Greater Bridgeport Chapter of SCORE Press Release

Fairfield Public Library Means Business

Fairfield Public Library offers services and resources to support businesses of
any size. Ask a Librarian about...

Online Resources:

· Reference USA - an online directory of over 14 million U.S. businesses that
can be sorted by geography, size, and type of business

· Business and Company Resource Center - Company profiles, industry
rankings, products and brands, stock prices, investment reports, industry statistics

· Dunn's Million Dollar Database - Premier directory of all U.S. public and
private companies with sales of at least $1 million or at least 20 employees.
Excellent source for biographies of company officers

· LegalTrac - Indexes law reviews, legal newspapers, bar association journals and
international legal journals. Also contains law-related articles from business and
general interest titles

· America's Newspapers - The electronic editions of valuable local, regional, and
national U.S. newspapers - all in one easy-to-search database

· Online access to full-text articles from the New York Times, Hartford Courant,
Washington Post, Boston Globe, LA Times, and more

Periodicals:

Barron's, Financial Times, Business Week, Forbes, Crain's New York Business, Fortune, Entrepreneur, Inc, Fairfield County Business Journal & Wall Street Journal


Books:

Annual Register of Grant Support, Lexis Nexis Advertising Red Books, Book of Business Lists, Lexis Nexis Corporate Affiliations, Fairfield and New Haven Counties, Harris Manufacturers Directory, D&B Regional Business Directories, National Directory of Nonprofit, The Foundation Directory, Statistical Abstracts of the US

Fairfield Public Library offers study rooms, free wireless internet access, a computer
lab with Microsoft Office software, color and B/W printing (fee applies),
copiers and a scan station that scans and saves documents to USB or email.

Small Business Strategies: April-June 2011

A Special Series at the Fairfield Public Library

These programs are free and open to the public. Registration required: online at

www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org or call 203-256-3160.

All programs are at 7 pm in the Rotary Room at the Main Library.

Doors open at 6:30 pm. for networking with other small business owners.

 

QuickBooks Overview for Small Businesses

Small business owners often don't have the time to master software programs
that are critical to their operations. This demonstration will include a basic
overview of QuickBooks, including: setting up accounts, adding vendors,
creating invoices, identifying terms and services, paying bills and
understanding and using reports.

Tuesday, April 26, 7pm

Presenter: Susan McAteer EA, Founder, is a certified QuickBooks Pro
Advisor and Enrolled Agent with a BS in Accounting and an MBA in Finance.
Susan serves as a board member of the Connecticut Society of Enrolled Agents,
financial manager for the Pequot Library, and provides clients with bookkeeping,
tax preparation and QuickBooks services.


Conversations That Matter: Building Accountability & Commitment

Although we know it's important, many of us still hesitate to hold others
accountable for their actions. It may seem faster and less of a hassle to let
something go or simply wait and see what happens. When we fail to hold
others accountable we reap the consequences-some obvious like a lack of
productivity and some not as obvious like a lack of confidence in you as a
leader.....can help those of us in a managerial or leadership role create an
environment that enables others to operate at a higher level of responsibility.

Wednesday, May 4, 7pm

Presenter: Rick Lepsinger, President of OnPoint Consulting and author of
Closing the Execution Gap: How Great Leaders and Their Companies Get Results.
Rick has a twenty-year track record of success as a human resource consultant and
executive. Copies of the book will be available for signing and purchase.


Careers in Franchising and Business Ownership

Are you a corporate professional who is reassessing his or her life and career,
looking for something better? In this informational seminar, the owner of
FranNet, CT will share his years of franchise business ownership experience.
Topics will include: why consider business ownership now; how to identify
franchise business choices that best fit your skill set, needs, and goals; growth
trends and choices in franchise ownership that offer stability and success in
weak and strong economies; safely and affordably transitioning from
employment into business ownership; costly mistakes to avoid; advantages
of buying a franchise vs. other businesses; and what franchises cost and how
to finance the purchase.

Tuesday, May 24, 7pm

Presenter: Luc Deslauriers is the franchise owner and operator of FranNet
CT/RI, providing no-cost guidance, information and support to individuals who
are interested in purchasing a franchise business. He received the 2009 FranNet
"Commitment to Excellence Award", and has over 30 years of sales, sales training
and marketing experience.


Loans? A Conversation with a Representative of the SBA

and a Local Financial Officer.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has lending partners

throughout the state who are actively lending to Connecticut's small
businesses. A representative from the CT District office of the SBA will
discuss SBA's three primary loan programs ranging in size from $5,000 to
$5,000,000, who they are for and how to get started. A local financial officer,
Mike Rembish, will present five different types of financing for small to
medium size businesses and describe how each type of financing works.
Additional topics will include: building up credit history, the benefits of
borrowing versus giving up equity, and the supporting documents needed to
get a loan from an institutional lender.

Wednesday, June 1, 7pm

Presenter: a representative from the CT District office of the SBA;
Mike Rembish, Vice President, Park Avenue Capital, LLC - a nationally recognized
financial company serving clients financing needs.


Networking That Works

There is no better, faster, cheaper way to introduce yourself and your product
or service than through networking. The good news is that opportunities
abound to do just that. The bad news is that most people don't understand
what effective networking is all about. If you are hesitant about attending
networking events because you: a.) aren't sure what goes on there, b.) aren't
comfortable in a room full of strangers or c.) have attended a few without
any results, this presentation is a must. Learn and practice solid tools for
networking that works, including the key components of the 60 second
"elevator" speech, how to "work the room", maximize the experience,
and follow up afterward.

Monday, June 13, 7pm

Presenter: Debbie Fay is the founder of bespeak presentation solutions, LLC,
delivering public speaking coaching, training, and presentation development to
individuals and businesses. She is an award winning trainer and teacher with a
lifetime involvement in theater.


Fairfield Public Library is proud to announce a new partnership

with the Greater Bridgeport Chapter of SCORE, Counselors to

America's Small Business. For more information, contact Judy

Sparzo at jsparzo@fplct.org or info@scorect.org