|
Give to BSC in Campaign |  |
Please consider making a charitable donation to the Business Solutions Center as part of the EI&U Expect Greatness campaign.
Your gift will help:
- send a student to Camp e3
- provide free and confidential counseling to start-ups, existing businesses and nonprofits
- offer low-cost training to help organizations succeed
- support Junior Achievement and other youth e-education
- grow our own entrepreneurs that will create jobs and sustain the economic vitality in the region
For employees who wish to have their support deducted through payroll deduction, please click here for the form. If you are not an employee of EIU, but would like to have the convenience of electronic funds transfer (EFT), please download this form. Please make sure that you specify the Business Solutions Center as your gift's designated recipient on these forms.
Of course there is the option of online giving at our donation website. Regardless of which way you wish to support the Business Solutions Center, we thank all of our current and future Partners. |
| Platinum Partners |
Charleston Area Charitable Foundation
 | | & Forsythe Family Farms |
|
|
| Silver Partners | |
Agracel
City of Charleston
City of Paris
East Central Illinois Development Corporation
Effingham County Board
First Bank of Paris
First Neighbor Bank
Journal Gazette/Times Courier
Karen Wolters, Ignite, USA
Schultz Investment Company
U.S. Bank |
| Other Partners | |
Annie Hernandez
Bob and Nancy Williams
Bob Webb
Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce
Citizens National Bank
Eastern Illinois Education for Employment Systems
Fifth Third Bank
First National Bank of Dieterich
Flesor Family Confectionary, Inc.
Frank and Cathy Brummer
Gary Henigman
Gilbert, Metzger & Madigan LLP
Greater Effingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry
In Memory of Jack Clifford
Jasper County Economic Development Cooperative
McDonalds of Coles County
Paul Ruff
SCH Consulting
State Bank of Arthur
Todd Vilardo
Tuscola National Bank
Vantage Outsourcing
|
|
|
|
Entrepreneurial Endeavors |
|
Greetings!
The Business Solutions Center at Eastern Illinois University will be celebrating our third birthday on July 1st. This past year, we've been fortunate to have collaborated with a record number of 95 volunteers, 41 financial partners and many more strategic partners all striving to make this corner of East Central Illinois a little more entrepreneurial and innovative.
The BSC staff, assisted by the Southeastern Illinois SCORE chapter, counseled 115 new and existing businesses and nonprofit organizations. This counseling and youth entrepreneurship education yielded:
13 new business start-ups
1 expansion
72 new jobs
13 retained jobs
$2,014,000 in capital raised
1,746 k-12 students participants in youth programs
1,010 adults and college students participants in various training sessions
 | |
Lexy Teichmiller at the CEO Class Tradeshow in May. |
As we begin a new year, I'm proud to report that the BSC Advisory Board has really stepped up to the challenge of assisting the BSC staff with exciting new initiatives for Coles and Effingham County. The Effingham County Entrepreneurship Club is a pilot afterschool program for all interested 7-8th graders in Effingham County. It will meet on most Thursdays from 3:30 - 5 pm at Effingham Junior High School (EJHS). Allison Donsbach, EIU Marketing Major, Camp e3/ CEO/EJHS graduate, will assist the BSC staff and EJHS teacher Josh Robison in organizing this new program. Due to the great success experienced in the last three years of the Effingham County Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) class, we feel the timing is right to start a Coles County Entrepreneurship Class for the fall of 2012. We will be hosting a general information luncheon on Thursday, July 28, 2011 to gauge community interest and begin raising funds to support this initiative. If you are interested in an invitation learn more about this great learning opportunity, please contact me at jcdau@eiu.edu. Sincerely,
Jeanne
Director
Business Solutions Center
Center for Entrepeneurship and Innovation
Eastern Illinois University |
|
Startup Rate at 15-year high | |
The percent of Americans starting businesses in 2010 was the highest in 15 years. The rate of business creation has been steadily rising since 2006. In 2010, 340 of every 100,000 adults launched a business each month which means 565,000 startups were opened every month.
Source: Kauffman Foundation March 2011 report, http://bit.ly/gIyxpK |
|
|
Still Room for Teens to Attend Camp e3
July 17-20th, EIU Campus
It's not too late to sign up your teens, grandkids or the friendly neighbor who may be interested in competing for $800 in prize money at
Camp e3 - energizing emerging entrepreneurs. They will learn from successful regional entrepreneurs what it takes to start an entrepreneurial venture.
Click here for this year's brochure. Please sign up students age 14-18 here and give them the gift of entrepreneurial exploration and innovative thinking while having tons of fun with other teens. Many thanks to our camp sponsor, Midland States Bank, who has sponsored this camp for the past four years.
If you are interested in making this opportunity available by providing a Camp e3 scholarship please click on the donation link here. |
|
e-Business Now
SCORE's new e-Business Now initiative provides free technology advice and mentoring, helping small businesses grow and prosper with the latest technology tools!
Learn how to rejuvenate your sales with this free online workshop, Tech Made Simple: Using Technology to Jumpstart Your Sales. You'll learn how to attract visitors to your site, and convert those visitors into buyers. Get started today! |
|
Illinois Open Data Portal Website Created
The State of Illinois Open Data site, Data.Illinois.Gov, is a searchable clearinghouse of information from state agencies that will help inform residents about the operation of state government and encourage the creative use of state information, including the development of applications for mobile devices that can be built around the data. The platform is the second initiative of the Governor's Illinois Innovation Council.
To read more, go to:
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=2&RecNum=9487
|
 | | A happy winner from Effingham High School shows off his BSC USB flash drive bracelet. |
Do You Have What it Takes?
588 students from 11 schools found out if they have what it takes to be an entrepreneur this year when the BSC came to their class. This 50 minute program defined entrepreneurship and assessed entrepreneurial traits of the 7th-12th graders at: Arcola, Charleston Middle School, Charleston High School, Dieterich, Effingham, Marshall, Newton, Sacred Heart, St. Anthony, Sullivan and Vandalia. Students learned to create something of value from nothing with an interactive Junk Table exercise. Prizes were given to the team with the best business product and commercial. Thank you to all of the teachers who invited the BSC into their classroom to plant the seeds of entrepreneurship. |
|
|
Grant Opportunitites brought to you by: |
 
| |
Seed Grants | These are grants that are offered for young adults wanting to start a new community project or program. One grant for $500 is given out each week, and applicants must be 25 years of age or younger. More.
SparkAction| This organization provides ongoing grants for projects, such as those seeking to work with literacy, youth, the disabled, and other community issues. More. |
|
 
Teen Reach youth and EIU students from Dr. Karen Drage's class joined together to participate in Lemonade Day on Sunday, May 1st at the Charleston Wal-mart. Money raised was donated to the Charleston Teen Reach Center. Lemonade Day is a nation-wide event that teaches kids the skills they need to be successful in the future. Youth learn to set goals, develop a business plan, establish a budget, seek investors, provide customer service, and give back to the community. Lemonade Day is the perfect opportunity for a community to show kids they care and train the next generation of entrepreneurs. Click here to learn how to to get your community involved in Lemonade Day.
|
|
|
|
Hot links
 | |
Stan Thurman BSC Counselor |
Check out http://sharethis.com/
Repealing the 1099 Reporting Requirement: A Big Win For Small Business President Obama signed the repeal of the 1099 requirement from the Affordable Care Act. Small business now will NOT have to file IRS form 1099 for payments totaling $600 or more in a year that are made to another business in exchange for goods and services. This repeal means less paperwork for small businesses. To learn more, click here
Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) is offering "best practice" guides that give expert advice for a variety of buildings. Click on any of the links below to download a free fact sheet.
|
|
As always, if you have any questions or suggestions on how the BSC can assist entrepreneurs, please don't hesitate to call us at 581-2913.
|
|
|
