Your SBDC Newsletter

The Rock Hill Area of Winthrop Region SBDC serves five SC counties: York, Chester, Lancaster, Union and Cherokee.
Call us for free business consultation, assistance in developing your business plan, help with marketing ideas and direction, a free financial analysis for your existing business, and more!  We're here to help!

How Do You Measure Success in Business?

 One of the things we LOVE about working for the SC Small Business Development Centers is watching our clients grow and truly succeed in the businesses they've opened.  We've seen that the most successful small businesses in the community are those whose owners started out by learning what they didn't know about running a business .... then implementing what they had learned .... and finally being extremely watchful of what was working and not working for them, to quickly make changes and add or subtract elements of the business as necessary. They listen to their customers and make sure they offer what those customers are looking for.  It's great to do what YOU want as a business owner, but adding the extra customer service of new products or services that your customers request creates a win-win situation that benefits everyone.

   What IS a successful small business?  It's very possibly not what you may think.  Success is a relative thing, not always measured the same way.  Some people have huge dreams of wanting to be CEO of a giant conglomerate; but others have a much simpler dream to work in a business they love and earn enough money to take care of their families and enjoy a good life with them. Whatever dream you have,  the SBDC will be happy to walk through that dream with you, make suggestions, give you advice on where to start, or how to grow an existing business to the next level.   Truly successful people know that it's best to run ideas past a mentor before implementing them.  Often others can suggest or see things that we can't see ourselves.  So, we aren't just about start-ups, as you may have thought -- we're very much a resource for growing enterprises as well!

   We'd like to feature all of our successful clients in our newsletters.  If you'd like us to feature your business, call Carol at (803) 323-2283 and update her on how and what you're doing, and why you're a business a success!

Featured Business:

Anna Carter, Owner of Tree of Life Studio in Rock Hill is a great example of a business owner who didn't rush to open her business. She planned well and followed her plan.

Anna's Tree of Life Massage and Facial Studio offers therapeutic massage and facials providing her clients with a variety of medically beneficial massages, massages for sports or traffic injuries, pregnancy, and stress relief massage.  Before opening, she made sure she had all the legalities taken care of, understood the business type she had chosen, got herself certified in all areas of her business and encouraged her husband, Hal to get his massage therapy certification as well.  With both of them certified, it created the opportunity for the business to take on more clients, especially doctor-referred patients in need of deep tissue massage, and couples wanting to come in for "spa night" massages together.  

Anna took the right steps at the right time to ensure steady, continuous growth of her business .... and she keeps in touch to get our opinion from time to time.   Now, since Tree of Life Studio opened 2 1/2 years ago and is doing well, she's getting ready to move to a new location with more space for both clients  and new products, but with the same friendly, cozy atmosphere of her current location. Tree of Life will re-locate on November 1st to 860 Cherry Road, Suite #102 in Rock Hill, right behind Hers and His Hair Stylists.   She's planning an Open house, so be sure to watch her website or Facebook page so you don't miss it!

Anna loves her business, loves her customers, loves the skin care products she offers and loves being able to work with Hal.  In Anna's book and ours, that's a business success story! 

Great job, Anna -- We love having you as part of our SBDC family of small business owners!

Upcoming Events:

October 19, 2015:

   This is a FREE workshop, sponsored by the IRS.  This training will be held
 in Room 415 of the Thurmond Building (College of Business) on the Winthrop University Campus, corner of Park Avenue (off Cherry Road) at Memorial Circle.  Room 415 is on the 4th floor, and is elevator accessible.   Parking passes for the day will be emailed to registrants the day before the workshop.

Sign-in will begin at 8:30 am, and the workshop will begin promptly at 9 am and end at noon.

Agenda includes:

• What you need to know about federal taxes when hiring employees/contractors
• Employee vs independent contractor
• Payer responsibilities
• Identify payer-related forms
• Verify employee information
• State New Hire Registry
• File Forms W-2 online
• FIRE system
• How to manage your payroll so you withhold the right amount from employees
• Wages subject to employment taxes
• Accountable vs. non-accountable plans
• What you need to know about Federal Unemployment Taxes (FUTA).
• Define FUTA wages
• Deposit rules
• Forms & filing

 Resource materials will be provided for:

• South Carolina Department of Revenue
• Registering a business in South Carolina
• Reporting and collecting sales tax
• Withholding tax
• South Carolina Department of Employment & Workforce
• Unemployment Insurance Tax and Claims
• Tax Liability
• Legal entities
• Wage report
• Independent Contractor

Register

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October 27, 2015 

 8 am - 2 pm:  "A Woman's Business" conference ..... 

An interactive seminar for women business owners and managers, non-profit directors, and aspiring women entrepreneurs looking for mentoring, business advice, suggestions and creative input.    Click through for details and registration information, as well as a list of participating sponsors, facilitators, and women panelists.  

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Do you need ideas, advice, analysis to help you expand your business?  Call us. Consultations and most services are are free (except for seminars and websites). We have answers to your questions, or can find someone who does ...... we're here to help! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Winthrop Region Small Business Development Center Located at Winthrop University College of Business Rock Hill, SC (803) 323-2283  WinthropRegionalSBDC@gmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get our newsletter in your email through Constant Contact:                                       Subscribe to our SBDC Newsletter  LIKE us on Facebook for daily business information in your newsfeed Follow us on Twitter!

"A Woman's Business" ... Interactive Conference for Women in Business

We are happy to announce that Registration is Now Open for our newest event here at the Winthrop Region's Rock Hill SBDC Center .... "A Woman's Business" seminar, specifically created to bring together a wide variety of women business owners, non-profit directors, and community leaders to talk, share experiences, network, and create opportunities for growth in their businesses.

DATE/TIME:  Tuesday, October 27, 2015 from 8 am - 2 pm
PLACE:  Winthrop University, Carroll Hall (Ebenezer Road at Cherry Road, on campus)
COST:  $35
Go to our site's Registration Page for more details and to register now.  Don't wait!  Space is at a premium, so seats are limited for this event.

Women's Conference -- Save the Date!!

SAVE THE DATE!    SAVE THE DATE!    SAVE THE DATE! 

October 27th here at Winthrop University ....  A few details still to work out, but this is a definite "GO" and we're really excited to be offering it! Watch and LIKE our FB page to see updates as we go (http://www.facebook.com/SCbusinessassistance) or our website at http://www.winthropregionalsbdc.org.   Just don't miss it!  We've brought together a wonderful and diverse group of women business owners and community leaders to guide you and answer your questions.  You'll love it!!

SC's New GITI Tire Plant Is Seeking Interested Vendors/Suppliers

Interested in possibilities of being a supplier for Giti Tire in SC? Come meet and ask questions at the Giti Tire Supplier Outreach Event on September 30, 2015 at the Gateway Center, 3200 Commerce Drive, Richburg, SC (at Highway 9 and I-77), 4:00-5:30PM.

This is for the operational portion of the Giti Tire project only, (not construction related).

A flier for the event is attached. No pre-registration will be required; however, attendees may want to arrive a few minutes early to sign-in.

Franchise Workshop August 18th

Are you going through a career transition?  Trying to decide whether to start your own business from scratch or look into other options?  Well, it’s a great time for exploring those options! Our area is growing rapidly. New people move in every day, and new businesses are needed to provide the products and services they need.

This could be the perfect time to achieve independence and make your dream of having your own business a reality.

Come to this free workshop offered through a cooperative effort with The Entrepreneur's Source to learn and understand the nuts & bolts of franchise ownership vs a standard start-up, so you can make an informed decision about your future business path.  

DATE:

Tuesday, Aug 18, 2015

TIME:

6-8 pm

PLACE:

Room 415 of the Thurmond Bldg. on the Winthrop University campus, Rock Hill, SC

To register, go to our website and click on the Event Calendar. 

www.WinthropRegionalSBDC.org   Or call us at the Winthrop Region SBDC (803) 323-2283 to register by  telephone.

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Union, SC -- Entrepreneur's Start-Up Workshop

An Entrepreneur's Start-Up Workshop will be held in Union, SC for area residents interested in starting their own businesses.   This event will be held Wednesday, August 5, 2015 from 9 to 11 am.  Details and Registration information on the flyer below.  This event is offered through a cooperative effort between the Winthrop Region SBDC in Union, and the Union County Chamber of Commerce.

Union SC - Creative Marketing for Your Small Business

Business owners in Union, SC have the opportunity to learn how to market their business services and products creatively and affordably.   The Winthrop Region SBDC-Union, in cooperation with the Union County Chamber of Commerce will present "Creative Marketing for Your Small Business" on Wednesday, August 5 from Noon to 2 pm.  Details and Registration Information on the flyer below.

Workshop: Website Presence or Full E-Commerce?

Whether you’re considering developing a basic Internet presence for your business for the first time; or trying to decide whether to monetize your existing website by offering products for sale via e-commerce, this free workshop will help you understand the possibilities, the decisions you need to make, and how to insure that your website is optimized so it comes up in searches. It’s not a “build it and they will come” proposition. It takes planning, marketing and time.

Come learn more about operating online!  

Date and Time: Thursday, June 4, 2015 from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM (EDT)

Location: Carole Ray Dowling Center at USC-Lancaster Campus,

                 476 Hubbard Dr., Lancaster SC 29720

Advance registration is required and seating is limited.

For registration, please contact the

LANCASTER COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
453 Colonial Avenue
Lancaster, SC 29721

Call (803) 283-4105 or Email: Info@lancasterchambersc.com

“Website Presence or Full E-Commerce?” is presented in partnership with the Winthrop Region Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Winthrop University.

  

Leadercast . . . "The Brave Ones"

Business Consultants Eduardo Venegas and Carol Daly attended the 2015 Leadercast presentation today, called The Brave Ones. This was aired live at remote locations all over the world, bringing together such "brave leaders" as Andy Stanley, Bill McDermott, Cmdr Rorke Denver, Malala Yousafzai, Seth Godin, Ed Catmull, Aja Brown and Rudy Giuliani .... and hosted by Bill & Giuliana Rancic. 

You may have to look up some of those names, but when you find them, you'll know why they were invited to participate on the topic of bravery in leadership. In their own way, each of them have dared to be brave in the face of personal or business challenges. They have all known what first seemed like failure, but were able to focus on their goals, learn from their failure and move on to find fantastic success. 

If you were unable to attend this year's Leadercast,make sure you watch for it early next year! 2016 Leadercast .... subject will be "Architects of Tomorrow." Thanks to the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Young Professionals of York County for their hard work in bringing this fantastic program to Rock Hill!

#thebraveones

South Carolina Aerospace B2B Supplier Matchmaker Event

  

Thursday, August 27, 2015

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Matchmaking Session  

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Open Networking Session

Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

1101 Lincoln St.

Columbia, SC 29201

The South Carolina Aerospace B2B Supplier Matchmaker event is an opportunity for aerospace suppliers to connect with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. OEMs and Tier 1 companies reevaluate their supply chains for the best quality, delivery and value, while suppliers seek the opportunity to further serve the aerospace industry. The Aerospace B2B Matchmaker is an industry focused speed-dating event between procurement representatives and potential manufacturing suppliers. 

·        Open to companies that provide a material, product, sub-assembly or technical service to the Aerospace Industry

·        Meet with Procurement representatives from up to 8 OEM and Tier 1 companies

·        Individual meetings will be conducted in a speed dating format for 15 minutes each

·        $35 registration fee

·        Scheduled matchmaking sessions will be followed by a 30 minute open networking session for all companies

·        Matchmaking session sign-up will be conducted through Eventbrite.com. http://tinyurl.com/kxntz4g 

Pre-registration authorization required.

·        Please contact:

Tessa Monahan, Tmonahan@sccommerce.com 

(803)737-1336 for more information

Rock Hill SBDC Wins Excellence and Innovation Award from SBA

Rock Hill, SC -- The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) located at Winthrop University in Rock Hill has been named winner of the Excellence and Innovation Award for the Small Business Administration’s Region IV.  Region IV serves the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

 At the urging of its Region Director Larry Stevens, the staff of the Rock Hill Small Business Development Center put his suggestion to “Challenge the Status Quo” to work, brainstorming and developing a plan to increase the Center’s impact in 2014. And the plan worked.

“The Rock Hill Area SBDC has proven exceptional, both through the assistance it has given to countless individual entrepreneurs and through the many innovative programs and partnerships it has developed to better serve the area business community,” said Elliott Cooper, District Director of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) South Carolina District Office.  “We are proud of everything they have accomplished, and we are beyond proud to count them as a partner.”

The SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award, which is part of SBA’s national awards program, honors an SBDC for “excellence in providing value to small businesses and advancing program delivery and management through innovation,” according to the official SBA award guidelines. 

Roger Weikle, Dean of the College of Business Administration at Winthrop, said, “I could not be more proud of the contribution of the SBDC.  The experts on staff contribute to the economic development of our region, increase the effective operation of a variety of small businesses, and assist in teaching our students in the process.  The Small Business Development Center is part of a great partnership, efficiently combining resources of the SBA, the State of South Carolina, and Winthrop University.”

The SBA administers the SBDC Program to give current and prospective entrepreneurs access to a wide variety of free and low-cost business assistance through nearly 1,000 locations across the nation. The SBA recognizes up to one SBDC in each state, which then go on to compete at the regional and national levels.  Nominee evaluation criteria include client satisfaction, business start-up numbers, job creation, capital infusion, and innovation and success in community economic development.

Anyone who wishes to contact the Rock Hill SBDC, which serves York, Chester, Lancaster, Union and Cherokee Counties should call (803) 323-2283 or visit the Center’s website at www.winthropregionalsbdc.org to fill out the Contact Form.

On the Radio . . .

Spoke on Palmetto Mornings this morning about the Business Success Extravaganza ...... take a moment to listen and learn a little about this event.   Only 1 1/2 days left to register, so if you need more information to make your decision, have a listen!

What Are You Waiting For? Set the Stage for Your Business' Success Now!

Only a few more days to register

for

Business Success Extravaganza 2015!

Read details and register to attend on our

website at http://www.winthropregionalsbdc.org

Eric Spellmann is Bringing Social Media Understanding to SC!

If you've never heard Eric Spellmann speak, you're in for an eye-opening experience!  He's not only the kind of social media, but he's figured out how to explain what to do, when to do it, and how to do it for us mere mortals!  You can hear him speak at the SBDC's "Business Success Extravaganza" on March 24th!

Taking America’s Largest Seed Fund on the Road

By Javier.Saade, SBA Official

Originally Published as News on: February 12, 2015

Javier Saade, SBA Assoc. Admin.
Office of Investment and Innovation

At the SBA, we oversee America’s Largest Seed Fund, formally known as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
These highly competitive programs provide the needed impetus for many advanced technology firms to move from ideation to commercialization, supporting our country’s innovation driven economy.  Since the programs’ inception, there have been over 150,000 awards totaling about $40 billion to help this country’s innovators and de-risk technology investments needed to keep our country competitive.   Annually, thousands of American innovators gain access to $2.5 billion in non-dilutive seed capital through the SBIR/STTR programs. While these programs are national in scope, not all communities have fully utilized this opportunity.

We recognize that American innovation is not restricted by geographic boundaries, and to ensure that all of America’s future innovators are aware of this advantageous funding opportunity, SBA and 11 federal agencies are taking the show on the road and embarking on an 18 state SBIR Road Tour.
The SBIR Road Tour “Seeding America’s Future Innovations”, is a nationally focused outreach initiative targeting advanced technology communities, including women-owned and minority-owned firms, in states that have underutilized this funding opportunity. Over the course of 2015, I am glad to announce that more than 20 individual program managers from the 11 participating agencies will travel by motor coach to convey the non-dilutive technology seed fund opportunity.  Each SBIR Road Tour stop is hosted by a local organization committed to supporting technology-based entrepreneurship, and will provide attendees with a coveted local opportunity to hear directly from federal agency program managers, and meet one-on-one with program decision makers.
The first series will take place the week of March 23rd, with stops in Louisville, KY, Nashville, TN, Atlanta, GA, and Columbia, SC.  The next stop is the week of April 27th in Long Beach, MS, Ruston, LA, Oklahoma City, OK, Wichita, KS, and Columbia, MO.  Trips to the North Central region is planned for July and the last to the Northwest in August.

It’s like a rock band tour with a twist - the rock stars are America’s innovators and we want to give you a stage to explore these amazing programs.

 If you’re a small technology firm, innovator, scientist or researcher, I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Since the SBIR/STTR programs inception, it has provided seed funding to companies including Qualcomm, iRobot, Symantec, and Genzyme. Through this outreach initiative, I am confident we will continue to expand on the program’s success, and am excited to see what innovation we seed next.

For more information on the SBIR Road Tour and the SBIR program visit www.sbir.gov.

Student Entrepreneur Competition

TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR @ KNOWEDGE PARK HOSTS ITS FIRST ENTREPRENEUR COMPETITION

The Technology Incubator @ Knowledge Park is hosting its first Entrepreneur Competition beginning on Friday, February 27^th at 6 pm and finishing on Friday, March 6^th.  This initial competition is specially designed for college students attending Winthrop University, York Technical College, or Clinton College.  In addition, a parallel pilot competition for middle school students in Rock Hill School District Three will also be conducted.  Both the kickoff and final pitch sessions will be held at Whitton Auditorium in Carroll Hall on the Winthrop University campus.

The purpose of this event is to raise awareness for students and the community at large of the importance of entrepreneurship in building the 21st Century economy in Knowledge Park and beyond.  Through the process of holding this event, it is intended that potential local entrepreneurial talent will be identified and cultivated.

Student teams will be challenged to build a business model (using Alexander Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas) for an innovative idea that could be launched in Knowledge Park. Teams will have one week to research and compile the elements of a business model around their key value proposition.  A panel of judges will hear the pitches from each team entered and determine the winners. 

Cash prizes will be awarded as follows: 1st Place Grand Prize of $1,500, and an 8-week Summer Scholarship to the Technology Incubator; 2nd Place $ 1,000; 3rd Place $500, and  a $500 Special Prize for the most innovative/compelling business concept (that didn’t place).  There is no entry fee for the student teams to compete.  For registration and more details, visit the Technology Incubator Center’s web site: www.tirockhill.org

Business Success Extravaganza 2015!

Unbelievable speakers and instructors ....... fantastic information ....... all for YOU, the business owner determined to succeed!   

We're very excited about this day-long opportunity to learn lessons and hear speakers who've never been available in our area before. Come join us, won't you?!  It will be a day to remember, and information to put into action as soon as you go home!

Register now on our EventBrite registration page.

Business Success Extravaganza 2015 ... March 24, 2015, offered by the Winthrop Region SBDC and Winthrop University