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SCORE Counselors to America's Small Business
OFFERS BUSINESS PLAN WORKSHOPS |
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Not everyone who starts and runs a business begins with a business plan, but it helps to have one. If you are seeking funding from a bank, credit union or any financial institution, you will certainly need a comprehensive business plan that is well thought out and contains sound business reasoning.
If you are approaching a banker for a loan for a start-up business, your loan officer may suggest a loan, which will require a business plan. If you have an existing business and are approaching a bank for capital to expand the business, they often will not require a business plan, but they may look more favorably on your application if you have one.
Reasons for writing a business plan include:
- Support a loan application
- Raise Equity Funding
- Define and fix objectives and programs to achieve those objectives
- Create regular business review and course correction
- Define a new business
- Define agreements between partners
- Set a value on a business for sale or legal purposes
- Evaluate a new product line, promotion, or expansion
DO YOU NEED A BUSINESS PLAN?
SCORE Counselors to America's Small business will offer a free workshop, "How to Write a Business Plan," at Braswell Memorial Library on two Saturdays, August 16 and 30, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.
Registration is required. Please call 442-1951 ext. 245 or 231 for more information.
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Contact the local SCORE office located on the second floor of Braswell Memorial Library. SCORE is a national non-profit organization which provides FREE business advice to small businesses. The mission of SCORE is to help you assess your current business situation and offer advice on growing your sales and profits.
Office hours are from 4 to 7 pm on Thursdays and from 9 am to noon on Saturdays. Appointments may be made by calling 442-1173 or email SCORE@braswell-library.org. | |
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New BICOS Books! |
The Weekend Small Business Start-Up Kit: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Get Your Business Up and Running Fast and to Start Making Money.
By Mark Warda. June 2007. 227 p.
Hundreds of thousand of people make the decision each year of starting a small business, and many of them become successful. Knowledge can only help your chances to succeed. You need to know why some businesses succeed while others fail. In this start-up kit, Warda has compiled exactly what you need to start your small business quickly, so that you can start making money. Complete with CD-ROM, this guide provides information on naming your business, financing, licensing, insurance, employment and labor laws, and taxes. It also provides websites such as SCORE, SBA, and other programs and services throughout the county that provides free consulting services and training events.
The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea Into the Next Big Thing.
By Tamara Monosoff. August 2005. 256 p. McGraw-Hill.
This book reveals the stay-at-home business secrets of Mom Inventors, Inc., an organization founded to help women realize their dreams by offering tools and resources to guide and inspire entrepreneurial success. Mom Inventor's, Inc. cofounder and CEO Tamara Monosoff shares the secrets of successful home entrepreneurs with you in this comprehensive do-it-yourself business manual--helping business-minded moms to create incredible profits from home. The step-by-step instructions help anyone learn how to invent and sell their own products--from initial brainstorming, market research, and prototyping to final production and distribution. It also reveals priceless information on patents, licensing, marketing, and online selling.
Know Can Do! Put Your Know-How into Action.
By Ken Blanchard, Paul J. Meyer, and Dick Ruhe. October 2007. 115 p. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Motivation Institute founder Paul J. Meyer and motivational speaker Dick Ruhe provides an answer to the age-old problem of why people do not do what they know they should. This book strives to help readers learn how to close the gap between knowing and doing in order to achieve lasting change. Using a fable as the basis for the discussion, Blanchard covers reasons why people don't follow through on what they learn, including negative filtering, a lack of any follow-up, information overload, or an overdose of knowledge. The authors explain how to adjust the brain's filtering system to learn up to 100 times more than before, how to ignite creativity and how to master what has been learned by using repetition. This powerful book will help people of all levels develop a positive mind-set to achieve extraordinary results as needed in starting a business.
Creating a Web Site in Dreamweave CS3.
By Nolan Hester. July 2007. 160 p. Preachpit Press.
Dreamweaver has been the number one choice for professional Web site designers for years. Now as part of the Adobe Creative Suite, Dreamweaver is a tool for beginning Web designers. This book is for all people who are anxious to design their very first Web site but don't want to learn every last Dreamweaver feature to do so. This full-color volume guide offers them the quickest route to creating a well-designed and friendly Web site. Each short chapter uses big, bold screen shots and step-by-step instructions. By reading this volume, anyone, including small business owners and entrepreneurs, will be shown how to create a simple Web site, fill it with text, graphics and tables, use style sheets, create image maps, and add navigation and links.
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Upcoming BICOS Workshops |
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All workshops are free and open to the public.
August 16, 2008
"How to Write a Business Plan"
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Presented By: SCORE Counselors to America's Small Business
Braswell Memorial Libary - Warner Meeting Room Please call to register: 442-1951 ext. 245 or 231
August 21, 2008
"How to Turn Around Your Business"
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Presented By: Halifax County Small Business Center
Halifax County Library - Board Room
August 26, 2008
"Technology for the Small Biz"
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Presented By: Halifax County Small Business Center
Scotland Neck Memorial Library - Board Room
August 26, 2008
"Managing Business Finances"
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Presented By: James E. Mills, Financial Advisor
Braswell Memorial Library - Warner Meeting Room
Please call to register: 442-1951 ext. 245 or 231
August 30, 2008
"How to Write a Business Plan"
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Presented by: SCORE Counselors to America's Small Business
Braswell Memorial Library - Warner Meeting Room
Please call to register: 442-1951 ext. 245 or 231
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We hope you enjoyed this edition of the BICOS E-Newsletter. As always, we invite you to visit us at 727 North Grace Street to "check out" all of the services and resources available to you.
Brenda Greene
Braswell Memorial Library |
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BICOS QUICKSHOTS |
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Edgecombe County Memorial Library BICOS Grand Opening June 2008
(Left front, Roman Leary, Assistant Director; Left rear, Dan Swartout, Director; Right, Keith Davis, SCORE counselor; Trudy Lynn, ECC SBC Director.)
Halifax County Library BICOS Grand Opening
(L to R), Dick McCormick, HCC SBC Director; Mary Gail Cooper, HCC Learning Resource Center Director; Ginny Orvedahl, Halifax County Public Library Director; Barb Valdes, Technical Services/Acquisitions Librarian |
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BICOS Frequently Asked Questions |
What is BICOS?
The Business Information Center Outreach Services program bridges the gap between entrepreneurs and traditional library services by providing print and online resources, technical training and assistance, and referrals to small business owners. BICOS will help anyone trying to start his own business or anyone already in business by providing library resources at 6 library sites. The program is in partnership with SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business) who provides free, expert and confidential counseling with assistance by the Small Business Centers at the community colleges.
Why should I contact BICOS?
Since libraries are known as "the very first place to start," it provides the resources and networking connections anyone will need to start his own small business or assisting the existing small business. BICOS libraries provide books, magazines, computer training, loaner laptops, mentoring, workshops, counseling and referrals.
What resources are available through BICOS?
Resources include books, periodicals, loaner laptops, virtual counseling and training, access to printers, copiers, and faxing, SCORE mentoring, instruction, networking with other business owners and seminars. A wide assortment of books for check-out includes (but are not limited to) how to start a business in general or a specific business, business plans, grant writing, marketing, small business management, leadership and management skills, and how to get financing. Loaner laptops are available for 7-day check-out; however a loaner agreement must be completed. A DVD burner is accessible at any of the BICOS libraries for use in the library only.
How do I become a BICOS client?
To become a BICOS client, a library card is required at one of the BICOS libraries listed above. To check out a BICOS laptop, a referral must be made from a SCORE counselor, a director of the Small Business Centers or the BICOS manager.
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| BICOS Libraries
& Advisory Committee |
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BRASWELL MEMORIAL LIBRARY
727 N Grace Street
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
252.442.1951
fax: 252.442.7180
www.braswell-library.org
Brenda Greene, BICOS Project Manager (ext. 245)
bgreene@braswell-library.org
Jane Blackburn, BML Assistant Director (ext. 227)
jblackburn@braswell-library.org
EDGECOMBE COUNTY MEMORIAL LIBRARY
909 N Main Street
Tarboro, NC 27886
252.823.1141
Fax: 252.823-7699
www.edgecombelibrary.org
Daniel Swartout, Director
swartoutd@edgecombelibrary.org
Roman Leary, Assistant Director
rleary@edgecombelibrary.org
SPRING HOPE PUBLIC LIBRARY
101 E Nash Street
Spring Hope, NC 27882
252.478.3377
Shirley Bass, Head Librarian
Sbass10539@embarqmail.com
ROANOKE RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY
319 Roanoke Avenue
Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870
252.533.2890
fax: 252.533.2892
www.roanokerapidsnc.com
Bonnie Klass, Library Operations Supervisor
bklass@roanokerapidsnc.com
HALIFAX COUNTY LIBRARY
P.O. Box 97
33 S Granville Street
Halifax, NC 27839
252.583.3631
Fax: 252.583.8661
http://www.halifaxlib.org
Ginny Orvedahl, Halifax County Library Director
orvedahlg@halifax.com
Barb Valdes, IT
halifaxgirls@yahoo.com
SCOTLAND NECK MEMORIAL LIBRARY
1600 Main Street
Scotland Neck, NC 27874
252.826.5578
Fax: 252.826.5037
Ginny Orvedahl, Halifax County Library Director
orvedahlg@halifax.com
Lizz Dawkins, Librarian
Lizzdawkinslib@yahoo.com
SCORE
COUNSELORS TO AMERICA'S SMALL BUSINESS
BRASWELL MEMORIAL LIBRARY
727 N Grace Street
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Mark Frohman, SCORE Counselor
mfrohman@beyondcommunications.net
252.442.1173
www.score.org
EDGECOMBE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SMALL BUSINESS CENTER
2009 W Wilson Street
Tarboro, NC 27886
Trudy Lynn, SBC Director
lynnt@edgecombe.edu
252.823.5166 x 220
NASH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SMALL BUSINESS CENTER
PO Box 7488
Rocky Mount, NC 27804
Frederick Brooks, SBC Director
fbrooks@nashcc.edu
252.451.8233
HALIFAX COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SMALL BUSINESS CENTER
100 College Drive
PO Drawer 809
Weldon, NC 27890
Dick McCormick, SBC Director
mccormickr@halifaxcc.edu
252.536.7274 | |
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