Business News for June 14, 2021 |
|
Today's message includes the following news, best practices, and online courses:
- Ideadvance Seed Fund: Money + Mentorship = Growth
- Small Business Tax Credit Programs
- E-Commerce Funding
- Are You Onboarding Employees Virtually?
- Client Spotlight: Yips Yogurt Chips
- Webinar: Making the Most of Your Bank's Digital Products
- Navigating Transitioning Social Norms During the Pandexit
- Entrepreneur in Training Partnership Supports Formerly Incarcerated Future Business Owners
- For fun: A sneak preview!
Upcoming Learning Opportunities:
- Fearless Performance Management
- Biz Smart Sprint
- Communication & Delegation
- Leading with Emotional Intelligence
- Wordpress v. Wix: Which is Right for Your Business?
|
|
Business News, Updates, and Best Practices |
|
Ideadvance Seed Fund: Money + Mentorship = Growth
Applications open through July 9
|
The Ideadvance program fosters teams across a variety of industries that want to advance a scalable, profitable business model. Grants ranging from $15,000 to $30,000 are earned after demonstrating key learnings toward commercialization goals. The deadline to apply is July 9. View step-by-step instructions and an introductory video on their website.
|
|
Surplus Personal Property for Veteran-Owned Small Business
new program offers opportunity to obtain federal surplus property
|
Thanks to the Veterans Small Business Enhancement Act of 2018, Public Law No. 115-416, eligible small businesses owned and controlled by veterans can now obtain federal surplus property through the program. Surplus property includes vehicles, office equipment, and tools that the federal government no longer needs.
|
|
Small Business Tax Credit Programs
Did you know that the American Rescue Plan extends certain tax benefits to small businesses?
-
Extends the availability of the Employee Retention Credit for small businesses through December 2021 and allows businesses to offset their current payroll tax liabilities by up to $7,000 per employee per quarter.
-
Extends through September 2021 the availability of Paid Leave Credits for small and midsize businesses that offer paid leave to employees who may take leave due to illness, quarantine, or caregiving.
|
|
E-Commerce Funding
financing options for e-commerce businesses
|
While some retailers sell products in physical stores, others sell online. While these online businesses have no storefront, they still have expenses. Taking out e-commerce financing, whether that’s a term loan or a line of credit, allows you to have the cash flow to purchase inventory, pay staff, and cover other business expenses. Just like any kind of financing, you will pay back the money you have borrowed over time with interest.
|
|
Are You Onboarding Employees Virtually?
tips from the Association for Talent Development (ATD)
|
Designing a strong onboarding program requires first determining your overarching goals — whether that program is in person or online. First, determine:
- What are your organizational needs?
- What are your performance needs?
- What are your learning needs?
- What do learners need?
To find out the answers to these questions, you can use surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, or other methods. Senior managers, operational managers, HR, and current and past employees can help you obtain the information you need. From there, you can write program objectives.
|
|
It takes a village to start a product, and no one is more aware of that than Erin Vranas of Parthenon Gyros. Seeking a healthy option, Erin wanted to transform her favorite yogurt bowls – with toppings! – into portable, non-refrigerated snacks.
Erin is currently focused on scaling her product – she had to double, then quadruple her production capacity in just a few weeks! What are she and the Yipsters focusing on next? Learn more in the full SBDC Success Story, below.
|
|
Webinar: Making the Most of Your Bank's Digital Products
offered by the GMCC tomorrow, June 15!
|
This event, led by Kathy Blumreich of Monona Bank, is not banking institution-specific and will help dig into some of the digital tools offered by most institutions, as well as tips, tricks and best practices around fraud and security.
Interested in attending?
|
|
Entrepreneur in Training Partnership Supports Formerly Incarcerated Future Business Owners |
Candidates for the program are stable in reentry with a job and housing, and have access to a computer and internet to participate in the Zoom class. The next cohort starts on Monday, July 26 and finishes Monday, October 18. It will meet on Mondays and Thursdays from 6-8pm.
Interested? Fill out this application, and you will be contacted for an interview.
|
|
Navigating Transitioning Social Norms During the Pandexit |
Small business owners and customers alike are experiencing a range of emotions as the economy begins to reopen and employees are returning to work or seeing the return of larger numbers of customers and colleagues.
Everyone is re-evaluating social codes and determining their own paths to reentry and norms - how will this look in your workplace?
|
|
|
|
For fun: A sneak preview! |
Here at the SBDC, we have been working with Clouds North Films to create a series of informational videos that help new entrepreneurs learn the basics, like choosing an entity type, working with a bank to receive business financing, and much more! We can't wait to share these videos with you in the coming months! |
|
Upcoming SBDC Virtual Learning Opportunities |
|
Fearless Performance Management
starts June 21
|
For new and continuing managers alike, the performance management process can be an intimidating one. Yet this opportunity for two-way feedback can become one of your greatest assets as you and your team members work together collaboratively.
This class provides you with specific tools you can use to set performance goals, document and manage performance, maintain ongoing communication, and develop performance improvement plans.
|
|
|
Biz Smart Sprint
Starts July 15
|
Biz Smart Sprint is your introduction into the world of entrepreneurship. In this live, virtual 6-week course, you will learn the building blocks you need to become a successful entrepreneur. Each week, you’ll discover the key components you need to start a business, including the Business Model Canvas business planning tool, understanding your customers and market, developing a marketing strategy, legal and operational considerations, and financial basics. |
|
Leading with Emotional Intelligence
July 20, 2021
|
More than ever during the pandemic, being an emotionally intelligent leader has been a key factor in your organization's overall success.
Emotional Intelligence is all about people skills – how well you know yourself and your emotions and how well you read and interact with others and their emotions. Learn about how the brain, the body and emotions affect each other, and then how to better manage your own emotions and the emotions of others so you can have clearer, more accurate communications that create cooperation and collaboration in the workplace.
|
|
Communication & Delegation
Starts July 26, 2021
|
In this course, you will have the opportunity to take the DiSC assessment, which will help you better understand your own leadership style and gain insight into the priorities and abilities of other members of your team. By knowing how your team members process and prioritize information, you can better tap into their motivation, explain topics meaningfully, and delegate tasks in a way that enables both parties to be more confident and successful in the distribution of work. |
|
Wordpress v. Wix: Which is Right for Your Business?
July 8, 2021
|
This webinar shares the pros and cons of each system and tells small business and solopreneurs how to choose the platform to best fit their needs.
Ten categories are discussed and compared. Comes with downloadable notes and an online survey to help you pick the right system.
|
|
|
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW-Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or 608-263-2221 to request accommodations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
