Small Business Connections                               December 2012 

Welcome to Small Business Connections! 

 

The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Waubonsee Community College is here to serve your small business needs. We offer free business counseling to entrepreneurs and business owners, as well as a variety of small business workshops.

 

Call us today at (630) 906-4143 to learn how we can help you start or grow your business.
Small Business Spotlight
Elder Day Center   

 

Elderday Center in Batavia provides supervised adult day programming for seniors to promote their independence for as long as possible. They are also the caregiver support specialist for Kane County, providing counseling and resources for caregivers to support them in their work.

 

Traci Eggleston started with Elderday Center as an intern in 2008 while she was completing her Masters in Social Work. She came to the center with ten years of clinical experience in the Health Care industry. However, when she was named Elderday's executive director last year, Traci said she "was struggling under the weight of leadership".

 

Traci reached out to the IL Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Waubonsee Community College for assistance. Elderday was undergoing change, and while she had the passion and the clinical knowledge, she felt that she was missing the management experience needed to lead the organization in a new direction.

 

After meeting with Traci to assess and discuss management strategies for the organization, the SBDC used Jobs Act grant funds to provide Traci with leadership coaching by Rick Lochner, owner of RPC Leadership Associates, Inc.  

 

Rick's expertise in executive and leadership coaching, coupled with his experience working with local non-profit organizations, was a perfect fit for Traci's needs. Working with Rick, Traci acquired the skills she needed to take the reins of Elderday and manage the organizational restructuring project. She applied the skills she learned to help her manage personnel succession issues related to the change, and gave her the confidence she needed to make decisions.

 

"After working with Rick, and the SBDC, I felt revitalized and more passionate about my job. I became energized about leading. Since then, I have seen the organization change, and the staff responding better and working together as a team," said Traci. "I am thankful for this opportunity to grow. The help I received from Rick and the SBDC has truly made a difference in our organization."

 

You can learn more about Elderday services on their website at  www.elderdaycenter.org or you can visit them at 328 W. Wilson St., Batavia, IL or call them at (630) 761-9750.

 
Biz Buzz

Secrets to Success for Home-Based Business Owners    

 

Running a business out of your home has perks, as well as problems. Of course you save a ton in overhead expenses. But how do you stay competitive, keep up with trends, and market yourself to prospective customers? Here are few tips to help make your home-based business successful:

   

Jump in with both feet

If you have one foot in the living room and one in the office, your business will suffer. Be intentional about your business. Have a business plan and financial goals, practice proper record keeping, and invest in business management tools such as Accounting and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. Get a separate phone line and tie it to your mobile phone if you are out frequently. Or, consider a virtual assistant if you want to make sure that every call is answered immediately.

 

Get focused and organized

Laundry, kids, and home repair projects never stop calling, so plan ahead to minimize distractions. Time management is a common problem for home-based business owners. For starters, I recommend non-technical tools like a white board and office space with a door. Set goals, prioritize tasks, and don't be a slave to your email box.

 

Use Google Docs, Dropbox or similar tools to make sure you can access the documents you need wherever you are. A calendar that can go mobile is also a must.

 

Look the part

Just because you are small, doesn't mean you have to look small. Marketing is everything, even for home-based businesses. Spend some money on a high quality web site with SEO (search engine optimization) and social media tools. Freshen content regularly with success stories, educational content, and product updates.   Make sure your marketing material and product labeling has a professional look. First impressions are critical - don't lose customers because they made an assumption about your abilities based on your look.

 

Stay on your toes

It's easy to get comfortable hanging out in your holey jeans and slippers at your home office. But even if you can build customers from there, you'll need the stimulation, camaraderie, and creativity of outside contacts. Make it a point to attend networking events, seminars and other outside events to keep your mind sharp and your business visible.

 

Check out this article in Entreprenur.com for other common mistakes to avoid.  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224875?cam=Dev&ctp=Carousel&cdt=4&cdn=224875   

 

For help growing your home-based business, call the IL SBDC at Waubonsee at (630) 906-4143 or email us at [email protected].

 

Biz Bitz

Business Foundations Workshop 

   

The Business Foundations Workshop is designed to help your business with the essentials of being a successful company. We have gathered professionals from the fields of law, accounting, banking, insurance, marketing and finance/investment to help guide you on a path to success.

Please call our office at (630) 906-4143 to sign up for this
FREE workshop!

Date: Saturday, December 8, 2012
Time: 8:30 a.m. - Noon
Where: Aurora Campus, Room 318
 
 
Illinois Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit
Are you hiring?  Apply for the $2,500 Illinois Small Business Job Creation Tax Credit & Expanded Jobs Creation Program for eligible business as of July 1, 2012.

Small Business
  • Eligible if, as of July 1, 2012, you employed 50 or fewer full-time employees (counting all locations).
  • Not-for-profit and Professional Employer Organizations are eligible to receive credit.
Eligible Jobs
  • Newly created, full-time position (part-time / contractual positions are not eligible).
  • Created between 7/1/12-6/30/16.
  • Position pays no less than $10/hour or the equivalent annualized salary of $18,200.
  • Position sustained for at least one year (not necessarily held by the same individual for the year).
  • Withholding tax goes to Illinois.
Tax Credits
  • Tax Credit certificate will be issued one year from the hire date.
For more information please visit their website or view full information full information here.

Credit Counseling Workshop
Quad County Urban League will be conducting a Credit Counseling Workshop on Friday December 14th, 2012 from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Attend this workshop to get smart about credit, learn how much you owe and how to improve your credit score. To register please call Michael Rayford at (630) 851-2203. For more information please view the full event flier or visit their website at www.qcul.org.

Government Contracting 101
Did you know the federal government is spending more than $500 billion a year on products and services? Did you know that 23% of those dollars are strictly set aside for small businesses? This session will offer practical and basic information for understanding government contracting, identifying governmental opportunities and how to be registered as a government vendor.

This FREE workshop is going to be held at the Aurora Campus room 212 on December 6, 2012 from 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. For more information please view our event flier. To register feel free to call the SBDC at (630) 906-4143.

Get Smart: Small Business Workshops at Waubonsee

Starting Your Business in Illinois ($30)                     

Wed., Dec. 5, 6-9 p.m. (Aurora)
Wed., Jan. 9, 6-9 p.m. (Aurora)
Thur., Feb. 7, 6-9 p.m. (Plano)
Tue., March 12, 6-9 p.m. (Aurora)
Thur., April 11, 6-9 p.m. (Sugar Grove) 

 

Marketing for Small Business ($30)

Tue., Feb. 12, 6-9 p.m. (Aurora) 

Thur., Apr. 18, 6-9 p.m. (Sugar Grove)

 

Is Franchising Right for You? ($30)

Wed., March 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Aurora)

 

Social Media Marketing for Small Business ($30)

Wed., Jan. 23, 6-9 p.m. (Aurora) 

Thur., April 4, 6-9 p.m. (Sugar Grove)

 

Google for Business ($30)

Wed., April 24, 6-9 p.m. (Aurora)

 

Facebook for Business ($15)

Thur., March 7, 12-1 p.m. (Online)

Wed., May 7, 7-8 p.m. (Online) 

Register at Waubonsee Tickets 

 

Step Into Retail ($30)

Tue., Feb. 19, 6-9 p.m. (Aurora)

 

Power Networking ($30)

Tue., Feb. 26, 6-8 p.m. (Aurora)  

 

Business Challenge Workshop ($15)

Tue., Jan. 29, 8-10 a.m. (Plano)

Thur., April 25, 8-10 a.m. (Plano)

Register at Waubonsee Tickets 

 

Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Law ($30)

Wed., Jan. 30, 6-8 p.m. (Aurora)
Tue., May 7, 6-8 p.m. (Aurora)

Register at Waubonsee Tickets 

 

Check seminar details for the full list, class descriptions, locations, ticket numbers, and pricing. To sign up, complete and submit the registration form. For additional  information call the Illinois SBDC office at (630) 906-4143.   

QuickBooks and Excel

A variety of QuickBooks and Excel classes are available to meet your small business accounting needs. Click here for complete class descriptions, locations, dates, times and costs. 

Illinois SBDC at Waubonsee Community College

Funded  in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.  All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA or DCEO.

Join Our Mailing List