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Small Business Connections November 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 | |
Springboard Custom Doors, Inc.
 One necessary (but often missing) attribute of a successful entrepreneur is patience. Nowhere is this trait better exhibited than in Paul Ward's journey to launching Springboard Custom Doors in Aurora, IL.
Springboard Custom Doors started manufacturing in September, 2011 - three years after Paul first started meeting with the IL SBDC at Waubonsee. Paul was in the process of moving to Illinois from Pennsylvania, where he was production manager for Artisan Custom Doors. His goal was to start his own custom wood garage door manufacturing business. However due to the uncertain state of the economy, Paul took a position with another garage door manufacturer as manager of Sales, Marketing and Business Development. This position would take him halfway around the world to manufacture product.
In 2010, Paul's third child was born. To spend more time with his family, he took a position as Business Development Manager at Raynor Garage Doors in Dixon. Shortly after he joined the company, Raynor learned of Paul's desire to start his own manufacturing shop, and strongly encouraged him in that direction.
Throughout this time, Paul kept in touch with the Waubonsee SBDC for information and resources to help him move forward with his plan. He developed his business plan, procured a private investor, and launched the business in early 2011 with official production beginning in September. He now manufactures custom wood doors under his own brand name and will be distributing some models under the brand of his former employer, Artisan. The brand is well known on the East coast, but had no Midwest distribution. Paul's mission is to become a major wood door manufacturer in the Midwest market while expanding both his own and the Artisan brand. He is also a major supplier to his former employer, Raynor.
"The SBDC has been a tremendous help and resource for starting my business. As I began to navigate the waters of entrepreneurship I found myself in a new city with a limited network of people to rely on. Through the SBDC I was able to meet everyone from my lawyer to investors and even the company that helped to create our logo. The SBDC not only helps with the planning of your business but puts you in contact with the people to make it all happen."
According to Paul, "No one starts a business with a plan to fail, but that is exactly what can happen when we let our passion exceed the reach of sound decision making. Good decisions start and end with patience." By waiting for the right time and place, Paul put relationships in place, gained valuable experience, and now feels confident that his patience will be rewarded.
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| IL SBDC News and Events | |
Think Global and Grow Your Business
Come learn about Illinois' new State Trade & Export Promotion (STEP) 1.26 million grant program and Illinois' other export programs and services that are available to help you find new overseas markets. Join one of these free, informative, and practical export seminars.
Monday, Nov. 7 - Chicago (register here by Nov. 5)
Tuesday, Nov. 8 - Rockford (register by Nov. 4, email: ysopina@rockfordil.com)
Wednesday, Nov. 9 - Peoria (register here by Nov. 7)
Wednesday, Nov. 9 - Moline (register by Nov. 7, email: johnson@bhc.edu)
If you have any questions or need further information, contact Becky Schlouch at (217) 785- 2709 or becky.schlouch@illinois.gov.
7th Annual Veterans Entrepreneurial Boot Camp
Sign up now for a FREE full day of Veteran business-focused activities at the Illinois Small Business Development Center at CenterPoint, Governors State University. Developed by Veterans for Veterans to promote Veteran owned business start-ups, Veteran financing options and growing and improving results of existing Veteran owned businesses.
Wednesday, November 16th
8:15am - 3:45pm
Click here for more event details or to register. |
| Biz Buzz | |
Fox Valley Entrepreneurship Center
 A growing group of resources is combining forces to bring local entrepreneurs and growing businesses a leg up. The collaberators have formed the Fox Valley Entrepreneurship Center (FVEC) - a virtual "hub" of resources working together to enhance services offered to qualified clients.
The seeds for the FVEC were planted during a year-long series of events hosted by the IL SBDC at Waubonsee and the Center for Business Education, Innovation, and Development (CBEID) - two local business advising/mentoring resources. This collaberation, coupled with a grant to the Waubonsee SBDC, will power the FVEC pilot program. Participating in the FVEC launch team are the members of Batavia Enterprises, Guidestar, Inc. and BOSI.
Two programs will be offered through the grant program:
- Businesses poised for growth are eligible to receive no-cost in depth consulting to help them accomplish their growth goals.
- Businesses needing assistance in automating their bookkeeping practices can apply for hands-on assistance in making the transition from manual bookkeeping to QuickBooks.
Workshops are currently being planned on a variety of topics.
Local consultants and business experts who would like to get involved in supporting FVEC and its programs are invited to attend an "Expert's Night" informational session on Thursday, November 17 at 4:00 p.m. at 160 First Street in Batavia. Please RSVP for this event to 630-906-4143 or email sbdc@waubonsee.edu.
For more information about FVEC and the pilot program, read the full press release.
Businesses wanting to apply for assistance should complete the on-line application. |
| 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 | |
Deal or No Deal?
The new wave in marketing seems to be popping up on sites such as Groupon, Living Social and many others that haven't made it so mainstream quite yet. Offering extreme discounts through a deal-of-the-day website may seem like a great way to get people in your door, but are they really the right fit for your business? Learn more about deal sites and get advice on whether they are worth the time, consideration, and most importantly money they may cost your business. | |
Google Presents: Learn More About Google Apps
This webinar dedicated specifically to small business will provide an overview of Google Apps for Business, a live demo of the product and Q&A session, and detail the steps to get started. Click on the desired webinar date for more details or to register.
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011: 2 - 3 p.m. EDT
Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011: 2 - 3 p.m. EDT
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| Get Smart: Small Business Workshops at Waubonsee |
Starting Your Business in Illinois
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Wednesday, Jan. 18, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Marketing for Small Business
Thursday, Nov. 3, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Sugar Grove)
Thursday, Jan. 26, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Social Media Marketing for Business
Thursday, Nov. 10, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Plano)
Thursday, Feb. 9, 6 - 9 p.m., $30 (Aurora)
Facebook for Business: Secrets to Success
Thursday, Feb. 16, 7 - 8 p.m., $30 (Webinar)
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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