Tag Archive for "Growth"
As a small business owner are you periodically stymied in your technological endeavors? Then check out Tools for Online Success the new partnership announced earlier this month between Google and the Small Business Administration. The new offering provides online resources and training for small business owners around the technology they need to grow their businesses.
Many business owners and CEOs of small to mid-size companies and nonprofits spend a lot of time working in their business as well as on it. This is especially true for those who downsized due to the recession.
For those who have had their noses to the grindstone you can lose perspective as to where your company fits into the economic picture, your industry and the global market place. Fortunately, you can turn to your advisory board to provide the perspective you may be missing. Of course this will only be true if you were thoughtful and deliberate on how you selected your advisors.
The types of questions to ask your advisors if you feel you’ve lost perspective:
- What purchasing trends are you seeing in customers now that the recovery has begun?
- What are the borrowing trends for businesses our size?
- Where are companies accessing capital if traditional channels are still closed?
- What opportunities have we overlooked that we need to explore?
- What did we try in the past unsuccessfully that might now work in the new world order since the recession?
What other questions would you add to the list?
Need more information on how to set-up your advisory board? The Advisory Board Kit: A Comprehensive Guide to Establishing an Advisory Board is now available.
The U.S. Small Business Administration is searching for participants in this year’s Emerging 200 Program.
The goal of the SBA Emerging 200 initiative is to identify 200 inner-city businesses across the country that show a high potential for growth—and to provide them the network, resources and motivation required to build a sustainable business of size and scale. The initiative will run executive training series in a number of urban areas and Native American communities during the 2010 cycle.
This initiative is a jobs and growth stimulation effort targeting promising inner-city small businesses. It focuses on small, poised-for-growth inner-city companies with potential for job creation. The six month intensive and comprehensive curriculum focuses on winning local strategies and attracting capital to fuel growth. In addition to 40 hours of class instruction, this includes 14 hours of mentoring.
The program is free of charge and will run from April, 2010 to November, 2010. All that is required on the part of the small business is a time commitment (60- 80 hours total) by the senior executive of the firm and a desire to take your business to the next level.
Small business owners interested in the E200 program are encouraged to contact their closest local office and/or the Emerging 200 Program at e200@sba.gov.
