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SCORE E-Newsletter
April 2007
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The topic of our next regular workshop is:
Local Women Who
Succeeded
in
Business
Join us on Saturday, April 14, 2007 from 9:30am-12:30pm at Collier
County Public Library (at 650 Central Avenue in Naples) where
four female entrepreneurs, each of whom has started her own
successful business in Collier County, will relate their experiences
and tell you how they got started. Our panelists:
-
Dr. Lily DeBlieux, CEO of Widespread Technologies
- Xerox -
Kellee Newsbury, owner and President of The Web
Professional, Inc., -
Jane Wingate, President of Gulf Coast Mortgage
-
Colleen Kvetko, Executive Vice President of Fifth
Third Bank
This workshop will be moderated by SCORE counselor Jim Culkar.
or, cut and paste the following link into your browser:
http://www.scorenaples.org/workshop.pdf
To register for this workshop, visit our website at www.scorenaples.org and click on WORKSHOPS, and then on SIGN UP!or, call us at (239)430-0081.
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Fifth
Third Bank, the donor of the Naples SCORE office space, is
in the process of selling a variety of used office furniture
including desks, chairs, credenzas and artwork to benefit Youth
Haven
(www.youthhaven.net).
840
Goodlette Road North in Naples (Map) on |
Note: Buyers are responsible for loading and hauling all purchases. Only payments by check will be accepted with checks made out to Fifth Third Bank. |
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Choosing the Most Effective Retail Advertising
Contributed by SCORE
Counselor Roger Clapp
Each advertising medium - be it television, radio, newspapers or direct mail, to name but a few - has its own success stories that seemingly document why their medium is the right one for you. Assuming that you have a very limited budget, and your Business Plan can justify spending a certain amount of investment for advertising, then a rule of thumb would be to single out a portion of your budget and try to zero in on that small segment of your best potential customers with sufficient frequency to maintain desirable awareness.
Assuming you have pinpointed your target audience, and examined your Business Plan, before you spend a penny of your hard earned money on advertising, invest in the most effective form of advertising: Word of Mouth directed towards your hard care immediate customers. This involves ensuring that you are giving full value to these important people via special discounts, creating an atmosphere in your place of business that is pleasing to your current customers. They, in turn, will help spread the right Word of Mouth. Included here would be developing excellent public relations with your immediate neighborhood.
After this has been established, take the final step: sit down with representatives of the various media, let them know your objectives and your budget. Let them get back to you with a Media Plan that they feel will best serve your needs. Pick the plan that you feel most comfortable with - and only pick one medium. Don't make the mistake of spreading your dollars over a myriad of media.
One final caveat: Once you've committed yourself, hang tight and give your decision a fair chance to work. You'll be pleased to find that your media representative is in it for the long haul too - so give him or her the opportunity to be a true partner.
Good Luck!
This Month's Business Links on the Web:
IRS E-Newsletter and Tax Info: Subscribe to the
free IRS E-newsletter for small business owners at www.irs.gov/businesses/small/content/0,,id=154826,00.html.
View the IRS 2007 Tax Hints at: www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4437.pdf.
See the latest tax law changes at: www.irs.gov/formspubs/article/0,,id=109879,00.html
Business "How To" Tips:
Work.com is a new "How-To" Web site for start-up entrepreneurs
and small business owners. It offers guides on nearly 1,500 topics
for starting and running a small business.
Teens in Business: Do you have a teenager
that has been comtemplating starting a business? Have them check out
the SBA's site just for teen entrepreneurs at www.sba.gov/teens.
Protect Your Business From Phishing Scams:
Tackle phishing scams before they damage your business. www.hostway.com/newsletter/2007/03/index.html#01
Past Newsletters: SCORE E-Newsletters by following
the links below:
Oct
2006 Nov
2006 Dec
2006 Jan
2007 Feb
2007 Mar
2007
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Are you looking for an opportunity to
give something back to the community? We are looking for a
few outstanding, talented men and women willing to share their business
knowledge and experience.
As a SCORE volunteer, you will join a congenial group of skilled business
professionals who volunteer a few days every month to counsel and help
small businesses succeed.
Why not get the facts and decide whether or not SCORE is for
you. Call 239-430-0081 or visit www.scorenaples.org/joinus.htm for
more information about helping small businesses succeed.
We have immediate needs for full-time resident volunteers to help us
with year-round counseling needs. Bi-lingual counselors needed to help
with programs geared towards the growing Hispanic population.
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This E-Newsletter has been Generously Sponsored by:
|
Spotlight YOUR company
here as the sponsor of a future monthly E-Newsletter! It's a
great way to reach over 1400 individuals (and growing) for only $50
per month. Contact scoreweb@scorenaples.org to
sponsor our next E-Newsletter or visit www.scorenaples.org/sponsors.htm to
learn about other SCORE Sponsorship opportunities! We are now
taking bookings for the 2007 calendar year!
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Note: You are receiving this email because you have had contact with SCORE either as a workshop attendee, received counseling, and/or had other contact with us in which you supplied us with your email address. Please unblock emails from score@scorenaples.org from any blocked senders email list. If you do not wish to receive future e-mailings of this enewsletter please inform us by going to our Subscription Removal page on our website at www.scorenaples.org/removeme.htm and we will promptly remove you from our email list.
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is a Resource Partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration
This
newsletter has been SCORE
Naples Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-noon |