Today’s nonprofits and small businesses share many of the same business issues.  Come find common solutions at our monthly bag lunch presentation! 
 
Join us tomorrow for the last Networking Lunch of 2009!  I’m going to share my favorite marketing/market research tips, tricks, and some marketing blunders you should avoid at all costs.
 
When: Wednesday, November 4th from 11:45 AM to 1:15 PM
Where: Main Library Auditorium, 68 Calhoun Street
 
For more information, call the Reference Department at 805-6930 or email us at askaquestion@ccpl.org.

A new blog titled “Small Business Matters”  from Business.GOV, the official business link to the U.S. government,  ”provides helpful information about a broad range of small and home business issues, taking a deeper dive into topics on the minds of entrrepreneurs, and including direct links to resources that every business owner looks for when navigating the goverment maze.”

http://community2.business.gov/t5/Small-Business-Matters/bg-p/GovernmentResources

Had a great time at BarCampCHS over the weekend!  If you’re not familiar with BarCamp, it’s an unconference-style meeting where the attendees are both the audience and the presenters.  The attendees choose which presentations/workshops happen during the event.  The first BarCamp was held in 2005 in California, and since then the idea has spread around the world.

BarCampCHS was held this past Saturday at the Lowcountry Innovation Center in the Navy Yard and it focused on technology and the arts.  250 folks met and discussed everything from lesser-known social networking sites to selling what you know to learning about belly dance and artisanal bacon and everything in between.  Oh–and did I mention the giant robot??

Check out some pictures from BarCampCHS on Flickr for some idea of what it was like.  If there is an unconference event happening in your industry area, I definitely recommend that you try to attend at least once.  The spontaneous nature of the event is a lot more fun than your usual professional conference and the fabulous admission price (free!) is always a big plus.

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.

I really enjoyed Lee’s branding presentation this morning!  Here’s some food for thought I took away with me when it was all over.

• A brand is also an experience.  Think about Starbucks.  They are selling more than a product or service: being a third place, an experience, is a crucial part of their brand.
• Coca-Cola continues to be the most valuable international brand.  Although we may think of them as being part of an all-American event like a backyard barbecue, they do a great job tailoring their marketing to each country where they do business.  Target your brand separately to each target market!
• Generational branding…you don’t talk to Boomers, Gen X or Gen Y the same way.  [And we have some great books on that topic you can check out...take a look here, here and here.]
• Authenticity is key, especially in this 2.0-driven world.  What does this mean?  At heart, your brand makes a promise to the public.  Your reputation should show that you keep your promises.
• Solicit feedback from the naysayers who don’t like your brand.  Why don’t the like you?  If they were your customers, what went wrong?  Ask how can you make it right if you did something wrong.
• When you are working on branding, let your employees know what you’re doing and why.  Treat your employees well, while you’re at it.  If they are not treated well, their plight will conflict with your branding.  (Think about Wal-Mart’s struggle with the minimum-wage image they have, which conflicts with their main marketing messages.)
• If you say you’re Number 1, you better be able to prove it.
• If you think you don’t need to worry about your brand since you don’t use the Internet to find customers, think again.  Google your company or nonprofit and you are already out there.  Either you control your brand’s image online…or the world will.

I twittered a few other interesting points during the presentation, but I’m way too lazy to repeat them here.  Take a look at http://www.twitter.com/ccplbusiness if you’d like more!

This month’s Small Business and Nonprofit Networking Lunch topic is Branding and Your Organization.  Lee Deas of Obviouslee Marketing will explain the basics of branding and share tips on how to use branding strategies to your organization’s advantage. 
 
Since Lee entered the marketing field 10 years ago, she has helped organizations of every kind from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies implement sophisticated marketing solutions.  Bring a bag lunch & be ready to learn from her marketing experience!
 
When: Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Where: Main Library Auditorium, 68 Calhoun Street

“For the third year in arow, The Wall Street Journal has teamed up with Winning Workplaces, an Evanston, Ill., nonprofit that helps small and midsize companies create better work environments, to identify 15 small employers who have built some of the most exemplary, innovative workplaces…” One of the businesses selected and profiled is Advanced Technology Institute of North Charleston, an R&D management nonprofit. The profile and article are on the front page of The Journal Report — Small Business, Monday Sept. 28.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204731804574384600167797142.html

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!

The Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U. S. Postal Service have teamed up to produce a 10-part video series on YouTube called “Delivering Success.”   Successful entrepreneurs share the lessons they’ve learned about owning a small business.

Topics include:

*  Entrepreneurial Spirit

*  Getting Started

*  Financing

*  Planning and Research

*  Marketing 101

*  Hiring and Developing Employees

*  Promoting and Growing Your Business

*  Business Reality Check

Check it out here:  http://www.youtube.com/sba#play/uploads/16/zJza700KPHs

This interesting piece from Yahoo Business: 

“With roughly 6.7 million jobs lost since the start of the recession, it’s tempting — and often a great idea — to launch your own business…The problem:  Many would-be entrepreneurs are drawn to businesses they like to patronize or the ones that are cheapest and easiest to start.  Instead, experts argue, aspiring entrepreneurs should create firms in which they have professional experience so they have a competitive advantage in the market…”

Read more: http://techstartups.blogspot.com/2009/08/yahoo-7-most-overrated-businesses.html