Crisis Communications Strategies - Free SBA/Agility Webinar

                 News Advisory

PRESS OFFICE                  

 

Advisory  Date:  April 2, 2013	Contact:  Carol Chastang (202) 205-6987
Advisory Number: MA13-06	Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Blogs

 

Get Tips on Using Social Media for Disaster Recovery

 

Crisis Communications Strategies offered during Free SBA/Agility Webinar

 

WASHINGTON – As Hurricane Sandy battered the Northeast, emergency managers, utility companies and the public relied on social media to share updates on the path of the storm, where shelters would be located, and how to connect with local and federal recovery services.  While social media has become an essential information tool in the midst of a crisis for first responders,  many business owners have yet to develop a social media plan to keep their clients and employees in the loop in the event of a disaster.

 

Organizations typically use online tools to promote their products and services, but it’s a good idea to consider social media as a useful business continuity resource.  

 

Get tips on best practices for creating a crisis communications plan using social media during the April 9 webinar hosted by Agility Recovery Solutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

 

The SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies through its “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for additional preparedness tips. 

 

The SBA provides disaster recovery assistance in the form of low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, private nonprofits and businesses of all sizes. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov/disaster.

 

 

WHAT:                 “Social Media and Disaster Recovery” - A presentation from Agility CEO Bob Boyd, followed by a question and answer session.

 

WHEN:          Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT

 

HOW:                   Space is limited. Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/768488144

 

 

 

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Mark D. Gibson

Georgia District Public Affairs

U.S. Small Business Administration

P.404.331.0100 (Ext. 2 1 5)

F.202-481-0697

 

SBA Offers Webinar Series Promoting Entrepreneurship Education and Small Business Growth

7^th Annual National Entrepreneurship Week

 

February 16-23, 2012

 

WHAT:        The U.S. Small Business Administration will host a series of webinars in recognition of the seventh annual National Entrepreneurship Week.  The emphasis will be on how the next generation of small business owners can leverage crowdfunding as an alternative finance option to start and grow their businesses.

 

WHEN:         February 19-21, 2013, daily at 3:00 p.m. (ET)

WHO:           Webinar topics and presenters are:

Jay Goth, Business Consultant, TriTech Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Topic: Crowdfunding – Pros and Cons

Tuesday, February 19 at 3:00 p.m.

 

Kevin Lehman, CEO and Co-Founder, Three Revolutions

Topic: Crowdfunding Innovation

Wednesday, February 20 at 3:00 p.m.

 

Ryan Finch, General Manager, Raleigh City Farm

Topic:  Kickstarting an Urban Farm

Thursday, February 21 at 3:00 p.m.

 

HOW:             Audio Conference Login Instructions

 

1.  Dial the AT&T Connect Teleconference Toll-Free Number – 1-888-858-2144

 

2.  Enter your AT&T Access Code – 4259370 (press the # key)

Web Conference Login Instructions

 

1.  Login at www.connectmeeting.att.com

 

2.  Enter “Meeting Number” 1-888-858-2144

 

3.  Enter “Access Code” 4259370

 

4.  Enter “Email Address, First and Last name”

 

5.  Click Submit

 

6.  Click Participant

 

7.  Click Participant Application (Recommended)

 

8.  Click “Enter” Event

 

9.  Click Dial-In/Already Connected by Phone

 

(Close the Telephone Connection Instructions pop-up box)

 

System Requirements:

To set up the AT&T Connect Participant application, a user’s PC must run either Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Vista, Mac OS X 10.8 or Mac OS X 10.7 with either Internet Explorer 7.0 (or higher) supported.  AT&T Connect does support the Chrome, Safari or Firefox browser.

 

Note:  The phone number is the “meeting number” when logging in to https://www.connectmeeting.att.com.

 

A separate telephone line is needed for the conference call-in portion.

 

For assistance with AT&T Connect Web Conference Service, contact AT&T Connect Customer Care at 1-888-796-6118.

 

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National Entrepreneurship Week (February 16-23, 2013), hosted by the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education celebrates the heritage of entrepreneurship in America and of entrepreneurship education for the next generation.  For details on this and other events, visit the National Entrepreneurship Week Website at www.entre-week.org/.

 

SBA Launches Affordable Care Act Web Page & Blog

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today launched a new web page and blog dedicated to educating small business owners about the Affordable Care Act. The new tools will serve as a gateway for small business owners connecting them with information provided by SBA’s federal partners responsible for implementing the law, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

“The Affordable Care Act provides small business owners with access and opportunity to provide affordable health care options for their employees,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “SBA’s new Affordable  Care Act web page and blog will serve as a resource for small business owners who want learn more about how to take advantage of these benefits.”

The Affordable Care Act has many beneficial measures specifically for small businesses, including slowing premium cost growth and increased access to quality, affordable health insurance. SBA’s new web page, www.sba.gov/healthcare, breaks down the key provisions of the Act based on business size in the following categories: self-employed, fewer than 25 employees, fewer than 50 employees and more than 50 employees. 

The web page also provides links to other useful information for small businesses, including a glossary of key health care reform terms, an interactive timeline with dates for when certain reforms will be implemented, a state-by-state breakdown of health care options, and how to learn more about specific tax provisions and regulations. Additional resources will be added as they become available.

The blog, entitled Health Care Business Pulse (www.sba.gov/blog), will provide small business owners with continuous updates about the implementation of the Act. The blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or tax advice. Readers should consult their legal or tax professionals to discuss how specific matters relate to their individual business circumstances.

How to Work a Trade Show Like a Pro

Every business has some type of association and association's host trade shows. My experience with trade shows has been that they are an opportunity to connect with people that you may have difficulty setting up an appointment with. Often, decision makers are attending the shows and have more time to meet one-on-one. If you plan to exhibit at a trade show, start promoting the fact to your customers well in advance of the trade show's date, preferably 4 to 6 months. Promotion can be done via Face Book, Linked In, Twitter or email blasts. Personally send out invitations to key potential customers to stop by your booth or set up an appointment to meet with them, about a month in advance of the show. If you are not exhibiting, but just walking the floor, make sure your customers know you will be there and request time to meet. A day before any scheduled appointments or meetings, send out a courtesy reminder to your customers.

Follow up is very important as well! After meeting with a customer, always send out a thank you note describing your discussions and any agreed upon action items. If they missed the meeting, when following up with them say they were missed and request a time to bring any trade show samples, materials, or give aways to them personally.

If you are not exhibiting at a show, but just walking the show, make sure to have a list of the people you are trying to meet and go to their booths to ask for them. How do you know if a customer will be attending a show? Look at the previous year's exhibitor list or check out their company website. Sometimes the information will be posted, as they want their customers to know they will be at the show as well!

Remember to always keep a list of potential new customers you have met at the trade show and follow up with them within two weeks of the show's close. Send a personal note stating it was nice to make their acquaintance along with any collateral information or action items that were discussed. Add them to your data base and follow up with them regularly!

Trade shows can be expensive and time consuming, so before exhibiting it may be a good idea to attend first and see what it is all about. You can meet a lot of people walking a show. Remember to bring marketing materials and samples with you to show potential customers.

If you are nervous about attending a national trade show for the first time, try attending a regional or local show to work out any kinks in your elevator pitch and marketing materials. Trade shows are a great way to build relationships, network and develop new business.

Relax, enjoy and good luck!






Questions, comments or concerns? Leave me a post and let's discuss!

'Twas the 5 C's of Credit...

‘Twas the 5 C’s of credit and all around town, people were wondering why the bank had turned them down! They had never heard these words before, and were surprised when the banker said they couldn’t lend them anymore.

Character  Is the first thing the bank will review. What is your credit rating and past history too? Do you have any bills that you have been paying late? How about a student loan that you forgate? Check your credit report and score before going, so you will take care of any issues and be all knowing.

Capital   Is the second thing banks like to see. They’ll ask, "Do you have any skin in the game?" Yes-siree! The underwriter’s will want you to put around 20% down, just to make sure you will not flee the town.

Collateral   Is the third area banks like to have. Do you own anything of value that they can grab? It needs to cover the loan amount in full; and property, a CD or real estate is good.

Capacity   Is the fourth and again, you may wonder. The bank will want to see that the business will be profitable and not go under. All should be covered, including expenses, payroll, and the loan too. Be prepared to provide financial history and projections for years 1 and 2. That will make it easier for a banker to say "I do"!

Conditions   Is last, and what does that mean? Well, sir, it’s just one little thing. How has the economy been fairing these days? Regulators will give the bank’s portfolio a gaze. They want to make sure that the loan will be paid, and this has been making business people a little plagued.

With all of these C’s is there anything else? Yes, you will need to personally guarantee the loan itself.

That is the story, and if you want to borrow some funds, make sure you have covered every single one!

Happy New Year!

Have you shopped for a cell phone recently?

A little while back it was time for my family to get new cell phones. Our oldest children upgraded to the latest and greatest Apple and Droid products, I chose a slick Droid with a pull out keyboard (I have found them easier to type on) and we were looking for a simple, non-web enabled cell phone for our youngest to use for text and calls.  I was astonished to find that the phone selection in this category was severally limited and extremely over priced. As parents, we decided to wait another year before making a cell phone purchase for our youngest and, when she is a little bit older,  then getting her a smartphone.

What struck me most about this scenario is if the cell phone manufacturers are cutting back on producing non-web enabled phones for purchase, what does this mean for small business? After researching the statistics it was apparent that the number of smart phone users are growing exponentially. According to eMail Marketing Reports (www.email-marketing-reports.com) Nielsen reported that 46% of cell phone owners in the US have a smartphone as of 4Q2011; ComScore estimates that the average US smartphone ownership is 98 million people during this time; and a Pew Internet Project survey from February 2012 found that 46% of US adults owned a smartphone with the figure increasing to 71% among 25-34 year-olds.

Considering the statistics, if you are a business owner, and you have a website,is it enabled for mobile browsers? I know myself that almost all my internet surfing is now done via my smartphone. I use it to look up addresses, "google" products, read emails, check the weather, track my weekly exercise, etc. I also know how frustrating it is when I search for a businesses website, and it is not enabled for my phone browser. The page is huge, the print is tiny, and it is frustrating to maneuver. So I  usually skip that website and look for another that fits my phone screen.

I am sure my experience is not unique, so my question to you all is, how many potential customers are turning away from your website because it is not enabled for a smartphone? If you have not already done so, I encourage you to talk to your website developer and get this done. Do not miss out on this growing market. Not only will it be easier for your customers to utilize your website, you will also be on the cutting edge of this growing trend...ahead of many of your competitors! You do not want your customers thinking you are old fashioned or, even worse, not ever giving your business a chance in the first place.

If you need help finding a website developer, the Athens Small Business Development Center can provide you with local resources. Call or email me today to set up an initial consultation. As always, our consulting services are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL.

If you want to learn more about our services, go to our website at www.GeorgiaSBDC.org.

Happy September!

 

SBA National Preparedness Free Webinar Seriews

          SBA    News Advisory

PRESS OFFICE                  

 

Advisory  Date:  August 20, 2012	Contact:  Carol Chastang (202) 205-6987
Advisory Number: GA-MA12-22	Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Blogs

Get Your Business Ready For Any Kind of Disaster at

Free National Preparedness Month Webinar Series

WASHINGTON – This summer millions of business across the country were forced to close their doors in the aftermath of power outages, approaching wildfires, and flooding caused by tropical storms.  Business interruptions, even if it lasts just a few hours, cost business owners greatly in terms of lost productivity and profits.

You can get help with your own business preparedness planning through a series of free webinars hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration and Agility Recovery.   The September series is presented in collaboration with FEMA’s Ready Campaign, as part of National Preparedness Month.  SBA wants to help business owners take charge of the well-being of their own companies, the safety of their employees, and the sustenance of their local economies by being prepared to rebound quickly from any kind of disaster.

Here’s a list of the webinars, held each Wednesday in September at 2 p.m. ET:

Sept. 5:   “10 Steps to Prepare Any Organization for Disaster” with an introduction from James Rivera, Associate Administrator for SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance. 

Sept. 12: “Protecting Your Organization by Preparing Your Employees”

Sept. 19: “Utilization of Social Media During a Crisis”

Sept. 26: “Surviving a Crisis, Large or Small: Real Life Lessons Learned” Business owners who recovered from disasters discuss their proactive emergency planning.

A question and answer session will follow each of the presentations.  Go to http://www2.agilityrecovery.com/npm to register for any of the webinars. 

SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies through their “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access past webinars and for useful preparedness tools.