Creating opportunities for people to live, work, & thrive on the Lower Cape | |
Inside Scoop - October 2023 | |
Bringing you the latest tools to help your business. | |
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October is a time of prosperity, when farmers harvest their crops. Here on the Lower Cape, where there are many seasonal businesses, it is the month where those businesses close for 2023 and begin to plan for 2024. Those businesses that are open year round are evaluating whether they hit their projected earnings during the busy summer months or need to recalibrate for the remainder of the year. The CDP is here for all of it.
October is National Women's Small Business Month. According to the Small Business Administration, in 1972, there were a little over 400,000 women-owned businesses in the United States. By 2019, women-owned businesses represented 42% of all U.S. businesses and generated $1.9 trillion worth of revenue. Today, there are over 13 million women-owned businesses and counting. Check out this list of resources for women-owned businesses compiled by the Small Business Majority.
The CDP is a proud supporter of women-owned business, having worked with over 1,400 women-owned businesses. Our friends at WE CAN have spent over 20 years empowering women business owners. One example of the way they support women business owners and entrepreneurs is their GROW (Getting Results with Others' Wisdom) program. There's still time to register for a GROW Information Session. The CDP is collaborating with WE CAN and Amplify POC Cape Cod to offer a Small Business Roundtable with a Focus On E-Commerce on November 8th for women business owners and entrepreneurs.
One of the challenges faced by all business owners, especially women, is access to child care. The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce is providing grants for eligible new family child care providers. Priority will be given to new providers operating in Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans, Chatham, Brewster, and Harwich. Providers in other towns are encouraged to apply and will be considered. Grants of up to $5,000.00 will be awarded to purchase goods and materials needed to equip and operate a Family Child Care program. To apply, complete the form HERE and email noelle@capecodchamber.org.
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Like what you read in the Inside Scoop and other CDP
e-newletters? Want to be a part of the CDP's efforts to lead the Lower Cape in creating a diverse, year-round community that can live, work, and thrive? Come work with us at the CDP! We're hiring for roles that come with a vital mission, a talented and fun team, and great professional growth opportunities. If you know someone who would be a great fit, please send them my way. Learn more about opportunities to work with the CDP here. The CDP is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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Inside Scoop at a glance:
CDP Workshops
Artists - Workshops & Gatherings
Food Related Workshops, Grants, and Opportunities
General Business Workshops and Information
Other Resources for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs
CDP's Small Business Services - Regional Office Hours
To learn more about these workshops and programs, as well as other topics important to your business, please see below. As always, if there is a business topic that comes up for which you need more information or assistance, please reach out to us and we will help find resources to answer your questions.
We look forward to working with you!
Pam & Tricia
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CDP Small Business Referral Program - Refer a Business
Earn a chance to win a $100 gift certificate
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Each month anyone who refers an entrepreneur or business owner to the CDP will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift certificate from a local business. We will draw a winner on the 15th of each month. Here are the details:
- Be sure the person you refer to the CDP tells Pam or Tricia that you referred them
- One entry per referral - refer 3 businesses, earn 3 entries. etc.
- Drawing will be held on the 15th of each month
- CDP Staff, Board Members and Advisory Council Members are not eligible to participate in the referral raffle program (although we welcome your referrals!)
Congratulations to the October 2023 winner: Jessica Brown of Cape Cod Cleaning will receive a $100 gift certificate to a CDP business client on the Lower Cape.
REFER A BUSINESS TODAY AND
YOU MAY BE THE LUCKY WINNER IN NOVEMBER!
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WECAN GROW Information Sessions | |
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GROW, Getting Results with Others' Wisdom,
supports women entrepreneurs with business development.
GROW, Getting Results with Others' Wisdom, offered by WE CAN, is a peer mentoring program that empowers women entrepreneurs with the support and tools they need to be successful in their businesses. Professional women with years of experience provide guidance and support. WECAN is offering its GROW Program for women entrepreneurs for a seventh year.
At the program's core are the women business owners who form a strong network and share information and ideas with one another. An expert in business facilitates each of these meetings and provides additional insight and guidance from her own business experience. Women grow their business as a pathway to self-sufficiency.
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Small Business Roundtable:
Focus On E-Commerce
November 8th 10:00 - 11:30 (virtual)
Being a small business owner means choosing the right platforms to boost your marketing, brand and income generation.
Join us for this dynamic panel of expert volunteers to learn more about e-commerce and optimizing and monetizing your online presence and efforts.
Presenters: Pam Andersen of the Community Development Partnership; Laurel Ryan of Nautically Northern; and Naticia Thorpe-Reid of MiniMe Clothing Boutique
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Small Business Roundtable:
Focus on Taking Care of Business
January 10, 2024 10:00 - 11:30 (virtual)
Join the CDP, Amplify POC Cape Cod, and WECAN as we present a Small Business roundtable discussion focusing on Taking Care of Business. Hear from expert panelists and workshop participants about best practices surrounding organizing and insuring your business, human resources, and more. Panelists will include a business law attorney, a human resources professional, an insurance professional, and an employment law attorney.
Details and registration coming this soon!
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QuickBooks Online
January 11, 18 & 25, 2024
9:30 - 11:00 (virtual)
Join Crystal Mucci, owner of CRM Bookkeeping & Consulting and a SCORE Subject Matter Expert, to learn how to correctly set up your QuickBooks Online and then how to navigate the program. Topics include how to: write checks; collect money; estimate; invoice; track time; pay bills; make bank deposits; run reports; set up budgets; set up loans; buy and depreciate equipment; send out collections letters; turn estimates into invoices; memorize transactions and more. The final workshop will include a Q&A session, to address items that participants may need further work on.
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Artist Specific Workshops and Gatherings | |
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2023/2024 Capacity Building Grant for Artists on the Cape and Islands
Apply by November 17th at midnight
Individual artists are essential to a vibrant arts and culture ecosystem, but developing a successful creative career has unique challenges. That's why the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod is offering the Creative Exchange Capacity Building Grant Program, a 6-month cohort program providing Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket artists with the entrepreneurial support they need to grow and thrive in the cultural sector.
The ultimate goal of this program is to increase the long-term financial resiliency and business success of these artists.
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Grants for Creative Individuals
Applications open through December, 2023
Mass Cultural Council is finalizing a new program to equitably support creative expression with $5,000 grants to individuals throughout the Commonwealth. In FY24, we expect to award $1.8 million to artists, culture bearers, and creative individuals in all artistic/creative disciplines through this new program. More information to come in Fall 2023.
Sign up for Artist News to receive updates about this and other opportunities.
Application Opens: October 2023
Application Deadline: December 2023
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Instagram Basics: Build a Following, Increase Engagement, and Analytics
Pre-recorded Webinar offered by Assets4Artists
Instagram is a visual social media platform with over a billion monthly active users. How can artists best use this platform to grow their audience and make the most out of the time they invest in the platform? Join Francesca Olsen, a multidisciplinary artist, writer and consultant with more than 15 years of experience in marketing and communications, from branding to digital strategy, to learn how.
This workshop, covers both the basics of Instagram growth—designing varied content; best use of hashtags, reels and stories; “Link in Bio” best practices; and the difference between personal, creative, and business accounts—before moving on to IG analytics, the platform’s changing algorithm, and “hacks” to make stories more graphically appealing. Best suited for artists of all disciplines who currently have 3,000 followers or fewer.
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Food Related Workshops, Grants, and Opportunities | |
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Starting, Growing, and
Managing a Food Business
October - November, 2023
6:00 - 7:30 pm (virtual)
Do you have an idea for a new food business? Have you been growing or making food for friends and family and want to take it to the next level? Have you been working for a food business, but you want to be better prepared to take on a decision-making role? Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture can help!
Sessions are free and open to anyone. If you self identify as BIPOC or low-income, or if you need interpretation into English, you are eligible to get:
* $30 – $60 per workshop
* Interpretation and/or translation
* Up to five hours of free one-on-one coaching on any topic(s) of your choice.
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Start a Food Biz Workshop
November 8th 5-7 pm (virtual)
CommonWealth Kitchen's Start a Food Biz workshop is perfect for aspiring food business entrepreneurs in the idea-stage and the about-to-launch phase of food business growth.
The workshop will cover:
* Regulatory requirements for different types of food businesses
* Considerations for starting a food truck, catering company, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) company
* Best practices and resources for food safety, packaging, branding and more
* Business Plan Overview
* Case studies of strong food companies - what to do, what not to do!
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Wholesale Readiness Program
for Food Entrepreneurs
January - May, 2024 (virtual)
Are you an early-stage, but established food entrepreneur selling a consumer packaged good (CPG) or value-added product? Are you primarily selling direct to consumer and ready to begin selling to stores (or more stores!) in your region? Join this program for food entrepreneurs to learn from industry experts and entrepreneurs like yourself who have grown their CPG brands in the Northeast.
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Learn:
* Cost Analysis, Pricing & Profit Margins
* Market Analysis, Branding & Marketing
* Sales Strategy & Developing Relationships with Store Buyers
* Working with Food Distributors
* Production scaling
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General Business Workshops and Information | |
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Artificial Intelligence Tools for Small Businesses
October 24th 12:00 - 1:00 (virtual)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are already being leveraged by millions of users to tackle tasks such as writing blogs and creating business documents. Most users are reporting up to an 80% reduction in effort while achieving better quality outputs.
These tools can be surprisingly easy to use, but like any new tool require some orientation and explanation. Join SCORE Mentor Jeff Bodenstab (Rhode Island) and Subject Matter Expert Rob Stutzman (Boston) for a demonstration of two of the most popular new tools, ChatGPT for creating text and DALL·E 2 for creating images. They will demonstrate how to use these tools, examples of where they can be most useful, and tips and techniques for getting the most out of them.
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Effective Websites Get Desired Results
November 9th 8:30 - 10:00 (virtual)
Your web site is your digital front door. It can be your best salesperson, or the weakest link for supporting your business performance. Whether you are an ecommerce shop, a brick and mortar business, or a non-profit, your web site should be built to deliver a desired result. In this webinar, we will explore a step-by-step process for creating an effective web site by: 1. Outlining the goals of a web site; 2. Exploring best practices for content and creativity; 3. Looking at examples of great web sites, and ones that could use improving; and 4. Offering an overview of the latest tools so you can see how your web site is being used.
This is not a hands-on design focused on a specific platform – it’s a discussion of a process that works for any platform.
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Independent Hospitality Property Owners
November 14th 12:00 - 1:30 (virtual)
This workshop will focus on the elements of your property’s value and the plan you need to realize your desired return over the long term. SCORE Mentor, Carol Edmonson will provide you with practical tips on how to create a plan that maximizes your chances to achieve your goals.
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Creating an Exit Strategy
November 29th 9:00 - 10:30 (virtual)
You have built a successful business. Now it is time to begin to plan for life after business. This takes planning, in consultation with others.
In this webinar, we will explore the key elements to building a successful exit strategy. Registration is required for this webinar.
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Small Business Energy Information | |
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Cape Light Compact
Energy Efficiency for Your Business - Start saving now
As a business owner, you know the importance of reducing costs whenever possible. Decreasing energy use through energy efficiency is a proven way to reduce costs while also enhancing the comfort and productivity of your workspace.
By participating in Cape Light Compact's energy efficiency programs (your local Mass Save® Sponsor), you have the opportunity to choose your path to energy savings. The program designed for you is determined by the amount of electricity you use each year and the type of project you are planning to undertake.
Not sure which path to take, or have questions? Contact Cape Light Compact at efficiency@capelightcompact.org or 1-800-797-6699 to discuss your project.
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WE CAN Business Law Consults | |
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Free Business Law Consults Available
Free, half-hour legal consults in business law are available each month from WE CAN legal volunteers. Learn about the best way to organize your business, things to consider in drafting partnership agreements, understand your liability exposure, advantages of registering as a women owned business entity, and more.
Contact WE CAN to schedule an appointment for a Business Law Consult.
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CDP Regional Office Hours | |
The CDP thanks these organizations for the opportunity to use their space to meet with clients and for their demonstrated support of small businesses and entrepreneurs on the Lower Cape | |
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CDP Small Business Services
How Can We Help Your Business?
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Individual Business Guidance
Are you self-employed, a solopreneur or a small business owner who lives or works on the Lower Cape?
The CDP offers individual business guidance for all types of businesses, including:
*creating business plans, cash flow and other financial statements
*marketing and e-commerce
*business formation and organization
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Individual Mentoring through SCORE
A resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE’s mission is to grow small businesses one business at a time.
SCORE Cape Cod offers individual mentoring across the Cape. The CDP partners with SCORE to offer mentoring on the Lower Cape.
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QuickBooks Help tailored to your needs!
Did you struggle putting your records together to give your accountant?
Do you use QuickBooks but need to learn how it can do a better job for you and provide you with the information you need when you need it?
CDP Staff offers QuickBooks help. Follow the link below and schedule an appointment to get your business on track.
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Need a microloan?
The CDP has microloans up to $50,000 for small businesses on the Lower and Outer Cape. Visit our website for complete program details and eligibility requirements.
Visit Chequessett Chocolate.
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THANK YOU to Our Small Business Program Supporters | |
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Mass Growth Capital Corporation
Cape Air
Cape Cod Five Charitable Foundation Trust
Rockland Trust
Santander Bank
Seamen's Bank Long Point Charitable Foundation
USDA Rural Development
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. | | | | |
