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News from the Western Kentucky University
Small Business Development Center |
Small Town Merchant Program
*****Attention Retail and Restaurant Owners******
Independent retailers and restaurants are the heart and soul of small towns and main streets across Kentucky. Yet their very survival is being threatened by intense competition from large national chains, the growing impact of internet sales and daily challenges like inventory control, advertising, merchandising and staffing. Help is on the way through the efforts of the Kentucky Small Business Development Centers (KSBDC) and Marc Wilson, a nationally recognized expert in small town retailing.
Marc Wilson is a National Retail Consultant with 35 years of experience helping retailers, restaurants and tourism-related small business. With help from the KSBDC, Marc is coming to South Central Kentucky to help our local merchants successfully compete in the changing world of retailing. He will provide a group seminar followed by individual one-on-one consultations with a few select local retailers. The entire program is totally FREE, but you need to sign up!
We strongly encourage local merchants to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Business owners who wish to have a 90 minute one-on-one consultation MUST attend one of the seminars.
Small Town & Merchant Program highlights
- 2 hour seminar designed to give local merchants insights, tips and tools on how to compete in the changing world of small town retailing.
- Individual one-on-one 90 minute consultation with a few selected retailers. Marc will provide a business assessment and audit for each of these retailers.
- On-going business assistance and follow up will be provided by the WKU Small Business Development Center
Marc will be in South Central Kentucky May 28th through June 1 conducting two seminars and one-on-one business evaluations and consultations:
- Tuesday, May 28: Seminar at the WKU Glasgow Campus, 8:00am-10:00am. To register Click Here, After the seminar Marc will be available to conduct on-site business evaluations in Glasgow and surrounding counties.
- Wednesday, May 29: Marc will be conducting on-site business evaluation in Hart County and surrounding counties.
- Thursday, May 30: Seminar in Bowling Green at the WKU Center for Research and Development, 2413 Nashville Rd, 8:00am-10: am. To register Click Here, after the seminar Marc will be available to conduct on-site business evaluations in Bowling Green and Warren County.
- Friday, June 1, Marc will be conducting on-site evaluations in Bowling Green and surrounding counties.
To learn more, call us at 270-745-1905. Sign up today!
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Small Business Financing Experts
The Colman Report
Morning Brief
May 1, 2013
 By Bob Coleman
Editor
Says a new Wells Fargo small business survey. Posting similar results as the recently released US Bank survey, most entrepreneurs are wary of the economy, but are comfortable with their performance.
While the Index is down from a year ago (April 2012), it's the third highest reading since July 2008.
* 48 % say their cash flow was very good or somewhat good over the past 12 months, up significantly from 41 percent in January. This is the best cash flow reading since the first quarter of 2009.
* 53% expect their cash flow to be very or somewhat good over the next 12 months.
* 61% are comfortable with their debt load.
* 32% have never borrowed money.
21% say attracting customers and new business is their biggest challenge. Government regulations was the second most frequent mention at 10%, followed by the weak economy at 9%, taxes at 9%, healthcare at 8% and access to credit at 4%.
"While we are seeing measured signs of recovery and businesses in general continue to improve their balance sheets, small business owners are still uncertain about the future," said Marc Bernstein, Wells Fargo head of Small Business. "Small business owners, who now have stronger cash flow than at any time since the start of the Great Recession, tell us they're focused on generating more steady sales, and many are holding off making investments in their business until that happens."
Read More
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Online Training
SBA's Small Business Training Network is a virtual campus complete with free online courses, workshops, podcasts, learning tools and business-readiness assessments.
Key Features of the Small Business Training Network:
Training is available anytime and anywhere - all you need is a computer with Internet access.
* More than 30 free online courses and workshops available.
* Templates and samples to get your business planning underway.
* Online, interactive assessment tools are featured and used to direct clients to appropriate training.
Course topics include a financial primer keyed around SBA's loan-guarantee programs, a course on exporting, and courses for veterans and women seeking federal contracting opportunities, as well as an online library of podcasts, business publications, templates and articles.
SBA.com
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 The Kentucky Small Business Development Center is a network of 15 offices located throughout the commonwealth that help existing and start-up businesses succeed by offering high quality, in-depth and hands-on services. These services include: no-cost confidential business consultations, affordable business workshops, seminars and research to help business owners make informed business decisions. For more information or to locate a consultant near you, visit www.ksbdc.org.
"Funded through support from the City of Bowling Green's Community Development Block Grant Program"
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Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of SBA. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.
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The Western Kentucky University Small Business Development Center is hosted by Western Kentucky University.
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