There’s more entrepreneurship in what the government calls “lower-income communities” than anywhere else, but the social and monetary networks that these small business owners need to live the American Dream and sustain a business in their community are often beyond their reach. Small businesses are the engines of the economy — but in economically underserved areas they don’t have access to the support and expertise they need to thrive. Skills-based volunteers can change that. Skills-based volunteering is a form of pro bono giving back, where you’re using your unique experience of business skills for a few hours each month to help a small business in an underserved community. The Small Business Administration says only 30% of small businesses make it to 10 years. But for small business owners with a mentor, the difference is striking: 70% of small businesses that receive mentoring survive to that 10-year mark, double the rate … Read More
Free Webinar On January 22 — Creating Your 2016 Marketing Plan
Join us on Friday, January 22 for a free small business webinar on strategies to get your marketing plans off to a strong start, and how to make adjustments as the year goes on. BusinessAdvising.org will host brand storyteller Deb Doyle. In this free webinar, we’ll cover: How a marketing plan can save you time and money What strategic and reactional marketing is, and why it’s important How to measure and adjust your plan Friday, January 22, 2016 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM (PDT) The presentation will be followed by a Q&A, where you can ask your questions and get advice. Deb Doyle, Brand Storyteller/Founder, Stage2 Marketing, shows clients how to find their voices, clarify their messages and create marketing materials that inspire customers to act. Her work has benefited clients such as Varian Medical Systems, Tastes on the Fly Restaurant Group, University of San Francisco, Solar City and numerous start-ups. Deb … Read More
Finding Balance As A Small Business Owner
You may be like the 80% of working Americans who say they feel overworked and stretched too thin. If so, you may also say that you could use a little less stress and a lot more balance in your life. Would you like to minimize your stress? How would it be to just slow down and spend more time on the things that you truly enjoy? John Keathley, MBA and certified personal coach, will walk you through reclaiming your time and living a more fulfilling life in the free webinar below. Here’s what you’ll discover in this information-packed program: What work/life balance means to you, and how to make changes What your current level of satisfaction is in your life, and how to increase it a few notches right away The consequences of living an imbalanced lifestyle, and how to make important change How the choices you make influence your level of balance, and … Read More
Free Webinar On October 23 — Finding Balance As A Small Business Owner
Join us on Friday, October 23 for a free small business webinar with John Keathley, MBA and certified personal coach, on reclaiming your time and living a more fulfilling life. You may be like the 80% of working Americans who say they feel overworked and stretched too thin. If so, you may also say that you could use a little less stress and a lot more balance in your life. Would you like to minimize your stress? How would it be to just slow down and spend more time on the things that you truly enjoy? Discover how to create more balance in your life will not only help you focus on the professional and personal issues that matter most, but also bring you a greater sense of joy and fulfillment. Click here to sign up. Friday, October 23, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM (PDT) Here’s what you’ll discover in this information-packed program: What work/life … Read More
Finding New Customers to Increase Sales
BusinessAdvising.org hosted brand storyteller Deb Doyle for a free small business webinar on strategies and practices to define, find, and engage with your core customers. In this free webinar, Deb covered sales and marketing related to: Defining Your Core Customer Finding Your Core Customer Engaging Your Core Customer Deb Doyle, Brand Storyteller/Founder, Stage2 Marketing, shows clients how to find their voices, clarify their messages and create marketing materials that inspire customers to act. Her work has benefited clients such as Varian Medical Systems, Tastes on the Fly Restaurant Group, University of San Francisco, Solar City and numerous start-ups. Deb teaches advertising and social media at UC Berkeley Extension and San Francisco State University Extension. Prior to launching Stage2 Marketing, Deb was an account director at Publicis & Hal Riney where she introduced the first US camera phone and McCann Erickson where she led Stanford Hospital’s first brand campaign. She managed McDonald’s regional … Read More
Five Ways To Be A Fantastic Business Mentor
Small business owners break rules, take risks, and endure mistakes in an effort to drive their businesses forward. For this reason, having a mentor is invaluable. On our BusinessAdvising.org platform, there are hundreds of business professionals who volunteer their time as a business advisor to help entrepreneurs create jobs for economically underserved communities. A mentor must believe in his or her mentee, both personally and professionally. According to Pamela Ryckman: “Mentors help fill your knowledge gaps and seek opportunities to help you grow and excel. A mentor is someone with whom you can let down your guard, share your insecurities, and ask the ‘stupid’ questions we all have sometimes.” Mentoring has never been more important to the success of a small business. But many aspiring mentors don’t always know where to start when working with their first mentee. The following tips sourced from our pool of experienced mentors should help … Read More
What’s It Like To Volunteer On BusinessAdvising.org? Catching Up With Diana Mills of Union Bank
It’s no secret that volunteering as a business advisor on BusinessAdvising.org is a convenient way to make a big difference in an entrepreneur’s life. You can create your advisor profile online, you’re matched with a small business owner based on your expertise, you can volunteer in person or through email, phone, or Skype, and you’re only asked to commit 5 hours per month! But what is it really like to be a business advisor? We caught up with Diana Mills of Union Bank to find out. Diana is currently advising Kim Neush of Get Fresh (check out her company’s case study!). Through Diana’s help with strategic thinking and financial guidance, the outlook for Get Fresh has never been brighter. Read on to get Diana’s perspective on what it’s like to volunteer on BusinessAdvising.org. Who knows? It may be the perfect opportunity for you to give back too. — Business Advising … Read More
How Food Businesses Can Improve Their Margins
BusinessAdvising.org was joined by culinary business consultant Heather McCarthy for a webinar on strategies and practices to improve your food business’ profits and margins In this free webinar, Heather covered: Where does the money go? Understanding cost of goods sold (COGS) and other high-impact margin influencers. How do I know where to make changes? Setting benchmarks and evaluating options. When will I see results? Implementing change and tracking impact. Heather currently works as a culinary business consultant identifying areas of opportunity for young food businesses to improve their internal structures to create stability while supporting growth. Her experiences in corporate sales and culinary education have created a unique foundation for her consulting practice. Her specific background combines a key understanding of business benchmarks and how to utilize food as a medium through which to connect individuals in a business setting to improve company productivity and employee satisfaction. Heather is also an … Read More
Free Webinar On September 25 — Finding New Customers to Increase Sales
Join us on Friday, September 25 for a free small business webinar on strategies and practices to define, find, and engage with your core customers. BusinessAdvising.org will host brand storyteller Deb Doyle. In this free webinar, we’ll cover sales and marketing related to: Defining Your Core Customer Finding Your Core Customer Engaging Your Core Customer Click here to sign up. Friday, September 25, 2015 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM (PDT) The presentation will be followed by a Q&A, where you can ask your questions and get advice. Deb Doyle, Brand Storyteller/Founder, Stage2 Marketing, shows clients how to find their voices, clarify their messages and create marketing materials that inspire customers to act. Her work has benefited clients such as Varian Medical Systems, Tastes on the Fly Restaurant Group, University of San Francisco, Solar City and numerous start-ups. Deb teaches advertising and social media at UC Berkeley Extension and San Francisco State University … Read More
Is Investing in HR Compliance Worth It?
Today’s blog post comes to us from David Weil, one of our expert business advisors here at BusinessAdvising.org. Dave is the Founder of Weil CFO Solutions, providing financial solutions for small businesses. We’re thrilled to have him share his advice on our blog today; shedding some interesting insight on HR decisions for your small business. — As a small business owner, you understand the many demands your business has, and you do your best to tend to each and every one. Still, owners of most small and medium-sized businesses tend to be hesitant when it comes to investing in Human Resources (HR). Often they view it as a necessary evil that should be minimized. However, failure to invest in proper HR resources can actually cost your business money in the long run though incurred extra costs and/or creating significant liability exposure. Unfortunately for the ever-busy entrepreneur, federal and state governments have … Read More