Dear Readers,
April is National Volunteer Month. A month-long celebration of volunteerism and service.
The chapter mentors of San Luis Obispo SCORE are all volunteers. We don’t ever earn a penny for our efforts. As such, our array of Mentor and Workshop services are always FREE to our SCORE clients.
Our satisfaction in a service well done and our clients’ success is recompense enough.
We would like to extend a big thank you to all of our volunteers at SCORE who make it possible to provide these important services to our community!
April 23rd is also “National Take a Chance Day”. Those of you who are small business owners have decided to “take the chance”. Good for you! To those who are contemplating taking the leap, consider this… as of end 2022, 91% of SCORE’s “in business” clients were still in business and nearly half reported a revenue increase that year.
Whatever aspect of business, which you feel the need for advice---Business Planning, Financial, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Manufacturing, etc---we have mentors who have “been there, done that”.
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Joe Whitaker
Marketing Chair, SCORE San Luis Obispo
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Spotlight on: SCORE Client of the Month
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Rosemarie Holliday
Owner/Founder, Kern Infant Craniosacral Therapy
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One day Rosemarie Holliday looked at her husband and said “What if I started a private practice? What do you think about that?” Quickly, Craig, her husband responded, “I think that is a great idea!” With that, Kern Infant Craniosacral Therapy was born.
Rosemarie Holliday, Occupational Therapist and Infant Craniosacral Therapist, worked for months to create the private practice. She has a passion to help infants, and this was a way to continue that path. Though she works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in two hospitals in Bakersfield, opening a private practice caring for newborns was a dream she did not even realize she had until it was there in front of her. Rosemarie took courses in Craniosacral Therapy and fell in love with the way it helped both parents and newborns.
With the help of Rob Kornet and Mike Gordon of San Luis Obispo County SCORE, the business got some fine tuning that helped open its doors in January of 2024. Rob and Mike helped with the development of the business plan, financial counsel, advice on advertising and marketing strategies.
During a comprehensive evaluation, Rosemarie learns about every baby’s unique journey from pregnancy to birth and beyond. Once she diagnoses potential issues, she uses gentle touch to release the restrictions and help the baby restore balance. This helps the baby toward optimal functioning and development.
“A mom I was working with had pain all the way to her toes when she breastfed her baby on the left side. The baby had a tongue tie,” explains Rosemarie. “I released various bones and tissues in their mouths and their bodies.” During the first visit while breastfeeding, the mom saw an incredible difference. “This feels so much better,” she reported. By the third visit, there was no more pain during breastfeeding. The baby was also doing beautifully. “He eats fast, gets full, and has gained weight,” smiles Rosemarie. “Seeing that progress is really fulfilling.”
At Kern Infant Craniosacral Therapy, Rosemarie specializes in treating a wide range of conditions that affect infants, including torticollis, plagiocephaly, reflux, tongue ties, and birth trauma, among others.
Rosemarie credits her SCORE mentors with helping get her business off the ground. “They are an amazing support system. They think of great ideas and give advice that is always spot on. I am continuously grateful for all they have done to help me and support me as my practice gets going.”
For more information on Kern Infant Craniosacral Therapy, check out Rosemarie’s website mybalancedbaby.com.
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Save the Date: National Small Business Week Virtual Summit Happening April 30th - May 1st!
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On April 30 – May 1, 2024, the U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE will host the National Small Business Week Virtual Summit.
This event will feature a range of educational webinars, exhibition booths, complimentary business resources, various networking opportunities, and professional guidance from SCORE mentors.
This virtual summit, which spans two days, is open and free for everyone, though registration is necessary to unlock its full benefits:
- Practical, actionable insights ready for immediate application to your business.
- Professional advice to guide you through your business journey.
- A selection of downloadable resources for your business to use when needed.
- Opportunities for networking with fellow business owners nationwide.
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What Every Business Owner Should Know
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Managing Your Money vs. Managing Your Business Finances
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Small business success depends on many factors – a solid business idea, a robust market for your product or service and effectively managing finances for your small business. Do the money management strategies that work for your personal finances work equally well for your business? Knowing how to manage finances in a small business can be very similar to running your own household finances—but also very different. Here’s a closer look at four common financial issues every individual and business faces and how to handle them.
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What Our Clients Have Recently Shared
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At SCORE San Luis Obispo, we are thankful to have a talented team of mentors assisting those looking to start or grow their business! Below you’ll find some of the recent feedback we’ve received from our SCORE Clients.
"They gave me some good ideas to pursue and I am anxious to get back to them and keep growing! Everyone is helpful and enthusiastic." - C.A.
"Great experience. High quality and friendly mentors” - L.N.
“I appreciated that we were able to meet remotely, and the advice was extremely useful. Richard and Bernardo gave me great advice.” – M.W.
Looking for business support? Our always-free mentoring program is a great place to start. Learn more here.
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April 2nd, 2024 | 11:00am - 12:00pm
In 2022, US online retail sales, excluding travel, surpassed $1 trillion last year “for the first time in history”. Amazon's share of the total was 37.8%. Second place was occupied by the e-commerce site of retail chain Walmart, with a 6.3 percent market share, followed in third place by Apple, with 3.9 percent.
In this workshop we will discuss the basics as it relates to if and how to set up your own Amazon Store.
The topics covered include:
- Assessment - Can your product compete and can you make a profit?
- Implementation - What are the basic steps to set up an Amazon Store?
- Management - What goes into keeping the Store competitive?
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April 2nd 2024 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Are you struggling to get website traffic that converts into sales and leads? Learn how to increase your website's organic (free) traffic from Google today!
What You Will Learn From Attending This Workshop:
- How To Use SEO To Create A Bursting Pipeline of Leads/Sales
- How To Ethically Hijack Your Competitors Google SEO Traffic
- The Exact Strategy We Use To Optimize Websites That Become Lead Generators
- How To Rank Your Website On Google Using SEO Strategies That Work
- Stop Spending Money On Ads!
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April 3rd, 2024 | 1:30pm - 3:00pm
In the world of small business, there are certain unalienable rights, which are really unalienable responsibilities, which is to say – we have to do them in order for our marketing to be successful.
In this webinar you will learn the mistakes that cause 20% of new businesses to fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first 10 years according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some are very simple. Some will take some effort, but combined they will give you building blocks to make all of your other marketing activities much stronger.
Let’s face it – marketing and all of the activities that fall under that umbrella, from sales to strategy, advertising to analytics is easy to define but is much harder to perform well. This webinar will help you take those first 10 steps.
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April 4th, 2024 | 10:00am - 12:0pm
Research says that for every $1 spent on E-Mail marketing there is an average $44 return on investment. To generate such positive outcomes, businesses have to reach the right customers with targeted campaigns. If you feel your E-Mail efforts don't yet pay off, this workshop is for you! This class will teach basic and advanced techniques to propel your E-Mail efforts.
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April 4th, 2024 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm
In this session, discover the various programs that Amazon sellers can leverage to grow their business in our store. This includes Supply Chain by Amazon, a fully automated set of supply chain services, Amazon’s Product Opportunity Explorer, a tool that helps Amazon sellers generate new product ideas, Amazon Ads, to improve visibility for your brand and products, and much more. We will also share information on the resources and programs Amazon has to help enable small business success.
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April 9th, 2024 | 10:00am - 11:00am
Would you like to do what you love and have someone else foot the bill? Have you ever thought about corporate sponsors for your business, show, book, charity, speaking or events?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this webinar is for you! America’s most successful companies partner with sponsors. Why not you?
Linda Hollander can help you. She is the author of the #1 best-selling book, Corporate Sponsorship in 3 Easy Steps, and the CEO of Sponsor Concierge. Linda has consulted with many entrepreneurs to help them profit from the awesome power of corporate sponsors and has 20 years of experience in business.
Her corporate sponsors have included Microsoft, Wells Fargo, Epson, Citibank, Fed Ex, Health Net, Southwest Airlines, Bank of America, Staples, American Airlines, Walmart and IBM.
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April 10th, 2024 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Thousands of times in your career, as a small business owner you’re given an opportunity to answer the question “So, what do you do?”
This webinar is giving you an opportunity to sharpen your answer. In those moments, you can generate real interest, find a referral partner, or maybe just make a new friend. Come experience how you can make or lose a sale in just 30 seconds.
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April 11th, 2024 | 10:00am - 11:00am
Unlock the power of public speaking by mastering the art of getting comfortable with the uncomfortable. This presentation and workshop guide participants through the essentials of content structuring, breathing techniques, and real-world implementation, empowering them to navigate the challenges of public speaking confidently.
- Content Mastery: Learn effective strategies for structuring compelling content that captivates your audience and conveys your message with clarity.
- Breath as Your Ally: Discover practical breathing techniques to manage nervousness, enhance vocal delivery, and maintain composure during public speaking engagements.
- Real-World Confidence: Gain actionable insights and practical tips to seamlessly apply newfound skills in real-world speaking scenarios, boosting your overall confidence and impact as a speaker.
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April 15th, 2024 | 10:00am - 12:00pm
As one of the most important B2B social media platforms, LinkedIn can help you attract more eyes on your business. The biggest advantage of LinkedIn is that it is frequented by many senior-level influencers, decision-makers, and thought leaders. If you want to grab the attention of top-level executives, then you should work on your LinkedIn marketing strategy.
Unlike other social networking sites, LinkedIn offers a goldmine of opportunities for B2B marketers. You’ll be better informed about what’s going on in your industry and the industry of your ideal, favorite and most profitable clients.
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April 17th, 2024 | 12:00pm - 1:30pm
This webinar was created a couple of years ago when small business owners started saying “Being sheltered in place, I guess I have to take my social media marketing more seriously. Can you show me how?” To help them, we came up with a simple system of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ and will now share them with you. You will get answers to the myths that have been holding you back from generating a following that leads to business, including what platforms you should be on, what to post and what is your daily time commitment in order to succeed.
If you are an average user of social media for your business (C is an average grade, and these are the 10 Concepts) and now want to up your game, this webinar is for you.
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April 23rd, 2024 | 10:30am - 12:00pm
We’ve all wished for a powerful assistant to handle some of our business tasks. Artificial intelligence is becoming that tool. AI technology is becoming so advanced that it can handle both mundane and complex tasks, like understanding your customer behavior, blog assistance and creating social media posts.
Artificial Intelligence tools are already being leveraged by millions of users to tackle such tasks as getting blog ideas and creating business documents. Most users are reporting a reduction in effort while achieving quality outputs. However, using AI successfully requires strategy and a good understanding of the AI tool's applications, challenges and best practices.
Some of these tools can be easy to use, but like any new tool require some orientation and explanation.
In this webinar, you’ll gain insight into how you can begin to use AI in your business; taking repetitive, labor-intensive and data-driven tasks off your plate. Get an explanation of some of these tools to see how your small business can take advantage of these tools.
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April 24th, 2024 | 10:30am - 12:00pm
It doesn't matter what your specialty is: business management, social media marketing, information technology, security, personal image and credibility, and more. We cover it all.
In just 90 mins, you will learn powerful tips and strategies you can use right away, to attract, win and retain more of the most valuable clients.
This webinar covers:
- Defining your income needs
- How to develop a profitable consulting practice
- Self-confidence and personal presentation
- How to package and price yourself effectively
- How to find and win great clients
- Developing valuable referral sources
- How to present and sell effectively
- Tips for managing your business so it doesn't overwhelm your life
- Thinking outside the box to boost your income
- …and much more!
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Workshops from MCSC (Mission Community Services Corporation) & Women's Business Center
MCSC offers weekly workshops on a wide variety of subjects. In addition to providing a networking platform among attendees, classes are designed to increase understanding of important and current business topics and trends. Workshops are free of charge and open to the public.
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Additional SCORE Workshops Available from our Regional Partners!
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Looking for additional workshops? Our SCORE partners in Ventura and Santa Barbara also have free workshops available to assist your business!
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Thank You to our Sponsors
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Due to the charitable contributions of the following sponsors and donors, we are able to provide all of our services at no charge.Thank you!
Sponsors:
Donors:
- SESLOC
- Madonna Enterprises
- Advantage Answering
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Has SCORE helped your business? Give back to SCORE to help entrepreneurs succeed: Donate today.
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Brought to you by SCORE, America's free and confidential source of small business mentoring and coaching. SCORE is a nonprofit association of more than 13,000 volunteer business experts. SCORE offers free mentoring and low-cost workshops nationwide. A resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE has helped more than 9 million small business clients since 1964.
Call 1-800-634-0245 for the SCORE office near you or visit online at SCORE.
© Copyright 2012. SCORE Association. All rights reserved.
SCORE San Luis Obispo
SCORE's mission is to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education. We believe that every person should have the support necessary to thrive as a small business owner. Our volunteers are committed to the development and growth of successful small businesses across America....one business at a time.
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