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Small Business Connections October 2011 |
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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 |
Backthird Audio/Backthird Entertainment 
Benjie Hughes started Backthird in Aurora in 2003. There are two facets to the business - Backthird Entertainment (DJ and live entertainment for weddings and other events) and Backthird Audio (studio recording). Backthird has grown every year since its inception, and with help from the IL SBDC at Waubonsee, he is continually updating his marketing plan and finding new ways to grow his business.
The business side is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Benjie's involvement in Aurora. Benjie believes that music is about people - and he proves it with everything he does, from opening his studio to local musicians, to hosting monthly networking events (the Guild), to annual events involving the whole community and benefitting local non-profit organizations.
If you have a connection to Aurora, you almost certainly know Benjie. He helped start the Aurora Artwalk, and has hosted many musician events in Aurora, including a Christmas show, Tiny Candle since 2005 that is a collaboration among local musicians, which last year doubled as a fundraiser for Triple Threat (mentoring Aurora youth). In conjunction with the event, Triple Threat held an arts workshop, and pieces from that workshop were used to create the Tiny Candle CD covers.  Benjie's most recent project, Made In Aurora, is a collaborative album of original music recorded over three days in March 2011 in downtown Aurora. Created to showcase the wealth of talented roots and acoustic music in the area west of Chicago, Made in Aurora: Volume One brought more than 30 musicians into the recording studio in a period of 3 days. From Americana and bluegrass to country and southern rock, they covered the spectrum of roots music - and delivered polished mixes to the vinyl pressing plant just weeks later. Benefits from the event supported the local Paul Ruby Foundation, fighting Parkinsons. They're currently in production for "Made in Aurora Volume Two" which will be a holiday album, to be released on Black Vinyl Friday, November 25, 2011. Here's what a Chicago attorney had to say about Backthird: "Your studio alone could convince people and businesses to move into downtown Aurora." And, from a local musician: "You are opening doors for a lot of folks who otherwise would never have a chance to share their craft."
Backthird Entertainment is the only Chicago company to win Wedding Wire's "Bride's Choice" award for three straight years in all three music categories - "band," "DJ" and "ceremony music."
Benjie also recently received a Business Ledger Entrepreneurial Excellence Award in the Regional Spirit category.
 Whether you are looking for outstanding entertainment for an upcoming wedding or party, or looking for a professional recording studio experience, Backthird is where you will find it. Backthird is both a thriving, growing business, and an integral part of making Aurora the diverse, artsy city that it is. Find them online at www.backthird.com. |
| IL SBDC News and Events | |
The Entrepreneurship Connection - Retail Roundtable
Join us for our fifth Entrepreneurship Connection event! It will be a Retail Roundtable, featuring keynote speaker Nicole Reyhle, founder of Retail Minded. Nicole has been recognized by Forbes.com as a thought leader in Retail and is a frequent contributor to a variety of retail trade publications including Crain's Chicago Business. You can also choose from two of the four featured breakout sessions. View the event flier for more information.
Thursday, October 13th
8 - 11 a.m.
WCC Aurora Campus
$10 (includes breakfast)
Reserve your seat at Waubonsee Tickets today!
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| Biz Buzz | |
Can Your Business Survive a Disaster?
Recent disasters, from the earthquake in Japan to hurricane Irene, along with the anniversary of 9/11 are all reminders of how both our lives and our businesses can change in an instant. Small Business Development Centers throughout the state have offered workshops and advice on how to protect your business in these situations, however most small business owners do not take the time to prepare.
I saw this first hand last month at our national  SBDC conference in San Diego, when the entire city lost power for 12 hours. During the power outage, while many shops closed or were turning away customers, I visited Del Sol, a local retail shop. They were enthusiastically dragging their wares out of the store to show customers they were still open. The two young clerks had no problem handling manual credit card transactions, while other stores were struggling to figure it out.
If your business is your livelihood, you can't afford not to be prepared. First, make sure you have adequate insurance coverage. I have talked to businesses that have lost everything from fire or water damage and did not have insurance.
Next, walk through your normal day. Could you do business without power? We have become reliant on computers, cell phones, Internet, credit/debit cards and other technology to the point where we can't function without them. What if you were forced to leave your building? One of our workshop instructors told of a business that vacated during a flood. If they had only taken the time to lift their computers off the floor before leaving, they would have saved themselves days and dollars spent on data recovery.
While you may not be able to cover everything, there are many free or affordable things you can do to prepare for disaster. It may never happen to you. But if it does, your readiness could mean the survival of your business.
Check out these disaster preparedness checklists and resources to help you get ready:
http://www.disastersafety.org/ofbInfo?execution=e1s1&type=ofb_basic
http://www.readyrating.org/Businesses.aspx
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| SBDC Client Press Corner | |
Do you have something noteworthy happening at your business? We hear lots of exciting news from our clients, so we launched this new section in our newsletter to help you spread the word. If you have something memorable you want to share, email us and we'll help you spread the news! |
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Biz Bitz | |
4 Keys to Breakthrough Success in Your Start Up or Small Business
In partnership with Crains Small Business Week, the Fox Valley Entrepreneurship Center is proud to offer a breakthrough half-day boot camp event. Learn from a team of highly successful serial entrepreneurs who have started up, built and sold companies right here in Chicago. Topics include marketing strategy, human capital, raising money and entrepreneurial DNA.
Friday, October 7th
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
NIU - Hoffman Estates Campus
Click here for full event details and registration information.
Small Business Summit at Elgin Community College
Join Team You, a partnership of Elgin and Fox Valley organizations, for the Elgin Small Business Summit offering small business resources and services, opportunities for networking, and cutting edge workshops. This event will feature Nick Sarillo of Nick's Pizza and Pub, in addition to a number of other speakers and exhibitors.
Friday, October 21st
8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Elgin Community College - University Business Center
Click here for full event details and registration information.
The Effects of Local Ownership
Often large corporations get recognition for their presence in a community that overshadows the contributions of small businesses. In the journal article Does Local Ownership Matter?, researchers at the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development found a positive correlation between local small firm ownership (10-99 employees) and local income growth. They also found that large firms (100 or greater employees) that are not locally owned have a negative effect on local per capita income growth.
Cheap Start Up Advertising
It's important to get the most bang for your marketing buck regardless of your business state; however, for start ups it's often a necessity. This 5 Minute Guide to Cheap Start Up Advertising offers tips on cutting the waste out of your online advertising strategy and tailoring it for maximum effectiveness. | |
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| Get Smart: Small Business Workshops at Waubonsee |
Starting Your Business in Illinois
Thursday, Oct. 13, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Plano)
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Social Media Marketing for Business
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 6 - 8 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Google for Business
Thursday, Oct. 20, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Register at Waubonsee Tickets
Marketing for Small Business
Thursday, Nov. 3, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Sugar Grove)
Restaurant Business Essentials
Monday, Oct. 10, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Register at Waubonsee Tickets
Small Business Tax Basics Workshop
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Register at Waubonsee Tickets
The Entrepreneurship Connection: Retail Roundtable
Thursday, Oct. 13, 8 - 11 a.m., $10 (Aurora)
Register at Waubonsee Tickets
Check seminar details for the full list, class descriptions, locations, ticket numbers, and pricing. To sign up, complete and submit the registration form. For additional information call the Illinois SBDC office at (630) 906-4143. |
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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