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Small Business Connections September 2010 |
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Welcome to Small Business Connections!
The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Waubonsee Community College is here to serve your small business needs. We offer free business counseling to entrepreneurs and business owners, as well as a variety of small business workshops.
Call us today at (630) 906-4143 to learn how we can help you start or grow your business. |
| Small Business Spotlight |
 Ed Bell had been dreaming of bees for over 30 years before he finally traded in his career in higher education administration and became a beekeeper. Ed launched Belfry Bees & Honey in 2008, starting as a hobby business. In 2009 he met with the IL SBDC at Waubonsee to get help with his business plan to formalize and grow his business. Today, Belfry beehives can be found on numerous farms in Kendall County, including Knutson's Country Harvest, as well as Emerson Creek Pottery and Tearoom, where you can get tea, and of course, honey. Ed has also donated an "observation hive" to SciTech, the hands-on science museum in Aurora.
When he's not tending to his bees, Ed can be found spreading the bee gospel. This year he taught an Intro to Beekeeping class at Waubonsee Community College, as well as programs at SciTech, the Yorkville environmental fair, and Gardenology Days in Geneva. He also speaks to service clubs, scout groups and anyone else who is interested in learning about beekeeping.
Hive products from Ed's Belfry Bees such as honey and beeswax are sold locally, but Belfry Bees is not just about honey. Ed also provides swarm abatement and removal for people who have bees but don't want them, and polination services for farmers who need more bees than they have.
Contrary to popular belief, bee stings are not the primary challenge Ed faces with his business. In fact, honeybees won't sting unless provoked. Disease and rough winters are what make a beekeeper's life challenging. Last winter, Ed lost all but two of his hives. He has now built his brood back to 36 hives.
If you are interested in learning more about beekeeping, need a hive removed, or are looking for some local honey, Ed would love to talk to you. You can find him online at www.belfrybees.com, by email at DrB@belfrybees.com or give him a BUZZ at (630) 303-3775! |
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IL SBDC News and Events | | |
Three Small Business Workshops You Don't Want to Miss
Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law - NEW!
Steve Evans, intellectual property attorney with Flachsbart & Greenspoon, will cover the basics of patent, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.
Thursday, October 7
6 - 8 p.m.
Waubonsee Aurora Campus Room 135
Class fee: $30
Small Business Tax Workshop
Held every fall, this workshop is one of our most popular. Get an overview of buisnes recordkeeping and taxes, and learn how to avoid problems with the IRS. The class is taught by a CPA, so bring your business tax questions.
Thursday, October 28
9 a.m. - noon
Waubonsee Aurora Campus Room 133
Class fee: $30
Marketing in the 21st Century
Get rundown on how to plug social media marketing into your current marketing plan from Brian Basilico, founder of B2b Interactive Marketing. Brian will hit the highlights of tools such as blogs, podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn from a business perspective. This class will be offered twice:
Tuesday, September 28
6 - 8 p.m.
Waubonsee Aurora Campus Room 135
- OR -
Wednesday, November 3
6 - 8 p.m.
Waubonsee Sugar Grove Campus APC 194
Class fee: $30
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Biz Buzz | |
Surviving This Economy Takes Serenity, Courage and Wisdom |
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Most know this as the Serenity Prayer, but Dr. Jeff Cornwall, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, has renamed it the Entrepreneurship Prayer.
How true! Lately I've talked to a lot of entrepreneurs who are understandably fretting over the impact the economy, the weather, politics, and other forces are having on their business. These are daunting times, no doubt. But, no point in wasting time and energy on the things you can't control. My suggestion is to tape the Entrepreneur's Prayer to your computer, your steering wheel, or your cash register and put your mind to the things you can control.
Need help figuring out what things are within your control? Give the SBDC a call - we'll sit down with you and help you evaluate your business future. In the meantime, r ead Dr. Cornwall's post on how to hold up to the stress on entrepreneurship:
http://www.drjeffcornwall.com/2010/07/time-for-an-adjustment-of-atti.html |
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Biz Bits |
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Mobile Fab Lab - Open House | |
The Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Bits and Atoms Mobile Fab Lab will be at the Waubonsee Community College's downtown Aurora Campus to illustrate how the Fab Lab can assist in creating new program models centered on entrepreneurship and innovation to help stimulate our economy and promote education in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
If you would like to see the Fab Lab, there will be a public open house on September 3 from 10 a.m - 6 p.m. For more information contact: (630) 466-7900, ext. 2403.
2010 Innovate Illinois Competition
Innovate Illinois is a statewide entrepreneurial and innovation competition recognizing high-growth entrepreneurs. Businesses compete on the merits of their innovations in hopes of being named one of the most innovative companies in the state. Winners receive a total of $80,000 in cash prizes. The application deadline is September 10. More more information visit http://www.innovateillinois.org/about.asp
SBIR/STTR Grant Workshops
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program offer research and development grants to high tech businesses. Workshops are available for businesses interested in applying for SBIR/STTR grants.
Sept. 13-14, 9 a.m. - 4. p.m.
University of Illinois at Chicago
828 S. Wolcott Ave.
Student Center West, Chicago Room C (Floor 2)
Chicago, IL 60612
For more information contact Ann Reed at (312) 422-1111, ext. 3
EnterpriseWorks
Sept. 22, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Champaign, IL
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| Get Smart: Small Business Workshops at Waubonsee | Starting Your Business in Illinois
Tuesday, Sept. 14, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Sugar Grove)
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Marketing for Small Business
Tuesday, Oct. 19, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Small Business Tax Basics Workshop
Thursday, Oct. 28, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., $30 (Aurora) |
Is Franchising Right for You?
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law
Thursday, Oct. 7, 6 - 8 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Check seminar details for class descriptions, locations, ticket numbers, prices and registration information, or call the Illinois SBDC office at (630) 906-4143.
QuickBooks and Excel
A variety of QuickBooks and Excel classes are available to meet your small business accounting needs. Click here for complete class descriptions, locations, dates, times and costs. |
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| Illinois SBDC at Waubonsee Community College
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA or DCEO.
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