Princeton, NJ - April 8, 2013 - On Saturday, May 4th, 2013, the Princeton SCORE chapter and Princeton Public Library are joining forces to host the 5th Annual Small Business Fair in downtown Princeton. The fair will be held at the Princeton Public Library from 11am to 3pm, and attendance is FREE.
Published Mar. 7, 2013
Visa® Small Business Spend Insights monitors the economic confidence of U.S. small business owners by analyzing Visa Business card spend data and responses to a quarterly survey. Small businesses and those serving them can benefit from the trends and insights obtained from Visa’s proprietary research.
Outlook has improved despite lingering economic uncertainty
Small business owners reported record-high confidence and decreasing concern in key areas of the economy — even as buzz surrounding the “fiscal cliff” dominated the media during the time of the survey.
Published Jan. 3, 2013
Addresses 25 ways to market your small business inexpensively.
A. Ad. Develop a thirty-second ad for what you do. "I'm John James from Schenck & Associates and I help auto dealerships make money," or "I help companies sell their business."
Arrive early at functions such as volunteer board meetings etc. A great opportunity to network.
Ask for the business. After every client meeting, ask if he or she knows of anyone else you can help.
Published Jan. 3, 2013
Addresses the steps that need to be taken by a business owner in order to gain more knowledge about the market. Analysis is critical!
Understanding Your Market
Your business will not succeed just because you want it to succeed. Determining if there is a market for your products or services is the most critical item of planning. Once you decide on your product or service, you must analyze your market; a process of interviewing competitors, suppliers and new customers.
However, before you begin researching your market, you should take a brief, but close, look at your product or service from an objective standpoint.
Published Jan. 2, 2013
Explains how/why an email marketing program helps to promote business. The article also explains what should be included in the plan.
If you're busy running your business, chances are you tolerate e-mail as a necessary mode of communication. In reality, getting up close and personal with e-mail marketing could transform your business.
About the Author
Dana VanDen Heuvel is president of MarketingSavant, a marketing consulting and training firm. Reach him at (888) 989-7771 or dana@marketingsavant.com.
Published Dec. 31, 2012
A description of how preparing a sound marketing plan (even for small businesses) can help to promote a business. A marketing plan is a critical part of a business plan.
by Greg Linnemanstons, Market Smart
Retired U.S. Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf once said, “The nice thing about not having a plan is that failure comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded by doubt and worry…”
Steve Strauss, founder of www.theselfemployed.com, offers guidance for setting up an e-commerce store for your business.
Q: I know this is late notice, but it occurred to me recently that if I could put up an e-commerce store, I might really increase my sales this holiday season. I have a website but how do I make the leap into e-commerce?
Fontana
About the Author
Steven D. Strauss is a lawyer and writer and is one of the country's leading experts on small business as well as an international business speaker. The best-selling author of 17 books, his latest is the all-new 3rd ed. of The Small Business Bible. You can listen to his weekly podcast, Small Business Success Powered by Greatland, visit his new website for the self-employed, TheSelfEmployed, follow him on Twitter, and "like" TheSelfEmployed on Facebook. You can e-mail Steve at: sstrauss@mrallbiz.com. © Steven D. Strauss
Jon Kurtz, an active duty US Navy Captain and his wife Gila, a professional dog trainer, knew that the entrepreneurial spirit coursed through their veins…to be pursued at some point in the future. Finally in 2005, the couple identified a void in the marketplace and seized the opportunity to pursue that dream of owning their own business.
www.dogisgood.com
Los Alamitos
CA
United States
My Successes
In 2008, they began designing and selling dog-themed apparel at small retail events like charity dog walks and fundraisers in Orange and LA counties. As they witnessed the popularity and increasing demand for their designs, they broadened their distribution to retail stores. By the end of 2009, their revenues had nearly quadrupled over that of the previous year. In 2011 their revenues once again quadrupled and in 2012 they expect to exceed the previous year’s revenues by 40%.
Jon and Gila say their company's success lies in its ability to deliver a simple message in a way that resonates with dog lovers. With clever and poignant sentiments, they remind consumers how great it feels to be with our dogs. They have also developed a reputation for generously giving back to animal welfare organizations throughout the United States.
They have recently expanded their product offerings to include the “Cat is Good” and “Horse is Good” apparel lines. The company is currently seeing growth in all 3 distribution channels: direct retail, wholesale and licensing.
What's Great About My Mentor?
SCORE mentor Tom Patty helped Jon and Gila sharpen the focus of their message to keep it centered on their core audience. Using examples of famous brands, Tom explained how a company’s message should create an emotional attachment in order to earn loyal customers. To this end, Jon and Gila coined (and trademarked) their goal of “delivering dovergnügen” – that great feeling one gets when with their dog.
How SCORE Helped
The Kurtz’s attended several workshops at the local Orange County chapter of SCORE. After attending one such seminar by SCORE mentor Tom Patty called “Marketing Without Money,” the couple began participating in one-on-one mentoring sessions with Patty.
When was the last time you had fun learning about the US Constitution? A study in 2011 revealed that fewer than half of Americans could answer basic questions about the Constitution, a document critical to our country’s history and present. Two teachers from California, David and Pamela Barret, identified this need in the market and used their years of experience in the education field to create an engaging and effective way of filling that need.
www.constitutionquest.com
Temecula
CA
United States
My Successes
David and Pamela spent many months brainstorming, researching and outlining questions on Post-it notes that lined their bedroom wall before the board game became a reality. They chose to manufacture the game within the U.S. despite the higher production costs. It was an important marketing decision that has paid off. In just 3 months of production, they sold 600 games. Pamela commented, “We are just thrilled. I would love to get it in as many hands as possible. Our goal is constitutional literacy.”
The Barrets originally identified their target market as homeschool families looking to incorporate civics into their lessons. But they’ve also noticed demand coming from other groups including classrooms, grandparents, chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and individuals preparing to take their citizenship exam.
What's Great About My Mentor?
The couple spoke of their SCORE mentor saying, “Bob Godlasky has connected with other experts at SCORE to ensure that we are on track toward success. We know that we can shoot an email to Bob to get advice on answering those burning questions that keep us up at night.”
How SCORE Helped
The Barrets say, “We have built our small business with tons of blood, sweat and tears! It’s been nice to have listening ears and a guiding hand along the way. SCORE of Orange County has encouraged us and suggested trainings that have proven to be very helpful in terms of advertising, social media, financing and writing a business plan.”
Broward SCORE held one of its quarterly events at Nova Southeastern University. Grow Your Revenues with On-Line Resources was the topic. Workshops, led by subject matter experts, dealt with the various on-line resources that are available to small business owners to help them grow their business.
The workshops covered:
Print
