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Window of Opportunity
Learn More about Government Contracting & Procurement Opportunities for all Types of Small Businesses
from experts from the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Center PTAC, Y12 and Vendor Registry This event will take place at the Kingsport Center for Higher Education on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. It's free to attend, you just need to tell us you are coming! Click here to attend. [Official High Res Flyer on Pinterest] |
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HELP WANTED!
Phil's Dream Pit
For Phil's Dream Pit inquiries call Dianna at 423-948-9188 or e-mail philsdreampit@aol.com.
For Times Digital Group inquires, e-mail David Cate at 423-392-1471
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Veterans, Women & Minorities Take Note
WOMEN
Why get certified as a woman-owned business?  Benefits:
- Exclusive government contracts
- Preferential selection for business
- Reputation in community
KOSBE can help you get your woman-owned business certification today!
VETERANS Kingsport Chamber President and CEO, Colonel Miles Burdine, led the Pledge of Allegiance on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at the Bristol Motor Speedway.  | | Colonel Miles Burdine |
MINORITIES
From the MBDA on Grants, "Despite what the late-night infomercials want you to believe, the federal government does not provide grants for business expansion and growth. There is no "free" money for you to start or grow a business. Grants.gov is the source to find and apply for federal grants. Grants.gov is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs and provides access to approximately $500 billion in annual awards. It does not provide personal financial assistance."
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The Office Depot Program
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Kingsport Chamber Members receive DEEPER DISCOUNTS THAN EVER BEFORE with the Office Depot National Chamber Program.
No strings attached.
Contact Kim Jones at
(423) 392.8805 for details!
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Get To Know Us!
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Aundrea Wilcox
Executive Director, KOSBE
Senior Business Counselor, TSBDC @ ETSU Kingsport Affiliate Office
Administrative & Marketing Coordinator, KOSBE &TSBDC @ ETSU Kingsport Affiliate Office |
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Greetings!
You are receiving this e-mail because of your relationship with either the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce, the Kingsport Office of Small Business Development & Entrepreneurship (KOSBE) or the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) at ETSU Kingsport Affiliate Office.
Each issue will be distributed monthly and will shine a light on a successful small business located within our region.
Thank you for your interest in our local small businesses and small business-related events, issues and information.
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The 411...
KOSBE Client and Innovation Award Honorable Mention is Making Moves!
 What some may recognize as the scavenger hunting application their kids used while in the car on the road or in a grocery store while shopping one day, NugZee World of Hunts will now be integrated into the City of Kingsport's Stormwater Utility Public Education and Outreach Program. The adapted app will be unveiled at EarthDay 2013 on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 8:00AM to 3:00PM. Kollin Day, founder of NugZee and creator of the application, reprogrammed the app to be used in conjunction with The Greenbelt Cleanup, another program involved in EarthDay 2013 led by Robin Cleary with Keep Kingsport Beautiful. Signs will be placed along the trail for the scavenger hunt. Additionally, Bay's Mountain and the Kingsport Birding Trail (KBT) will also be a part of the event. Cleary said, "I'm excited about [EarthDay 2013] because we've never had an earth day quite like this, pulling four organizations into one event." She continued, "The unveiling of Kollin's work with the Stormwater Utility will definitely be a highlight."
Day said, "The mobile gaming apps I've created for kids, "NugZee World of Hunts" and now "Finding Stormy" for the City of Kingsport, are all about reaching and engaging kids on their terms. By intertwining mobile gaming with children's surroundings, we create a whole new "healthier" gaming experience and an opportunity to educate and influence behaviors in a positive way." The app's character, "Stormy" (pictured above), will be materialized at the event as a mascot. Kids will not only be able to meet him, but they will also be able to jump in inflatable playgrounds, paint their faces, win prizes, play games, stop at various learning stations and much more. To find out more, contact Robin Cleary at (423) 392-814.
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Financing Your Business the SBA Way
Tuesday April 9, 2013
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Morristown Chamber of Commerce
825 W 1st N St
Morristown, TN 37814
Feat. PTAC, Y12 National Security Complex, Vendor Registry, and the SBA
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
1:00pm - 4:30pm
Kingsport Center for Higher Education
300 West Market Street
Kingsport, TN 37660
Feat. Kathy Richards, AdviCoach
Thursday, April 11, 2013
9:00AM - 11:00AM
Kingsport Chamber of Commerce
400 Clinchfield Street Ste. 100 Kingsport, TN 37660
Small Group Training: A Guide to Pinterest for Small Business
9:00AM - 11:00AM
Kingsport Chamber of Commerce
400 Clinchfield Street Ste. 100 Kingsport, TN 37660
9:00AM - 11:00AM
Kingsport Chamber of Commerce
400 Clinchfield Street Ste. 100 Kingsport, TN 37660
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Interested in being a sponsor for the 2013 Annual
KOSBE Awards?
Contact us at 423.392.8811 or e-mail at
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Photo Contest Update! KOSBE's 2013 Most Creative KOSBE Award Photo Contest
 | | Just a few of the submissions... Hilarious! |
If you didn't know already, the photo contest for all KOSBE Award Winners and Runners Up just ended. It was a contest to take the most interesting, appealing, creative, and/or funniest photo with their KOSBE Award.
The winners will be selected and announced on Monday, April 1st, 2013. They will win: A KOSBE Social Media Boost Kit! The kit includes: Two weeks of your business/photo as KOSBE - Award Winners' cover photo, creation of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube Channel, inclusion in KOSBE's e-magazines, featured article in the KOSBE/TSBDC newsletter and two tickets to the 2013 KOSBE Awards!!
Guidelines:
1) Submission portal open for three weeks beginning Monday, 3/4/13.
2) You can submit up to 5 photos.
3) Photos must contain the actual KOSBE award.
4) People in the photo are optional.
5) Professional and appropriate appearance.
6) Original and quality photos.
7) No text.
To view the photo submissions and weigh in your opinion, visit the FB event page The 2013 Most Creative KOSBE Award Photo Contest. Which photo do you think is the most creative??
Any questions? Call David @ 423.392.8811.
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The Cash Corner
What's Happening in the Money World
Micro Lender Kiva Passes One Million Borrowers
To balance the shocking banking news out of Cyprus and the EU, there is the good news that Kiva has announced it's passed the one-million borrower mark - to the tune of $400 million.
Kiva.org is the non profit micro lender that has also teamed with several small business development centers, including Valley EDC in Los Angeles.
http://www.vedc.org/client_network/spotlight.php?a=profile&id=198
Kiva is close to passing one million lenders also.
Kiva's community of 900,000 lenders crowdfund more than $1.5 million in loans per week.
Kiva claims a repayment rate of 98.9%, where lenders are able to relend their money again and again, or withdraw it from the system.
[Cred. Coleman Report]
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Facebook Marketing Case Study
By: David Schools
KOSBE Administrative & Marketing Coordinator
Kingsport Chamber member, Cureton Orthodonics, launched a video that went viral on December 31st, 2012. The video, "Cureton Ortho Rap Video" currently has 1,079 likes, 167 comments and 678 shares. We are going to hear from the creator, Dr. Scott Cureton, about how his regular, less-than-500-likes-business-page catapulted to over 1,600 page likes in less than 2 months.
KOSBE: Dr. Scott, your video is incredible. How did you come up with the idea?
Dr. Scott: I have always enjoyed music and videography and looked for ways that I could use my talents for our office. Since the point of the video was to entertain, we decided to go all out and make it a music video with dancing and rapping. I wrote new lyrics to an upbeat popular song, and made them about braces and brushing your teeth. Then we had everyone stay at the office during one of our lunch hours, ordered pizza and started filming. Over the next few months the footage was edited and some special effects added until finally we had a music video.
KOSBE: In what way(s) did you release it to the public?
Dr. Scott: We released the video both to our Facebook page as well as our YouTube channel. Within two weeks it had already reached over 30,000 people; most of whom were in the Tri Cities area.
KOSBE: Why do you think it was so viral/successful?
Dr. Scott: We are not sure why the video was such a success. Possibly it is due to the sheer absurdity of an orthodontist rapping. But we'd like to think that part of its success is due to the hard work we (i.e. the staff) put into it, to not only make it funny and entertaining, but to make sure it sounded and looked good as well.
KOSBE: Has it had any noticeable or direct benefits for your business and if so, how?
Dr. Scott: It is hard to tell how our "buzz" has had the most impact, but we regularly hear from new and existing patients how often they visit our Facebook page and how much they like our videos. They also regularly tell us how much they enjoy our office, our staff and our doctors. We think of our social media presence as an extension of our approach to orthodontics and our commitment to the Kingsport community.
Sneak peak!: Cureton Ortho has already started shooting the second music video which will be released on their Facebook page in April or May of this year. Visit their Facebook page here.
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We hope you enjoyed this issue of The Business Beacon and found it informational. We are always looking for new ideas and welcome your feedback.
Feel free to forward this issue to your friends, family, employees and/or colleagues. Sincerely, Your KOSBE and TSBDC at ETSU Kingsport Affiliate Office Staff |
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