America’s SBDC Blog

A “Forbes 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs”

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…)

Custom Bat Manufacturer Hits Home Run as Entrepreneur 

August 13, 2014
Success Story, Illinois –

Swansea resident Todd “Dutch” Eschman is batting a thousand as the first-place winner of a regional business plan competition that is driving his entrepreneurial venture toward success. Eschman, 44, is the sole proprietor of Old Dutch Classic Bats (www.dutchbats.com), a manufacturer of custom bats for vintage baseball players. Vintage baseball is a rapidly growing sport that recreates the game as it was played in the 1860s by replicating rules, period uniforms, style of play, language and equipment – including bats.

The entrepreneur’s business idea to manufacture and sell custom-made bats came from his passion to play vintage baseball, which began three years ago. “I’ve always played baseball and have coached my kids’ teams,” said Eschman, whose day job is as general manager of community publications for the Belleville News-Democrat and who began his journalism career as a sportswriter. “In August 2011, I got wind of a vintage baseball game between the St. Louis Unions and Lafayette Square Cyclone BBC and decided to check it out. After watching one game, I was hooked.”

A year later, Eschman and friends formed a team and started competing in local leagues. Eschman and his friends were not the only ones fascinated with vintage baseball. The game’s quick growth led to the formation of the Vintage Base Ball Association with 161 member clubs across 26 states, most of which include multiple teams of 15 to 20 players each. This surge in popularity motivated Eschman to take his passion for the game to the next level.  (more…)

Improve your business website with simple changes to the header and footer

August 12, 2014

Say you’re a mom whose kids badly need haircuts. A search for “hair salon for kids” offers some options, and you click to learn more.

When you arrive at a website, you see a bright, cheerful homepage with photos of a kid-friendly salon, complete with free stickers. You immediately see the address, phone number, and hours of operation at the top of the web page. Your first impression: perfect. You see they’re open, you call for an appointment and you get directions, without having to scan through their website for more info.

This section of a website, called the header, is a valuable but often under-utilized area. Here are some simple tricks to improve your customers’ experience by focusing on both this section and the footer.

Lesson Highlight: Create effective website headers and footers

The header is the first thing a website visitors sees. The information you include here can influence whether customers decide to stick around and explore your website.

Here are a few quick tips:  (more…)