photography has revealed truths, exposed lies, advanced the public discourse, and inspired people to demand change. Socially conscious pioneers with cameras transformed the world—and that legacy lives on in this eye-opening, thought-provoking, and (we hope) action-inducing book. Like Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and Jonathan Schell’s The Fate of the Earth before it, we believe that What Matters will fundamentally alter the way we see and understand the human race and our planet.
What Matters asks: What are the essential issues of our time? What are the pictures that will spark public outrage and spur reform? The answer appears in 18 powerful, page-turning stories by the foremost photojournalists of our age, edited by The New York Times best-selling author/editor David Elliot Cohen (A Day in the Life and America 24/7 series), and featuring trenchant commentary from well-recognized experts and thinkers in appropriate fields. Photographer Gary Braasch and climate-change guru Bill McKibben provide “A Global Warming 

Travelogue” that takes us from ice caves in Antarctica to smoke-spewing coal plants in Beijing. Brent Stirton and Peter A. Glick examine a “Thirsty World,” chronicling the daily search for clean water in non-developed countries. James Nachtwey and bestselling poverty expert Jeffrey D. Sachs look at the causes of, and cures for, global poverty in “The Bottom Billion.” Stephanie Sinclair and Judith Bruce present the preteen brides of Afghanistan, Nepal, and Ethiopia...It will inspire readers to do their part—however small—to make a difference: to help, the volume includes extensive “What You Can Do” sections with a menu of web links and effective actions readers can take now...

Source: amazon.com