Export 101 – The Basics of Exporting Workshop

Nuclear Energy Supplier Training

Export 101 – The Basics of Exporting



Summary: The global nuclear energy industry for small companies to be export suppliers. Those companies interested in pursuing exporting of their products and services need to understand the rules, regulations and customs that govern international trade. The SC Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) in collaboration with The Carolinas’ Nuclear Cluster, the U.S. Small Business Administration and U.S. Commercial Service are offering three seminars to a limited number of small firms who want to seriously explore the potential to export their products.

What it is:

A ½ day session in which experts explain the basics of exporting to companies with little to no experience in international trade.
-- Learn about trade finance and how to limit your risks.
-- Gain a basic understanding of logistics and payment methods.
-- Hear overviews on international markets and the abc’s of export marketing.
-- Most importantly, participants are introduced to local trade experts who can help you long term with export challenges and opportunities.


When/where (three stand alone sessions):

-- August 23rd in Columbia at the USC Incubator.
-- August 25th in Greenville at Clemson’s River Walk campus.
-- September 15th in Rock Hill at Winthrop University

Each session runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is free of charge

Who:

Who is managing this: The SC SBDC in collaboration with the Carolinas’ Nuclear Cluster, under its SBA ‘Innovative Economies’ contract to enhance small business involvement with the nuclear energy industry. Government and industry experts will provide guidance and instruction on exporting.
Who should consider enrolling: Small companies that have done some work with nuclear utilities, engineering firms or Department of Energy sites, and who are looking to expand into exporting. The sessions will accommodate 20-25 people in each class.
How to get more information and qualify for the class:

This is not an open class for the general business public. Our ‘Innovative Economies’ project team will qualify interested companies for enrollment. The sessions are free to those companies who qualify and commit to attend. Companies will have post class follow-up and opportunity for additional assistance.

Contact: Beth Smith, Smithem6@mailbox.sc.edu Columbia Small Business Development Center at the USC Incubator, Columbia. 803-777-4550.

Do You Know What the SBDC Does? Or how?

With constant budget cuts nationally and in our states, we think it's important for people to understand exactly what Small Business Development Centers do ..... and specifically what our South Carolina SBDCs do. We have a significant positive impact on the South Carolina economy, even in the worst of economic times. Read on for more information:

Who We Are:
The S.C. Small Business Development Center network (SBDC) is part of a national economic development program that helps start and grow small businesses in order to create jobs and revenue. The S.C. SBDC operates under a Cooperative Agreement between the U.S. Small Business Administration and a consortium of four host universities (USC, Clemson, Winthrop and South Carolina State).

How We Are Funded:
South Carolina’s SBDC is financed primarily by the U.S. Small Business Administration with additional support provided by state funds. The SBA requires a match for receipt of Federal funding. The state matching funds are necessary to keep the program in operation.

What We Do:
SBDC provides private management consulting services at no charge to small businesses statewide, as well as affordable educational programs targeted to the specific needs of entrepreneurs. These services directly result in job creation and retention, creation of new businesses, access to financing, increased sales and resulting taxes into the economy.

The S.C. SBDC provides specialized services that are not duplicated by the Department of Commerce, other SBA programs or other service providers.

Where We Are Located:
The South Carolina SBDC has 17 offices strategically located in both urban and rural communities throughout the state with 40 trained professionals who provide convenient, accessible services to all small businesses in any industry segment. The SBDC serves constituents in all 46 counties.

Our Five Year Results (2006 to 6/2011):

• Jobs created & retained: 6,304
• Government contract awards: More than $1 Billion
• Financing obtained: $815 million
• Businesses started: 506
• Small businesses served: 26,109

2010 Statewide Return on Investment: $89.2 million statewide *
In 2010, for every $1 invested by the state of South Carolina, over $5.85 are invested by the federal government, universities and local partners.

Our Partners:
The SBDC collaborates with university partners to offer student instruction in entrepreneurship, finance and other courses relevant to small-business development. We also partner with organizations like the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), SC Launch, the Women’s Business Center, SCORE, local Chambers of Commerce, Department of Commerce and many others to provide a well rounded offering of complimentary services to our clients

* (2008 per capita personal income figures obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis at www.bea.gov/regional/rels)

Can Your Company Win the Start-Up Open?

http://startupopen.com/ .......

Is your new company ready to compete? Would you like to enter a competition that could win you the opportunity to grow your business with a once-in-a-lifetime experience?

Startup Open is a competition to recognize and reward startups and the entrepreneurs behind them. Held as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Startup Open will recognize the top 50 startups in 2011 and award prizes to help them grow their business.

Registration for Startup Open is open until September 15, 2011. Just click on the link above, create and account, and answer some questions about your company. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

SBA Introduces New Mobile Application for Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs

New SBA mobile application brings enhanced access to
information and resources ...


WASHINGTON – Smart phone users interested in starting or growing a small business can now find helpful resources at their fingertips via a new SBA mobile application from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“Increasingly, smart phones are the vehicle through which Americans access information. This is certainly true of many entrepreneurs and small business owners and this new application ensures they will have access to SBA’s resources and programs – literally at their fingertips,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “Greater mobility fits with the new user-focused SBA.gov launched recently, and is another example of the steps we are taking to do a better job of connecting entrepreneurs and small business owners with the tools to help them start or grow their businesses and create jobs.”

Developed and donated as a gift by Palo Alto Software, Inc., the SBA mobile app will make the search for extensive resources more efficient, whether users are starting a new business or taking an existing business to a new level. The app will first be available for the Apple iPhone®, with future versions for other smart phone platforms.

“Palo Alto Software’s mission is to help small businesses succeed. We’ve developed this mobile application for the SBA because we understand the importance of having the right tools and resources when starting or growing a business,” said Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software. “Ideas can strike entrepreneurs at any moment, and having useful resources available through mobile devices could be the impetus that begins the next big company.”

The mobile app will help users connect with SBA district office staff and SBA-affiliated counselors and mentors who can provide free, personalized small business assistance. The user-friendly format of the app will help answer questions such as: How do I start a business? Where can I go in my area to get free help with writing a business plan? And where do I begin finding funding for my business?

The SBA mobile app also features a built-in startup cost calculator to help estimate the costs associated with getting a business off the ground, plus an SBA partner locator to help users find SBA offices, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers and SCORE.

Users will also have mobile access to SBA video content and social media alerts to provide them with tips on the go. This will include live updates from the SBA’s YouTube channel and from SBA’s Twitter feeds. The free mobile app can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/content/sba-mobile-app.

Competition invites entrepreneurs to express what being a founder means to them.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is inviting entrepreneurs to read its "Entrepreneur's Pledge," and express what it means to them for a chance to win a ticket to Big Omaha, a sold-out event billed as "the nation's most ambitious conference on innovation and entrepreneurship," to be held May 11-13, 2011 in Omaha, Neb.


The Foundation created the "Pledge" for entrepreneurs to not only publicly express their enthusiasm for being a business owner, but also to show their support for entrepreneurship as a cause. Big Omaha's "Express Your Pledge" competition asks entrepreneurs to review the Pledge and explain in 300 words or less what it means to them and at least two ways they could do a better job fulfilling it.


"Like the Pledge itself, Big Omaha's competition gives founders a chance to voice what it means to contribute to our communities and the economy every day, and to have an opportunity to win a seat at Big Omaha," said Nick Seguin, manager of entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation.


More than 500 innovators and entrepreneurs are expected to attend Big Omaha, which will feature speakers such as Shervin Pishevar, founder and CEO of Social Gaming Network, and Sarah Lacy, senior editor at TechCrunch.


Competition entrants each must complete an application at http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Entrepreneurs-Movement/Contest.aspx. Entries are due by April 29, 2011, and the winner will be announced the week of May 2. The winning entrant will be responsible for all travel expenses.

SBA To Honor Contractors

National Prime Contractor & Subcontractor of the Year to be Named During National Small Business Week


WASHINGTON – More than twenty small business contractors, federal acquisition executives and business and industry leaders from around the country will come to Washington, D.C., in mid May 2011 to accept awards for excellence in the federal contracting arena.

Two small businesses from among regional prime contractors and subcontractors of the year will receive the National Prime and Subcontractor of the Year awards honoring small businesses that have provided outstanding goods and services as contractors.

They are among the nation’s top entrepreneurs who will be honored at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National Small Business Week events May 18-20 in Washington, D.C. Under the theme, “Empowering Entrepreneurs,” a series of events and educational forums will mark the 58th anniversary of the agency and the 48th annual National Small Business Week.

The procurement award small business winners provide a broad range of products and services to the federal government and private industry including environmental remediation services, the construction of transmission lines, aviation management and staffing services, and they hail from 18 states from Massachusetts to Alaska.

The three-day event in Washington, D.C., will take place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Events can be viewed virtually through SBA’s free, live webcasting, which will be accessible at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/. Business owners, business organizations, other individuals and the news media can register online at www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com where additional information is available.

Other procurement awards that will be given out during the 2011 National Small Business Week award events include:
• The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence, recognizing large prime contractors who have excelled in their utilization of small businesses as suppliers and subcontractors.
• The Gold Star Award, recognizing exemplary performance of federal staff who manage the aggressive goals and strategic initiatives that help ensure a role for small business in the federal marketplace.
• The Frances Perkins Vanguard Award, honoring government and industry for excellence in the use of women-owned small businesses as prime contractors and subcontractors.

A complete list of all award winners will be available on the National Small Business Week Web site at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com

What Every American Should Know

History Strips

Peter Robyn met Mike Bell in the spring of 2007 to seek professional assistance in writing a business plan for HistoryStrips.

Having never written a business plan and realizing that it was necessary to the success of a new business, Mr. Robyn worked diligently under Mike Bell's tutelage.

Mike Bell's expert advice and experience proved invaluable to the development of the HistoryStrips' business plan, which included an executive summary, a sales and marketing plan, product development plan and five-year projections.

The finished business plan was the essential component that lead to an approved Community Express Small Business Loan that was secured in 2009, through Mr. Bell's contacts, at a time when it was very difficult to get a loan.

Mike's commitment to HistoryStrips did not end when the business plan was finished, however. Mr. Robyn has frequently called upon Mike Bell for consultation. Mike has been a tremendous asset in launching HistoryStrips.

After three years time, in which a business plan was written, necessary research and development conducted, procurement of services achieved, TradeMark and copyright secured and capital acquired, HistoryStrips was launched, with a functioning website and product in hand.

Since February 2010, HistoryStrips has shipped over 300 prints to 28 states, as well as, Washington, DC; been written about in numerous publications including the NY Times and has been featured on WBTW News Channel 13, Myrtle Beach, SC, a division of CBS News. HistoryStrips were on display in schools from New York City to Florence, SC. They are now on display across the country.

It should be noted that the development of HistoryStrips has brought work to a printer in Georgia that had recently laid-off over a hundred employees and four graphic designers (three of whom were themselves launching their own businesses and needed work).

Mr. Robyn has become a frequent speaker to Veterans and Civic organizations.

The most important aspect of the success of HistoryStrips is that for every customer, there is a child who is learning more about our wonderful country!