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Do-It-Yourself Gets Ink & Spring Flings

Congratulations to Maria Contreras-Sweet who was confirmed today as the SBA Administrator.

  • Do-It-Yourself Economy – We’re Published!
  • Spring-Summer Calendar
  • The Goodies – This week’s highlight is a bunch of new job postings – scroll down to see who is hiring.

Do-It-Yourself Economy

We’re published!


The world is rapidly changing. Nothing is as it was 10 years ago, and we can only imagine what will be in 10
years and that includes changing economic conditions and a changing labor market. This means the economic development field needs new tools and strategies to deal with a new reality. One of those strategies is the Do-It-Yourself Economy, an economy built on a foundation of small, locally-owned, diverse businesses. CAMEO was asked to write an article for the IEDC Economic Journal article that focuses on why we need a new approach, explains the reality of small business and self-employment labor market trends, and delineates some of the tools that local economic developers can use to create a sustainable future for their regions.

Please download Do-It-Yourself Economic Growth: How Communities Can Cultivate Their Talent and Thrive. Read it. Use it as a resource. Share it.

Spring Calendar

Spring has sprung with a bang and with it so have many CAMEO events. I wanted to let you know about everything in one shot so that you can mark your calendar. More details of each event will be forthcoming.

April 17, 11:00amMicro Business Economic Impacts: Join us for a webinar that will explore the macroeconomic impacts of the micro sector and two case studies of organizations that have had real impacts in their communities.

April 29Go-To-Market Conference: The conference will connect microbusinesses and small farmers engaged in specialty food production with practical information and relationships to help them grow and access new market opportunities and exercise best practices in business management specific to the needs of growers and producers. You can register for Go-To-Market to be held in Watsonville, CA. More details are forthcoming.

May 5-7– Join us at AEO’s Big Easy Takeover in New Orleans. Let’s show AEO that CAMEO members know how to party! Claudia will be presenting on a panel entitled The State of Independence: Reframing Work for the 21st century. CAMEO members are eligible for a $50 discount off the AEO nonmember rate and can access it by entering the code SMA2014 at registration. You can register now for AEO and receive March Madness pricing.

May 20, 2:00pmSmall Business Lending and Referral Fees, a webinar with Opportunity Fund.

June 17, 2014: Saving the best for last… our 20th Anniversary Celebration in Sacramento! Join us for a full day of celebrating two decades of micro.

And don’t forget to ask us about our professional development member benefit to attend any of the above learning opportunities.

The Goodies

New opportunities for training, conference information, funding, scholarships, and other information that have crossed our desks since the last Must Know. I have posted a running tab of current Industry Goodies on the CAMEO website that lists items that were in past emails. Check it out to make sure you’re not missing anything, like grants whose deadlines are still alive!

New Report: Would you value data on microenterprise jobs, job quality and the return on investment of microenterprise? Are you trying to make the case for supporting microenterprise? Visit FIELD’s site, Microbusinesses, Gainful Jobs www.gainfuljobs.org, for the report and all the information you need to answer those questions.

Member Kudos: Congratulations are in order. The San Diego SBA recognized two CAMEO members: Robert Lopez, Director of Lending, Accion San Diego received the ‘Appreciation Award’ for his support of the SBA office and small businesses and CDC Small Business Finance recevied #1 CDC Lending Partner for the largest number and dollar volume of 504 loans.

Healthcare Webinar: This week the deadline to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act was extended to mid-April. The Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority are committed to helping businesses navigate the changes and opportunities in health care and are holding an emergency webinar on Monday, March 31, 2014 at 10:00am PST. No need to pre-register, just login 10 minutes before the webinar to learn what this means for your clients.

Free Webinar: California’s GoBiz hosts How Businesses Can Apply for the ‘California Competes’ Tax Credit on Tuesday, April 1, 2014 11:00am-12:00pm (PDT). The California Competes program provides upwards of $180 million in tax credits over the next two years for businesses of all sizes that want to expand or relocate to California. GoBiz is also hosting ‘California Competes’ seminars in your area – find out the details.

Media Training: The American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) is hosting a four-part Media Training Series (last one is April 2). Topics to be covered: training for business policy, broadcast meeting, writing op-eds, and social media. ASBC has two offers for CAMEO members: 1) a 50% discounted pricing of $75 for the entire series and 2) three free spots to the the first three people who email me and want the spots (by doing so, you’re committed to attending). Click the link above for more info on the series. And email me for the discount codes.

California Nonprofit Technology Festival: Attend this technology conference on April 3-4, 2014 in Los Angeles. The two-day event is designed for nonprofits, community organizers, communications staff, social justice technologists, and those passionate about social change and technology. If your operating budget is under $5mm, registration is only $50 for the two-day event. Click on the link for full details.

Encore Entrepreneurs Survey: AEO and AARP Foundation have partnered to explore the supply and demand of business development services and access to capital opportunities for low- and moderate-income (LMI) business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs aged 50+. Your investment of 10 minutes to complete the survey will give them better insight into the types of tailored programs, products, and services that are in demand by the 50+ LMI entrepreneurs. The results will inform and influence philanthropic and industry leaders. The deadline to fill out survey before April 4, 2014.

IDA Program Grant: CFED, in partnership with Bank of the West, is soliciting applications from IDA programs to support homeownership initiatives in key Bank of the West markets in California and Arizona, particularly those serving ethnically diverse individuals and families. A total of nine programs will be selected, and each will receive a $12,450 grant. Deadline is April 4, 2014.

Economic Summit: Greenlining is hosting their 21st Annual Economic Summit on Friday, April 4th in Oakland. Learn more about “The 21st Century Majority: Empowering a New Nation“, including how to register.

For Your Clients: CAMEO is co-sponsoring a Certification Course for Veterans and Service Disabled Veterans. It’s a two week class offered by CAMEO member Joe Molina. Participants who follow the daily action items in this course will be able to complete the initial submission of information required for receiving a VBE or DVBE Certification. It starts on the first Monday of each month. The next one starts on April 7, 2014. Your clients can use the CAMEO discount code “CAMEO12014” to receive a $120 discount off the $199 tuition fee (so it costs $79.)

MicroFinance Conference: The 6th Annual San Diego Microfinance Summit – Expanding Horizons of Microfinance is on April 8, 2014 from 9:00am-5:00pm at the University of San Diego – Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice. Register for the 2014 San Diego Microfinance Summit.

Free Webinar: Aspen hosts : Outcomes and Experiences from the Field on April 9, 2014 at 11:00am PST // 2:00pm EST. Social enterprises in workforce development are businesses that sell goods or services in the marketplace while also helping disadvantaged workers gain meaningful employment and work experience. In this webinar, social enterprise experts and workforce development leaders will discuss their experience in supporting, starting, and running social enterprises and how workers have benefited from social enterprises.

OC Social Enterprise Showcase: The Showcase will focus on to the growing number of business ventures that are creating social impact through the sale of products and services. The three components to the Showcase include: an Expo for local social enterprises to promote their products and services, pitches by the finalists in a Social Enterprise Venture Competition conducted by Academies for Social Entrepreneurship and a panel of practitioners highlighting the opportunities for solving social problems with ‘double bottom line’ businesses. The showcase is on Thursday April 10, 2014, 3:00-6:00pm at the Delhi Center, 505 East Central Avenue, Santa Ana.

For Your Clients: Tax prep season is in full swing. The IRS has a number of instructional YouTube videos to help prepare your taxes.