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October 2012
Dear (Contact First Name),
I would like to personally welcome two new additions to the SBDC family! Lindsey Shorthouse and Abram Sloss. We are very excited they have joined the team! Lindsey has taken the role of coordinator for our Northwest Colorado region (Breckenridge, Dillon, Silverthorne, Glenwood Springs, etc). And Abram has taken the role of Executive Director at the Denver Metro SBDC. We are extremely excited to have them aboard and are looking forward to the wonderful contributions they will bring!
In other news, our 7th Annual Veteran's Conference, "Boots to Business" is just a week away! This is a one day conference held in Denver providing an opportunity for veterans to network and learn new skills ranging from business start-up and financing to government contracts and veteran business alliances. We have enjoyed helping the veteran community over the years and are looking forward to another great event!
Other news and exciting opportunities below. Please check with your local SBDC for workshops and events in your area.
Sincerely,
Kelly Manning
State Director
Colorado Small Business Development Centers
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Success Story: Temp Orthotics
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In 2003 Cinde Waller was injured and overlooked in the ER. After three years of being undiagnosed, she ended up having a bi-lateral disectomy, but after surgery she has no support for her jaw. Being the creative person that she is, she used a ribbon and tied it in a position to elevate her jaw away from the pain. After a few alterations, her first brace was completed and she used it every day during her recovery. Her doctors observed its use and requested braces for other patients. Cinde pursued and received a patent in 2010. Thus, TempOrthotics was born.
 TempOrthotics LLC is a company providing an instrument of relief, used by TMJ patients for the support and stability they need for post-surgical healing and assisted relief of TMJD tension-related pain. Cinde has created products that are extremely compatible with nighttime dental sleep appliances that require the jaw to remain in a secure, stable, closed position.
Cinde is used to making tough decisions and she believes that one of the most important decisions she has made to date has been to make sure TempOrthotics LLC remains a Colorado company. The SBDC program has assisted her all along the way by helping her find local sewers, evaluating her marketing strategy and website, as well as working with her to help ensure she's ready to take on investors.
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Veteran's Conference: Boots to Business
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 Boots to Business: Operation Start-Up and Grow provides education, networking and business opportunities for Veteran and Service Disabled Veteran entrepreneurs. The conference will also provide learning opportunities and exposure to many community resources available to veterans.
Three workshop tracks will be offered: Starting a Business, Growing & Expanding a Business, and Professional & Personal Development. To view the agenda and workshop descriptions, use the links on the left.
Date: Tuesday, October 23, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Location: PPA Event Center
2105 Decatur Street
Denver, CO 80211
Cost: $10 (spouses attend for free)
Register Here & Enter "Free Book" to receive your free book at the door!
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Ice House Entrepreneurship Program
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Colorado Lending Source, the state's not-for-profit small business financing expert, has launched the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
The program is designed to provide adult students with the framework for understanding and implementing an entrepreneurial mindset. The Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, created by the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI) and Pulitzer Prize nominee Clifton Taulbert is a two part learning experience:
- The Book: Based on the personal experience of author Clifton Taulbert, "Who Owns the Icehouse?" is a powerful and compelling story that draws on the entrepreneurial influence of eight essential life-lessons Taulbert gained from his Uncle Cleve, an unlikely entrepreneur in the segregated south.
- The Course: Based on the eight life-lessons described in the book, the interactive program combines narrated chalkboard presentations with video interviews and case studies featuring modern-day examples of those who, like Taulbert's Uncle Cleve, have triumphed over hardship and adversity by embracing an entrepreneurial mindset. In addition to the narrated chalkboard presentations, each lesson includes individual learning assessments, discussion topics and assignments that are designed to maximize comprehension while encouraging real-world application of the core concepts.
For more information: visit Colorado Lending Source.
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Agritourism and Small Business
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Colorado's Newest Crop is Agritourism.
Local regional planning and information sessions are currently underway.
 The Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) and Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) have teamed up to boost opportunities for travelers, and to capitalize on the boom in agritourism. There is tremendous growth opportunity for agritourism. The 2007 Census of Agriculture reported that of the 37,054 farms in Colorado, only 679 - fewer than 2% - reported agritourism income. This revenue was gained from traditional hunting, outfitting and horseback rides to the now trendy farm dinners, cheese making classes, ranch stays, and canning classes.
Colorado is the first in the nation to pair heritage tourism and agritourism. "Colorado is ahead of the game" declared Laura Grey, CTO program director for heritage and agritourism program. A 2007 Colorado State University study reported that 75% of travelers participated in at least one agricultural, food or heritage activity on their trip.
In a move to capture potential, seven regional strategic planning sessions are scheduled around the state to educate potential providers about the benefits of getting in the game and glean valuable feedback from those currently involved in agritourism.
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Visit the new AdvanceColorado.com!
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 As a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), we at the Colorado SBDC Network are excited to announce the release of OEDIT's newly redesigned website @ www.advancecolorado.com.
This redesign has enabled us to improve navigation, share updated information, and build the framework for a valuable and sustainable economic development tool for the State of Colorado.
There are many more tools and enhancements yet to come - we've partnered with some of the best in the state to gather the most current industry and regional data to reflect the true Colorado economic climate, and we are creating a dynamic asset map to make moving to and expanding a business in Colorado that much easier.
In the meantime, we hope you will visit our site and join our social networks (yep, I'm learning the importance of the #hashtag). If you'd like to receive updates about OEDIT or our divisions, please sign up for the categories of interest at our "Email Sign Up" page.
We welcome your feedback as this is a work in progress - feel free to email Kathy Green, Director of Marketing & Communications, at kathy.green@state.co.us with any suggestions.
And stay tuned for the new Colorado SBDC site - coming soon!
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Small Business Tip: Developing a Strategic Marketing Plan
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Warren Buffet said, "Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken." So, how can you break the chains of habit and move your company in a new, more profitable direction? The answer is to develop and implement a fresh, comprehensive, strategic marketing plan. Doing so will force you to take a long hard look at where your company is, where it wants to go, and how it will get there. Using a combination of marketing, strategic planning, and project management principles provides the most clearly defined goals and measurable results. These ten steps will put you on the right track to develop a quality strategic marketing plan.
Gerilyn C. McGaughran, PMP is president of Spruce Mountain Consulting, Inc. and has spent 20 years developing and implementing strategic and tactical marketing and business plans for small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits. For more information, visit Spruce Mountain Consulting.
This small business tip was brought to you by Colorado Springs SBDC.
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Online Business Planning for Entrepreneurs
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Are you ready to invest in your business dreams? 
You've got the dream, you have the drive, now give yourself the edge you need to succeed! NxLeveL® Online brings expert advice and instruction to where you are, when you need it. Your business needs a solid foundation: Build one in your time, at your pace.
NxLeveL® Online for Entrepreneurs delivers practical guidance as you create your business plan.
Get hands-on training with:
⇒ Bookkeeping
⇒ Marketing
⇒ Financial Projections
⇒ Lending Negotiations
⇒ Management & Organization
The entrepreneur who plans is the entrepreneur who succeeds!
To learn more, contact:
Jayne Reiter, Colorado SBDC Consultant
jaynereiter@comcast.net
www.lcsc.edu/nxlevel
303.892.3840
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Upcoming Events
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Boulder
Monday, October 22nd, Tuesday, October 23, & Thursday October 25th
Sweet Success: Achieving the Retail Dream
Breakfast Bootcamp for Longmont Retailers
Longmont, Co
7:30am - 9:30am
Cost: FREE
Register here
Thursday, November 8
Market Research for Today's Business
Boulder SBDC, 2440 Pearl St. Boulder, Co
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Cost: $45/$35 w/ chamber discount
Register here
Greeley
Friday, October 26th,
Affordable Care Workshop
Aims Community College, 5590 W. 11th St, Greeley, Co 80634
3:00pm - 4:30pm
Cost: FREE
Register - 970-352-3661
Tuesday, October 30th
Great Local Resources
High Plains Library District, 2650 W. 29th St
Greeley, CO, 80634
3:30pm - 5:00pm
Cost: FREE
Register - 970-352-3566
Denver
Tuesday, October 23rd
Lunch Brown Bag: Sales Process = Sales Success
Denver SBDC, 1445 Market St, Denver, Co
11:30am - 1:00pm
Cost: $15 (includes lunch)
Register here
Wednesday, October 24th
Letting Non-Performers Go, Getting Top Performers Going
Denver SBDC, 1445 Market St, Denver, Co
9:00am - 12:00pm
Cost: $35/discount for chamber members
Register here
Colorado Springs
Wednesday, October 24th
QuickBooks Pro: Intro - Part 1
SBDC Building, UCCS Campus, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, Co
9:00am - 1:00pm
Cost: $125
Register - 719-255-3844
Friday, October 26th
Logo Design Basics: What Does Your Logo Say About Your Company
Better Business Bureau, 25 N. Wahsatch, Colorado Springs, Co
9:00am - 12:00pm
Cost: $30
Register - 719-255-3844
South Metro Denver
Wednesday, October 24th
Legal Series: Social Networking's Legal Issues
Aurora SBDC, Aurora Municipal Center, Aurora, Co
9:00am - 12:00pm
Cost: $30
Register here
Tuesday, November 13th
Federal Procurement Basics: Maximizing Your Veteran's Status
South Metro Denver SBDC, 2154 E Commons Ave, Centennial, Co
9:00am - 12:00pm
Cost: FREE
Register here
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 Colorado Small Business Development Center a division of
Colorado Office of Economic Development
& International Trade
1625 Broadway, Suite 2700
Denver, CO 80202 |
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