October 2008 Blog Posts (16)

The Trip To Buyout

OK it's been a month or so since the "Financial Crisis" became part of our vocabulary. Since then the stock market has gyrated wildly, large banks and investment houses have either failed or were bought out and the federal government passed it's $700 billion "Bailout Plan". On October 24, 2008 PNC Financial Services Group Inc., announced it would buy Cleveland-based National City Corp. PNC will receive more than $7 billion from Treasury, bolstering its ability to complete the $5.08 billion deal… Continue

Added by Michael Bowers on October 31, 2008 at 6:30am — No Comments

Smart Ways Your Business Can Weather the Economic Storm

In a recent article I read on Entreprenuer.com I was surprised at some of the simple things business owners are doing to find opportunity amidst the financial problems that are all around us. The article states that “One year ago, bank loans for clients with personal credit scores as low as 660 and who had only been in business six months were not as hard to come by says David Gass, president of Las Vegas-based Business Credit Services, a firm that advises business owners on how to obtain… Continue

Added by Evan Metelko on October 28, 2008 at 5:07pm — 1 Comment

Small Business Advocate Radio Show

I'll be a guest on Jim Blasingame's Small Business Advocate radio program tomorrow morning 10/28 from 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM.

You can listen live. Go to http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/ and click Listen Now.

Jim Canterucci

Added by Jim Canterucci on October 27, 2008 at 2:04pm — No Comments

Human Resource advice needed....

I have a client in central Ohio trying to implement a random drug test policy. Who should they contact?

Added by Randy Morgan on October 27, 2008 at 2:03pm — No Comments

WHO WANTS TO PARTY? CAN YOU IMAGINE AN EVENT THAT IS STRESS FREE!

WHY HIRE AN EVENT PLANNER? THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IS EITHER YOU DON'T HAVE THE TIME, OR YOU LACK THE EXPERTISE FOR DETAIL. ESSENTIAL EVENT PLANNING IS GEARED TO THOSE CELEBRATING THE MILESTONES IN LIFE. I ALSO WILL ASSIT OR PLAN FUNCTIONS THAT ARE SOCIAL EVENTS. IF YOUR FUNCTION IS IN COLUMBUS OR OUT OF STATE WE CAN IMPLEMENT A DETAILED PLAN TO ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE A SUCESSFUL EVENT.

ESSENTIAL EVENT PLANNING IS A SMALL BUSINESS THAT IS TAKING COLUMBUS AND SURROUNDING… Continue

Added by Ebony Williams on October 26, 2008 at 10:17am — No Comments

Greening Your Business: Who, What, Why, How?

What does ‘Green’ mean to your company and how does reducing your ecological impact translate into cost savings, a stronger public image and improving the Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Profit)? Do you go for the low hanging fruit, printing on both sides and investing in inexpensive power strips, or do you dive headlong into complex environmental management systems (EMS) to gain certifications like ISO 14001? These are just a few of the questions you, as a small to mid-sized company, may… Continue

Added by Sara Rampersaud on October 23, 2008 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Merchant Cash Advance As Alternative Small Business Loan

In these tough economic times (we are all probably tired of hearing about), small business owners need to be even more on top of their game in order to survive. The ones who stay educated will even find the opportunity amidst the crisis and come out farther ahead. In a recent article from Entreprenuer.com which talks about “Controlling Your Cash Flow” a hot topic in the merchant service industry is suggested as a means to stay afloat or even surge ahead. The topic of a merchant cash… Continue

Added by Evan Metelko on October 15, 2008 at 10:44am — 5 Comments

Start a business in this economy? Are you crazy?

If you listen or read mainstream media, you may be wondering if deciding to start a business now is a bad idea. After all the stock market just finished the worse week in it’s history, large financial institutions are needing rescued, many companies are rapidly cutting their workforce, etc, etc. I personally have had a few clients just this week contact me saying that based on the current economic events, they have decided to put their starting of a business on hold. While I do understand this… Continue

Added by Kevin Hammond on October 14, 2008 at 10:28am — 2 Comments

What Are Your Tactics For Growing Your Small Business

Time Talent and Tactics

Building a successful business takes time, talent and a few good tactics. Over the past 15 years, working in a variety of businesses and helping launch and grow businesses, services, and products, I have identified five tactics that work again and again when applied consistently. These are tried and true, and work in any business. I'm sure there are others. Read though my five, and let's try to build the Small Business Top Ten Tactics List. If you use these… Continue

Added by Dan Harris on October 12, 2008 at 2:32pm — No Comments

Vote for Pedro!!

Just Kidding…That is from napoleon dynamite. Hehe BUT I hope I caught your attention.

Vote for me on StartUpNation! I want my Popularity Meter to hit HOT! Please help me get it there. The meter is on my profile page, watch it go up with me - http://tinyurl.com/56ru73.

VOTE HERE -… Continue

Added by Alicia Rittenhouse on October 9, 2008 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Twitter for Business

As most of you know I am a big fan of Twitter. I use it for most of my local news, for information on the election, event announcements, business connections and for links to informational blogs and articles. Twitter gives me all of this in under 140 characters.

If you are not familiar with Twitter I recommend you check it out. Be very careful as it is very addicting. Twitter is a very simple yet powerful application that can connect you with people… Continue

Added by Michael Bowers on October 7, 2008 at 7:33am — No Comments

Show Me the Grant Money....Now!!

What are some things to consider when looking for a grant? Since there are so many types and sources of grants, it is important to look at each one closely. Here are some legitimate resources for grant funding and how to write grants:

1. The Grantmanship Center: www.tgci.com - you can look at information about different types of grants and look at abstracts of grant applications that have been funded. The Grantsmanship Center also offers low cost publications on grantwriting.

2.… Continue

Added by Susan on October 6, 2008 at 9:25pm — No Comments

So Now What?

Can we all agree that there are a few challenges with the economy these days? What does this all mean if you are in a small business now? What if you are thinking of starting a small business? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? A lot of questions not to many clear cut answers. Here is what we are seeing at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

Credit is tight. You've been hearing that on the news but what does it mean? Banks are still making… Continue

Added by Michael Bowers on October 6, 2008 at 4:39pm — No Comments

5 Legal Tips To Save Startups Money & Headaches

Here is a post I was turned on to by Patrick Murphy of Brand Thunder. "5 Legal Tips To Save Startups Money & Headaches" is focused on technology businesses and businesses with protectable IP. Click here to read the post.

Added by Michael Bowers on October 6, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments

The economy and it's affect on small business lending...

I'm sitting here at the OSU-Newark e-lounge, trying to recollect everything I just told a reporter from the local newspaper. He was picking my brain on how I thought the state of the economy was affecting bank lending to small businesses.

I was just having this conversation with our local Economic Development Director earlier in the day. He had a little different spin, since they called him as well....and his thoughts pertained to what he's seeing in manufacturing and big-box… Continue

Added by Randy Morgan on October 2, 2008 at 8:00pm — 1 Comment

How-To: Shop for a Merchant Account Provider Part III

If you read Part I and Part II of this series you are all caught up on what to consider when choosing your bank for your merchant account, and some of the potential problems that can come along with using a bank. I will wrap up this part of the… Continue

Added by Evan Metelko on October 2, 2008 at 10:00am — No Comments