|
|
|
Western Dairyland Business Center Newsletter |
September 2008 | |
|
|
|
Greetings!
In October we will be kicking off our annual Business Tax Chat series with Evlyn Carlile of Simple Office Solutions. These chats will be from 6-8pm here at Western Dairyland (418 Wisconsin Street) and will cover topics such as: different recordkeeping systems, basics of the Schedule C, Home office deductions, mileage expenses, balance sheet, and more. There will be 4 different chats, with one chat each month starting in October on the 28th. We will have more details in our October newsletter. Evyln will also be our guest speaker for the October Women's Business Networking meeting on the 14th from 12-1pm.
This newsletter is packed with great information. Check out our section from the IRS on how the irs.gov website can be a timesaver for you and your business. Also, please don't forget about our Tuesday Tech Talks held once a month on the first Tuesday here in Eau Claire from 7-9pm. Our next Tech Talk will be October 7th regarding tips and tricks on using Microsoft Excel in your Business.
Please enjoy our newsletter and don't forget to reply to this email with your suggestions, comments, and/or concerns.
Sincerely,
Sara Bates,
Western Dairyland Business Center |
|
|
Jackson County I&E Club's next meeting is Thursday, September 11th at Jackson Electric, N6868 County Road F, Black River Falls. These meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month. Our guest speaker for September is Bud Gayhart, Director of the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Small Business Development Center.
- Bud will be presenting on the Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (WISC), which specializes in new product and invention assessments and market expansion opportunities for innovative manufacturers, technology businesses, and independent inventors. Since 1980, WISC has researched the viability of over 8,000 projects. Technical experts and researchers use an extensive array of resources to analyze information on technical feasibility, existing patents, market size, competitive intensity, demand trends, and other areas. WISC's research products cover product feasibility, competitive intelligence, distributor assessment, customer satisfaction, and licensing partnerships.
Buffalo/Trempealeau County I & E Club's next meeting is September 18th. The meetings will be held at 6:30 on the Third Thursday of the month at at the Riverland Energy Cooperative (N28988 State Rd 93 in Arcadia). Guest speaker for September will be Randy Hulke, Director of the University of Wisconsin - Stout Technology Transfer Institute (STTI).
- Hulke will be outlining the resources available to area manufacturers and entrepreneurs through the 17 centers of the STTI, a multi-disciplinary collection of centers built around UW-Stout's Polytechnic programs. Technical assistance centers within STTI include the Northwest Wisconsin Manufacturing Outreach Center, the Packaging Research and Development Center and the Technology in Business Incubator
These two clubs are FREE of charge and open to anyone in Western Wisconsin who would like to learn from experienced professionals and discuss their ideas with other local inventors and entrepreneurs. Each meeting will feature a guest speaker who will share tips and techniques on topics ranging from market research and business planning to patents and trademarks. The goal of the club is to create a positive learning environment that will enable participants to successfully move forward with their plans. No registration is required to attend the monthly meetings and there are no fees to join.
 Network with other I&E Club members outside of the monthly I&E meetings through our NEW online LinkedIn Discussion Group! To join, click here and you will then be directly connected with other I&E Club members and supporters. Looking for a prototype manufacturer? Need help with some marketing? Feel free to initiate discussions or simply post to ongoing discussions.
For more information on either I & E Club call:
Karman Briggs at 800-782-1063 or 715-836-7511, ext. 174
Here is a great link for Do-It-Yourself Patents & more: www.BobHarter.com |
Women's Business Networking Meetings now at a
NEW TIME from 12-1pm!!
This month on Tuesday September 9th Kelly Crawford with Advance Mail, Inc will present "Business Mailing Made Cheap and Easy"
Due to increasingly busy schedules and attendee feedback, the Women's Business Networking Meetings will now be held over the lunch hour from 12-1pm on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. These informal meetings are free and open any and all women entrepreneurs. Each meeting features a guest speaker and will be held in Eau Claire at 418 Wisconsin Street. Attendees are welcome to bring a lunch for themselves, bring business cards to share, and come early and stay after for networking opportunities.
 This month, "Business Mailing Made Cheap and Easy" will feature Kelly Crawford from Advance Mail, Inc. on September 9th from 12-1pm. Come to network with other Women Business owners in the area, and join us in learning what you can do to save time and money while you grow your business. With years of experience in the direct mail industry, Kelly will discuss methods and options for effectively and efficiently reaching your target customers through the mail.
The next Women's Business Networking meeting on OCTOBER 14th will be "Recordkeeping SO Simple" with Evlyn Carlile of Simple Office Solutions.
**Our next planning meeting: Wednesday October 8th at 10am** | |
BUSINESS CENTER TRAININGS for SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER:
"TECH TALK" 2 hr session for $20 - laptops provided & space is limited to 20.
- October 7th "Using Excel in Your Business" in Eau Claire from 7-9pm
"WOMEN'S BUSINESS NETWORKING MEETINGS" - FREE from 12-1pm in Eau Claire 2nd Tuesday of the month.
"7 STEPS TO STARTING A BUSINESS" - one 3 hour session for $25 (scholarships available)
- September 23rd, Tuesday in Black River Falls from 6:30-9:30pm
- September 25th, Thursday in Galesville from 6:30-9:30pm
- October 23rd, Thursday in Eau Claire from 6-9pm
"INVENTORS & ENTREPRENEURS CLUB MEETINGS" - FREE and open to the public!
Jackson County- 2nd Thurs. of the month at Jackson Electric in Black River Falls starting at 6:30pm.
Buffalo/Tremp. County - 3rd Thurs. of the month at Riverland Energy Center in Arcadia at 6:30pm.
|
|
Did you know that each product on WisconsinCommonMarket.com is uploaded individually and directly to Google on a monthly basis?!? Because Google currently handles about 62% of the entire web's search engine traffic, this recognition can potentially increase your own traffic AND sales! To make the best use of this service, please keep a few things in mind.
- First, incomplete product listings are NOT uploaded to Google. If your product listing is missing a description or a price, it will not be uploaded.
- Next, pay special attention to the names/titles of your products. If it is a piece of art that you have entitled, consider using both the title and the type in the name field. For example, "Jake at Home - original water color" is more apt to find customers than simply, "Jake at Home."
For information on becoming a member of the Wisconsin Common Market
and taking your business online, visit our website
www.WisconsinCommonMarket.com
Karman Briggs, e-Commerce Site Manager |
|
IRS e-News for Small Businesses: a Time Saver for Small Businesses and the Self-Employed
Keeping up with federal tax requirements is not always easy in today's fast-changing business environment. Even if small businesses and the self-employed use a tax professional's services, they still need to know and understand their tax responsibilities.
That's why the IRS is working to provide businesspeople with timely information to help them understand and meet their tax obligations.
IRS e-News for Small Businesses offers small businesses and the self-employed a real time-saver. e-News is a bi-weekly newsletter that alerts them to what's new, hot and important for small business owners to know. It's quick to read, easy to subscribe - and it's free.
e-News for Small Businesses is the IRS's e-newsletter for businesses with specialized content consisting of:
- Important upcoming tax dates for small businesses
- What's new for small businesses on IRS.gov
- Reminders and tips to assist small businesses with tax compliance
- IRS news releases and special IRS announcements
- Direct links to a variety of Web sites and resources
- Availability of IRS products, services, and training opportunities
Businesspeople may also want to take a look at other IRS e-newsletters:
-
IRS Tax Tips - tax information via e-mail from the IRS daily during the tax-filing season and periodically the rest of the year
-
Retirement News for Employers - information about current developments and upcoming events within the retirement plan arena; issued periodically during the year.
Subscribe to e-News for Small Businesses on IRS.gov or other IRS e-newsletters here, click on the newsletter title, click on "Subscribe Now" and enter your e-mail address. |
| NEED TO KNOW, News and Events around Western Wisconsin:
BUSINESS RELATED CONFERENCES:
Ideas to Profits Conference: The annual "Ideas to Profits" Conference, sponsored by the Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (WISC), Whitewater, will be held October 1 and 2, 2008 in Appleton, WI at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel. There will be more than 25 workshops provided by patent lawyers, CEOs, business development specialists, and marketing and engineering experts. Topics include assessing the market for new products, creating competitive advantages with the right intellectual property protection, designing and testing affordable prototypes, financing a start-up, promoting a new product, and targeting potential business partners. Click here for more details and to register.
EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES:
Advancing Entrepreneurship in the Eau Claire Area luncheon.
(Contest Winners will be announced here).
Thursday September 18th from 11:30 to 1:00pm at the Ramada Convention Center in Eau Claire. Please join the Eau Claire Economic Development Corporation and Downtown Eau Claire Inc. to recognize the 2008 winners of the Create Your Own Business Competition, and Jump-Start Business Competition. Cost is $15. Please RSVP before September 8th to gwen.schuppel@eauclaire-wi.com or 715-834-0070.
EMBRACE: 2nd Annual Wellness Retreat for Women
Saturday October 18th at St Bede's Church in Eau Claire from 9am-1:30pm. Cost is $70/person before October 6th, and $80/person after. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Breast Cancer research in collaboration with Women Rock. Join us to learn yoga, pilates, dance and more! No experience neccessary; this is a great event to bond with friends and family. Email Cheri for more information and to register, or call 715-864-7000.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST:
Pick a Business You Love by Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt, Post Crescent, August 30, 2008
Here is an exerpt of the article. "...it is important to choose an industry that interests you. It's a lot like getting married. You better make sure that you are picking the right one, because you are going to be with it morning, noon and night for a long time." Click here to ready the full article.
Is Your Hobby a For-Profit Endeavor? from IRS.gov FS-2008-23, June 2008
Taxpayers may need a clearer understanding of what constitutes an activity engaged in for profit and the tax implications of incorrectly treating hobby activities as activities engaged in for profit. This educational fact sheet provides information for determining if an activity qualifies as an activity engaged in for profit and what limitations apply if the activity was not engaged in for profit. Click here to read more.
ONLINE RESOURCES:
Small Business Administration's Small Business Training Network (SBTN)
SBTN is virtual campus providing quality and targeted online training to meet the information needs of prospective and existing small business owners. The free online courses include topics like: Business Management, Financing and Accounting, Government Contracting, Marketing and Advertising, and more. Click here for a list of the available classes.
WEN (Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network) Resource Connection: Need to find business assistance in your area? Check out WEN's Resource Connection. Search by zip code, key word, or category. If you still don't find what you need, contact the Women's Business AnswerLine at 1-800-940-7232 or email info@wenportal.org.
| |
|
|
|
