Create a Winning Culinary Brand: The Secret to Success

Wednesday, November 20th, 2013 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Parkway Central Library, Montgomery Auditorium

1901 Vine Street, 19103

Learn how Philadelphia's mobile food culinary entrepreneurs built their businesses.

* Discuss the resources needed to create a successful mobile food business

* Explore the business strategy behind the mobile food concept

* Discover how a strong brand creates profitable returns

George Bieber, food truck proprietor and board member of the Philadelphia Mobile Food Association (PFMA), will look at the growing craze of unique street cuisine and the success of food truck businesses on the Philadelphia restaurant scene.

Moderator:

Jacqueline Jenkins, business advisor from the Wharton Small Business Development Center, has successfully raised early-stage capital and launched her own consulting practice.

Click here to register or call 215-686-5394 for more information.

We are able to offer this program free of charge in part because of our generous funders and partners:

One-on-One Session with a Patent Attorney

Wednesday, November 6th, 3 PM - 7 PM

Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street,
19103

Is your invention or idea patentable? Schedule a free appointment with John Childs, Jr., an attorney with the law firm Paul and Paul of Philadelphia specializing in Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law. Each appointment is for approximately 30 minutes. Space is limited.

Pre-registration is required. Appointments will only be scheduled by calling 215-686-5394.

Using Social Media for Small Business

Thursday, November 7th, 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM

Lovett Library, 6945 Germantown Avenue,
19119

Small business owners will learn how to best utilize social media to advertise their products and services during the upcoming holiday season. The program will be held in the meeting room of Lovett Library.

Marsha Pearson, of Constant Contact, is presenting this program.

To register, please call Marsha Pearson at 215-402-9082.

Also of Interest:

The Free Library is proud to introduce Leading Voices: Conversations from the C-Suite, a new lecture program featuring the brightest minds in business, brought to you by its award-wining Author Events Series and made possible by sponsor Brandywine Realty Trust.

The inaugural lecture on November 22 will feature Erik Prince, author of Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror. Additional featured authors include David Stockman (The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America), former Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan, on November 26 and Barnard College President Debora Spar (Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection) on December 12.

Tickets are $40 for each lecture and include a copy of the featured book as well as a continental breakfast in the lobby of Parkway Central sponsored by the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. Breakfast is available at 7:30 a.m., and the lecture begins at 8:00 a.m. in Montgomery Auditorium.

Buy Tickets!

November 22nd Erik Prince

November 26th David Stockman

December 12th Debora Spar

For more information on Leading Voices authors and tickets, visit freelibrary.org/authorevents or call 215-567-4341.

Databases for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

The Business, Science & Industry Department just finished our latest installment of the Business Plan Toolkit series. We present this series approximately every three months but due to the limited seating in our Technology Lab, we cannot reach everyone. However, even if a seat is unavailable the databases we cover are always available remotely. In the series, we cover four of our databases we suggest for writing your business plan or building your business:

ReferenceUSA: U.S. Businesses

Through the advanced search, users are able to identify their local competition or possible customers for business to business seekers. The database provides contact information as well as insight into the size and management of companies within your geographic and/or industry preferences.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

With this database's assortment of digital books, we direct entrepreneurs to the business section for electronic access to sample business plans, industry information and financial ratios and norms.

BusinessDecision

Finding your customer base, identifying where to advertise your business or isolating demographic changes in your business' location are a few of the ways BusinessDecision can help you. Users can look at the demographic changes of the entire state of Pennsylvania or find out how much disposable income is available in their zip code.

ReferenceUSA: OneSource

Initially this module of ReferenceUSA was used to locate industry information and international businesses. Over the last few years, it has evolved into one of our most valuable resources. "OneSource" contains hundreds, if not thousands, of recent market research reports and in depth management information of large international companies. Just by searching an industry, users find an interface full of news, market research reports, and the names of the largest shareholders.

These databases are available every day with your library card number and PIN here:

http://search.freelibrary.org/advSearch.cfm

The librarians at the Business, Science & Industry Department are available to answer your questions in person, on the phone or via email.

215-686-5394

erefbsi@freelibrary.org