Not too late to attend advanced marketing trainings
It's not too late to take advantage of MicroCredit-NH's advanced marketing trainings, taking place at four locations around NH through December.Each month's three-hour training, offered at sites in Dover, Lancaster, Manchester and Wolfeboro, covers a different topic.
The sessions offer specific tools and hands-on exercises that lead to the creation of a business promotion plan.
Classes are limited to 10 participants and advance registration is required. MicroCredit-NH Leaders may attend for no cost as part of their membership benefits.
The cost per session is $25 for other MicroCredit-NH members, $35 for non-members.
A list of training topics and sites are available on the MicroCredit-NH Web site. Register through your Regional Manager or call us at (800) 769-3482.
Calling all artists: Artists Exchange is Nov. 6 at SNHU
Artists and artisans in southern and central New Hampshire won't want to miss our next Artist Exchange Nov. 6 at Southern NH University in Manchester.
Author and humorist Rebecca Rule will kick off a day-long training designed to leave participants with valuable marketing and financial management tools.
Click over to our ArtWorks-NH page for more details.
Register for Aug. 27 job/career fair
New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon will host WMUR's Project Economy Job & Career Fair II Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Businesses interested in being part of the August Job & Career Fair should visit the WMUR Web site for details.
Job seekers are asked to register for the fair through this form on the NH Employment Security Web site. Also, visit the online NHES Job Match System.
We've been thinking: As microbusiness owners, you might be interested in saving money on office supplies, shipping, credit card processing, wireless and other services, right?
And you've probably spent some time thinking about efficient ways to market YOUR products or services to a wider audience?
So what if we told you that MicroCredit-NH had come up with a way for you to do both: Save money and reach a larger audience? And what if it was free to all MicroCredit-NH members, online, and easy to use?
Well, watch your email this week for news about a money-saving and marketing benefit that we're really excited about!
The MicroCredit-NH Marketplace is coming your way!
Take time to step back and refocus
We have all heard the saying, "You can't see the forest for the trees." This popped into my mind recently while I walked around a well-treed parcel of land. I noticed all sorts of detail: small saplings, intricate bark patterns, the grade of the terrain, insects of all sorts, decaying leaves and so much more.
Back at home, I viewed the same parcel from Google Earth and had a completely different perspective. This time I noticed how the parcel of land I had walked related to the land around it.
What does all this have to do with business? Just that sometimes we get so focused on our daily details that we miss the big picture.
There is tremendous value in stepping back occasionally and asking: What lies just over the horizon? Am I missing any opportunities? Are the things I'm doing each day (short-term) connected to my long-term goals?
The answers might surprise you. If they do, it's an opportunity to rebalance, refocus, reprioritize and get your business back on track.
Your MicroCredit-NH business group can help. They know you, know the area and know the business climate. Check in with them once in a while by asking for feedback. They might help you see the whole picture − the trees and the forest of your business.
David Hamel
MicroCredit-NH Director
"Trust but verify"
New MicroCredit-NH member Steven Cioletti of Nashua, owner of The Green Jobs Agency and the Laugh Or Be Laughed At Production Company, had an article in the July 17 New Hampshire Business Review about hiring and working with a bookkeeper.
Offering commentaries, "how-to" articles, and even letters to the editor to local (or, like NH Business Review, statewide) publications is an excellent − and free − way to promote your business by positioning yourself as an authority in your field.
Even if your written piece isn't published, don't be discouraged. You've let the editor know you exist, and the next time they're doing an article on a topic related to your business, you may get a call!
Member MicroNuggets
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Evette Lagram and Judy Ringer at a recent MicroCredit-NH networking event. |
David LaFrance of David LaFrance Studios in Franklin recently received a NH State Council on the Arts grant to develop a professional Web site to showcase his artwork, and Artwear products. David is a member of the Franklin Capital Ventures group, and was assisted in his grant application by group member Karen Trendell.
Stacey Lucas, a member of the Squam Entrepreneurial Collective, just held the grand opening of the Veggie Art Girl Boutique in Holderness, featuring her art, consigned pieces, music and more.
Wow! Becky O'Neil's "funky and fab" BeckyOh! Fabulous Custom Handbags designs are being spotlighted on the GirlsLife.com Web site and were part of a photo spread in the August/September issue of the national Girls Life Magazine. Ripped from the GL site's Bags 4 Babes Giveaway promotion: "One fashionista will nab an original Becky Oh! bag of her choice every month for the entire school year!"
Brenda Vance, owner of the Head East Salon & Day Spa in North Woodstock, is renovating her salon with funding secured through her Missions Possible business group. The renovation will allow Head East to offer facials, body wraps, spa manicures makeup, and body sugaring, and will include a full pedicures station.
Elizabeth Van Saun, owner of Kast Hill Studio in Hopkinton, shared her passion for art by inviting passersby at Concord's annual Market Days in mid-July to help create a community mosaic. By Friday, the last day of the fair, the mosaic was close to done.
Link Moser, owner of Windhill Design, demonstrated the benefits of search engine optimization at a recent meeting of the Future Fortune's group in Rochester. Immediately, group members Eve Krook of Underpaid Maids, Ginny Gauthier of Gauthiers' Palace of Party Supplies, June Sprague of Today's Window Fashions and Dagne Goodwin of Ameila Mae's & Company began plotting to upgrade their Web presence.
MicroCredit-NH is a non-profit business development program of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. MicroCredit-NH delivers business training, loans and networking opportunities to self-employed individuals and microbusiness owners statewide.
Promote your business -- tell your story!
Here's a free and easy way to promote your business. New Hampshire Public Radio has a Web project called Working It Out that asks NH residents to post their responses to this question:
"How has this economy changed life for you, your family, your household, or your business?"
You can respond through an online form on the NHPR site. Your response will be linked to a map with others' stories from all around the state.
If you tell your story, please enter MicroCredit-NH in the Keywords box on the bottom of the form. This will connect your stories with those of other MicroCredit-NH members, and will help us promote our services!
Spotted on the No Bull biz blog
Anyone wanting to see an example of a great business-oriented blog need look no further than The No Bull Business Blog that Steve Boucher does for the NH Business Resource Center. Steve keeps it timely, fun and factual -- a great read.
An item in Steve's blog Thursday got our attention: A new feature on the nheconomy.com site called Tomorrow's Business Advice Today.
It's a monthly column that Dr. Russ Ouellette of Bedford-based Sojourn Partners will write on business and economic trends. His first offering, "Small Business Creation − An Investment in National Recovery," maintains that "Despite what the economic pundits say, 2009 is an excellent time to develop a new business."
Promote your business, develop relationships, and maybe even make sales.$5 admission.
August 10, Wolfeboro
Downtown Market Grille, 11 Railroad Ave., 6-8 p.m.
August 13, Milford
Elisha's Restaurant, 437 Nashua St., 6-9 p.m.
August 19, Groveton
Stones Pizza, 19 State St., 5-7 p.m.
Full list of networking and orientation events.