April
2008
Success Stories
Schakolad Grand Opening
DeRima and Gary are the franchise owners of the Schakolad Chocolate Factory, a retailer of hand-made European style chocolates made on premise for customers to watch. They specialize in unique gifts for Graduation, Mother's Day and more. The SBDC helped DeRima and Gary incorporate their business as well as prepare financial projections for the bank. They celebrated their grand opening in March with free truffles for everyone! According to DeRima,
Mountains of chocolate...$3000,
Piles of caramel...$1000,
Satisfying your sweet tooth with
help from the SBDC.....PRICELESS!
Owners:
Derima and Gary Johnson
Location:
The Forum at 3300 Soncy, # 300
Phone:
806-331-2626
Employs:
1 Full-Time and 2 Part-Time
Free Workshop
Introduction to
Business Ownership
-
Writing a Business Plan
-
Small Budget Marketing
-
Financing your Business
-
Should you Incorporate?
April 8 8:30 - 10:30 AM
April 15 6:00 - 8:00 PM
April 29 8:30 - 10:30 AM
Call 372-5151 to Reserve your seat
Contact Us
SBDC
701 S Taylor Suite L118
Amarillo, TX 79101
806-372-5151
Affiliations
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement 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.
WTAMU Small Business Development Center is a member of the
Northwest Texas SBDC Region Network.
Accredited by the Association of Small Business Development Centers
GETTING YOUR
MESSAGE ACROSS
These 10 tips will help you touch base with
your employees consistently and effectively.
Of all the obstacles business owners hurdle every day, one of the most problematic is communicating with employees. The way a message should be delivered, whom it should be delivered to, what it says and the best time to deliver it all factor into whether the message will be understood or adhered to.
Being in charge of an organization doesn't automatically keep you from being concerned about sending a message, especially if it's negative. But if sending negative messages causes you anxiety, take comfort in this: Most employees say they would rather receive bad news from their boss than none at all.
That's because not knowing what the boss thinks causes an employee a great deal of anxiety. This uncertainty can lead to errors, decreased morale, low productivity, absenteeism and turnover.
To immediately improve the quality of employee communication, follow these 10 tips:
1. Be negative privately and positive publicly.
2. Don't yell.
3. Be specific, not general.
4. Speak from the heart.
5. Communicate often.
6. Be positive first.
7. Talk about change if it is needed.
8. Find something good to say to everyone.
9. Listen first, then comment.
10. Do it early.
Consistent and effective communication dramatically improves the way your entire business works--get the message?
For the complete article by David G. Javitch, Ph.D. at Entrepreneur.com
Basic
Bookkeeping Concepts
- $20
Thursday, April 10th
6 to 8 pm
This seminar will explain how accurate record keeping and financial information are primary to the success of your business.
Patents, Copyrights & Intellectual Property
- $20
Tuesday, April 22nd
6 to 8 pm
Intellectual Property Attorney Chris Stewart will cover patents, copyrights and Intellectual Property subjects of concern to business owners, including internet issues.
Marketing Ideas for your Small Business - $20
Thursday, April 24th
6 to 8 pm
This seminar covers Market Research, your Business Identity (including names, logos, & tag lines), and a special section about your Online Presence - what to consider and how to do it.
EPA Small Business Innovation Research:
Phase I Program Solicitation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) invites small business firms to
submit research proposals under this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Solicitation. The SBIR program is a phased process, uniform throughout the
Federal Government, of soliciting proposals and awarding firm fixed price
contracts for research or research and development (R&D) to meet stated
agency needs or missions. EPA is interested in advanced technologies that
address the following EPA topics: Innovation in Manufacturing;
Nanotechnology; Green Buildings; Drinking Water and Water Monitoring; Water
Infrastructure Rehabilitation; Monitoring and Control of Air Pollution;
Biofuels and Vehicle Emissions Reduction; Waste Management and Monitoring
and Homeland Security. The proposed research must directly pertain to EPA's
environmental mission and must be responsive to EPA program interests
included in the topic descriptions in this solicitation.
Quote of the Month
Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee,
and just as hard to sleep after.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
END
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Typos & Errors are Property of the Finder.
Copyright 2008 by WTAMU SBDC