Northeast Minnesota's Small Business Development Center
MnSBDC Logo
In This Edition
New Healthcare Changes Tool
Build Fall Business with Great Images
New IRS Resources
  
Find us on Facebook

Upcoming Workshops 

 

workshop with curt

  

8/28 (2:00pm-4:00pm)
 
QuickBooks
9/10 (9:00am-4:00pm)

Access I
9/11 (9:00am-12:00pm)

Access II
9/11 (1:00pm-4:00pm) 
 

 View All Upcoming Workshops 

  


We have MANY great training opportunities coming this fall and so do our resource partners like SBA, MN PTAC, US Commercial Services, SCORE, and others. Sign up to be updated on these opportunities and more...

Subscribe to receive the 
CED monthly training opportunities newsletter.

 

   

Business Ownership 

for Veterans

 

Are you a veteran or military spouse who is in business or thinking about starting a small business?

 

30 September 2013

from 1000-1430 

 

(10am-2:30pm) 
at the Holiday Inn 
Cost: $15 
Sign-in starts at 9:30am 
  

For More Information
and to Register.

 

Quick Links

 

 

 

 

SBA 


Join Our Mailing List


Contact Us
UMD Center for Economic Development

ced doors  
The Small Business Development Center for Northeast Minnesota

(218) 726-7298 - main
(888) 387-4594 - toll free

Regional Center: Duluth

 

Satellite Offices: Hibbing/Chisholm
Quad Cities
International Falls
Grand Rapids
Ely
Grand Marais/Cook County
Two Harbors/Lake County
Carlton County
Hermantown

 

HELPING ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESSES GROW AND SUCCEED

NEW HEALTHCARE CHANGES TOOL

A New Tool for Small Business Owners 

By: Karen Gordon Mills

 

Take a look at the tool. 

  

Affordable health care is a top concern for America's 28 million small businesses. During my travels, I've had a number of small business owners across the country tell me that the moment they really felt their business was a success was the day they were able to offer health insurance to their employees. But we know that many small business owners may still be wondering when that day will be and what the Affordable Care Act can do to help. 

  

Depending on the size of your business, different provisions of the Affordable Care Act may apply. This is why it's so important that small business owners know the facts about the law and use them to make any business decisions.

  

Today, we're excited to announce a new, streamlined health care tool for businesses --housed at Business.USA.gov -- to help you find out exactly what you and your employees need to know about the Affordable Care Act. Business.USA.gov leverages the resources of our partners across the federal government to ensure that business owners get comprehensive information and easy-to-use tools related to range of topics, including health care.

 

In a few quick steps, the streamlined tool can help you understand what you need to know about new insurance options and other health care changes as well as find health care-related resources that are relevant to your business.

 

The tool uses various prompts including your business's location, size, and whether you currently offer insurance to connect you with the resources you need from Small Business Administration (SBA), the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Treasury and our other federal partners.  For example, if you're a small business owner in Oregon with 35 full-time employees who already offers insurance and wants to continue the coverage you currently use, the health care tool can use this information to connect you with the best resources and information available to help inform your plans.

 

The SBA has also joined forces with our partners at Small Business Majority to offer a weekly webinar series designed to educate small business owners across the country about what the Affordable Care Act means for them. We'll be offering these webinars, which are free and open to all small business owners, every Thursday until October when the Marketplaces open for enrollment, so click here to sign up today.

 

The Affordable Care Act allows small employers to offer health coverage in a way that makes sense for their business and works for their bottom line. Now, more than ever, SBA is committed to leveraging our resources and federal partnerships to ensure that small business owners have the facts and resources they need to understand the law.   

GROW BUSINESS WITH GREAT IMAGES

Gina Watkins
By: Gina Watkins 
 
It might seem surprising but, beautiful images can help increase sales for your business. Posts with photos on Facebook received 120 percent more engagement  than link or text-only posts, and Instagram and Pinterest have become increasingly popular social media platforms for consumer engagement. If you're not yet using images as part of your marketing efforts, now is a great time to channel your inner photographic genius, and use your final weeks of summer to try it out.
Following are a few tips that you can put into practice now, to help increase sales and build customer relationships for the busy season:
 
Show some love. 57 percent of all mobile phone users own a smart phone, which means that you probably have a camera with you at all times. Show your customers how much you care by thanking them on your social channels. Use images you've taken at your business during the final days of summer and early fall and have some fun with it.
 
Make it interactive. Get your customers involved with the process by asking them to tag themselves. It's also a great idea to ask your customers to share any images they've taken at your place of business. This kind of relationship building will help make you the first choice during the fall and holiday season. Who wouldn't go back to a business that personally thanked them just for being a customer?   
 
Tease your products. Like it or not, fall is right around the corner. And if you don't already know what fun new products or services you'll be offering...now's the time to start thinking about them.Get your customers excited about your new merchandise by creating an image that previews and teases what you'll soon be offering.When the new season finally arrives, use the same images to remind your customers what was previewed, and then give them a big "unveiling." This is a great time to play with collages. You can create a collage with images from the "preview" and the "unveiling."

A picture is worth 1,000 words, and by integrating even one of the above ideas into your marketing  efforts, your business will staying top of mind year-round. 

NEW IRS RESOURCES

irs logo

Check out: 

 

SBA MnSBDC Logo
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and regional support partners. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the program sponsors. Programs are open to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UMD Center for Economic Development at 218-726-7975 or toll free 1-888-387-4594 to make arrangements.