America’s SBDC Blog

A “Forbes 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs”

Help, I Don’t Know What To Write About!

August 31, 2015
By Anissa Starnes, Director, National Organizations for Constant Contact

In the six years that I have been with Constant Contact I have presented to over 30,000 small business and nonprofits that have attended my seminars.  One recurring theme that I hear over and over from those in attendance is “I want to do email marketing and social media but I just don’t know what to write about.”  Have you ever felt that way?  If so, you are not alone.

I will let you in on a little secret. You don’t have to be the one that writes it! You just have to be able to recognize good content and share it. Most of us read a lot of information daily.  Some of it comes from social sites, newspapers, magazines, industry periodicals and even other people’s email newsletters.  The trick is when you read something that gets your own attention then ask yourself “would my audience get value from this if I shared it?”

If the answer is yes, then you have found good content.  Of course, you always want to give credit where credit is due and site the original source when sharing.  Good content is everywhere you just have to be on the lookout for it and it doesn’t have to be original to you. That makes it a lot easier, doesn’t it?

Here is a link to a blog post with some really great tips on content marketing:
blogs.constantcontact.com/content-marketing-help.

Why An FDD Should Be Your Guiding Beacon

August 27, 2015

financial-disclosure-document-1With over 3,000 choices of franchise concepts in the marketplace today, your options for owning your own business are limitless. But not all franchises are created equally.

Say hello to the Franchise Disclosure Document, or FDD for short. Quite simply, it’s a legal document mandated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), designed to assist the potential franchisee through the due diligence process. Every legitimate franchise must produce one. If a company doesn’t, remove yourself from discussions as quickly as possible. At its core, the FDD removes any emotion from the process.

Under FTC guidelines, the FDD must be presented to the potential buyer in the pre-sales process no less than 10-14 days prior to entering a contract or paying any amount of money for a franchise. Regardless of the type, size or scope of a franchise opportunity, the FDD follows a strict format. FDD’s are uniform and consist of 23 specific items. Expect to see franchise fees, initial investment totals, trademarks, assigned territories, renewals, restrictions and advertising efforts.  (more…)

What You Need to Know About Web Hosting for Your Small Business Website

August 26, 2015
Bill WattQ & A with Bill Watt

Q: Web hosting can be intimidating. Can you break it down? 

A: Hosting can be intimidating because the technology behind it is really complex. However, for small business owners, the part they need to understand is simple: Your website is made out of a bunch of files. Your hosting is simply the place where you upload those files so people can view them on the Internet. All of the techno-wizardry going on to make that happen is your hosting provider’s responsibility. 

Q: What options do small business owners have for hosting their websites?

A: That depends on how they want to build their site, which we’ll get into in a minute. Most do-it-yourself website builders have hosting baked right in. If, on the other hand, the small business owner hires a designer, that person might handle the hosting or recommend a shared hosting account from a third-party like GoDaddy. This means they share resources with other websites hosted on the same server, as opposed to buying a server that’s dedicated to their site alone (which is much more expensive and labor-intensive). They might even look into WordPress hosting. (more…)

Turning Passion Into Reality

August 24, 2015
Vermont-Fitness-UnboundSuccess Story: Vermont
  • Vermont SBDC
  • SBDC Counselor: Ross Hart
  • Client: Fitness Unbound

“We needed help with our financial proposal and business advice from someone with more experience. [VtSBDC] advisors were very, very helpful throughout the entire length of the process – over three years!” Matthew Wells, Co-Owner, Fitness Unbound

Impact of working with the Vermont SBDC: First and foremost, the company needed funding before anything else could get started. Wells said the advice he got from his VtSBDC advisor was pivotal in making that happen. The pair went to work drafting and revising a business plan and financial projections that lenders would be responsive to and were eventually able to secure and finalize start-up funding for the business. VtSBDC advisors also helped the company work through the other challenges they had encountered up to the day they opened their doors in late 2014.

Read the whole story, and learn more about the Vermont SBDC.

Moving From Employee To Franchisee

August 21, 2015

from-employee-to-franchiseeHow many of you have spent your career advancing to the Executive Suite, only to find out it was not what you really wanted? Or, perhaps the company to which you devoted the majority of your career was sold, merged… or just decided they did not need your position anymore?

That happened to me. I got the education I needed to be successful in Corporate America, and I worked my way up the career ladder. But, I have to tell you: I was not happy with what I found there. I had no work/life balance, and what good does it do to live in paradise if you can’t find the time to enjoy all it has to offer?

In 2007, I was downsized. It was the best thing that could have happened to me! While I started out looking for another job, I just could not get excited about anything I found. Fortunately, I was introduced to franchising. Like you, I once believed that franchises were all fast food or retail stores. I thought that I couldn’t afford to buy one. I was afraid to be a business owner because I didn’t think I had the experience to succeed as a business owner. I was very mistaken!  (more…)