California Capital FDC Newsletter
March 2015
In This Issue
Welcome to the California Capital E-Newsletter.  Here at California Capital, we value up-to-date research on small businesses and we want to share that information with you.  In this monthly e-newsletter, you'll find an abundance of newly released data relevant to a wide variety of small business-related issues.  This month we put the spotlight on small business trends.  In this newsletter, you'll also find a list of upcoming classes offered through the Women's Business Center (WBC) and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC).  Enjoy and we hope to see you at California Capital events and workshops!

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Small Business, Big Impact!

According to the SBA...


 
"One thing is for sure, as a small business owner you are not alone! There are millions of small businesses across the United States traveling the same road as you each and every day. Although your business operates in its own unique fashion, the cumulative impact of the small business sector is enormous.


Small business is BIG!

  • The 23 million small businesses in America account for 54% of all U.S. sales.
  • Small businesses provide 55% of all jobs and 66% of all net new jobs since the 1970s.
  • The 600,000 plus franchised small businesses in the U.S. account for 40% of all retail sales and provide jobs for some 8 million people.
  • The small business sector in America occupies 30-50% of all commercial space, an estimated 20-34 billion square feet.

Furthermore, the small business sector is growing rapidly. While corporate America has been "downsizing", the rate of small business "start-ups" has grown, and the rate for small business failures has declined.
 

  • The number of small businesses in the United States has increased 49% since 1982.
  • Since 1990, as big business eliminated 4 million jobs, small businesses added 8 million new jobs.

For more interesting facts about the Small Businesses community visit: 

Produced in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Business Gateway and ENERGY STAR�"

Source


 


6 Small Business Trends To Watch Out For In 2015

Written by: Rebecca O. Bagley

Forbes

12/19/2014


"Small businesses are driving the U.S. job recovery, according to a recent blog post by maria Contreras-Sweet, the administrator of the Small Business Administration.  In her post she points out that about 7 million of the 10.9 million jobs added since the Great Recession were created by startups and small enterprises. 


'Small businesses have led our comeback from the downturn,' she writes.  'For 15 straight quarters, small firms have contributed to employment growth-- accounting for as much as 80 percent of job gains in any given quarter.' 


 
The past is not always an indication for what might happen next, but there are certainly reasons to believe small business growth will continue in 2015.  Here are six trends that might contribute to that growth. 


 
Alternative Capital Flows Will Gain Traction


 
First and foremost, small businesses need cash to grow.  But the traditional lending market isn't working for everyone.  Therefore, it's likely alternative flows of capital will gain traction in 2015, says John Spears, director of clusters and skills initiatives at the Small Business Administration.  '2014 saw the emergence of new alternative flows of capital, which will continue to disrupt the market,' he says. 'Square's cash advance and new peer-to-peer lending products are a few examples.'


3D Printing Will Enable Small Batch Manufacturing


 
Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has been talked about for years.  But the technology finally seems to be ready for widespread adoption and small businesses might benefit from it the most.  '2015 is the year where small businesses can finally afford to leverage this technology,' Spears says. 'Advances in quality and cost will make small batch manufacturing possible for entrepreneurs.'


Big Data Analytics Will See Increased Adoption


 
Seventy-five percent of small businesses plan to increase their investment in big data analytics over the next two years, according to an IBM Business Tech Trends Study.  'The pace setters will adopt new tools that allow them to quickly and easily sift through their data,' IBM's Midmarket GM John Mason says.  'The magic will be that these powerful new tools that small businesses adopt are no longer expensive solutions designed purely for data scientists and specialized analysts, but can be used by any employee.'


Small Businesses Will Enter The Internet of Things


 
The Internet of Things is not just for large companies anymore.  It will have an impact on even the smallest of businesses.  'No longer does your company need data scientists to unlock actionable insights for your business,' Mason says. 'Small businesses will turn to open application programming interfaces designed to simply the process of accessing data from Internet-connected devices and using that data for business goals.'  The result, he says, collaboration, innovation and the removal of barriers to turn ideas into businesses. 


The Cloud Will Be Critical

 

More and more small businesses are adopting cloud computing.  Parallels SMB Cloud Insights says the global market for cloud services for small and mid-size business will expand to $95 billion by 2015.  Traditionally thought of as an IT decision, SMBs will learn that the cloud enables company functions with benefits that can't be ignored, from efficiency gains to improved employee mobility, Mason says. 
 

Content Will Be King


Content marketing isn't a new concept, but it will be more important than ever in 2015, particularly for small businesses with limited resources to spend on advertising and media relations.  More small businesses will work with journalists, writers and editors as they move from a product-focused to a customer-focused message, says Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, which is launching a platform aimed at helping entrepreneurs and startups with content marketing needs.  'As more content creators lose their job with traditional media companies,' he says, 'this will present a clear opportunity for smaller companies to work with expert talent in particular industry niches.'"


 

Source


 


The Sixth Annual State of Entrepreneurship Address: 'The Future of Entrepreneurship'  

"With Featured Speakers

Penny Pritzker

Secretary of Commerce

and

Maria Contreras-Sweet

SBA Administrator"


"Venture capital and angel investing has surged, yet business creation remains slow, and access to capital is difficult for young companies.  Despite these and other mixed indicators, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of entrepreneurship in the United States. 


At the Foundation's sixth annual State of Entrepreneurship Address at the National Press Club in Washington, Acting President and CEO Wendy Guillies called for economic renewal through a new entrepreneurial boom, beginning with two of the biggest demographic forces shaping the U.S. economy: the aging of baby boomers and the emergence of millennials into the workforce. 


'The United States doesn't just need economic growth.  We need economic renewal,' said Guillies.  'We're optimistic that the boomers and millennials--together--can lead the entrepreneurship renewal that America sorely needs.'


Following the address, a panel of policy experts presented arguments for why we should be either pessimistic or optimistic about these two demographic groups contributions to entrepreneurship."


Following is video of the event: 


 

State of Entrepreneurship 2015: Address by Wendy Guillies, Kauffman Foundation
State of Entrepreneurship 2015: Address by Wendy Guillies, Kauffman Foundation


 

Source
 

 

CALIFORNIA CAPITAL STAFF: Staci Richardson

California Capital is excited to introduce one of our PTAC Counselors, Staci Richardson


Biography


 
Staci has been a native of California since the early 1980s.  She graduated from the University of Phoenix with a degree in Business.  Staci has a passion for helping small business owners. She was a procurement specialist and Small Business Advocate for the State of California for over 10 years.  In her role as a small business advocate, Staci was responsible for building relationships in the small business community and assisting small business owners in identifying governmental contracting/purchasing opportunities.  Staci was instrumental in increasing the State of California's small business participation goals throughout Northern California.  


 

UPCOMING MARCH CALIFORNIA CAPITAL WORKSHOPS

 

 

Date

Time

Topic

Location

March 3

 

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Marketing Your Small Business to Government Agencies

Webinar/Online

March 3

 

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Conflict Resolution

CA Capital WBC

March 4

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Hiring Assistance Program with the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency

CA Capital WBC

March 5

 

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Social Media for Small Businesses

CA Capital WBC

March 5

 

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Business 101

CA Capital WBC

March 10

 

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Understanding Nonprofit Sales & Use Tax with the Board of Equalization

CA Capital WBC

March 10

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Women Owned Small Business Contracting with the Small Business Administration

CA Capital WBC

March 11

 

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Labor Law

CA Capital WBC

March 12

 

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Starting a Business: How BERC Can Help.

CA Capital WBC

March 17

 

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Alternative Financing

CA Capital WBC

 March 18

 

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Connecting with Caltrans

CA Capital WBC

March 19

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

State Basic Payroll Tax Seminar with the California Employment Development Department

CA Capital WBC

March 19

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Business 101

CA Capital WBC

March 20

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Federal Acquisition Regulations 101

Webinar/Online

March 24

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Take Your Job and Fund It!

CA Capital WBC

March 25

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Department of General Services (DGS) Certification Lab

CA Capital WBC

March 25

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Certification

CA Capital WBC

March 26

9:30 am - 11:30 am

Tax Forum

CA Capital WBC

March 31

10:00 am - 11:30 am

Prospecting for Federal Market Opportunities

Webinar/Online

March 31

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Creating Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

CA Capital WBC

 


See our website calendar for more webinars and events.

Thank you for reading our e-newsletter!  We hope to see you at California Capital events and workshops.