"Non-Profit of the Year"
by Huntsville-Madison County Chamber - 2007
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Women's Business Center of North Alabama Newsletter
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May Lunch and Learn
"Say It So They Listen"
Speaker: Schatzie Brunner, The Presentation Coach™
Friday, May 21
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Each of us communicates best when we learn to be ourselves. The very best of who we are. Former CNN anchor Schatzie Brunner brings out the best in executives and high-potential leaders of tomorrow. Join the select group of polished presenters and powerful communicators who work with Schatzie, The Presentation Coach.™ Schatzie Brunner spent nearly a decade at CNN in Atlanta, Georgia. In that fast-paced, communication-intensive environment, she produced programming, dealt with sensitive celebrity talent, and wrote and anchored the news. She moved into the world of business communication as a communication and media consultant for an Atlanta corporate training enterprise. Subsequently, she formed her own company to focus entirely on bringing her system to the broadest possible audience in American business. Schatzie offers communication workshops and personal executive coaching services to all levels of management. Her philosophy is grounded in the belief that corporate America can use the same techniques used in broadcast journalism in order to maximize buy-in. Having presentation skills is not limited to being able to present with poise after practicing for weeks. Schatzie teaches her clients how to present themselves each and every day using written and spoken communication skills. Knowing how to effectively use your appearance, your voice, your facial energy, and your body language as well as knowing how to craft a message that is memorable are just some of the skills her clients take away from their work with her. The cost of the Lunch & Learn is $20 for WBCNA clients and Huntsville-Madison County Chamber members and $25 for all others. Reservations are required online at our calendar at www.wbcna.org or by calling WBCNA at 256-535-2038. WBCNA clients and Chamber Members, please call prior to registration to receive your discount code.
Important Note:Lunch registrations and/or cancellations must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday before the Lunch and Learn. If you are unable to attend and do not cancel by the deadline, you will be billed.
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SAVE THE DATE!!
THE EVENT OF THE YEAR
SEPTEMBER 15, 2010
MICHAEL GERBER IS COMING TO HUNTSVILLE!!!
Michael E. Gerber is the founder of E-Myth Worldwide, the coaching, training and education firm he created in 1977 to transform the development of small businesses worldwide. Now approaching its 32nd year, Michael's extraordinary work has achieved stunning results by transforming more than 65,000 businesses in over 145 countries, translated in 29 languages and used in 118 universities in the world. Gerber is the author of 13 business books, including the mega-bestseller The E-Myth Revisited - Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It. His revolutionary perspective has become the gold standard for small business development throughout the world, becoming what INC Magazine calls: "The World's #1 small business guru," and one of Business Week's bestselling authors of past decades. Gerber's passion and genius for understanding the plight of the individual entrepreneur is the crux of his tremendous appeal and success, and has formed the core value of his brand as it has evolved over three decades. Indeed, the unique ability of Michael E. Gerber's perspective to lead broken business operators as they overcome their "entrepreneurial seizure" and begin to work ON their business, not IN it, is the very heart of the small business revolution he has driven. More information is coming. Go to www.wbcna.org and check it often for details! | SBA To Honor the Nation's Small Businesses During National Small Business Week 2010
Save the Date - May 23-25, 2010
National Small Business Person of the Year To Be Named
The nation's top entrepreneurs will be honored at the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week events to be held May 23-25, in Washington, D.C. A series of events and educational forums will mark the 57th anniversary of the agency and the 47th annual proclamation of National Small Business Week.
More than 100 outstanding small business owners from across the country will receive awards while gathering for three days at the city's Mandarin Oriental Hotel. They will meet with top agency officials, congressional representatives and national business leaders. The highlight of the celebration will be the announcement of the National Small Business Person of the Year.
Men and women also will be recognized for their involvement in disaster recovery, government contracting, and their support for small businesses and entrepreneurship. Awards also will be presented to SBA partners in financial and entrepreneurial development, including best SCORE Chapter, Small Business Development Center and Women's Business Center during 2009.
The State Small Business Award Winners and recipients of the Champion and other Entrepreneurial awards are nominated by local trade associations, chambers of commerce, other business organizations and government agencies. Co-Sponsors include: SCORE - Counselors to America's Small Business; VISA; Ford; Administaff; Google; eBay; Raytheon; Cbeyond; Intuit; Northrop Grumman; Lockheed Martin; Verio; NADCO and NAGGL.
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"Entrepreneurs Book Club"
 Benjamin Franklin said "An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest" and we firmly believe that. So to promote knowledge and to help you grow as an entrepreneur, we have started a book club this year.
We just finished reading "E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber. Our discussion of the book on May 11 was lively and fun, and the surprise and honor of being able to meet Mr. Gerber was INCREDIBLE! This is a can't miss book that every business owner should not only read, but own! Our next book will be "Everything I Know About Business, I Learned From my Mama," by local author and serial entrepreneur Tim Knox.
We will read one book every eight weeks and then meet at the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library to discuss the book, and sometimes even meet the author. It will be great fun and we are looking forward to growing and learning with you.
Schedule May-June 2010: "Everything I Know About Business, I Learned From my Mama," Tim Knox
July-August 2010: "Developing the Leaders Around You," John C. Maxwell |
SBA Local Award Winners
Congratulations to WBNCA SBA Women's Business Center of the Year State of Alabama  Congratulations to our Regional Winner SBA Veteran Champion of the Year Hilary Claybourne, WBCNA Business Coach  Congratulations to our State Winner SBA Financial Champion of the Year Foster Campbell, WBCNA Business Coach  Congratulations to our Regional Winner SBA Family-Owned Business of the Year Nesin Therapy Services |
SBA/OWBO Business: Open House on Saturday May 15
The Internal Revenue Service will host a special
nationwide Open House on Saturday May 15 to help small businesses and
individuals solve tax problems.
Approximately 200 IRS offices, at least one in
every state, will be open May 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. IRS staff
will be available on site or by telephone to help taxpayers work through their
problems and walk out with solutions.
"Our goal is to resolve issues on the spot so
small businesses and individuals can put any issues they have with the IRS
behind them," IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said. "If you have a problem filing
or paying your taxes or resolving a tough tax issue, we encourage you to come
in and work with us."
IRS locations will be equipped to handle issues
involving notices and payments, return preparation, audits and a variety of
other issues. At a previous IRS Open House on March 27, approximately
two-thirds of taxpayers requested and received assistance with payments and
notices.
So, for example, a taxpayer who cannot pay a tax
balance due can discuss with an IRS professional whether an installment
agreement is appropriate and, if so, fill out the paperwork then and there.
Assistance with offers-in-compromise will also be available. Likewise, a
taxpayer struggling to complete a certain IRS form or schedule can work
directly with IRS staff to get the job done.
At the March 27 Open House, 88 percent of the
taxpayers who came in for help had their issues resolved the same day.
Locations for the May 15 Open House are listed on the IRS website, IRS.gov.
The Open House on May 15 is the first of
three events scheduled through the end of June. The next two are planned for
Saturday June 5 and Saturday June 26. Details regarding those events will be
available soon.
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QUICK LINKS
WBCNA Services
More About Us
About our Training
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UPCOMING WBCNA EVENTS
AND WORKSHOPS
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HUNTSVILLE
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NETWORKING
OPPORTUNITIES AND WORKSHOPS ACROSS
NORTH ALABAMA
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MADISON COUNTY |
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GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT ASSISTANCE CENTER (GPAC)
GPAC offers services to the growing number of small businesses that want to do business with the government.
Services offered include:
-One-on-one individualized coaching
- CCR registration assistance
- NAICS Codes identification
- Online training
- Certifications (8a, HUBZone, MBE, WBE, DBE)
- Networking opportunities and business matchmaking
- Assistance with Capabilities Statement development and review
- Identification of Small Business Specialists (government and prime)
- Website resources for small businesses
- Identification of business opportunities and bid match assistance
Training is a major component of the GPAC. Workshops on the following topics will be among those offered throughout the year:
If you would like more information on the GPAC and doing business with the government, call 535-2038.
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GPAC Opportunities
NDIA 7th Annual Small Business Conference
May 25-26, 2010
Von Braun Center · Huntsville, AL |
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WHO IS A WBCNA CLIENT?
Our clients are women and men in North Alabama who want to start or grow a business.
Our clients are our most important stakeholders.
Our clients are not dependent on us; we are dependent on them.
Our clients are not an interruption of our work; they are the reason for it.
We are not doing our clients a favor by serving them; they are doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to serve them.
Adapted from the words of Mahatma Gandhi
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Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact Stephanie Sellers at WBCNA, 225 Church Street, Huntsville, Alabama 35801, or by phone at 256-535-2038 or email info@wbcna.org
 The BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Businesses that earn BBB accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organizations high standards of ethical business behavior.The BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability Reports, charity BBB"Wise Giving" Reports, and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. To further promote trust,the BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses when there is difference in viewpoints.
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Import & Export Compliance Training
Tuesday, May 25, 2010Export Compliance: 8:30 - Noon | Import Compliance: 1:00 - 4:30 Location: 20 South 20th Street (Alagasco), Birmingham, AL 35203 Parking on Powell Ave South and 1st Ave South; Networking Lunch for Both Sessions 12:00 - 1:00 Presented by Mike Allocca with Allocca Enterprises, Inc. Export topics include: Due Diligence- knowing your customer Common red flags Checking the 7 mandatory denial lists Terms of sale - Incoterms vs. Terms of payment Export documentation & filing of the EEI Schedule B classification ECCN -Export Control Classification Number
Import topics include: - Roles & Responsibilities of Importer of record, customs broker and freight forwarder
- Harmonized Tariff Schedule determination
- 10 Best practices of compliance importers
- 9 most common errors of importer
- Record keeping requirements -A1A list
- Duty free entries (TIB, Duty drawback, US goods returned, Carnet, IIT)
Who should attend: anyone involved with exports, imports, sales, customer service, traffic, purchasing managers.
Cost is $150 per person for each seminar OR $275 for the entire day! Includes all reference material, morning pastries, coffee & lunch. Seating is limited, registration form & payment required to guarantee seat. Sponsored By: Alabama International Trade Center The Japan America Society of Alabama Birmingham Business Alliance |
National Small Business Week
May 23-25
National Small Business Week
Small Business: Driving America's Economy
May 23 - 25 Washington, DC
Every year since 1963, the President of the United States has proclaimed National Small Business Week to recognize the contributions of small businesses to the economic well-being of America.
As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognizes this special impact made by outstanding entrepreneurs and small business owners. In 2010, National Small Business Week will honor the estimated 27.2 million small businesses in America. Small businesses are major contributors to the strength of the American economy.
More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business. They also create 60-80 percent of new jobs in the country. Small businesses drive innovation, create 21st century jobs and increase U.S. competitiveness.
For more information and schedule of events, go to http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/links/articles/sba-salutes-small-businesses-who-drive-americas-economy-at-national-small-business-week-may-23-25,-2010.html.
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Want Free Press for your Small Business?
 Here's one way to do it!
WAFF Channel 48 is offering an opportunity for you to showcase your business for FREE! Just call 533-4848 to schedule your Business Break interview. The shows airs between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m You get to choose 5 questions that you would like to be asked during the 2-minute interview.
Please note: This will not air on the noon news, which is reserved for community activities.
Want Free Press? Here's another way to do it!
Have you received WBCNA counseling that has been helpful to you?
Have you attended a WBCNA workshop that you found beneficial?
If your answer is yes to either of these questions, we want to showcase you on our home page. Client photos and testimonials are rotated continuously at the top of the WBCNA home page. Just send us a photo and short testimonial and we'll add it to our rotation.
Want Free Press? Here's yet another way to do it!
When is the last time you submitted a Press Release to the local media? Did you know you can get free press when something "newsworthy" happens with your business; i.e., hiring new employees, getting a new contract awarded, etc. Don't know how to write a Press Release. No problem. Just go to the Resources page on our website and go to the "How To" section, and you will find "How to Write a Press Release." If you need help, just call the office and schedule an appointment with a business coach. Why not---it's free!
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The WBCNA Needs You!
The WBCNA needs volunteers. We are currently overwhelmed with demand for our services (which is a good thing). If you are interested in giving back to our community and helping the Women's Business Center, here are some ways you can do it:
· Administrative Support
· Business Plan Review
· Michael Gerber Event (September 15, 2010)
· FastTrac Business Coach
For every two hours of volunteer time, we will provide a $25 gift certificate to use toward WBCNA workshops (one per workshop; excludes Lunch and Learn).
Call Stephanie or Jennifer at 535-2038 if you are interested and want to know more about how YOU can make a difference! | Talk Radio Show for Entrepreneurs
Every Tuesday on Your Morning Drive
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Two Tennessee Valley radio signals have returned to the air --- WTKI (1450 AM) Huntsville and WEKI (1490 AM) Decatur are back with a business-slanted format they call "Talk Radio for Real Life."
Each week's hour-long program will focus on a topic of interest to small businesses. Subject matter experts and entrepreneurs will be invited as guests to provide useful information and share their stories with listeners. Our guests will take calls to answer any questions on the topic.
A WBCNA client or small business owner will also be invited to the studio each week to inform listeners about their products or services. If you would like to come on the air, please contact the WBCNA at 256-535-2038. There is a small fee for participation. |
SBA Announces Grant Funding Available for States to Support R&D, Small Business Innovation
WASHINGTON -The U.S. Small Business Administration is accepting grant funding requests from the governors of U.S. states and territories to support programs for innovative, technology-driven small businesses under SBA's Federal and State Technology (FAST) partnership program through May 10, 2010. FAST provides $2 million in funding (up to $100,000 per applicant) for outreach and technical assistance to science and technology-driven small businesses. The program places particular emphasis on helping socially and economically disadvantaged firms compete in the SBA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Eligible applicants for FAST grants include state and local economic development agencies, Small Business Development Centers, and colleges and universities. Each state, through its governor, may submit one proposal. "The FAST program is an important catalyst for helping America's cutting-edge entrepreneurs continue to drive innovation and create good jobs," said Karen G. Mills, SBA Administrator. "The partnerships developed through these programs will play a critical role in helping high-growth potential small firms lay a stronger foundation for economic prosperity." FAST funding applicants are encouraged to show how they will help support areas such as: - small business research and development assistance,
- technology transfer from universities to small businesses,
- technological diffusion of innovation benefiting small businesses,
- proposal development and mentoring for small businesses applying for SBIR grants; and,
- commercialization of technology developed through SBIR grants.
Companies supported by the SBIR and STTR programs often generate some of the most important breakthroughs each year in the U.S. For example, about 25 percent of R&D Magazine's Top 100 Innovations come from SBIR-funded small businesses.
More details about FAST grants can be found here: http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/sba_fast_program_annc.pdf. Proposals will be evaluated by a committee consisting of small business owners, state level representatives, federal SBIR program managers and representatives of the business and academic communities. The SBA, the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation will jointly review the recommendations from the evaluation panel and make awards based on proposal merit. Varying levels of matching funds are required from each participating state and territory. The SBIR program-administered by the SBA-requires 11 federal agencies with more than $100 million in R&D spending to set aside 2.5 percent of those funds for competitively-awarded SBIR grants. In Fiscal Year 2007, these agencies provided about 5,500 SBIR federal grants and contracts for small businesses, a $2 billion investment.
STTR requires federal agencies with over $1 billion in extramural R&D funding to set aside 0.3 percent. STTR totaled about 870 awards for $218 million in Fiscal Year 2007. For more information about the SBIR and STTR programs, visit SBA's Web site at: www.sba.gov/sbir. |
IRS: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
The recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could earn you a new tax credit this year for providing health Insurance for your employees.
If your small business or tax-exempt organization pays employee health insurance premiums in 2010., you may be eligible to claim a new credit on your 2010 tax return. Employers with fewer than 25 employees (more if you have part-time employees), and less than $50,000 in average wages, may be eligible.
How much you may receive
Eligible small employers could qualify for a credit worth up to 35% of premiums paid(for Tax-exempt groups).
Find out if you're eligible
Visit www.irs.gov or consult your tax professional to learn more about whether your small business qualifies for this valuable incentive to provide health coverage for your employees.
Visit www.irs.gov for more information
Notice 1397 (4-2010) Catalog Number 54941Y Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service www.irs.gov
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Keys to Social Media Marketing
Success
Target your
audience for the best results
By Pam Lontos
Social media marketing (SMM) is the
newest buzz in the public relations and marketing realm. And as with any
New publicity tool, people have lots
of questions about how best to use it.SMM takes viral marketing to the extreme.
Just as you can send friends your favorite jokes via e-mail, with SMM, people
can spread your message for you with a click of a button. To ensure that SMM works for you in a
positive way, follow these guidelines:
Put Your Message on the Right Sites
There are hundreds, if not thousands,
of social media sites today. You
need to determine where your market is and post your messages on those sites.
You don't want to get on the wrong site, as that would waste your time and
possibly hurt your credibility. If your topic is business growth or personal
fitness, for example, you don't want to be on a SMM site that caters to people
interested in cake baking. That doesn't make sense. With SMM, being anywhere
and everywhere is not the answer. Strategically target your market for the best results. Also, realize that your market might
change. Just because a certain SMM site attracts your market today doesn't mean it
will tomorrow. People are fickle in SMM, and they get bored easily. For
example, LinkedIn almost fell out of existence in November 2008.
Now it is back to being the biggest
business SMM site. But it had to make a huge shift in the services it provides
because its market moved. And once the market moves, it tends to go en masse.
So if you are not watching where your market is, it may leave the social media
site where you're sending your messages-and then your messages will be going to
the cake bakers again.
Understand the Purpose of Each Site
Just as you want to post to the
right SMM site, you also want to know the goal or focus of each site. Most
people, even those brand new to SMM, have likely heard of the Big 3: LinkedIn,
Facebook and Twitter. LinkedIn is the leading business networking site-think of
it as a corporate boardroom setting. Facebook is for keeping tabs on personal
and business contacts-if you use it for business, it's like entertaining
clients in your living room. Twitter is for short sound bite updates-it
resembles your company's billboard message.
A couple of other SMM sites you may
not have heard of, but that are useful for business, are Naymz and Plaxo. Naymz
is a reputation site. By registering, you are essentially doing a background
check on yourself and posting it to the Internet. It's a well-respected site
among corporate decision makers, who often use Naymz to check people out. If
you are well-respected on Naymz, it goes a long way for the C-level people.
Plaxo is a hub site. It allows you to link and connect multiple Internet
resources in a single place. People can go there and find their way to
everything about you, if you choose to allow that. It was one of the two
contenders about to knock LinkedIn out of its top standing last year.
For business purposes, you may want
to stay away from MySpace, as MySpace often leaves a bad taste in the mouth of
corporate America. Why? Because there have been more internal corporate
scandals and sexual harassment suits in the past year over things that have
been posted on MySpace than any other single social networking site. If you
currently have a MySpace page, hide it.
Think in Sound Bites
Anyone who has done any type of PR
in the past-print, TV or radio-knows the importance of sound bites. The same
rule holds true in SMM. You want your sound bite message to be original,
useful, valuable, fun, problem solving and interesting. And you have to
encapsulate your message in 140 characters or less. That's 140 characters, not
words. Therefore, your message must be succinct. That 140-character limit is
not a random number. It's the convention for text messages on cell phones
internationally. Remember, your goal is for people to take your message and
pass it along or have it forwarded to their cell phone. You don't want the end
of your message cut off because it was too long for the cell phone to display.
And don't think you can take your long message and split it up into two or more
feeds. That's called giving a double message or a split, and people get annoyed
by the tactic. Do that too often and you'll quickly lose all your followers.
Post Your Messages Responsibly
A common question is, How often
should I be posting messages on these sites? Daily? Twice a day? Hourly?
Unfortunately, many people post too often, which has two negative effects.
First, you become an interruption rather than a welcome interlude. People who
are following you and having your messages forwarded to their cell phone
are constantly being interrupted
by you. Now you're a nuisance. The other problem is that search engines are
designed to ignore these 140 - character messages. However, there are strategic
ways around that rule so that your 140 character messages become the alerts.
Search engines only allow a certain number of alerts per source, and it varies
per search engine. If the search engines see too many messages coming from you
during their standard interval period, they could flag you as a search engine
spammer and lock you out. So the best posting interval right now is every 48
hours.
Combining Your Marketing Efforts
SMM is the wave of the future. And
when you combine your SMM efforts with your traditional PR avenues, you can
create a publicity campaign that gets you noticed by prospects, clients and key
decision makers. The sooner you put SMM to work for you, the more profitable
your business will be.
Pam Lontos is
president of PR/PR, a public relations firm
based in Orlando,
Fla., and the author of I See Your Name
Everywhere.
To contact
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The Working On It Myth
By Erin Duckhorn
You've heard "working on it, not just in it" before, but what does it really mean? In essence, it sums up the entrepreneurial mindset that we've always advocated: the idea that ultimately your business is your product; that as an entrepreneur you're looking for more than just income, you want a profitable, sellable business model that produces consistent desired results and that is not entirely dependent on you.
Let's take a look at two often misquoted and misinterpreted aspects of the E-Myth "working on it, not just in it" approach:
Misconception #1: Working on your business is about documenting systems.
Documenting a system or process is not the same as implementing that system. When you document a system (or have created what we often refer to as an Action Plan), you've written down the steps to achieve a specific result. The act of writing your system down certainly has value: it helps you think through the steps and standards and is a way to effectively communicate the system to others; but writing it down is not the most important part of developing a system. Implementation on the other hand-the act of carrying that system out, of testing, and revising until it accomplishes the desired result-that's where the real working on your business happens.
Remember that the business development cycle, the elegant and simple rule of developing and sustaining a business, involves Innovation, Quantification and Orchestration. If you have an idea (Innovation) and then jump right to documenting and implementing (Orchestration), then you've missed the vital Quantification step that tells you that what you're doing is actually the right thing to do to produce the desired result.
Let's use a simple example to illustrate our point. Perhaps you've identified that your shipping process is desperately in need of streamlining. So you put on your "working on it" hat and develop a shipping action plan. You write down the steps that you think are the most efficient way to get a package out the door and hand that new system to the person in charge of shipping and viola! You've documented a system, handed it to somebody else to execute and now you're done. Not quite.
The critical component that's missing from this step, and one that will likely have negative repercussions on your business development process, is Quantification. Quantification is absolutely essential to working on your business. In addition to writing it down, you have to practice it, observe it, test it-and then modify it based on trying it. And then you keep on testing it until you can get positive, proven outcome. That is how you create a system that produces consistent, transferable results. That's how you work on your business.
Documenting is just one piece of implementing a system-it's not the whole thing. A business full of Action Plans that do not produce great business results are just a waste of time.
Misconception #2: A business owner should only do entrepreneurial work.
How many times have you felt frustrated because you weren't able to spend the time you wanted on the entrepreneurial-or strategic-work of the business? You're so busy working in the business that you never have time to work on it.
Well here's some good news: working in it and working on it are not mutually exclusive. In fact, most successful business owners have to work in their business while they're working on it (particularly in the beginning of transitioning from self-employment to creating a business). It might be out of necessity; your organization might just be too lean for you to step out of the daily activities. Or you may need to go back "in" for a period of time when it's time to improve your existing operation to stay competitive. Or you may love the technical work of your business so much that you don't ever want to give it up completely.
No matter what the reason, working in the business gives you the hands-on experience and intimacy that you simply can't get when you've checked out of the daily activities of the business. Working in it gives you the unique insight into what's truly working (and not working). One company we worked with required all of their employees (from the CEO to the receptionist) to take part in job shadowing to expose each employee to the many facets of the business. You don't know what it means to work an assembly line or answer a phone cue until you've actually done it. The perspective it provides makes you a better leader with a more holistic understanding of your business.
What's important is that you must approach all of the working in it that you have to do with a working on it perspective. That's how you apply the entrepreneurial mindset.
When you put on rose-colored glasses the world looks rosy, right? Tinted glasses show you things in a color that makes ordinary objects look new and different-even beautiful. So how do you work on your business while working in it? You need to put on your "working on it" goggles.
 Put your goggles on and use the entrepreneurial mindset throughout your day. It doesn't have to get in the way of the work you have to do; rather it will enhance that work and bring a more objective perspective to your everyday routine. When you're interacting with a customer, take note of how the conversation goes, of the things you might be able to do to facilitate better communication. When you're ordering parts from a vendor, you'll probably find that you have a method that could be documented and then delegated for somebody else to do. If you're a Realtor giving an open house, do some market research and ask visitors how they heard about the open house, what brought them to that house on that day.
Ultimately, working on your business is about your perspective. We've always advocated that if you want to change your business, the first thing you need to do is to change the way you think about your business. So don't worry about the work you have to do in your business, just remember to approach it with an entrepreneurial perspective and learn from every experience.
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| 7th Annual National Small Business Conference
"Small Business in Economic Recovery"
Are you, as a business owner in today's recovering economy, looking to strengthen and grow your business operations within the Department of Defense, with small, medium, and large companies? The answer in the current rebuilding economy is a resounding yes. And at the NDIA 7th Annual National Small Business Conference in Huntsville, Alabama, on Tuesday, May 25-Wednesday, May 26, you can do just that.
The theme of the 2010 conference is "Small Business in Economic Recovery". Although this is a small business conference focused primarily on work with the Department of Defense, attendees and exhibitors from all types and sizes of business will be present in order to maximize the chance to identify potential teaming partners, discover niche technologies, and meet small business contracting requirements.
Speakers throughout the event will provide outlooks on the future of small business as a whole, identify small business opportunities, and discuss branding and strategic communications. Potential speakers include representatives from NASA, Congress, Navy, Army, Air Force, and the DHS.
May 25 - 26, 2010
Von Braun Center
WWW.NDIA.ORG/MEETINGS/0140
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INPUT - The authority on government business
INPUT helps companies develop federal, state, and local government business and helps public sector organizations achieve their contracting objectives. Over 2,000 member organizations, including small specialized companies, new entrants to the public sector, and the largest government contractors and agencies, rely on INPUT for the latest and most comprehensive government market research, economic stimulus intelligence and analysis.
*For more information visit www.input.com or call us toll free at 1-888-99-INPUT (46788).
Executive Summary - Top 10 Federal Set-Aside Opportunities for FY2010
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