"If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives." - Vince Lombardi

There's a new restaurant in town

There's a new restaurant in town, The Yolk Cafe' on Mt. Gallant Road ..... be sure to check out their new Facebook page, and then drop by to say hello and try out their specialties for breakfast.

They serve breakfast any time of the day! (Don't you just hate it when you miss the breakfast menu by 10 or 15 minutes?)

We're looking forward to stopping by for breakfast Saturday, knowing we can have it no matter what time we go!

They open at 6:30 am on weekdays and 8 am on weekends. https://www.facebook.com/TheYOLKcafe

Resource for Veterans Looking for Work



Are you a veteran looking for assistance in finding work, training opportunities, or business start-up advice?  Click here to read about the upcoming HR Boot Camp Seminar coming up in Rock Hill on April 28th.   Details are here

Jay Handler's Coming to Rock Hill ....

Listen to this dynamic speaker as he shares how you can help yourself to help your business grow.  There's no mystery to marketing .... it's a process, and one you CAN learn!

Don't forget to sign up to attend this FREE marketing seminar for small businesses on Thursday, April 5, 2012.  Sponsored by Winthrop University's Whitton Best Practices Series.

Click here for all the details and sign-up information.  You will NOT want to miss this one!  Learn how to market your business through traditional means as well as social media .....

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0_X82iF1URnTGVYQUlMR0dRak92Vl94VjhLSkxWZw

For all Woman Business Owners

Are you a Woman Small Business Owner? the following link will show you how you can win your share of government business.

Also, learn more on The Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program (WOSB) that could lead to great opportunities for your business. This is an excellent program you should take advantage of.  

Woman-owned Small Businesses (WOSB)

More on Pinterest

What's hot in Social Networking for business? Pinterest is quickly becoming the new Facebook (but more fun in many ways). We're developing our page as we've posted before, and learning how to best deliver our message in images and descrip...tions vs long text. And hey ...... you can do it on a laptop at night while you're watching TV at the same time ..... it's more like a very productive hobby than another marketing task that needs to be done.

 

Read what Pinterest marketers have to say http://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/social-networking-evangelism-community/social-marketing-with-pinterest/

Marketing Seminar

Need marketing help for your business? Did you make it to Jay Handler's "8 M's of Marketing Seminar"  when he came to Rock Hill last September? If not, you'll want to make sure you attend when he comes here again -- Thursday, April 5th 9 am - Noon -- and this time it's FREE!

Jay will be speaking on the 8 M's of Marketing as well as Social Networks for Business as part of Winthrop University's on...going Whitton Best Practices Series.  The series is sponsored by Elaine Whitton Davis to provide free or low cost access to state-of-the-art knowledge relevant to small business practice.

Jay will be speaking at Whitton Auditorium in Vivian M. Carroll Hall on Ebenezer Road on the campus of Winthrop University. Check-in will begin at 8:30 am. Please register early by calling Page Bowden at 803/323-2504 or emailing bowdenp@winthrop.edu.

Is your business "pinned" yet ..... we are.

See how it works ..... click on the Working From Home headline for this category, but also check our main boards at
 http://pinterest.com/winthropsbdc

We are now on Pinterest

Take a look at our Winthrop Region Pinterest "scrapbook"

This is an awesome way to showcase your business, your products, your services or all of your personal favorite things.

Check out our pinterest link http://pinterest.com/winthropsbdc/

Surveying your customer? Yes! It will help you...

Surveying your customers can benefit your business in many ways.

You’ll gain insights to help you improve your product or service, find out what customers actually think of your business compared to your competition and be better able to target their needs.

Click on the link below to learn more about how surveys can help you

http://www.openforum.com/articles/4-simple-ways-to-find-out-what-your-customers-really-think

hmmm ..... What would you do if a current or potential employer asked for your Facebook user name and password?

Read this very interesting article on how job seekers may be getting asked for their Facebook information.

http://www.wbtv.com/story/17196848/job-seekers-getting-asked-for-facebook-passwords

Export Seminar Series – Colombia and Panama

Participants will take part in an interactive market briefing from the U.S. Commercial Service in Colombia and Panama on current market opportunities, along with an overview of the benefits and challenges of exporting to Panama and Colombia.

Following the briefing, participants will learn the importance of culture and communication in Colombia and Panama.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012Midlands Technical College, Northeast Campus, Auditorium
(803) 691-3938

151 Powell Road, Columbia, SC 29203
(8:30 am - Noon) Cost is $25 per person.
 
All reference material, morning pastries/coffee included.
 
For more information and to register please Click Here or go to http://www.sctrade.org/events.html.
 
Seating is limited, registration form, & payment required to guarantee seat.
Location: Midlands Technical College,
Northeast Campus, 151 Powell Road,
Columbia, SC 29203
Map & Directions http://www.midlandstech.edu/northeastmap-b.htm
 
Schedule of Events:
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Registration
9:00 - 9:10 a.m. Welcome and Introduction- Amy Thomson, Senior International Trade Specialist, Columbia U.S. Export Assistance Center
9:10 - 10:00 a.m. Colombia Market and Opportunity Briefing- Cameron Werker, Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy Bogota, Colombia
10:00 - 10:15 a.m. Q & A/Break10:15 - 11:00 a.m. Panama Market and Opportunity Briefing- Daniel T. Crocker, Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy Panama
11:00 - 11:50 a.m. Culture and Communication- Clare Morris and Jessica Daly of the Clare Morris Agency 11:50 – 12:00 p.m. Q&A/Closing Room and facilities provided by Midlands Technical College Funded in part through a grant award with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
 
All opinions, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance. Contact Anita Patel, (803) 737-0247/ apatel@SCcommerce.com

Are there any high school/middle schoolers out there who would like to particiapate in the upcoming Optimist Oratorical Contest?

 There are spots avaiable , the ap deadline is March 20, contest is March 27, GD Ocean Club, local winner wins cash and goes to state contest to compelte for 2500 scholarship, to be held in escrow for school of choice, topic is How My Optimism has helped me to reach my Goals.

If you need an application, call 457-8774! Good op, winner was from Scholars Academy last year, state finals in Columbia!

Much like an entrepreneur.

Business is business, but a true entrepreneur sculpts that business just as surely as a sculptor creates a statue ..... one step, one detail at a time.

"Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration." - Evan Esar

Pinterest and Facebook - how they do it

How do the big web sites get massive hits? Here's what they do, and how you can do it too!

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-massive-hits-like-facebook-and-pinterest-have-in-common-2012-3?utm_source=inpost&utm_medium=seealso&utm_term&utm_content=3&utm_campaign=recirc

UPSTATE WORKSHOP OFFERS LENDER MATCHMAKING WITH SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

The South Carolina Department of Commerce will host a day-long workshop this month to help small business owners with strategies on financing their businesses and meeting lenders. The event will be March 13, at the TD Convention Center in Greenville.



"The emotion and energy of Commerce is toward having an impact. Meeting the needs of small business through sessions like this one help us do that, and bring important resources right to small business owners," said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce.


Attendees will have the chance to hear directly from lenders and small business service providers about how business owners can best position themselves to access capital. Small business owners will also learn from fellow entrepreneurs on how to improve their business strategies and prepare for marketing challenges.


The morning sessions will involve lender panels and a seminar on advice for small businesses. The afternoon session will involve an actual matchmaking event using a "speed dating" style concept to connect business owners with multiple lenders quickly.


A previous lender matchmaking event was held in August in Columbia, and had about 200 attendees. Ed Kesser, executive vice president of Business Carolina Inc. (BCI) Lending Services, a not-for-profit small business lender, participated in the lender matchmaking event in August.


"It provided us with the opportunity to further expose Business Carolina to the Small Business Community and help them understand how we could provide financial assistance to them," Kesser said. "Small Business owners need to be aware of all avenues available to them for credit."


Partners of the event include: the South Carolina Department of Commerce, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the S.C. Bankers Association, S.C. Chamber of Commerce, S.C. Credit Union League, South Carolina Small Business Development Center, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The workshop will also be co-hosted by the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.


The workshop will be at the TD Convention Center, 1 Exposition Drive, and will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration will be held that morning at 8 a.m. or register online at www.regonline.com/scsmallbusmatchmaking. There is a $30 registration fee. For more information, contact Ted Campbell at the South Carolina Department of Commerce at tcampbell@sccommerce.com or (803) 737-2329.

The Book

I'd like to say I've read this whole book, but I haven't finished it yet.

 

What I have read is just enough to know that every single small business owner (or anyone about to become a business owner) needs to download this free e-book and use it to propel your business forward steadily by making it more efficient, getting your employees more engaged and enthused about helping you grow your business, and becoming the stable, successful entrepreneur you want to be.

 

Organized by a nationwide SBDC think tank, all you need to do is click below to download and get started. Amazing opportunity to propel your business forward without spending a cent.

 

Click here to get more information http://smallbusiness-breakthrough.com/the-breakthrough-book/#.T1DphvXeOz8.facebook