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 Biz-E Newsletter 
  www.sbdchelp.com
Serving Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's Counties
Tel.: 301.934.7583   Fax: 301.934.7681 
March 2010
In This Issue
In the Client Corner
Southern Region SBDC Website Gets a Makeover
Women's Business Roundtable
Marketing Seminar
SMADC Introduces FarmLINK
Veterans Assistance
Tax News
Federal Contracting Opportunities for WOSBs
Upcoming SBDC Workshops
  
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In the Client Corner
  Deanna Dove
Deanna Dove, singer/songwriter and owner of Island Girl Radio
 
In May 2009, Deanna Dove introduced Island Girl Radio at www.islandgirlradio.com to showcase the talents of  independent artists along with her own original music.  Although the radio station is in its initial phase, she hopes it will become a regional hub for independent music and all things related to the Chesapeake Bay, one of her passions, and Southern Maryland.    Deanna also owns Island Girl Records which she formed in August 2004 as a record label and publishing company to represent her business as a performing artist.  She has published four CDs on the Island Girl Records label and is a well-recognized performer in the Southern Maryland area.  Her business also includes a music education division, and she teaches guitar and vocal lessons. 
 

"Working with the SBDC has provided me a sounding board and support system that is helping me move forward.  With their help, I am also able to focus on priorities and specific goals for my business. They have researched and made contacts on my behalf.  This in turn has provided me time to work on other tasks while introducing me to important contacts.  Being the sole employee can get pretty hectic and lonely, and I am grateful for the SBDC and their support and mentorship.  The business counselors have provided a valuable benefit to me."

 
Southern Region SBDC Website Gets a Makeover!
Check out the new look of your SBDC's website.  It now features a much more user-friendly navigation plus information on starting and growing your business, financing, small business initiatives, workshops and more.  Visit us at www.sbdchelp.com.
Women's Business Roundtable
business womenThe Southern Region SBDC will be presenting its next Women's Business Roundtable at the end of March.  The roundtable is an open forum where women business owners and women in the workplace network and learn from each other.  The theme will be:  Ten Attainable Guidelines to Goal Setting.  
 
Friday, March 26, 2010, 6:00-8:00pm
St. Mary's Chamber of Commerce, 44220 Airport Road, California, MD  20649
$15.00
Refreshments will be provided.

For details/registration, contact Ashleigh Wilkinson at [email protected] or 301.934.7583. 
SAVE THE DATE:  Marketing Seminar on April 20, 2010
The Calvert County Economic Development Office will be sponsoring a seminar on marketing techniques for challenging economic times.  Learn some tips for building a stronger, healthier business and achieve a better understanding of how to reach and retain your best customers.  This seminar will be facilitated by Casey Willson, Retail/Restaurant Industry Manager for the SBDC.

In the morning of April 20th, the seminar will be held at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons at 8:30am-10:00am.  The same seminar will then be offered again later in the day at the Northeast Community Center in Chesapeake Beach at 1:30-3:00pm.   For more information, contact the Calvert County Economic Development Office at 800-331-9771. 
SMADC Introduces Maryland FarmLINK

farmThe Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) has recently introduced Maryland FarmLINK at www.marylandfarmlink.com.  This new website will provide valuable resources to farmers at no charge.  Farm owners will have the ability to list their land in Maryland for sale and reach an audience of potential buyers looking specifially to buy farmland.  The site also has a Farm Forum, where the farm community can exchange advice on farming, as well as a person-to-person feature to help members find or become mentors, business partners, etc.  There are additional tools such as estate planning videos, sample leases and links to key farm resources.

Veterans Assistance and Services Program
 The Virginia SBDC Network received an SBA Veterans Assistance and Services Program grant to develop a website to help veteran entrepreneurs.  Although developed by the Virginia SBDC, this program is available to all veterans.  It provides assistance in the areas of:
  •  making the transition from being in the service to being a small-business owner
  • obtaining financing for their businesses
  • learning how to become a government contractor
  • developing a deployment plan for Reservists and Guards.
Launched in November, vetbizresourcecenter.com contains four modules, each covering one of the topics listed above. Each module contains a 5-minute (or so) video and a list of printable PDF resources containing much more information on different aspects of the subject. The Virginia SBDC also created a YouTube video to direct people to the website:
Tax News:  Business Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)
 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides a number of tax incentives for businesses. Most of the tax incentives for businesses are found in Subtitle C of Division B, Title I of ARRA. In addition, some of the energy incentives, contained in Subtitle B, [and a subsidy for premiums for COBRA health continuation coverage in Title III of Division B,] provide tax relief for businesses.  For a summary of tax incentives, click here.
Federal Contracting Opportunities for Women-owned Small Businesses
 
On March 2, the U.S. Small Business Administration released a proposed rule aimed at expanding federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses (WOSB).  The proposed rule is available for public comment for 60 days.

The proposed rule is part of the Obama Administration's overall commitment to expanding opportunities for small businesses to compete for federal contracts, in particular those owned by women, minorities and veterans.  This proposed rule identifies 83 industries in which WOSBs are under-represented or substantially under-represented in the federal contract marketplace.  This rule is aimed at providing greater opportunities for WOSBs to compete for federal contracts, while achieving the existing statutory goal that 5 percent of federal contracting dollars go to women-owned small businesses.  For more details, click here.
Upcoming SBDC Workshops

The SBDC course schedule includes many useful classes such as...
  • Building a Successful Business Plan
  • Financing Your Small Business
  • QuickBooks
  • Legal and Records Management
...and are offered at CSM's locations in La Plata, Lexington Park and Prince Frederick.  
For a complete listing of courses, descriptions and fees, click here.  To register, call the SBDC main office at 301-934-7583.
Maria R. Dorsett
Small Business Development Center - Southern Region
 
The SBDC is part of the Maryland SBDC Network - an accredited member of the  Association of Small Business Development Centers.
 
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
 
 
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