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Starting backwards…

FY2014

Recently, the Senate passed No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill directs the House of Representatives and the Senate to adopt a FY2014 budget by April 15, 2013. If either body fails, their paychecks will be put into an escrow account starting on April 16 until that body adopts a budget. The bill also suspends the debt limit until May 18, 2013. If Congress does its job and passes a budget, it will avoid a debt-ceiling showdown.

Small Business Majority sponsored a poll that shows 55 percent of small businesses “want a long-term solution to the debt ceiling so the U.S. can pay its bills and the issue doesn’t come up for political votes over and over again, thus jeopardizing our country’s credit rating.” That’s compared to a 36 percent minority who disagreed.

FY2013

For FY2013, the federal government is currently operating on a six-month temporary funding measure that expires on March 27, 2013. The Congress turns its attention to sequestration and full year FY2013 appropriations. Sequestration happens on March 1. Basically, if Congress can’t agree on a budget, every agency is going to see a cut to their lines for 2013 (which is half over.) Many people are saying that sequestration is not good for the economy. It’s not good for small business lending either. (I’m still looking for information on how it will effect the micro programs.)

Politicians are doing what they do best – posturing, but I’m guessing we won’t know what happens behind closed doors until the very last possible minute. Oh the drama.

Thanks to our friends at Small Business Majority for these Healthcare Resources
 

There are more than 28 million small business owners and self-employed individuals in the United States. Together, they are members of a crucial constituency that must be reached to deliver on the promise of the ACA and successfully expand healthcare coverage. Small business owners and the self-employed need to know how the ACA will bring down costs, create a greater choice of insurance options, and the opportunities it offers to expand coverage. Below is a list of resources Small Business Majority has available to small business owners and the self-employed on health reform.

 

National

• What’s in Healthcare Reform for Small Businesses
• What’s in Healthcare Reform for Women-Owned Small Businesses
• Small Business Tax Credit Calculator
• Actual Factual Information about Healthcare Reform: Interactive guide on what healthcare reform will mean for the small business community published by Ascension Health and Small Business Majority.
• Healthcare Reform FAQ
• SHOPping Around: Information for small businesses and a roadmap for states on setting up a SHOP exchange published by Center for American Progress and Small Business Majority.
• Striving for a Healthier America Through Availability and Uptake of Workplace Wellness Programs in the Small Business Community: Summary of challenges and opportunities for implementation of workplace wellness programs in the small business community published by Trust for America’s Health and Small Business Majority.
• Health Coverage Guide: Available in English and Spanish, this guide includes everything small busines owners and their advisors need to know about offering health insurance.
• Small Business Majority Healthcare Research: Small Business Majority conducts scientific and opinion research to provide small business owners, advocates, policymakers with the information they need to navigate through complex healthcare-related issues.
• Healthcare Policy: Track federal steps toward full implementation in 2014 here.
• Small Business Majority Blog: Stay updated on issues affecting the small business community.

What’s missing?

You can find President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union speech.

For your clients

College Station. TX – AgriLogic Consulting, in coordination with the USDA Risk Management Agency, will be hosting educational workshops throughout the state of California targeting local Hispanic, women, and new agricultural producers. Risk management topics will include: decision support tools, specialty crop insurance, enterprise budget development, financial planning, record keeping, identification of risk bearing ability and tolerance, and Food Safety and Good Agricultural Practices program development (USDA-GAP).

The workshop is open to all types of agricultural producers with a special emphasis on Hispanic, women and beginning producers, as well as industry representatives and students pursuing a career in agriculture. Attend a meeting to learn about local risk management opportunities.

Jan. 28 – Salinas
Jan. 29 – Watsonville
Jan. 30 – Hollister
Jan. 31 – Modesto
Feb. 1 – Stockton
Feb. 4 – Colusa
Feb. 5 – Colusa County Farm Show
Feb. 6 – Orland
Feb. 7 – Red Bluff
Feb. 11 – Hanford
Feb. 12 – Bakersfield
Feb. 13 – World Ag Expo
Feb. 14 – San Luis Obispo
Feb. 15 – Buellton
Mar. 4 – Fresno

For more information, visit www.farmriskonline.com. To RSVP contact Keith Schumann at (913) 982-2442 or by email at kschumann@agrilogic.com. This workshop is made possible in part through a cooperative partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency.

Another guest post from Joanne Steele!

What does a micro-business owner need to know to be a successful internet marketer?

What trainings should a micro enterprise development organization or SBDC offer that will have the greatest impact on a small or micro business’s financial success?

These are two questions that can be answered by a new survey tool, the Take Control of Your Internet Marketing, Internet Marketing Skills Checklist.

Internet marketing presents two huge problems for small and micro-business development organizations:

1. What trainings are essential?

2. The internet changes so fast, how can we afford to keep our trainings current and relevant?

What trainings are essential?

The Internet Marketing Skills Checklist can help your organization respond to this issue by zeroing in on your clients’ deficits. The survey focuses on the internet marketing skills that are most valuable for a client’s online success.

• Consistency in their basic online information – their citations – beginning with their local business listings at major search engines.

• Learning how to embrace the new internet “word of mouth,” and using it to greatest effect. You’ll notice I didn’t say “social media” or “Facebook” which are part of internet word of mouth, but for many micro-businesses, not their first concern.

• Understanding how SEO and keyword phrases relate both to their customer’s needs and desires and to the unique things their business offers that people are searching for online.

• Owning a business website that they confidently maintain.

• Managing consistent, regular communication with customers and potential customers using internet tools that facilitate that communication.

These skills will remain relatively constant as the internet tools and platforms for accomplishing them change. Internet marketing fluency requires that small and micro business owners build skill and confidence in the foundational concepts, so that they can more easily embrace change in programs and platforms.

Brian Solis of the marketing firm, Altimeter Group calls internet marketing and social media, disruptive technology.

A small or micro-business development organization’s first responsibility is to teach the underlying concepts of this disruptive technology so that micro-businesses can more confidently manage the inevitable change.

The internet changes so fast, how can we afford to keep current?

Your organizations’ fear and concerns around changing internet marketing trends are the exact fears and concerns that are keeping your clients from embracing this vital marketing opportunity!

Internet marketing is a little like hot air ballooning. When you’re on the ground watching the balloon in the sky, it seems to be sailing by pretty quickly. But the people in the balloon are riding the winds and feel virtually no movement at all!

As your organization climbs on board and starts riding the internet marketing currents, keeping your trainings current and relevant will become easier and more intuitive. You’ll hardly feel the winds of change – responding will become part of the internet marketing ride!

Your concepts based trainings that need an occasional tweak will make up the foundation of your internet marketing classes. And tools and techniques trainings that regularly change as the internet changes, such as “how to” classes in Facebook, Pinterest etc., will make up a smaller segment of your training schedule.

The included internet marketing assessment tool is yours to use to evaluate your own organization and to check your client’s skills. Feel free to use it in different ways. Herb Lawrence, a Center Director and Training Coordinator for Arkansas Small Business Technology Development Center used the questions to create his own assessment tool, which he emailed to his entire clients’ list. Here is a link to the ASBTDC survey. You’ll notice that he left off the explanations under each question, and modified some of the questions to meet the needs of his organization. Feel free to do the same.

After finishing this assessment, Herb has made a decision to use the Take Control of Your Internet Marketing video lessons to augment his organization’s training programs, and to reinforce concepts learned during his live trainings.

I’d love to hear how you use the survey tool and what kind of results you get. Call or email to learn ways that Take Control of Your Internet Marketing can partner with you to enhance your internet marketing training efforts.

Joanne Steele is an internet marketing and rural tourism expert who maintains the blog, RuralTourismMarketing.com, and the internet marketing training membership website, TakeControlOfYourInternetMarketing.com. Joanne has conducted trainings, workshops and conference presentations throughout the US and western Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

Keep your holiday shopping in the family and support local, independently-owned micro-businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods across the country.

Accion San Diego has a selection of beautiful holiday gifts made by their clients.

International Rescue Committee of San Diego hosts their Holiday Bazaar on December 8, 2012 from 9am-1pm at City Heights Farmers’ Market, 4326 28 Wightman Street, San Diego. This special event features local refugee-owned businesses with an array of arts and crafts from all over the world. From handmade Iraqi jewelry to artisan-crafted goods from Kenya, the International Holiday Bazaar provides an opportunity to purchase a holiday gift from a local refugee entrepreneur.

Working Solutions and Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center held their fourth Annual Holiday Gift Fair in San Francisco on November 29, 2012. Even though the event is over you can still buy your holiday gifts from the local SF vendors.

Show a little love and support local businesses with one of La Cocina‘s signature Gift Boxes. Each box is lovingly hand packed at La Cocina and is filled with a variety of treats, both savory and sweet. La Cocina is holding gift bazarr on December 7, from 1-7pm at Crocker Galleria – 50 Post Street.

Inner City Advisors also has a list of all types of local small businesses in San Francisco. More from ICA in 7.7!

If your organization is hosting a holiday fair, then please let us know.