Don't miss a great Artist Exchange with Rebecca Rule
Artists and artisans: Don't 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 details.
Marketplace offers great deal on Constant Contact
During October, Constant Contact is offering MicroCredit-NH members exclusive pricing on its email marketing and online survey tools: 20% off your account if you pre-pay for six months, 25% off for a 12-month pre-pay.
Sign up for a free 60-day trial, then take advantage of these discounts.
Current Constant Contact customers who seek the discounts should complete a separate form. Your account will be moved to the Marketplace program, and you'll then be able to select either of the two prepayment discounts.
Learn more about Constant Contact.
State health insurance option now available
New Hampshire's HealthFirst insurance plans are now available for small businesses. HealthFirst is designed to be an affordable, wellness-based plan for companies with one to 50 employees.
So far, Anthem, Connecticut General (CIGNA) and Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare have been approved to offer a HealthFirst plan. Call the individual carriers for details: Anthem at 695-7000, Harvard Pilgrim at (800) 333-4742, and Connecticut General (CIGNA) at (800) 456-6575.
I heard a great keynote address by Dr. Margaret Wheatley at the recent Nonprofit Leadership Summit. Though her presentation, "Can We Transform New Realities Into New Possibilities?" was geared to the nonprofit sector, much is applicable to entrepreneurs and small-business owners. I'd like to share a few pearls of Margaret's wisdom with you.
– We are all part of self-organized, interdependent networks. You rely on others to buy your products and services, so you must form networks that bring people together. Relationships are the basic building blocks of life and of a successful business.
– If a system is failing, create more connections. Don't wait for the moment of failure, but create more connections of support at all stages in your business. Bringing in new people allows for the flow of new ideas and creativity, whether it is to generate new sources of income or ways to curb expenses.
– When under stress, your brain begins to shut down. Bring in others to help identify new ways of doing things and to bounce ideas off of to find solutions to those pesky challenges.
– Don't ask, "What's wrong?" Instead, ask, "What's possible?" This is the old glass half-empty or -full analogy. Focusing on the positive will always be more productive.
Does all this sound familiar to you? It should. Your MicroCredit-NH business group is part of your network, connections, and support. Are you getting all you can from your peer group? If not, what's possible?
David Hamel
MicroCredit-NH Director
Taking marketing to new heights
Jonathan Doyle of NYcreator.com took his marketing to a new level – literally – in early September when he dressed up as the mythical Bigfoot and surprised hikers on Mount Monadnock. He then interviewed witnesses and posted the resulting clip on YouTube.
Jonathan told his business group that he was frustrated with traditional ways of getting people to visit his Web site, but that after this stunt (and a resulting front page article in the Keene Sentinel), his site received an amazing number of hits. Read all about it on the NYCreator blog.
His newfound fans presumably did not include the parks rangers, who asked him not to repeat his visit.
Jefferson group visited by NHPR
New Hampshire Public Radio Executive Editor Jon Greenberg visited the Jefferson Business Association in September to collect observations about the economy for NHPR's Working It Out news series and Web page.
Surprisingly, the majority of the group's members were optimistic about their businesses. Some had seen growth, some were doing better than ever, and some were using the down time to expand or make improvements.
Vernon Matson of Skywood Manor Motel said business has been slower this year; because of the mill closures, he has not hosted maintenance crews as in the past. Gail Gorrow of Paws-a-tive Training said her private dog obedience training has slowed down, but her doggie day care has increased; vacationers still need to have their dogs cared for while at local attractions. Nancy Seavey of North Country Pathfinders has had her best season yet; instead of traveling to far-away places, people are staying closer to home. Tom Paquin of Lancaster Antiques said that sales are picking up, especially through auctions.
Got a story to share about how the economy has affected your business? Post a note on the Working It Out site, and please use the keyword microcredit so we can find it!
Member MicroNuggets
Joe Jacobs of Professional Financial Solutions in Keene was featured on the front page of the Sept. 16-22 issue of the Monadnock Shopper News. In the article, headlined "Professional Financial Solutions Provides Strategies To Enhance Financial Security," Joe is quoted as saying he sees his task as "a unique approach ... an organized way of integrating all of the pieces of a person's financial world."
Osiail Publishing just published a new novel, Templates, by Ronna Flaschner, and is readying a volume of holiday tales and illustrations, called The Christmas Mink and other December tales from the North Woods. Osiail co-owners Phil McGrail and Josiah Eikelboom are members of the Empire Builders group in Portsmouth.
The community mosaic created at Concord's Market Days under the creative eye of Lizz Van Saun will soon be displayed in the window of Madeline's Bakery on Main Street and was the subject of an article in the Concord Monitor. Van Saun, who teaches at her Kast Hill Studio in Hopkinton and at the Sharon Arts Center, is a member of the Growing Ventures group in Concord.
Lisa Bell of Macell, Inc. and Becky O'Neil of BeckyOh! were among the entrepreneurs featured in a recent article in The Mirror, "D.I.Y: N.H. women get it done."
Speaking of BeckyOh!, she was also featured in an Entrepreneur.com article on minority-owned businesses, entitled "Take Advantage of Every Opportunity."
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.
Epiphanies duo offering free social media audio training
MicroCredit-NH members Lani and Allen Voivod, Content Lovers at Epiphanies, Inc., are offering a free audio program, "The 6-Step Social Media Kick Start: How to Get More Leads, Clients, and Results (and Have a BLAST Doing It)." It's an hour-long digital recording (MP3),you can download.
Recent polls reveal that half of all Americans are on social networks, and the astonishing expansion of those networks gives businesses unprecedented reach.
"We created this audio to help make it easy for professionals to move forward in the social media realm with confidence, without the headaches and hassles," says Lani.
"Instead of plowing through with jargon and technical advice, we share which four social media platforms are most critical for businesses and organizations to stay relevant and competitive in this global market, and why."
The recording reveals Epiphanies' #1 Rule, #1 Truth, and #1 Success Strategy for using social media. Lani and Allen also share their own shortcuts for saving hours a day while remaining active on multiple social media sites.
Promote your business, develop relationships, and maybe even make sales.
$5 admission.
Oct. 14, Concord
The Common Man, 25 Water St., 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19, Littleton
Italian Oasis, Parker’s Market Place, 106 Main St,. 5-7 p.m.
Oct. 27, Peterborough
Harlow’s Pub, 3 School St., 6-9 p.m.
Oct. 27, North Conway
Wine Thyme, 2697 White Mountain Highway, 4-6 p.m.
Full list of networking and orientation events.