Business plans that don’t deliver

John W. Mullin writing in the Wall Street Journal about entrepreneurship, set out to understand why most business plans don’t deliver. He offers three key elements that go into a successful business plan.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204830304574133501980701202.html

Branding FAIL

It really pays to think carefully about naming any new product.  Don’t think it’s all that big a deal?  Here’s a great example of what we will call branding FAIL:

Microsoft is rebranding their search engine (again).  The name this time?  Bing.  They tried to evoke the sound of a buzzer going off indicating that your search is “done.”  What they really did, however, was to give Microsoft detractors a fabulous acronym:

But It’s Not Google.

More on the story from David Pogue’s article in The New York Times.

New Business Books

Make your budget go a little farther.  Instead of buying that new business book you’ll only read once, why not borrow it from us?  Your taxes at work again!

Here are some new & on order business books here at CCPL.  (Click the title to for more information or to place a hold on the book.)

Green Your Work: Boost Your Bottom Line While Reducing Your Carbon Footprint by Kim Carlson

Terror on the Seas: True Tales of Modern-Day Pirates by Daniel Sekulick (No, this is business related–you don’t think modern pirates are in it for the cool hats and the parrot, do you?)

How to Negotiate Anything With Anyone Anywhere Around the World by Frank L. Acuff

How to Start a Home Based Housecleaning Business

Punk Marketing: Get Off Your Ass and Join the Revolution by

How to Start a Home Based Jewelry Making Business

How to Start a Home Based Interior Design Business

Honesty Sells: How to Make More Money and Increase Business Profitsby Steven Gaffney

Essentials of Business Ethics: Creating an Organization of High Inegrity and Superior Performance by Denis Collins

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Branding Yourselfby Sherry Beck Paproki and Ray Paproki

True Green @ Work: 100 Ways You Can Make the Environment Your Business by Kim McKay

Save Your Small Business: 10 Crucial Strategies To Survive Hard Times Or Close Down and Keep Your Sanity by Ralph Warner and Bethany Laurence

The New Business Road Test: What Entrepreneurs and Executives Should Do Before Writing a Business Plan by John W. Mullins

What I’ll Be Doing Wednesday

I’m traveling with two other CCPL staff members to the State Library in Columbia tomorrow to attend It’s Not Just Business As Usual At the Library: Economic Development Seminar.  We’ll let you know how it goes!

Great News for DemographicsNow!

Time for some great news for anyone writing a business plan or researching the demographics of our area: DemographicsNow is now available for remote access!  This means that no matter where you are, you have access to detailed demographics research with a click of your mouse!  We love how easy this database is to use and the high quality reports look good enough to include in your business plan.  Give it a try and we’re sure you’ll love it, too!

Scheduled Downtime for ReferenceUSA

ReferenceUSA will not be available on Saturday April 18th from noon until 8:00 p.m.  [Edit - 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. central daylight time.  In Charleston, that'll be 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.]  Their system engineers will use this scheduled downtime to upgrade their servers, network hardware, and related software.  If you need help locating company information on that day, just call us in the Phone Center at 805-6930.  We’ll be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Top 10 Startup Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

A coworker shared a link to an article from Nolo Press’ website.  How many of these mistakes did you make when you started your business?   If you’re just starting out, now is a great time to see what you should & shouldn’t be doing with your startup!  Check it out here.

Business Fair Presentation Handouts

If you’re looking for handouts or slides from some of the presentations from yesterday’s Small Business Resource Fair, click the Small Business Fair tab at the top of the blog, or click here.

4th Annual Small Business Resource Fair is Tomorrow!

Don’t forget!  This year’s Small Business Resource Fair is tomorrow!  This FREE event runs from 10 AM until 3 PM on Thursday, 3/19, and features lots of great information to help your small business succeed.

Here’s what’s happening when:

• Boost Your Business With Free Web Tools, 10:00-10:50 AM. Take advantage of free publicity and increased productivity with social networking, open software, and blogs. Presented by the Technology Learning Center.
• Government Contracting Basics, 11:00-11:50 AM. Learn the basics about small business programs, registration requirements, and where to find federal contracting opportunities. Presented by Robin Brown of the Small Business Development Center.
• Free Is Fabulous! DIY Business Research, 12:30-1:20 PM. Build your own business-to-business mailing list, find free demographics, and write your own business plan. Presented by the CCPL Business Center.
• Show Me the Money: The Myths & Realities of Funding Your Business, 1:30-2:30 PM. Separate fact from fiction! Learn the realities about your business financing options. Presented by Mary Dickerson, FastTracSC Director.
• The Exhibit Hall will open from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. with more than a dozen vendors such as the Small Business Development Center, Charleston County Small Business Enterprise Program, Charleston Local Development Corporation and the SC Women’s Business Center.
• Network with other attendees throughout the event and leave your business card at the Business Card Exchange table in the Exhibit Hall.
• SCORE will provide free, individualized business counseling from 10 AM – 2 PM
• Business Center Tours start at 12 PM and 2:45 PM.  Meet in the Lobby for a 15 minute tour of the CCPL Business Center.

For more information, call 805-6930, visit www.ccpl.org or send an e-mail to askaquestion@ccpl.org.

We hope to see you there!

Business Fair Presenter Is Now a Published Author!

I’m pleased to share with you that one of our presenters for the Business Fair that’s coming up this Thursday is now a published author!  Mary Dickerson, the Director for FastTrac, was published in a recent edition of Charleston Currents.  Her article is called “What’s the Truth About Those Grants to Fund New Businesses” and she dishes the goods on this persistent urban legend.  Mary will be presenting “Show Me the Money: The Myths and Realities of Funding Your Business” at the Small Business Fair this Thursday from 1:30-2:30.