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May 2013
Dear ,
We invite you to check out our new and improved website (www.coloradosbdc.org), which helps to connect businesses to our resources much more effectively and efficiently with our new user friendly interface and straightforward design. Register for our available workshops, sign-up for a consulting session, and browse our upcoming events while you're at it.
Our 7th annual Veteran's Conference was huge success with over 200 attendees and 40 exhibitors. Thank you to all of our partners, speakers and staff who made this event possible. And save the date for our next conference, the 4th Annual Southwest Colorado Women's Small Business Conference, which will take place Friday, July 12th in Durango. Registration is currently available.
This newsletter is filled with exciting opportunities - and stay tuned for updates on upcoming events!
Sincerely,
Kelly Manning
State Director
Colorado Small Business Development Center Network |
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Leading Edge
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Online: NxLevel Online for Entrepreneurs
- Online / Rolling Enrollment
- More Information
Denver Metro SBDC: NxLevel for Start-ups
- Jun 13 - Aug 22
- More Information
Boulder SBDC: Leading Edge Entrepreneurship Series for Start-Ups
- Jun 4 - Aug 26
- More Information
Boulder SBDC: Leading Edge Entrepreneurship Series for Start-Ups
- Aug 27 - Nov 19
- More Information
Colorado Springs SBDC: NxLevel for Entrepreneurs
- Aug 30 - Nov 12
- More Information
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South Metro Denver SBDC Success Story: Sushimee
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In March of 2007, six-year-old Miles Louison started a small business called The Dessert Company LLC with the help of his mother, Lynnea.
 Miles wanted to start a company formed around a design: a candy concoction that was made to look like a piece of sushi. "I actually found [candy sushi] in a kids cookbook...I had never heard of it before and I thought it was a really cool recipe that would be fun to make because I love sushi and I love candy," said Miles. "I asked my mom to help me make it, and I really liked it, so I asked if we could start making it to sell to people."  Miles and Lynnea began selling to family and friends, and the word quickly spread. After being named the 2009 Colorado Minority Enterprise Youth Entrepreneur, Miles was featured on 9News and in the Aurora Sentinel, stories which were picked-up by national news outlets.
The accolades led to huge growth within the company. With the business moving full-steam ahead, Lynnea started looking to help Miles plan for the future. She enrolled in the Colorado Leading Edge course through the South Metro SBDC. Lynnea's work in the class allowed her to structure the business so that Miles could continue to own and operate it while going to school. "The SBDC courses and sessions helped me form a business plan, find the potential risks, and devise the strategies to mitigate them," said Lynnea. After just 10 weeks in the class, Miles and Lynnea signed a contract with a commissary kitchen, found people to make the products, and set up the candy shelf that facilitates online orders to vendors and customers. 
Miles also participated in and won the 2011 Denver Start-Up Weekend. Working with his team, Miles changed the name of the company to Sushimee, launched a new website, developed a new spicy candy sushi "Dragon Roll," and was introduced to executives from national food chains who are interested in selling his products at their locations. Coming off his Start-Up Weekend experience and looking forward to a bright future, Miles had this wisdom to offer to all entrepreneurs: "Any business can change in two days." |
| Consultant of the Month - Dale Clack | |  SBDC Business Consultant Dale Clack has over 15 years of experience in corporate financial management roles in the functions of corporate income tax, capital budgeting, controllership, and corporate finance. He was active as a CPA for 20 years, including six years with a "Big 4" CPA firm. Clack served for five years as the corporate CFO of a company with over $50 million in sales. He has been a business broker for over ten years and holds the Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation from the International Business Brokers Association. He has consulted with many small businesses about growth and exit strategies. Clack's expertise is in business valuation, capital structure, financial analysis, and the forecasting of cash flow and financial statements. His accomplishments include negotiating various agreements for over $40 million in loans and new equity capital, and developing strategies for debt and equity financing, debt restructuring, acquisitions and divestitures. Clack received his bachelor's degree in accounting from Michigan State University and an MBA in finance from Golden Gate University. Dale is a certified NxLeveL instructor. He was awarded the 2012 Consultant of the Year by the Colorado SBDC Network. Meet with Dale. |
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| Colorado Earns 'A' Grade from Small Businesses | |
Thumbtack.com, in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, released the second-annual Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey, showing that Colorado small businesses owners rated their state as among the most supportive in the nation.
The Thumbtack.com Small Business Friendliness Survey is the only survey to obtain data from an extensive, nationwide universe of job creators and entrepreneurs in order to determine the most business-friendly locations.
 "In surveying thousands of small businesses across America, we found that clear and consistent licensing regulations and relevant training programs were among their top priorities," said Sander Daniels, co-founder of Thumbtack.com. "Given its strong rating by small business owners for the second straight year, Colorado is definitely doing a lot of things right."
Some of the key findings for Colorado include:- Colorado small business owners gave the state an 'A' grade overall, up from last year's 'B+'.
- The state earned an 'A' for the quality and availability of its training and networking programs. Colorado also ranked in the top 10 for its online business resources.
- Nationally, professional licensing requirements were more important to small business owners than taxes in determining a state's overall business-friendliness, confirming the findings from last year's study.
- African-American and Hispanic small business owners were more likely than their white counterparts to encourage others to start a new business.
- Among major cities nationwide, Colorado Springs earned an 'A+'. Denver also fared well with an 'A-' overall grade. Each was improved from last year when they respectively earned an 'A' and a 'B+'.
The full survey results can be seen here and include full sets of rankings, easily searchable quotes from Colorado small businesses, regional comparisons within states, and more.
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| World Trade Day 2013 - PLUG IN to the Global Economy | |
 World Trade Day 2013 is the 40th Annual Rocky Mountain region's premier trade and investment conference with 500 expected participants from across the globe. This year's theme, "Plug into the Global Economy - How Technology Impacts Trade," will feature the latest technology tools available to help expand international business opportunities and showcase operational and marketing techniques, including improving your supply chain, connecting a global workforce, marketing to mobile devices, social media for international business and website search engine optimization. Demos of the world's most dynamic technology tools will be featured, as well as company success stories.
With a different theme every year, World Trade Day has become the Rocky Mountain region's most successful and exciting focal point for the international business community. Attendees gather to learn and discuss the most interesting and pressing issues facing global business today. Taking place on May 16th, World Trade Day coincides with World Trade Week, which was declared by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1935.
Registration and more information found here.
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2013 Denver Small Business Expo
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Pricing, marketing, financing, operations, materials. We know that nothing is very easy when you're running a small business. The Denver Office of Economic
Development is offering a free 2013 Small Biz Expo ,with three special features designed to make it easier to run a successful company.
The Small Biz Expo will include:
A special Denver Economic Forecast (2-2:45 p.m.) with the latest news on real estate, construction activity, employment, retail, and other factors expected to affect area small businesses in the months ahead.
A lenders' panel (3-3:45 p.m.) will bring together various public, private and nonprofit financing options to advise existing and aspiring entrepreneurs on landing the dollars they need to keep going.
A resource fair (2-5 p.m.) throughout the afternoon will include representatives from a wide array of public and nonprofit organizations who offer small business-building services.
The event will take place at the Denver Central Library, B2 Conference Center, 10 W. 14th Ave. Attendees are advised to use the library's west entrance. Reservations are not required and there is no cost. More information here.
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| The Ice House Entrepreneurship Program | |
 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 next session starts June 4th!
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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| Small Business Tip: More Than Just a Sales Portal - Jazz Up Your Online Store | |
What does your online storefront look like? How are you attracting customers to purchase a product they can't touch, feel or try until it arrives on their doorstep?
This is a common, yet often overlooked problem for small business owners who sell exclusively online through their own site or a third party site like Etsy or eBay. The lynchpin of small business success, whether online or off, often comes down to your differentiators - things like your core values, customer service and responsiveness, unique products, and community involvement. But without a physical storefront or face-to-face contact with customers, how do you weave all this into your online marketing strategy? Here are five ways to jazz up your online store.
1) Tell Your Story
One of the easiest ways to connect and appeal to online consumers is to tell your story. For example, say you run an online store that sells organic cupcakes, sourced from locally produced ingredients; you could showcase the inspiration behind the business using the "About Us" section. You could also elaborate from there to showcase the vendors that you work with to source your ingredients.
Don't forget to introduce yourself and the team behind your business. What's your story/passion? What did you do before this? How did you get started? What are your goals? Use plenty of images and videos if you can. For example, post a quick video intro or welcome message to virtually greet your customers.
2) Use Polished and Engaging Images
Images are an essential part of any online store. Consider hiring a professional photographer or even a friend who's good behind the camera to take good quality photos of the products you sell. Spend some time ensuring the photos are user-friendly from a flow and lay-out perspective, that they can be easily shared on social media, and that thety are truly representative of your brand.
What about your logo? What does it say about your brand? Is it memorable? Again, it's worth spending time and money getting it right.
3) Build Community
Use social media to extend your online presence. Go where your customers are and give them the opportunity to interact directly with you - whether it's Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn or online forums and message boards. Promote your social media presence on your website, in emails, etc. You can even branch out and extend your online store to Facebook. Read more in these blogs:
4) Ask for Feedback
Another effective way to engage with your customers beyond the transaction itself is to seek feedback. Online surveys, polls, and social media discussions all afford an opportunity to better get to know your consumers. Consider adding product rating or review options to your online store and keep an eye on your third party review listings (Yelp, OpenTable, Google+ Local, etc.).
5) Blog!
Blogs are incredibly important to online businesses - they improve your search engine rankings, personalize your website, give people a reason to keep coming back, and give you an indirect way to promote all that you do.
What should you write about? How do you get started? These blogs have loads of tips and are some of the most popular blogs on SBA.gov:
This tip brought to you by Caron Beesely and the SBA, see the remaining tips here.
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| Veteran Entrepreneur Training Symposium | | |
The National Veteran Small Business Coalition (NVSBC) announces the return of the Veteran Entrepreneur Training Symposium (VETS) for the third consecutive year at the Silver Legacy Hotel in Reno, Nevada from June 10-13, 2013.
VETS2013 will assemble more than 500 stakeholders to discuss how to take full advantage of federally-mandated contracting opportunities specifically for veteran-owned small businesses. The event includes representatives from the veteran small business community, federal agencies and prime contractors who exchange knowledge and business opportunities in the classroom, exhibit hall and in the one-on-one business sessions.
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| Colorado Business Resource Book - Ad Space Available | |
 The Colorado Business Resource Guide is one of the most successful and comprehensive business start-up guides in the nation. It is made possible by a collaborative effort between federal and state business assistance agencies and the private sector. As federal and state agency budgets are reduced, this public-private partnership has become the most cost-effective way to produce this tremendous guide.
The new updated and improved business resource guide will be available this summer. Ad space is still available. For guidelines and info, contact Bart Taylor at btaylor.media@gmail.com.
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Colorado Small Business Development Center
a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade
1625 Broadway, Ste. 2700, Denver, CO 80202
303-892-3840 | www.coloradosbdc.org | sbdc@state.co.us
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