A committee was convened and a series of 90-minute, hands-on seminars were developed covering timely topics on marketing techniques, social media/networking and improving web presence. The pilot workshop on marketing was scheduled on what was revealed by survey respondents to be the most popular day of the week, at the most requested time of day and at a cost of $25 to attend with a money-back guarantee. Invitations were extended to neighboring northwest metro-Atlanta business groups to bring the potential candidates to attend up to about 750. But only about two dozen signed up—slightly more than 3 percent of the target audience.

 

The 24 people that did attend raved about the program—its content and delivery—and some said they could easily validate a full return-on-investment within just one week of attending the workshop. But, how many other ABA members should have attended to give their business a much-needed shot in the arm? 

 

The sad irony is that typically only 3–4 percent of registered trade show attendees of The NBM Show—scheduled for Charlotte, N.C. Nov. 4–6, with 2011 dates just around the corner—take advantage of the education program presented by well-known industry experts on a wide range of business and technical subjects. This year, the unlimited seminar package—which included two-night hotel accommodations—was $299, with single seminars priced at $75. Yet, only a relatively small number of attendees took advantage of the opportunity.

 

The reason most cited for not investing in one’s education, regardless of the program is that business owners can’t find the time away to attend. But how can one afford not to attend? What’s the value of just one great idea? 

 

Count your resources

There are numerous programs that are specifically designed for the start-up or newly ordained business owner.

 

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City is the major funding organization for a program called FastTrac Growth Venture, an award-winning, comprehensive package of entrepreneur learning programs and materials. It provides existing and aspiring entrepreneurs with key business insights and skills, leadership experiences and valuable networking and mentoring opportunities they need to start, grow and lead businesses.

 

It offers a series of 10 modules that usually span seven weeks and explore topics such as making strategic decisions, using financial tools and charting performance, seizing the market, managing operations and growth and several others. The cost of enrollment is $895 for the first person and $550 for each additional attendee. Often, as is the case at the Kennesaw (Ga.) State University Small Business Development Center, scholarships up to $300 are available. Check out www.fasttrac.org for more information.

 

Speaking of Small Business Development Centers, the U.S. Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov) funds and supports approximately 1,000 service centers across the nation that provide no-cost consulting and low-cost training. Locate the nearest SBDC by visiting www.asbdc-us.org and searching by zip code or state. 

 

Some examples of continuing education programs offered by a SBDC include Writing an Effective Business Plan, Finding Money for Your Business, Legal Issues and Tax Tips for New Businesses, Small Businesses Marketing Strategies, and QuickBooks Fundamentals. The average cost for a single, two-and-a-half-hour session is $69. 

 

The SBA is also a resource partner for SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) Counselors to America’s Small Business (www.score.org). With more than 12,000 volunteers at 364 chapters nationwide—most of which are located at Chambers of Commerce—this nonprofit association is dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small business grow through online and in-person mentoring services. Founded in 1964, SCORE has helped 8.5 million small businesses and has assisted nearly 20,000 start-up companies each year. 

 

And the hits keep coming…

Interested in self-guided, reasonably-priced templates to produce a spiffy business or marketing plan? Check out the products of PaloAlto Software (www.paloalto.com). 

 

The official business link to the U.S. government is located at www.business.gov, where there is good information on certification for women-owned, minority-owned and veteran-owned businesses, as well as a host of other topics, including how to register and incorporate a business and searching for loans, grants and financing.

 

My Own Business Inc. (www.myownbusiness.org) was started in 1992 by Phil Holland, founder of the Yum Yum Donut Shops chain in Calif. It is a nonprofit organization that believes in teaching people to run their own business for a nominal cost and is subsidized by tax-deductible donations from organizations, including Avery Dennison Corporation and Focus Avenue, as well as from private individuals. It offers 16 online sessions covering all essential topics necessary to inform entrepreneurs how to avoid the most common pitfalls of business ownership.

 

As I hope you can see, there’s really no good reason not to explore and consider any or all of these resources. Good luck.

 

Broad Strokes

This month’s broad strokes include:

 

Only a relatively small percentage of business owners make the commitment to invest in training programs and consulting services, even those that are low cost.

 

The reason most cited for not investing in one’s education is that business owners can’t find the time away from business to attend.

 

There exist a wide range of training programs—from online, self-paced videos to 90-minute seminars at The NBM Shows to very comprehensive training series, such as FastTrac Growth Ventures—to satisfy the needs of any entrepreneur willing to learn.