Learn to Start Your Business, Step By Step on 10/13!

Have you dreamed of starting your own business?  Do you have a friend or family member who longs to be their own boss?  We’ve got the solution @ CCPL!  Learn how to write a business plan & start the business of your dreams at our October business program, Learn to Start Your Business, Step By Step.  Mary Dickerson of FastTracSC will share tips, tricks, contacts, and a great business plan template that will get your small business off to the right start!

Mary has years of experience assisting our local business community. As a former SC Women’s Business Center counselor, she has helped hundreds of people start a local business or solve problems with their existing business. Mary is currently the director of FastTracSC, an entrepreneurial education program sponsored nationally by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and a coalition of SC organizations, including the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.

When: Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 from 6-7:30 p.m.

Where: Main Library Auditorium, 68 Calhoun Street

For more information, email us at askaquestion@ccpl.org or call 805-6930.

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Free is Fabulous! Do-It-Yourself Business Research

Short on time and money? Did you know that you can use CCPL’s Business Center resources to build your own business-to-business mailing list, spy on your competition and find customized demographic reports for your marketing needs–for free?

I will show you how to conduct this kind of valuable business research from your home or workplace at Free Is Fabulous! Do-It-Yourself Business Research. 

This is one of my favorite things about the public library: we’ve taken your tax dollars and turned them into gold: access to thousands of dollars worth of proprietary business research–available to you at work, at home, anywhere you are, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Come out & see how you can use CCPL’s Online Business Library to put your business on top!

When: Monday, September 28th, 10 – 11:30 A.M.

Where: Main Library Auditorium, 68 Calhoun St.

No registration is required.  For more information, email askaquestion@ccpl.org or call 805-6930.

Hope to see you there!

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Networking & Other Events for November & December

Can you believe it’s already November?  I’m having a hard time thinking that 2008 is just about over!  I know that the holidays are a crazy time for most people, so here is some advance warning for our events through the end of the year here at the Business Center.  We hope you can join us for one or more of them!

Networking Nights in November & December

Grow your business network for free @ your library.  Bring your business cards & best elevator speech.  Thanks to the Friends of the Library, we will have refreshments for this event in November and December.  Thanks, Friends!

When: Thursday November 6th AND Thursday December 4th, 6-7:30 PM

Where: Charleston County Main Library – Auditorium, 68 Calhoun St.

Cost: Free!

 

Start Your Business, Step By Step

Consistently one of our most popular programs, this presentation by Mimi Scharf of the SC Women’s Business Centerwill teach attendees how to write a business plan & start the business of your dreams in South Carolina.  I’m happy to welcome Mimi for her first presentation for the Business Center.  She took over the reins of the local SCWBC office earlier this year.  She’s worked in the business world and volunteered with SCORE, so she’s an excellent choice to provide expert help to people who want to start or grow their small business.

When: Monday, November 17th, 2008 from 6:30 – 8 PM

Where: Charleston County Main Library – Auditorium, 68 Calhoun St.

Cost: Free!

 

SCORE Counseling

Need help starting a small business?  Or are you looking for advice on the business you already own?  SCORE is here to help.  Confidential SCORE counseling will be available at the Business Center on the 2nd floor of the Main Library in November and December.

When: Wed. November 12th  AND Wed. December 10th, 10 AM – 2 PM

Where: CCPL Business Center @ the Main Library –  68 Calhoun Street, 2nd Floor

Cost: Free!

Business Center Tour

Find out about the hundreds of great print & online resources for entrepreneurs available via the CCPL’s Business Center.  Tour meets at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor.  Come take a walk on the library’s business side.

When: Monday, November 24th from 6-6:45 PM

Where: Reference Desk @ the Main Library –  68 Calhoun Street, 2nd Floor

Cost: Free!

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Write a Winning Business Plan! Returns…

We’re happy to have Mary Dickerson from the South Carolina Women’s Business Center back to present Write a Winning Business Plan! this coming Wednesday, April 23rd from 6-8 P.M. at the Main Library. It has such great information for anyone in business or who wants to start a business in South Carolina that I hope we can convince Mary to repeat the program a couple of times a year. Come on out and help me show her she’s needed!

Here’s our flyer for the event. If you have any questions about driving directions or parking, just give the Reference Department at call at 805-6930, or you can email us at askaquestion@ccpl.org!

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Essential Sources: Business Plans Handbook

I know, I know….it’s been so long since I added a post to the Essential Sources series that you forgot all about it, right? Well, here’s an excellent source to talk about to get back into the swing of things!

Business Plans Handbook is great for anyone trying to write their own business plan, marketing plan, or wants to find out how a particular kind of business is set up and how it makes money. It’s a collection of almost 300 actual real life business plans used by actual real life entrepreneurs that you can search by type of business. Interested in opening a consulting business? How about a janitorial services company? What about an online business? You can find business plans for all these kinds of companies in the Business Plans Handbook!

The best part about this title is that we have access to it not only as a printed reference book in the Business Center collection, but we also have it as an e-book, which means you can look at it right now over the Web! You don’t need an e-book reader, just a web browser with Adobe Acrobat Reader. All you have to do is to head over to the Business & Investment section of the Resource Tools on the library website, find the Business Plans Handbook, and click “In library” or “Home Access” depending on where you are.

Like all our databases, you’ll need your library card number to access it, but once you log in, it’s super easy to use. Just enter words that describe the type of business you’re interested in & click Search. The plans are in PDF format, so you get to see it exactly as it was published in the print version. Easy! Next time you need to look at a sample business plan, check out Business Plans Handbook! I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

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