Plan to Stay Open for Business

Chances are that while you read this, an unexpected disaster is causing a business owner stress and potentially threatens the organization’s ability to serve its customers and generate revenue. Uncontrollable variables come in all shapes and sizes. Some come with ample warning to prepare while others have an impact that catches businesses by surprise.  But how can you be sure that you are ready for the unexpected or a disaster?

The Small Business Development Center at UNF is presenting two workshops to help you, but only if you Dare to Prepare.  The best part is the workshops are at no cost to participants.

 

Workshops will focus on these key points to help you to STAY OPEN for business:
- Risk assessment and mitigation
- Valuable tips on knowing your risks and understanding your insurance policies.
- Protecting your people, property and profitability
- Identifying key business processes and potential points of failure
- Experience a mock disaster tabletop exercise to see how you would react in “real time”
- Discover information and tools to develop a business continuity plan
- Learn about the critical role FP&L plays in keeping Nassau County “open for business”

Cost:  Free!

Dates/Locations

-June 21st, 2013 - 09:00 am to 11:00 am
Nassau County Emergency Management Center
77150 Citizens Circle
Yulee, FL 

-June 20th, 2013 - 02:00 pm to 04:00 pm
Putnam County Chamber of Commerce
1100 Reid Street
Palatka, FL     

To register for either of these workshops call  1.800.450.4624 or go to www.sbdc.unf.edu and click on the workshops and events tab.

Your Marketing Toolbox Workshop This Thursday! A Few Seats Left!

Your Marketing Toolbox

Starting a business isn’t enough; you have to promote it and your product or service to the right audience through the right channels. This workshop explains how you can use marketing concepts like grassroots marketing, traditional marketing methods, online and social media tools, public relations and networking to achieve your business goals. Includes a basic toolkit to get you started! Taught by marketing professionals.

Cost

$40.00

Registration

Pre-registration is required

Dates/Locations

• June 20th, 2013 - 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm
  UNF University Center 
  12000 Alumni Dr. - Bldg. 43
  Jacksonville, FL 32224 
  
  Register for this event online
  
  Note* - You will be taken to the state SBDC website for registration and payment.
• November 19th, 2013 - 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm
  UNF University Center 
  12000 Alumni Dr. - Bldg. 43
  Jacksonville, FL 32224 

Strategic Planning Expert to Lead Workshop Friday, June 14th

Nonprofit Strategic Planning

The Nonprofit Strategic Planning session will provide you with an overview of what a strategic plan should contain and the process to develop a plan. We’ll spend some time looking at strategic priorities, goals, and measures – what each of these means and how to use them to effect change in your organization. Facilitated by Julia Burns!

Cost

$40.00

Registration

Pre-registration is required

Dates/Locations

• June 14th, 2013 - 09:00 am to 12:00 pm
  UNF University Center
  Bldg. 43
  12000 Alumni Dr.
  Jacksonville, FL 32224
  Register for this event online
• Or call 620-2476

Key Provisions of the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act includes key provisions that affect small businesses. But do you know what they are and the impact they might have on your organization? Understanding what these provisions are is a must for any self-employed individual or small employer. And the SBDC has a great opportunity to help you do that!

The Small Business Development Center at UNF will be host the seminar Key Provisions of the Affordable Care Act on Wednesday, June 12 at the Southeast Livestock Pavilion in Ocala.

Join Ted A. Kirchharr, VP and COO of Landrum Companies and author of “The Busy Business Owner’s Guide to Health Care Reform: What You Need to Know” as he outlines the key provisions of the law as well as what the reforms were intended to do. In layman’s terms, Kirchharr will present the nuts and bolts of the ACA and tell you what you need to know in order to draft your health care reform to-do list.

Learn details of provisions in place now and what to expect in 2014 and beyond. Including:

· Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
· Summary of Benefits and Coverage
· Employer Mandate
· Automatic Enrollment
· Preventive Health Services
· W-2 Reporting
· Health Care Exchange

Event details:

Wednesday, June 12th
8:30—10:30 a.m.
SE Livestock Pavilion | North Hall Auditorium
2232 NE Jacksonville Rd in Ocala

$20 per person: Includes copy of Kirchharr’s book and continental breakfast

For more information or to register: 352-622-8763 | sec-sbdc@atlantic.net

About the speaker: Ted joined Landrum in 2003 as the Director of Strategic Initiatives. His first quality improvement effort resulted in a 74% decrease in Worker’s Compensation Disability Days per $1 million in payroll. Ted oversaw quality improvement initiatives earning Landrum the Governor’s Sterling Award (GSA) for Performance Excellence in 2007. He developed the company’s strategic plan as well as identifying and optimizing employee satisfaction issues. Landrum Companies has been recognized as one of the 25 Best Small Businesses to Work for in America for five years by the Society for Human Resource Management. Ted continues to lead these efforts as COO.

Breakfast with Lending Experts? Yes, Please.

Interested in learning more about different lending options such as micro loans, conventional loans, crowd-funding, and more?

Get your funding, banking and cash flow questions answered by experts with the Small Business Resource Network at Breakfast with the Experts on June 13th from 8:00 to 11:00 am at the Adam Herbert University Center. This event will provide you with ideas to improve cash flow and increase profits!
The event will include an expert panel discussion and time for interaction with knowledgeable lenders available for a question and answer session.

Who Should Attend?
Business owners who want to:
• Identify new sources of funding
• Learn various funding requirements
• Start or growing a business
• Improve cash flow & be profitable

Event Details:
June 13th, 2013 - 8:00 am to 11:00 am
UNF Herbert University Center
Bldg. 43
12000 Alumni Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224
To register call 904.620.2476 or go to www.sbdc.unf.edu and click on "Workshops & Events" tab.

Breakfast with the Expert Series Sponsored By:

Coffee Sponsored By:

SWOTing the PEST

By: Cathy Hagan, Certified Business Analyst

By paying attention to external Political, Economic, Sociocultural, and Technological factors (PEST), entrepreneurs can use the results to develop a game plan using their company’s own unique Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT).  PEST factors are often out of management’s control, but that’s not a good excuse for ignoring them.  By identifying trends in these areas, the business leader can evaluate how his or her business can capitalize on a new business opportunity or combat a possible threat.  From here, a SWOT analysis relates the external opportunities and threats to the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization. 

Scanning the environment can be as simple as keeping up with industry trends through industry associations, conducting a regular internet search, or “mystery shopping” the competition.  Does the rapid growth in the Hispanic population present any opportunities or threats?  What role will changes in online buying have?  Is there an advantage in “going green”?  And what about the economy, healthcare reform, etc.?

A strength is anything that gives your company a competitive advantage.   A weakness can be the absence of or the downside of a strength.  The best scenario is when internal strength meets external opportunity.  The worst is when weakness meets threat.  But what if a weakness meets an opportunity?  It might be worth your time and effort to turn that weakness into a strength or at least do as much as you can to overcome it.  And when strength meets threat, you may be strong enough to fight the threat head-on. 

SBDC at UNF named a Best Place to Work

The staff at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) knows it is a great place to work. We all love what we are doing to help businesses start, grow and succeed!

We are dedicated to the success of the businesses we work with and contributing to health of our economy. The SBDC staff is proud to be included in the 2013 Jacksonville Business Journal Best Places to Work list.

 

Thank you for the recognition!

 

Take this Survey

Access to capital is one of the most commonly expressed concerns of entrepreneurs in Northeast Florida. It is also one of the most important ingredients to successfully growing a business.


The JAX Chamber's public policy division is seeking to address the issue by supporting the expansion, refinement and availability of capital to business owners in our region.

To better understand the issues facing JAX area entrepreneurs please follow this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QQ8TLP9 to take a 5-minute survey about your experiences seeking financing for your business.

Feel free to share the survey with fellow business owners.

Kevin Monahan to Lead Networking Workshop Tomorrow!

Facilitator: Kevin Monahan, UNF SBDC

Networking: Secrets of Social Media and Face to Face Marketing

Social media is here to stay. Those who avoid it will be passed by their competitors. Learn social media best practices including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Buffer. But even social media is not enough! The best small business marketers understand that you still have to see people face to face to close the deal. This workshop will show you how to create great prospects and keep your clients wanting more by using social media and face marketing effectively.

Cost

$10.00

Registration

Pre-registration is required

Dates/Locations

• May 22nd, 2013 - 12:00 pm to 01:00 pm
  Beaver Street Enterprise Center
  1225 West Beaver St.
  Jacksonville, FL 32204
  Register for this event online
  
  Note* - You will be taken to the state SBDC website for registration and payment.