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In This Issue
Women's Business Network Meeting
7 Steps to Starting a Business
SBA Launches Video Contest
SBA Launches Resources Page for Women Business Owners
Healthy Credit Scores
Women Obtaining More Patents
7 Tips for Perfecting Your Marketing Message
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Upcoming Western Dairyland Events

Women's Business Network Meeting, May 10th
7 Steps to Starting a Business, May 17th

Sponsors

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Partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration. This institution is an equal opportunity provider. 
Greetings!

 

 

Women's Business Network

Meeting May 10th

 

Choosing a Legal Structure for your Business: LLC or LLP?

 

The Western Dairyland Women's Business Center will host a Women's Business Network meeting with guest speaker MaiVue Kiah Xiong, Attorney at Weld, Riley, Prenn, & Ricci SC, on Thursday, May 10th. The meeting is free to attend and will take place from noon to 1 p.m. at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire. 

 

When starting a business, you must choose your business organizational structure. In Wisconsin, you are considered a sole proprietor by default. However, there are five different business structures from which to choose:

  • Sole Proprietor
  • Partnership
  • "C" Corporation
  • "S" Corporation
  • Limited Liability Company or Partnership (LLC or LLP)

 

Learn about these different legal structures, and discover how to choose which one is right for your business.

 

MaiVue received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison and her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Prior to joining Weld, Riley, MaiVue interned for The Honorable Joan H. Lefkow, District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. MaiVue also interned for the Wisconsin Department of Justice and volunteered for the Legal Information Center in Madison. MaiVue practices with Weld Riley's Business Law and Frac Sand Mining and Minerals sections, focusing on business formations and sales, banking and financing services, real estate matters, and landlord/tenant law. MaiVue also uses her expertise in these areas to provide opinions on metallic and nonmetallic (frac sand) mining issues for companies and landowners.

 

Women's Business Network meetings are free and open to the public. They take place over the lunch hour on the second Thursday of each month. Participants are encouraged to bring their own bag lunch and plenty of business cards. The goal of the meetings is to facilitate networking relationships among women business owners, allowing them to expand their small business knowledge. The structure of the meetings will allow participants to learn from an expert in the field and from each other's shared experiences.  

 

For more information call (715) 836-7511 ext. 171 or visit www.SuccesssfulBusiness.org.



7 Steps to Starting a Business

Learn the basics steps of creating a business plan!

Entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners are invited to attend The 7 Steps to Starting a Business, hosted by Western Dairyland Business Centers on Thursday, May 17th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire.Tuition is $25 for individuals and class materials are included. Scholarships are available for income-eligible individuals.

 

This training session teaches participants how to start a business by assembling the pieces of a business plan. Topics covered include feasibility, proving your market, funding your business, writing a business plan, marketing, business legal structure and more.

 

After the class, attendees may request free, one-on-one assistance from Western Dairyland's Business Development Specialists to determine the feasibility of their business idea and identify sources to prove their market. Business Development Specialists may also help with the preparation of business plans and financial forecasts which could be presented to lenders.

 

There are three easy ways to register and pay for the class: online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org, by phone at 715-836-7511 ext. 171, or in person at the Western Dairyland office in Eau Claire.

 

 US Small Business Administration Begins Video Contest for Small Business Owners
In light of the upcoming National Small Business Week from May 20-26, the SBA has launched a video contest to meet small business owners who have been aided by SBA.

 

Karen Mills, SBA Administrator, writes:
 
"Each week I travel around the country and hear from business owners about how SBA has helped them start, grow and succeed. I'm often inspired by each business' ingenuity, and it's the small business owners I meet each week that are making communities strong and keeping America competitive.

I want to share these stories, and so many more, with everyone. The video contest is an opportunity for small business owners and entrepreneurs to share their success stories with a larger audience and emphasize how important they are to their local economy."

 

To participate visit Challenge.gov and upload a 1-2 minute video by 5 pm on May 11. Three winning videos will be featured during National Small Business Week and shown during a Google+ Hangout hosted by SBA and the White House on May 23. 


SBA Launches Resources Page

for Women Business Owners

 

Did you know that more than 7.8 million women run their own small businesses in the U.S. - generating more than $1.2 trillion each year? Women entrepreneurs play a large role in the business world--more so than ever before. The US Small Business Administration has launched a new resources page designed to help women business owners succeed in starting or improving a business. Visit their website to learn more about starting and financing a business, as well as finding a mentor to work with you one-on-one.


Establish and Maintain a

Healthy Credit Score

Credit scores are essential to applications for any type of loan--business loans included. Without a healthy credit score, it is much more difficult to obtain such a loan. In addition, a healthy credit score can help you in applying for a business credit card, lease business vehicles, and even get a lower insurance premium.

 

The US Small Business Administration has put together a list of tips to help you learn more about maintaining a good credit score. Read through these tips to help save yourself time and money! Visit sba.gov for more information.

 
Women Obtaining More Patents
 
Women have come a long way in the business world. In fact, women have recently been granted more patents than in previous years.
 
A study commissioned by the National Women's Business Council (NWBC) has shown that in 2010, women were granted 22,984 patents--a 36% increase from 2009!
 
NWBC chair Donna James states, "Patent and trademark ownership often is an indicator of entrepreneurial activity - historically, women have not been a large segment of this activity. A bump in IP ownership could indicate strong growth in women-owned companies....NWBC actively sought out this study because little research has specifically examined women business owners and intellectual property."
 
Click here to view the press release and get more information.

7 Tips for Perfecting Your

Marketing Message

 The U.S. Small Business Administration has created a list of 7 tips to help small business owners market their business. "It takes a little time and thought to get your marketing message right, which is why so many small businesses fall back on their 'About Us' page or product descriptions to describe what they do and for whom. The problem with this approach is that this message is always about the business itself, and not about those you are trying to connect with - your customers."

 

To view the 7 steps and to make sure you know how to market your business, visit their website.

 
Sincerely,

 


Karman Briggs

Director of Jobs & Business Development

Western Dairyland Business Center