Mark Hutchinson, of Peoria Awning Company came to our Selling Like the Pro’s workshop on December 8th.   Mark wrote a note to our workshop presenter Read Bradford ” Just a note to say thank you for the book and your time at the SCORE session on Tuesday.  I really appreciated the opportunity to hear your comments.”

Furthermore, in a follow up note, Mark wrote  ”I commend you and SCORE for such good sessions with good speakers.  I have attended your sessions for a number of years and have found each one to be of benefit.”

We reach small business owners throughout Illinois.  For information on our workshop programs, see our website at:  www.scorechicago.org

Overview

Forward planning and analysis is sure to improve your business results.  Cash flow and break-even are two of the keys taught to help achieve your financial success.

Course Outline

1)      Learn the financial tools available to you and how to use them

2)      Be able to identify business start-up costs  and make them work for you

3)      Accurate cash flow projection is essential for start-up businesses

4)      Properly prepared financial statements help you identify what’s right AND wrong with your business almost immediately

5)      Understanding key financial ratios keeps you ahead of how your business is doing

Date: January 12, 2010

Location: SCORE Chicago, 500 West Madison Street, Chicago
Time: 8:45 am – 12:30pm
Cost: $40 Pre-Paid online; $50 At the door

To register, click here:

Phone for questions:  (312) 353-4540

Overview

You don’t want to start your business without a well thought out marketing and selling plan. It is vital to your success from the first day forward.  It helps you set goals/objectives, ensure that everyone involved in your company is on the same page and help your business succeed.

Course Outline

1)      Plan for success through strategic marketing

2)      Identify who and where your target market is through market research

3)      Everyone in your company must understand how to manage customer relations

4)      Before starting your business determine how you can use advertising and public relations to make your company and products known to your prospective customers

5)      Establish your pricing so your customers perceive it as a value and you make a profit

6)      Accurate sales projections is essential to budgeting costs of doing business and being successful

7)      Monitor your business and measure the results of your efforts to determine what is successful and what is not

Date: January 7, 2010

Location: SCORE Chicago, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1250, Chicago
Time: 8:45 am – 12:30pm
Cost: $40 Pre-Paid online; $50 At the door

To register, click here:

Phone for questions:  (312) 353-4540

Overview

“To thane own self be true,” said Shakespeare and it’s you first test before going into business. Get the help everyone needs to really identify your own pluses and minuses.

Course Outline

1)      It’s tough starting a business, so learn what it takes

2)      Learn how to evaluate your own abilities

3)      Don’t fool yourself because your true financial condition is the key to your success

4)      To succeed in business you have to know how to talk business

5)      Build your business model

6)      There are places to look for financing and we’ll help you identify them

7)      Know the legal aspects of business before you start

Date: January 5, 2010
Location: SCORE Chicago, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1250, Chicago
Time: 8:45 am – 12:30pm
Cost: $40 Pre-Paid online; $50 At the door

To register, click here:

Phone for questions:  (312) 353-4540

Steve Robinson Area Director for Constant Contact will be presenting at our Drawing Web Traffic program on December 14th.  Here is a tip from Steve.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

One of the most important factors in successful email marketing is to build your list with permission.

Your list should contain only those customers and prospects that want to receive your message.

If you focus on asking people if they want to be on your list before you add them, you will be rewarded with better open rates, less people opting out, and fewer spam complaints.

Register for the program at:  http://bit.ly/DrawWebTraffic2

From a Kauffman Foundation Study – November, 2009
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Using Personal Savings is the Norm, Venture Capital Comes to the Experienced, and Friends and Family are Always There.  The average number of companies started by the company founders in our sample was 2.3 and 41 percent were running their first businesses.

We analyzed the sources of funding for the businesses started by the serial entrepreneurs:

• The most significant source of funding for all businesses was company founders’ personal savings: 70 percent said they had used personal savings as a main source of funding for their first business, more than four times the number chiefly financed by any other type of funding.  Even in subsequent startups,  more than half of the entrepreneurs relied on their personal  savings.

• Venture capital and private/angel investments play a relatively small role in the startups of first-time entrepreneurs, but the percentage who took venture and angel funding increased with subsequent business launches, with 26 percent and22 percent, respectively, of entrepreneurs’ most recent startups receiving such funding.

• Friends and family provided funding for 16 percent and banks provided funding for 16 percent of the respondents’ most recent startups. Corporate investments played the major role in 7 percent.

For help on your business plan, please see our website www.scorechicago.org

We have had a number of news stories produced at SCORE Chicago in the month of November.  This one recorded at our Going Into Business workshop focused on two entrepreneurs who are looking toward family money to help fund their business.

SCORE Chicago has many workshops to help small business.  Click here for more information.

Comments from  two attendees of a SCORE Chicago “Marketing and Selling Workshop”  Information about this workshop is at: http://bit.ly/MarketingSelling

Alan,

Last week’s marketing class at SCORE was a great primer for folks like
me looking to launch a new business!

The spirited end-of-class discussion with Lauren put all the pieces
together, helping a classmate put together an action plan to
understand the needs of her targeted high-end salon customers and
employees.

Thanks again!

Paul Stark
B2B Marketing Consultant

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I attended the SCORE “Marketing and Selling” workshop on Friday and enjoyed the presentation and met some very interesting people. I signed up for the entire core series and will be attending the Finance workshops next week. My goal is to complete the entire series of six this month and obtain my SCORE small business certification…….

My head is spinning for I have so much to do, yet I am an excellent planner and plan executor, so all will be well. I also have the assistance of you (sic SCORE Counselor) and SCORE.

Rosalyn Carlton

This blog post was prepared by Gerald P. Moriarty.  He will teaching a workshop on November 9th at our downtown SCORE location.  ……………….

While some economists say there are some signs of the economy starting to improve, almost all agree that we may be heading for a jobless return to an improved economy.  I counsel many middle and senior managers from large corporations, and they are universal in their views that the job market is extremely tough. Sixteen and eighteen month searches are common.  Then they learn from colleagues that the tenure of jobs they have is hovering around the three year mark!

Two years ago, Fortune magazine published a very sobering article titled Permanent Vacation.  It described the growing practice of large corporations to thin out the ranks of their 50 year old plus executives and managers.  Then, say, a 52 year old executive faces a tough job market, and even if he is fortunate  enough to get a new position, there is a good chance he will be looking again at age 55 or 56.  The pickings are even slimmer, and if he is not lucky, then he is on “permanent vacation.”

Business ownership is one way to gain control of a business career.  Franchise business ownership may be a safer and more profitable way to gain that control, provide a nice revenue stream, and even build equity over time. Franchises are strictly regulated by both federal and state laws. The regulators require each franchisor to register critical information about the franchise with them, and then give that same information to the candidate in a book called the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).   Included in the FDD is the number of openings, closings, and transfers of the franchise units, by state, and for the last three years.  Also included is the most recent contact information for any ex-franchisee who has left in the last year.  So, due diligence will reveal how “safe” the business is. If the candidate targets “recession resistant” franchises, he may spot a franchise that is both safe and profitable.  Some “recession resistant” franchises include hail salons, property restoration companies, health clubs, business coaching, business expense reduction companies, appliance repair, auto service, temporary help agencies, tutoring companies and many more.

To Register for the workshop: https://s08.123signup.com/servlet/SignUp?PG=1522055182300&Info=&P=1522055191158067000

Sharon Aby says there is no such thing as a universal market.  Sharon discusses a client situation where that client wanted expand from the consumer marketplace to the commercial market.

She highlights that your sales and marketing process for one market is different than another market.