The Power of Guarantees

Did you know that an amazing customer experience can be enhanced with the use of guarantees? Studies have shown that customers are more confident in making a purchase because of the powerful guarantees of products or services. It shows customers that you stand by your product or service and typically only about 1% ever invoke the guarantee. There are several ways you can communicate your guarantees such as hanging a sign in your store or waiting room, publishing it on your website, or any other form as long as it is understandable and in writing. With the right guarantee a small business owner in any industry can generate more sales.

Click the following link to get a list of 50 Powerful Small Business Guarantees: http://www.manta.com/small-business-tips/words-of-honor/?ftoggle-frontend-prod-on=abTests.engagement.responsive_20141009_a&utm_expid=82789632-21.i-w9zu_KTIaAx03OIeHK9w.2&su=1l8lgq1gxtb4v3z&utm_medium=Email_Marketing&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_campaign=TOTD&utm_content=TOTD_Without_Columns_Send_A  

How to Stay Ahead of the Pack through Minitrends

A key advantage for any business is to stay in the forefront of emerging trends in their particular industry. To do this successfully an organization must utilize its most valuable asset, its people. Assigning a few employees to focus on the unappreciated and actionable minitrends can help an organization tap into the top trends and achieve the best results. Here is a three step approach on how your organization can stay ahead of the curve, energize the innovation process, and succeed in an ever-changing business and technology environment.                                                                                                                                                     

Step 1: Recognize- Spark and encourage innovation, creativity, and imagination among your employees. Establish a team that regularly scans the environment for interesting and potentially profitable minitrends.

Step 2: Assess- Create a structure that will help you organize, analyze and rank potential minitrends for further consideration and action. Assess the likelihood of the trend’s success and how it fits with the organization.

Step 3: Strategize- Upon assessing your finds make sure to incorporate the most promising minitrends into your business strategies. This enables new opportunities depending on the size, nature, goals, and resources of your organization.  Some options to accomplish this includes: acquiring or partnering with other companies, building protection from competitors while growing the business, and creating new ventures.

Note: This information was derived from the article “Here’s how to stay on top of ‘minitrends’ and get ahead of the pack”, which was published by the Austin Business Journal. To read the full article refer to the following link:  http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/at-the-watercooler/2014/09/how-to-stay-on-top-of-minitrends-and-get-ahead.html?page=all

How to Fix Your Business Plan

The business plan is the foundation for any business. The operations and steps that follow this strategic plan helps the business build upon its specified goals and objectives. Creating a weak or ambiguous business plan can result in costly mistakes or business struggles that could have been avoided. Here are some common problems that business owners have in regards to their business plan and how to fix these problems. 

1.     It’s Nonexistent- If you haven’t taken the time to write a business plan for the strategic growth of your company it is never too late to begin.

How to Fix IT: Start writing your business plan today with a fresh plan on where you company is and where you want to take it. Utilize the SBDC downloadable business plan templates to outline your strategic plan and projected future profits.

 (Go to http://www.winthropregionalsbdc.org/html/sbdc_downloads.html for these templates)

2.     It’s Ginormous and Therefore Useless-Your business plan does not have to be 40 plus pages. The need for a business plan to be all inclusive rarely applies to small businesses unless you are seeking funding from investors. Having an enormous document can be overwhelming and you may never actually take the time to review it.  

How to Fix It: Try creating a simpler plan. You may be the only person who reads your plan, but you want it to be readable and comprehensible. So stick to the basics and don’t strive for length. Just get to the point.

3.     You Never Look at It- You may have developed a great plan 5 years ago, but it is very likely that goals, products or other offerings have changed since then.  Generally, a business plan should be a living, working document that you regularly review and modify as needed.

How to Fix It: Take a look at your existing business plan and its structure. You are likely to see areas that need to be reflected upon and adjusted. Try to review your business plan 2-4 times a year.

4.     It’s Not Actionable- Maybe you have filled your business plan with fluff or established long-term goals with no measurable steps to accomplish them. Although you have your plan and take the time to read it, you don’t have a clue about what to do next.

How to Fix It: Amend your plan with action items that set up steps for how you can make your goal a reality. These steps need to be achievable and measurable so that the next time you review your strategic plan, you can see how far (or not) you have come toward achieving those goals.    

Note: This information was obtained from a Small Business Trends article, “How to Fix What’s Wrong With Your Business Plan – You Have One, Right?” To read the full article refer to the following link:  http://smallbiztrends.com/2014/09/whats-wrong-with-your-business-plan.html?tr=sm 

SC Small Business - Lender Match Maker Event

Calling all small business owners!

 Are you ready and seriously looking for capital to expand your business or open a new business?  Then plan to attend a lender-borrower workshop that will address current lending practices. 

The Lender Match Maker event includes the opportunity to attend two of the following breakout sessions...

• Start-ups and Access to Capital... Realistic options for getting your business off the ground. 
• Expansion and Growth... Choosing the best financing resource for growing your business. 
• Your Financial Statements... What story are they telling? 
• Alternative Funding... Alternatives to a traditional bank loan.

Afternoon MatchMaking Sessions allow one-on-one meetings with up to ten funding resources. 

This will be the only Business - Lender Match Maker event in the state this year, so

space will be limited.  

• $35 Early Registration price availale until October 8, 2014
  $50 Regular Registration price available online until October 21, 2014, and on-site the day of the event if seating is still available
  For more information, contact Tessa Monahan, SC Department of Commerce, (803) 737-1336 or via email at Tmonahan@sccommerce.com

Register today at 

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/lender-matchmaker-tickets-12690574851

                                                Sponsors include:

South Carolina Department of Commerce

SC Bankers Association

Carolinas Credit Union League

South Carolina SBDC

South Carolina Chamber of Commerce

USDA Rural Development

U.S. Small Business Association

NFIB ... the voice of Small Business

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

How to Stay Productive Working From Home

If you were given the opportunity, would you willingly work from home? Most people would say yes without a doubt. However, the people that are currently working from home might have a different viewpoint. Yes, working from home allows you to stay in your pajamas all day and allows you to take care of your children/pets, but is that necessarily a good thing? 

Nowadays more and more people are working from home; either to run their successful internet business, or because technology advancements have allowed them to do so. No matter the industry, employees need to follow certain strategies to make sure that they are as efficient at home as they would be in a traditional office space.

Entrepreneur.com complied a list to help individuals stay productive when working from home. The key strategies to remember include:

• Have a Separate Office Space. Working from home doesn't mean you can stay in bed or in front of the TV with your laptop. Career experts recommend setting up a specific office area in the home so you can “go to work” and not be distracted by dirty dishes, a crying child or a favorite TV show.
• Set Clear Boundaries.“Create very strict boundaries where there are no dogs, kids or spouses allowed,” says Cardone. “The door needs to remain shut with only those that have top clearance allowed access.”
• Keep Regular Work Hours and Prepare. Keeping regular work hours is key for maintaining productivity. “Your family and friends need to pretend you simply aren't there, unless it's a dire emergency,” says Garfinkle. “Remind your family of these hours and let them know you expect them to respect your work time so that you won’t have to work when you should be spending with them.” 
• Change Your Mindset. “The main motivation of convenience or comfort, which most people who work from home have, is flawed,” says Cardone. Yes, it’s more convenient to not have to go to an office every day, but remote workers can’t view it as an excuse to slack off.
• Know When to Throw in the Towel. If your productivity is declining or it’s difficult to maintain a work-life balance, then it may be time to re-evaluate your work situation. Not everyone is well-suited for working from home. Some individuals prefer having an interaction with co-workers, and that is okay. Working from home isn't for everyone.

Summarized from: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/235907

Looking for a Dose of Inspiration? Try Mentoring a Young Entrepreneur.

Peter Gasca, an Entrepreneur and Small Business Strategist, recently had the experience of working with several young entrepreneurs. All of the young entrepreneurs, between ages 11 and 16, had already successfully started at least one business with aspirations for opening many more. 

Peter's takeaways from the conference included the value he gained from working with the young entrepreneurs. According to Peter "be assured, you will find that the benefit of becoming a mentor goes as much in your direction as it does in theirs."

Peter's reasons for taking on a youth mentee are summarized below: 

• Wildly Creative. Peter stated that he was pleasantly surprised by the entrepreneurial ideas that the group suggested and recommended that entrepreneurs bounce ideas around with young entrepreneurs. 
• Contagiously Enthusiastic. Their excitement and passion for their businesses was invigorating, and if you can handle this energy level, having their enthusiasm around will undoubtedly rub off on you.
• Crazily Optimistic. Engaging in the exuberance of young entrepreneurs will remind you of a time when you ambitiously looked beyond roadblocks, paradigms and potential failures.
• Youthfully Elastic. Mentoring a young entrepreneur is like mentoring a younger you. More important than foretelling risks and mistakes, however, all of which should be experienced firsthand, you should instill in them the idea that failure is an option and, in fact, inevitable.

FREE training in Transportation Careers Program

Need Training to Find a Job?   This may be helpful, and if you're living in one of the seven counties mentioned, it's free .....

2014 Transportation Careers Training Program
Applications accepted now through May 16, 2014
Training starts June 2, 2014 at York Tech Community College

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) (South Carolina Division Office) are pleased to announce the 2014 Transportation Careers Training Program (TCTP) will be managed by Construction Solutions Team, Inc. The program will allow up to thirty-five participants to receive the National Center for Construction Education and Research certification as well as other credentials.

Pre-employment Training will include OSHA 10 Hour Construction Standards, SCDOT Flagger Certification, Construction Math, Blue Print Reading, Site Layout, Job Readiness Skills, Basic Life Skills, Construction Basics, and more.

After successfully completing Pre-employment Training, fifteen participants will transition into Heavy Equipment Operator Training and fifteen participants will transition into Commercial Driver’s License Training.

All training costs will be covered by the SCDOT/FHWA program.

Applications will be accepted from individuals residing in the following seven counties:

• Cherokee
• Chester
• Chesterfield
• Fairfield
• Lancaster
• Union
• York

Individuals must meet the following criteria:

• Unemployed, underemployed, minorities, women, and/or economically disadvantaged;
• A high school graduate or have obtained GED;
• Pass a pre-course drug test and submit to random screening;
• Have reliable transportation to and from the training site;
• Be physically able to withstand the rigors of the construction industry (this includes inclement weather, traffic, night work and heavy lifting); and
• Willing to travel at the conclusion of the program if hired by a highway construction contractor.

Get moving today! Your next job can be the start of an amazing career!!
For more about the 2014 Transportation Careers Training Program, and on Participant Responsibilities, please contact Sandy at (704) 807-2627 or e-mail at Sandy@ConstructionSolutionsTeam.com

Link for Application: http://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20140430/52/14/16/30/32a728cac39e6f9c8fdd3a21/2014_TCTP_Application.pdf?utm_campaign=SC+residents+get+your+career+moving%21&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=2014+TCTP+Application