America’s SBDC Blog

A “Forbes 100 Best Websites for Entrepreneurs”

Happy #SBDCDay!

March 15, 2023

As small business owners navigate an ever-changing landscape, Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) continue to support and elevate their clients through innovative at-cost training programs and free advising strategies. Nearly 1,000 SBDCs can be found across the United States and its territories, serving clients virtually and from their centers in host institutions like universities and chambers. Whether SBDCs are serving rural America, addressing a solution in fintech, or helping a millennial woman-owned business expand to global exporting, SBDCs are at the forefront, assisting their clients at every step. Don’t miss the new America’s SBDC Annual Report to read about hundreds of small businesses and how their small businesses thrived with the help of their local SBDC.

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How to Find a Business Mentor: 7 Places to Explore

January 17, 2023

Behind every successful business person is a mentor who taught them everything they know. Mentors teach valuable lessons and provide moral support when the going gets tough. But where do you find one? From in-person networking events to casual online chats, here are seven places to explore.

1. Scour LinkedIn for Someone With Your Dream Job

LinkedIn: The quintessential networking tool for professionals in virtually every industry and a great place to start your quest for a mentor. Enter your dream job into the search bar and filter by “people.” From there, you can search by criteria that are important to you, such as geographic location, industry, and even specific companies.

Quick tip: Before pitching someone on LinkedIn to be your mentor, follow them on social media, attend their live streams, interact with their content, ask questions, and do whatever you can to show your interest before asking for any favors.

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5 Ways to Improve Your Online Reputation

September 13, 2022

By: Jamie Cohen

How often do you check your social media accounts? Or, Google your name? If you don’t track them, you’re missing out on important information about your online presence.

Your online reputation matters. And it’s something you should take seriously. In today’s society, where everyone seems connected, staying ahead of the game with your brand is essential. It could be the difference between a thriving business and one that struggles to get leads or sales.

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What do we mean by “Underserved Communities”?

April 26, 2022
By: Tyler Demars.
 
While entrepreneurs can come from any demographic, life experience, or situational background, there are trends and common challenges related to identified population groups or communities that limit access to small business ownership. Folks from these communities are both underrepresented in entrepreneurship ranks in our state and underserved by the benefits of entrepreneurship which include wealth creation, job creation, community development, and increased community sovereignty. Wealth creation is the primary benefit of entrepreneurship for a community, other benefits flow primarily from this wealth creation. According to a report from our US Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, business owners “represent roughly 10 percent of the workforce, but hold nearly 40 percent of the total U.S. wealth.” When we talk about underserved communities, we are talking about communities underserved by the benefits of entrepreneurship.
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What Is DEI and How Can It Benefit Your Small Business?

April 4, 2022

Workplace DEI, otherwise known as diversity, equity, and inclusion are top priorities and the path forward for all businesses, both big and small. Having a focus on DEI in your small business will work towards cultivating a more positive culture and provide fair and sustainable opportunities for everyone to grow both individually and together. 

What Is DEI? 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital to creating and maintaining a successful workplace. Click To Tweet But to truly implement it into your small business, you need to know what each part means. 

Diversity is the presence of differences within a given setting. For example, differences could mean race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, age, and more. Equity is the process of ensuring that processes and programs are impartial, fair, and provide equal possible outcomes for every individual. Inclusion is making sure that people feel like they belong in every aspect of the workplace. 

 

How Can DEI Help Your Small Business?

DEI is a necessity for all businesses. Small businesses stand to gain from diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives just as large companies do. A positive and inclusive workplace will attract diverse talent. This is important for continuing to grow your business. As businesses struggle to attract enough workers to reopen after the pandemic, the competition is even fiercer. Not only does DEI help attract new talent, but it also cultivates the existing talent. DEI has been proven to increase performance, lead to more creative ideas, and make stronger decisions. 

When your team is diverse, it can present great opportunities for a small business to use personal professional networks of employees to generate future customers. DEI will create stronger brand or company recognition and lead your small business to thrive. 

Where Do You Start?

To start thoroughly incorporating DEI into your small business, take a personal assessment of the current state of your employees. Ask yourself some of these questions, do your employees have equal chances to advance? Do your employees represent different religions or different political views? Do your employees have different backgrounds in education, home life, and economic class? 

After you have determined how your business stands, create a DEI plan to implement. Then communicate your DEI expectations, the reason behind the changes, and schedule training. Let employees be their authentic selves and celebrate their differences and similarities. Be realistic with the resources your small business has to set aside for a DEI initiative. Do not expect instant change or improvement in your business, developing DEI in your employees is a process that requires time, dedication, and consistency.  

Go beyond the motions of a DEI initiative by continually seeking opportunities to improve your workforce. By creating a solid plan, implementing training, and consistently maintaining high standards, your small business will experience vast benefits in its culture. You will have an increase in worker productivity which will help your business grow and succeed

SHIFT HR Compliance Training, LLC is a training and development company dedicated to improving the company cultures and inclusivity of businesses across the country with our DEI training course, anti-harassment training courses, and more.