Webinar on Disaster Recovery Best Practices

SBA and Agility Recovery Solutions Host Webinar on Disaster Recovery Best Practices

Date: July 12, 2011
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news

WASHINGTON – Find out what business owners learned after nearly losing their companies to small scale disasters like a sprinkler system malfunction or catastrophic events like widespread flooding during a free webinar on July 19 hosted by Agility Recovery Solutions and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Agility Recovery CEO Bob Boyd will share real stories of entrepreneurs whose business continuity strategies emerged while recovering from major disasters. He’ll also outline some practical applications of disaster preparedness tips, focusing on the concept of not only putting a plan together, but testing it periodically.

Recent events serve as a reminder that disasters have a far-reaching effect in terms of undermining small business success and the revival of local economies. Being prepared for any worst-case scenario will lessen the financial losses and business failures that typically accompany a natural or man-made emergency.

SBA has partnered with Agility to offer business continuity strategies for entrepreneurs via their “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for more preparedness tips.

Since 1953, the SBA has provided more than $48 billion in disaster recovery funds to 1.9 million homeowners, renters and businesses of all sizes in the form of low-interest loans. To learn more about the disaster assistance program, visit www.sba.gov/disaster.

WHO: SBA, Agility Recovery Solutions

WHAT: “Disaster Recovery Best Practices & Lessons Learned” will be presented by Bob Boyd, CEO, Agility Recovery Solutions. A question and answer session will follow.

WHEN: Tuesday, July 19, 2011, from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EDT

HOW: Space is limited. Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/799917864

Do You Know What the SBDC Does? Or how?

With constant budget cuts nationally and in our states, we think it's important for people to understand exactly what Small Business Development Centers do ..... and specifically what our South Carolina SBDCs do. We have a significant positive impact on the South Carolina economy, even in the worst of economic times. Read on for more information:

Who We Are:
The S.C. Small Business Development Center network (SBDC) is part of a national economic development program that helps start and grow small businesses in order to create jobs and revenue. The S.C. SBDC operates under a Cooperative Agreement between the U.S. Small Business Administration and a consortium of four host universities (USC, Clemson, Winthrop and South Carolina State).

How We Are Funded:
South Carolina’s SBDC is financed primarily by the U.S. Small Business Administration with additional support provided by state funds. The SBA requires a match for receipt of Federal funding. The state matching funds are necessary to keep the program in operation.

What We Do:
SBDC provides private management consulting services at no charge to small businesses statewide, as well as affordable educational programs targeted to the specific needs of entrepreneurs. These services directly result in job creation and retention, creation of new businesses, access to financing, increased sales and resulting taxes into the economy.

The S.C. SBDC provides specialized services that are not duplicated by the Department of Commerce, other SBA programs or other service providers.

Where We Are Located:
The South Carolina SBDC has 17 offices strategically located in both urban and rural communities throughout the state with 40 trained professionals who provide convenient, accessible services to all small businesses in any industry segment. The SBDC serves constituents in all 46 counties.

Our Five Year Results (2006 to 6/2011):

• Jobs created & retained: 6,304
• Government contract awards: More than $1 Billion
• Financing obtained: $815 million
• Businesses started: 506
• Small businesses served: 26,109

2010 Statewide Return on Investment: $89.2 million statewide *
In 2010, for every $1 invested by the state of South Carolina, over $5.85 are invested by the federal government, universities and local partners.

Our Partners:
The SBDC collaborates with university partners to offer student instruction in entrepreneurship, finance and other courses relevant to small-business development. We also partner with organizations like the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), SC Launch, the Women’s Business Center, SCORE, local Chambers of Commerce, Department of Commerce and many others to provide a well rounded offering of complimentary services to our clients

* (2008 per capita personal income figures obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis at www.bea.gov/regional/rels)

Is Your Business Prepared to Ride Out A Disaster?

The U.S. Small Business Administration and Agility Recovery Solutions are offering a free hour-long webinar at 2 p.m. June 21 on “Crisis Communications Planning — The Keystone of Disaster Recovery Response.”

A question and answer session follows the presentation by Bob Boyd, vice president of Agility Recovery Solutions.

SBA has partnered with Agility Recovery Solutions to offer business continuity strategies for entrepreneurs via their “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for more preparedness tips.

Space is limited for Tuesday’s webinar.
Register at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/748002384.

All Day Small Business Forum -- Read all about it!

Click to enlarge the brochure below

Coastal SC Area Small Business Forum

Location: Wall College of Business, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC

Date: June 22, 2011

Time: 8am - 5pm

Fee: $75 - Registration ends June 17, 2011 - Someone from the Conway SBDC office will be contacting you with payment processing within 1-2 business days

Details: Interactive workshops for current and potential small business owners - Business Plan Basics - Business Financing - SBA Loan Products – including Women-Owned Small Business set-asides, USDA Loan Products - Using Google to Enhance Web Presence - Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Intellectual Property - Using QuickBooks - Grants - Going Green (4-hour session) - Doing Business with CCU - Social Media Marketing - Search Engine Optimization - 8 (a) Certification, incentives for Women Owned Small Businesses (WOSB)

Don't wait -- 6/17 registration deadline is fast approaching!

REGISTER NOW!

Can Your Company Win the Start-Up Open?

http://startupopen.com/ .......

Is your new company ready to compete? Would you like to enter a competition that could win you the opportunity to grow your business with a once-in-a-lifetime experience?

Startup Open is a competition to recognize and reward startups and the entrepreneurs behind them. Held as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Startup Open will recognize the top 50 startups in 2011 and award prizes to help them grow their business.

Registration for Startup Open is open until September 15, 2011. Just click on the link above, create and account, and answer some questions about your company. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

SBA Introduces New Mobile Application for Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs

New SBA mobile application brings enhanced access to
information and resources . . .


WASHINGTON – Smart phone users interested in starting or growing a small business can now find helpful resources at their fingertips via a new SBA mobile application from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“Increasingly, smart phones are the vehicle through which Americans access information. This is certainly true of many entrepreneurs and small business owners and this new application ensures they will have access to SBA’s resources and programs – literally at their fingertips,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “Greater mobility fits with the new user-focused SBA.gov launched recently, and is another example of the steps we are taking to do a better job of connecting entrepreneurs and small business owners with the tools to help them start or grow their businesses and create jobs.”

Developed and donated as a gift by Palo Alto Software, Inc., the SBA mobile app will make the search for extensive resources more efficient, whether users are starting a new business or taking an existing business to a new level. The app will first be available for the Apple iPhone®, with future versions for other smart phone platforms.

“Palo Alto Software’s mission is to help small businesses succeed. We’ve developed this mobile application for the SBA because we understand the importance of having the right tools and resources when starting or growing a business,” said Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software. “Ideas can strike entrepreneurs at any moment, and having useful resources available through mobile devices could be the impetus that begins the next big company.”

The mobile app will help users connect with SBA district office staff and SBA-affiliated counselors and mentors who can provide free, personalized small business assistance. The user-friendly format of the app will help answer questions such as: How do I start a business? Where can I go in my area to get free help with writing a business plan? And where do I begin finding funding for my business?

The SBA mobile app also features a built-in startup cost calculator to help estimate the costs associated with getting a business off the ground, plus an SBA partner locator to help users find SBA offices, Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers and SCORE.

Users will also have mobile access to SBA video content and social media alerts to provide them with tips on the go. This will include live updates from the SBA’s YouTube channel and from SBA’s Twitter feeds. The free mobile app can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at www.sba.gov/content/sba-mobile-app.