Western Dairyland
Women's Business Center
Newsletter |
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| Your Business News |
February 2008 |
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Greetings!
Tax season is here and Western Dairyland has FREE assistance to those who qualify, so make sure you check out the tax section in this newsletter for details. Also, the Bulls-Eye Marketing series with Michele Dalton of Digital Daisy will start on February 11th instead of February 4th, so there is still time to register! In the Area News and Events we have listed information on the upcoming business plan competitions, along with other helpful business information.
Western Dairyland's Business Center would like to congratulate Yeng Yang on rejoining us as a Business Development Specialist here at Western Dairyland. Yeng helped many write business plans during his previous 8 years here and we are happy to have him back.
Western Dairyland's Business Center would like to extend a very special thank you to Cheri Harrison of Evolve Wellness for taking time out to present at our Networking Meeting in January. Also we would like to thank JP Adrian for helping us pull together the details of the Women's Business Conference. These two women have amazing dedication to their work and we can't thank them enough for all they do.
Please enjoy our newsletter and don't forget to reply to this email with your suggestions, comments, or business news each month.
Sincerely,
Sara Bates,
Western Dairyland's Business Center |
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 5th Annual Women's Business Conference Online Registration is Now Open! Learn from successful business professionals. Meet established members of the Chippewa Valley business community. Talk to business assistance providers. Network with other entrepreneurs. One day of education and networking could make an enormous impact on your existing, or future business.
You won't want to miss our Keynote Address by Peg Leinenkugel of Jacob Leinenkugal Brewing Company, and remember to bring plenty of business cards for networking.
**We only have a few exhibitor spots left, so if you are still interested, please email Sara at jbdassist@westerndairyland.org ASAP to reserve your table. We are also still accepting Sponsorships at this time.
Women's Business Networking FREE Monthly Meetings
On Wednesday February 13th, 2008 Evlyn Carlile of Simple Office Solutions will present "Taxes SO Simple". This highly informative session will help women entrepreneurs understand what to keep track of through-out the year for tax purposes. Evlyn will break down the Schedule C and make sure you are prepared for this year and next! Don't forget to bring a friend.
On Tuesday March 11th, 2008 Bethany Olson of Corporate Technologies will present a must-know session about how to keep your computer safe, and how to avoid a potentially devastating system crash. You will learn simple steps you can take to keep your computer running smooth, even if you are not a tech person.
These meetings are FREE for women entrepreneurs, and attendees are encouraged to bring their business cards, and a lunch to eat during the meeting. All Women's Networking meetings will be held at 418 Wisconsin Street in Eau Claire and are from 11:00-1:00pm, and future meetings will tentatively held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Mark your calendars!
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| Tax Time is Here!
Tax Ready Recordkeeping Series:
Evlyn Carlile, owner of Simple Office Solutions, presents a series of noon hour tax chats to help small businesses get ready for tax season. Male and female business owners are welcome to attend. There will be a short presentation of information on different topics, followed by a question and answer session.
These chats will take place at Western Dairyland's Business Center, 418 Wisconsin Street in Eau Claire. Click here to register online. There will be a small fee of $5.00 per chat session which will include class materials, snacks, and beverages. Please feel free to bring your own lunch to eat. The last two chat sessions are as follows:
Tuesday, February 19th 2008 - Travel, Meals, and Gifts
Tuesday, March 4th 2008 - Assets vs. Expenses
Free business filing assistance with your Schedule C!
If you are a small business owner who is filling out a Schedule C for the first time, or you just need assistance with your Schedule C, Western Dairyland's Business Center is offering one-on-one assistance with our Business Development Specialists.
Our staff will assist you in organizing and preparing your business information on your Schedule C. We will be available by appointment only on Monday afternoons until 6:30 through tax season (you can also schedule a different time if Monday's don't work for you). Just call 715-836-7511 ext 171 to schedule your appointment.
After completing your schedule C with our staff on Monday, you can step on over and file your taxes in our office for FREE if you wish (more details on filing in the next paragraph).
Please pass this information on to any business owner you know that could benefit from this FREE assistance. Free tax filing for qualifying individuals!
Starting on February 11th, 2008, the UWEC accounting students, along with their professor, will be offering FREE business and tax filing for qualifying individuals on Monday nights through tax season. This FREE assistance is made possible through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA, a special program of the Internal Revenue Service and Wisconsin Department of Revenue, provides free tax filing to taxpayers with adjusted gross annual incomes under $39,000. If you are a single member LLC, and/or Sole Proprietor business filing a Schedule C, the students can also file your return for FREE regardless of you income.
This assistance will be available Monday's (beginning on Feb. 11th) from 4:00-7:00pm at Western Dairyland 418 Wisconsin Street in Eau Claire on a first come first serve basis. Other days and times also available.
Please pass this information on to any individual or business owner you know that could benefit from this FREE filing service.
Also, check out our new Tax Center located on our Business Center website. It has a wealth of information to help answer those burning questions about Small Business Taxes. | |
| Business Center Events for Feb. and Mar.
Western Dairyland will be hosting the following events in February and March in Eau Claire at 418 Wisconsin Street. Click here to register online.
Women's Business Networking Meeting - FREE from 11:00-1:00pm
Feb. 13th - Evlyn Carlile "Taxes SO Simple"
Mar. 11th - Bethany Olson on ways to protect your computer from crashing.
Tax Ready Recordkeeping Noon Chats - $5.00 per chat from 12-1pm
Feb. 19th - "Travel, Meals, and Gifts"
Mar. 4th - "Assets vs. Expenses"
"ABC's of Business Ownership" Workshop - $45 for individuals or $80 for business partners for all 3 sessions from 1:00-4:00pm.
Feb. 14th - session 1 "Are You Ready?"
Feb. 21st - session 2 "Business Marketing"
Feb. 28th - session 3 "Cash Management"
Bulls-Eye Marketing Series - $10 per session or $45 for all 6 sessions 7-9pm
Feb. 11th - "Customers, Products & Money, Oh My"
Feb. 18th - "The Wide, Wily World of Advertising"
Feb. 25th - "Aim for the Center"
Mar. 3rd - "Baiting Your Pond"
Mar. 10th - "It Ain't Over"
Mar. 17th - "Hitting the Mark with Technology"
FREE Business Tax Assistance
For small businesses who need assistance with their schedule C completion. by appointment Monday afternoons until 6:30pm through tax season. You can also schedule a different time if Monday's don't work for you. Just call 715-836-7511 ext 171 to schedule an appointment.
FREE Tax Filing for Qualifying Individuals - first-come-first-serve basis on Monday nights through tax season from 4:00-7:00pm
Feb. 11th, Feb. 18th, Feb. 25th...(skipping March 17th due to spring break) |
| Wisconsin Common Market News and Tips:
Configure Your Sales Tax Rate in PayPal®
Last month we addressed how to set up custom shipping calculations in PayPal® for the orders you receive through your WisconsinCommonMarket.com webpage. If you missed it click here. As mentioned in the previous WCM tip, if you do use PayPal® to calculate your shipping fees rather than the WCM shopping cart, you will also want to rely on PayPal® to calculate the appropriate amount of sales tax. Otherwise, WCM will calculate the sales tax for your customers' order before PayPal® tacks on the shipping fees and you are at risk for charging insufficient sales tax for the order. Fortunately, the process of configuring your sales tax rate in PayPal® is quite simple. Here's how it works:
- Log in to your PayPal® account.
- Under the "My Account" tab, click on "Profile"
- In the far right column, click on "Sales Tax.""
- Under "Set up Domestic Sales Tax Rates," click "Add New Sales Tax."
- You have the option to configure sales tax by state or by zip code. Please note that if your business is based solely in Wisconsin, you are required to collect sales tax only for orders shipped within the state of Wisconsin. Furthermore, although the current sales tax rate for Wisconsin is 5%, many counties have begun assessing a county sales tax beyond the 5%. Please review the current Wisconsin sales tax rate chart by county . For most of you, the tax rate for your online sales will be based on the tax rate for county in which your business is located, regardless of where in Wisconsin the order is being shipped. However, please contact the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (contact information is on the previous link) if you have any questions of concerns.
- If you are configuring sales tax by state, scroll down to "Wisconsin."
- Enter the sales tax rate for your county in the space provided.
- Click the check box to "Apply rate to shipping amount."
- Click the "Continue" button and you are done!
- If you have special circumstances that include shipping from more than one origin or personally delivering products, click "Add another sales tax" and repeat this process as necessary. Again, if you have questions about what sales tax rate you should use, please contact the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.
After you have configured your sales tax rate in PayPal®, edit your individual product listings in WCM to be "non-taxable" so that sales tax is not calculated both by WCM and PayPal®.
Karman Briggs, e-Commerce Site Manager
Wisconsin Common Market New Members:
Welcome Take a Peek, which is a gift and home accessory store, and Joan's Third Age Coaching and Consulting, which consists of life and career coaching.
Technical Writing Assistance Available:
If you would like help with improving the text of your WCM web page, please contact Karman Briggs at kbriggs@wisconsincommonmarket.com. A new UWEC technical writing intern is available specifically to assist WCM vendors with better search engine placement that will hopefully result in more sales! Because the intern's time is limited, preference will be given to vendors who have not yet been assisted by previous technical writing interns.
Please contact Karman Briggs, e-Commerce Site Manager, at kbriggs@wisconsincommonmarket.com with questions, comments or suggestions for future tips and topics. |
| Featured Business:
Gordons Tributes
To aid in the remembrance of veterans, and prisoners of war or those missing in action in particular, Jim Gordon started Gordons Tributes, Ltd. in May 2007, which makes wooden plaques to honor POW/MIAs. The business was begun with the intent of making products that help increase public awareness of POW/MIAs and to provide support to the families of veterans.
Gordons Tributes is co-owned and operated by Jim and his wife, Barb. The Gordons were able to get their business kick-started with busy guidance provided by Western Dairyland. The organization helped the Gordon's write their business plan along with their financial projections.
"I knew that we should do more to keep the POW/MIA in the front of people's minds instead of letting their names be forgotten," Gordon said. "I like to do woodworking and I got tired of seeing places that have old newspaper pictures on walls if anything at all."
Every plaque comes with the name of a POW/MIA, with the day they went missing and their rank. Although the purchaser may not personally know the veteran, Gordon includes a biography to help supporters remember them as a person, rather than just a number.
Each of the plaque options is made of genuine American black walnut from Beloit Memorials and are engraved with the official POW/MIA flag in relief. The routed plaques are available in medium or large sizes with the option of the wording, "You Are Not Forgotten" or "Freedom is not Free", and can be personalized in order to honor a particular veteran.
In the future, Gordon would like to make plaques to honor soldiers from other conflicts, including the Korean War, the World Wars, and the battles in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I hope to help the people who lost loved ones in all wars keep their memories alive, so they will not be forgotten and help heal those that sacrifice for this great country that we all live in," said Gordon.
Excerpts from a story written by Rachel Wick in December 2007. |
| It's Not Too Late To Register!
Michele Dalton of Digital Daisy Media is teaming up with Western Dairyland's Business Centers to offer a must-not-miss marketing series called "Bulls Eye Marketing". This series will consist of 6 different sessions from 7:00-9:00pm on Monday nights starting in February. Price includes a Bulls-Eye Marketing workbook. When you register for all 6 sessions you will receive an additional introduction portion of the workbook on setting goals and where to begin. This will give you a head start for the series.
Week I (Feb. 11th)- Customers, Products & Money, Oh My
Have you ever wondered why you don't have all the customers you need to make your business a success? In week one we will discuss the who, what, where, when and how of finding your specific marketing bulls-eye.
Week II (Feb. 18th) - The Wide, Wily World of Advertising
Marketing your business has many components, but for many small and start up companies the most intimidating part of the marketing equation is print, radio and television advertising. In week two we will look at several broadcast style advertising mediums and how they can be incorporated into your overall marketing mix.
Week III (Feb. 25th) - Aim for the Center
Now it is time to start tightening our aim on the center of the target with marketing methods that speak directly to the individuals we would like to call customers. In week three we will use several planning tools and hands-on resources to explore direct mail advertising, canvassing ideas and telemarketing basics.
Week IV (Mar. 3rd) - Baiting Your Pond
Like fisherman catching fish with their nets, we find that as the circles of the marketing bulls-eye draw closer to center we have a more precise aim and a better possibility of "hitting" a customer. In week four we will look at the tools that put customers "in our sight" - brochures, business cards, point of purchase displays, packaging and more.
Week V - (Mar. 10th) - It Ain't Over
You've hit the mark and made a sale! But, it ain't over. What you do after the sale is almost more important than everything that came before it. In week five we will focus on several aspects of customer service, generating repeat business and creating word-of-mouth advertising/referrals.
Week VI - (Mar. 17th) - Hitting the Mark with Technology
The past 10 years have seen phenomenal growth in personal computing and business technology, but many small business owners cringe when they contemplate tackling gizmos, gadgets and google-ese. In week six we will explore several components of marketing with technology, including automated phone services , on-line resources and nanocasting.
Each session will cost $10, but bundle them together and get all 6 sessions for only $45! All sessions will be on Monday nights from 7:00-9:00pm and will be held at Western Dairyland, 418 Wisconsin Street in Eau Claire. For more details, or to register, contact Michele at 715-858-0315 or visit Digital Daisy Media. |
| Other Happenings you won't want to miss!
EDUCATION:
"Entrepreneurial Training Program" on Tuesdays from 6:30-9:15 p.m. starting February 12, 2008 at UW- Eau Claire Human Sciences and Services Building, Room 179 These efficient set of classes are designed to help you evolve your idea of owning your own business, develop a valued business plan, and recognize what it takes to build a thriving, profitable business. The next session is from February 12 - April 29, 2008. Cost is only $250 for a twelve week session click here for more details.
"Idea Pathway" This is a local program to engage local residents in the process of ideation and innovation. The program's goal is to facilitate early-stage business development, eventually creating new products and companies in the Eau Claire area. Once you have determined that your product or service concept is new, has unique attributes, and has both market and business opportunities, you'll be ready to submit your idea. Each submission will be reviewed and will receive a reply with advice for further research. Click here for more details.
BUSINESS COMPETITIONS:
"Jump-Start Downtown" business competition is for entrepreneurs interested in starting a business in downtown Eau Claire. This competition is open to any type of business from hi-tech office services to specialty gift shops. The grand prize is $5,000 start-up capital. Business pans must be submitted by May 31st. To assist you further with your business plans, there are 2 business seminars being held at Western Dairyland in March and April click here for more details.
"Create Your Own Business" Competition. This business plan competition is sponsored by the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Center. The businesses judged to have the best ideas, plans, management teams, and potential for success will receive a variety of awards, for example: the Emerging/Growth Business Award winner will receive a $10,000 cash award, the Micro-Business Award winner will receive a $2,500 cash award. Other awards may be presented as well. The 2008 pre-application deadline will be in May 2008.
SMALL BUSINESS LINKS OF INTEREST:
"Marketing in a Weak Economy: A Dozen Ideas" The SCORE Web site is full of helpful information for entrepreneurs, including this article by Daniel Obregon and Joyce Bosc, owners of Boscobel Marketing Communications, Inc., that gives some timely marketing advice.
The Microsoft Small Business Center is also a great source of information. They have articles on all different topics broken down into steps, including many articles on tax issues for small businesses. A few examples are "5 frequent tax and bookkeeping mistakes", "6 secrets tax pro's won't share", and "How to write off your start-up costs".
FOR SALE:
The Basics of Selling on eBay student handbooks. Learn to sell like a pro! These books were updated in 2007 and are version 4.1. They are $15 and if you are interested, please email jbdassist@westerndairyland.org
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Agreements for persons with disabilities will be made at all times in accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and associated amendments. Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. | |
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