America’s SBDC Blog

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Success Story: Alaska

August 27, 2014

“Although I’ve been a small business owner for 20 years, since I began working with the SBDC my confidence and knowledge as an informed owner has increased” – Cover Ups owner, Teresa Roy.

Roy began Cover Ups out of her home twenty years ago as a custom drapery fabricator. Her business grew and in 2000 she opened a retail location in Palmer and expanded her offerings to include unique refurbished furniture.

In 2012, Cover Ups was awarded “Small Business of the Year” by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. Last year, Roy was accepted by Costco as a window coverings vendor which has caused business to increase exponentially. (more…)

3 Ideas to Help Turn Social Media Engagement Into Profit

August 26, 2014

If you are like many small businesses, then you’ve already begun to integrate social media activities into your marketing efforts. But marketing on social media and driving results through social media do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. It’s entirely possible to grow an active following online- with lots of Facebook fans, Twitter followers, email subscribers, and even good reviews on Yelp- without seeing an increase in your businesses’ profits. When this happens, I often advise businesses to take a step back to make sure they are adhering to the most important elements turning social engagement into action:

Focus your messages

You may offer a lot of products and services, but if you focus on your differentiation you’ll be able to demonstrate your expertise and dominate a market segment. For example, a retailer specializing in tennis gear can show customers how to use the latest equipment, offer tennis classes, and write about topics such as “what to look for when buying new tennis sneakers.” These actions will draw in customers looking for specific equipment and, while they’re shopping, they’ll discover other products and services offered by the retailer.  (more…)

Success Story: Alaska

August 20, 2014

Alaska Premier Services, owned by Mike Anderson, is an Anchorage based business that focuses on providing high quality services that make homeowner’s lives easier. Services offered include landscaping, lawn maintenance, snow plowing and housekeeping by an experienced and detail-oriented crew.

Alaska Premier Services has over ten years of experience delivering high quality services to the Anchorage area and was even voted the 2013 Best Lawn Care Company in Anchorage! Anderson first approached the Alaska Small Business Development Center in September of 2012. Along with meeting with our Business Advisers, Anderson found the workshops extremely helpful especially in creating a marketing strategy for his company. (more…)

Successful event planning: 3 tips to increase attendance at your next event

August 19, 2014

For businesses that host events, nothing can cause more angst than the idea of having low—or even worse no—attendance. While having some “no-shows” is to be expected, the reality is that with the right plan in place, you can not only circumvent empty chairs and empty tables, you can help ensure that your next event is a huge success.

To do that, you should ask yourself three strategic questions as the first steps to your event planning process:

1. What is your objective? Each event should have a strategic objective, whether it’s to introduce members, raise funds or network, for example. By establishing the objective up front, your team members will better understand how their efforts contribute to the big picture and your attendees are more likely to say yes to your invitation.

2. Did you scour local event calendars? Along with checking for competing activities on the same day, look for related events scheduled within a week of yours.

3. Does the cost of attending reflect the perceived value? Make sure the registration fee is proportional to what attendees will gain from participating. If your event is free, consider charging a nominal fee and donating the proceeds to charity. Believe it or not, charging as little as $5 can make a big difference.  (more…)

Leave only green footprints: 7 ways to conserve at work

August 18, 2014

It’s not easy being green, or so we’re told, but take a look around your office and consider: How “green” are you?

It’s no surprise that an increasing number of companies are working toward becoming more environmentally conscious: constantly introducing programs to reduce both costs and their carbon footprint. Typical areas of opportunity are employee telecommuting, lighting, recycling and paper usage.

Here are some suggestions that you might use in your green movement at work:

1. Telecommute to reduce and produce

It could be argued that people working from home face more distractions and are often less productive. In reality, reports indicate that the opposite is true — not only does productivity increase, but there is often reduced stress on the employees. Gone are endless hours sitting in traffic, and the stop-go of a slow car creates a lot more pollution than a car that never leaves the house. And what does it mean to ROI? Well, for the company, approximately $11,000 per year per employee, in addition to the savings made by the employee, and the not-to-be-forgotten oil and greenhouse gas savings. And in case you need to ask, yes — I am sitting at home writing this, and it’s past 5 o’clock. How’s that for productivity?  (more…)