Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and SCORE were started by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to partner with local organizations and resources with the aim of providing “educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.”

Every state has a network of Small Business Development Centers, typically based at a university or community college. In Michigan a technology component was added several years ago to assist with emerging technology, thus changing the name to the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC).

Locally, the SBTDC has a Regional Office in Traverse City with satellite offices in Boyne City, Northwestern Michigan College, and Manistee. What’s important to remember is that the SBTDC has business consulting services from qualified consultants who have owned their own businesses and have gone through rigorous training. In addition the Michigan SBTDC provides market research information, business resource centers, and entrepreneurial training.

SCORE is nationwide network of volunteers that also offer their own no-cost business expertise to entrepreneurs. In Northwest Lower Michigan there are SCORE offices in Traverse City, Petoskey, and Ludington.

Fast Trac® New Venture® 

This intensive entrepreneur training is co-sponsored by the Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Centers (MI-SBTDC) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).  Fast Trac® New Venture® will lead entrepreneurs from evaluation of a current business or concept to intensive instruction on all aspects of small business operations.

Fast Trac® New Venture® is a program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, one of the nation’s leading organizations in advancing entrepreneurship. Students must have a current business or concept to enroll, as they will be producing a business plan as part of the course requirements.

Key Objectives

• Test your business idea.
• Broaden your understanding of business
• Plan your financial needs to avoid cash flow problems.
• Structure your business operations for efficiency.
• Develop entrepreneurial skills by learning from other entrepreneurs.

Program Features

• Ten weekly 3-hour sessions.
• Small group activities and hands-on coaching during each session.
• Text and online training materials are from the nationally recognized FastTrac^® New Venture™ program proven through use with thousands of businesses.
• Entrepreneur guest speakers.

Program Benefits

• Provide process to launch your business with confidence.
• Identify opportunities to start your business.
• Learn new concepts to apply to your business each week.
• Addresses individual planning needs.

Get on track fast! Orientation January 12, 2012 from 6-7:30p.m. at NMC’s Aero Park Campus, Parson-Stulen Building room 226. Pre-registration is required; register at Northwestern Michigan College or by calling (231)995-1700 with code 11559. For more information, please contact Meg at 231-922-3780 or meghavenga@nwm.cog.mi.us. The normal $700 per student fee has been reduced through scholarship funding provided by the MEDC; students pay only $140. Class size will be strictly limited, so please register early.

The Coming Jobs War: 

Written by Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup,

Reviewed by Chris Wendel

“The global war for jobs will determine the leader of the free world and if the United States allows China or any   country or region to out-enterprise it, out-job-create it, out-grow its GDP, everything changes.  This is America’s next  war for everything. From “The Coming Jobs War” by Jim Clifton

Job creation is a topic that still dominates the national media as well as state and local news. While there is plenty of rhetoric to go around with job creation discussions, few pundits have been able to quantify how serious our national employment situation may be in coming decades.

Written by Jim Clifton the Chairman and CEO of Gallup, The Coming Jobs War begins by laying out the perilous job forecast for the U.S. The book’s doom and gloom analysis will leave many readers detached and hopeless until Clifton turns more personable and positive in Chapter 4.

Perhaps it was Clifton’s intention to start out with a flurry of attention getting Gallup information (the man has after all, six years of comprehensive global research at his fingertips). His prediction going forward is that the world’s growing population will want 3 billion jobs, while the available supply will only provide 1.2 billion jobs. With jobs being today the main factor for people defining themselves, the society with the most jobs will come out on top. Clifton’s major point is that jobs are now the currency for economic might and if we as a country simply maintain the status quo, then we are in fact in deep trouble.

Behavioral economics is the cornerstone of the Clifton’s prescription for competing for future work and prosperity, or as he calls it “our World War III.” Armed with an arsenal of Gallup research, Clifton uses the bulk of The Coming Jobs War to illustrate how solving most of our ills involve an approach far different from classical economics based solutions held so tightly by traditional policy makers.

“So the big leadership breakthrough within behavioral economics is to manage, lead, and build strategies in the before, not the after”. The idea is to more accurately make policy decisions based on more economic and social demands because “…military force, religion, or personal values won’t work in the future like it has in the past.”

Clifton shows how behavioral economic data tracks what goes into a consumer’s buying decision before they purchase a product or service. “All of these small decisions are lost in most of the ways we try to create jobs. Clifton discusses how innovation is great, but without skilled entrepreneurs who can connect the innovation with paying consumers and markets, that innovation is useless.

Entrepreneurship therefore should be revered in our schools instead of standardized tests and the ability of workers to problem-solve and reinvent themselves for market conditions should become the standard.

This approach to job creation includes factors that bode well for the Grand Traverse region and if we pay attention, to Michigan as well. This includes local leadership that can orchestrate people and resources, and entrepreneurial innovation where start-up companies supply the majority of new jobs. Although Clifton claims that major job growth can only be accomplished in cities, that don’t eliminate strong ongoing efforts that are under way in smaller areas like Traverse City.

Clifton ends with a flourish, taking swipes at the unhealthy lifestyles of many Americans (that costs us billions annually) and our failing secondary educational systems. He also offers up reasonable solutions, but not without paradigm shifts for those making major policy decisions.

If you’re looking for a book that will clarify steps for our national economy to take going forward, this is it. The challenge will be getting leaders to read it as well.

Chris Wendel is the Regional Director for Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) in Traverse City. The MI-SBTDC assists businesses with one-on-one business consulting, market research information, and entrepreneurial training. The Northwest Michigan Council of Governments is the host organization for the MI-SBTDC in the Grand Traverse region.

The Coming Jobs War, By Jim Clifton

$24.95 hardcover, 225 pages, Gallup Press

Available in most local bookstores

Rural Development: This is a term that the State of Michigan has used frequently in the last year, mostly in regard to food and agriculture. While those sectors will remain important in 2012, our rural towns will be impacted by likely closure of some village post offices by the U.S. Postal Service. As a gathering place for small communities, these closures will negatively impact any future growth in those impacted village centers.

Going Mobile: The development of these same rural areas will be dependent on the continuing emphasis on broad band internet access. Local governments that are aggressive with securing internet access for their villages or the majority of their townships will become more attractive to new businesses and home owners.

The mobile theme will also apply to more urban areas as the popularity of food carts and mobile food vendors grows. We saw the beginnings of this in 2011, but the mobile food movement will create zoning problems for many local governments and conflicts with existing restaurants that feel threatened. Some of these restaurants will fight back with mobile offerings of their own.

Mobile marketing will be even more relevant in the coming year including mobile phone applications and cell phone friendly business web sites that customers will use to choose one business over its competitors. Companies with web sites that do not translate well to smart phone screens (or companies with no web site at all) will be at a huge competitive disadvantage.

Hopefully, mobile methods of credit card payment will become more prevalent for festivals, mobile vendors, and outdoor applications. With fewer people carrying cash, even the Salvation Army volunteers will soon have credit card accepting phone readers to compliment their bell ringing.

Growing Power of Online Reviews: More companies and individuals will become more clued in to how they are perceived online. Monitoring comments made by customers on mobile applications such as Yelp and Yahoo!Local will become a critical factor to the success launch of restaurants and hospitality businesses. Individuals will utilize sites such as Reputation.com to watch negative information on the web that can impact their persona.

Continued Emphasis on Entrepreneurship: The critical skills needed to succeed in starting business will be essential to job creation in the region. There will be more of an emphasis placed on developing entrepreneurship as a life skill at both the secondary school and with adult education levels. The idea of calculated success with the option of self-employment will be become critical to workforce development.

Michigan ranks third among all states in the production of real Christmas trees, averaging 1.5 million trees grown annually, but grows a larger variety (13) of Christmas trees than any other state.

Within Michigan, Wexford and Missaukee Counties rank number one and two respectively with Kalkaska County ranking a respectable fourth.

The cultivation and production of Christmas trees is a year-round business with planting, irrigation and pruning taking up time in the summer, fall and winter months. Dutchman Christmas Tree Farms has operated out of Manton in Missaukee County for over 30 years as a fully operational tree farm. Driving past their farm, it is amazing to see them in full production mode, fulfilling wholesale demand demonstrated by the loading of tens of thousands of trees in large tractor trailer trucks headed for downstate and out of state locations.

Next time you think of local agriculture, don’t forget the economic impact of our region’s Christmas tree industry.

*Source: National Christmas Tree Association, USDA Census of Agriculture

 DETROIT – The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Michigan District Office will host a press conference on November 18, 2011 at the Northwest Michigan College Aero Park Campus, Parsons-Stulen Building, 2600 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686 to highlight how SBA is helping small businesses succeed.  SBA Midwest Regional Administrator Marianne Markowitz, who oversees the delivery of SBA’s programs in six states, will discuss how SBA is helping small businesses prosper.

Sue Burns, Owner of Baa Baa Zuzu in Lake Leelanau received numerous SBA guaranteed loans from participating SBA lenders.  Susan Ball, owner of Zany Kitchen in Cheboygan launched her business with an SBA microloan from Northern Initiatives. Both businesses received consulting services through various SBA funded resource partners.  They will speak about how SBA helped them launch and grow their businesses.

SBA’s loan guaranty program is helping small businesses grow and create jobs both throughout the country and in Northwest Michigan.  The Michigan District Office led all SBA districts in the number of guaranteed loans made through SBA’s 7(a) loan program in fiscal 2011, guaranteeing 2,063 loans for a total of $689 million.  This is a 47% increase in volume and an 80% increase in total dollars.

WHO:  Speakers

• Chris Wendel, Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center Northwest Region
• Susan Ball, Owner of Zany Kitchen, Cheboygan
• Sue Burns, Co-Owners of Baa Baa Zuzu, Lake Leelanau
• Lori Meeder, Northern Initiatives
• Sandy Bloem, Economic Development Foundation
• Scott Joseph, Huntington Bank
• Marianne Markowitz, SBA Midwest Regional Administrator

WHAT:   An SBA press conference will highlight how small businesses are benefitting from the SBA and its partner programs.  Join us and learn how the SBA is helping companies like Baa Baa Zuzu and Zany Kitchen to create jobs and contribute to the state and national economy.

WHEN:            Friday, November 18, 2011 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

WHERE:         Northwest Michigan College Aero Park Campus – Parsons-Stulen Building

                        2600 Aero Park Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686

NOTE:     SBA Midwest Regional Administrator Marianne Markowitz will be available for media interviews from 11:00 a.m. to Noon.  Please RSVP to Nancy Grose (313) 226-6075 x.234 or nancy.grose@sba.gov.  

To make sense of all of the available resources, Traverse City has a new way to get small business related questions answered with the unveiling this week of the Northwest Michigan Business Atlas. This new initiative offers:

1. A search driven web site that answers many questions related to small businesses, with relevant answers provided from over a dozen local and state organizations.
2. A physical location for the Northwest Michigan Business Atlas. The Parsons Stullen Building on Aeropark Drive in Traverse City offers business consulting, quick answers to small business related question along with class and seminar space.

MI-SBTDC Secondary Research

The underlying success for businesses of all sizes is information. We have access to a variety of resources which can provide crucial information regarding small business.

• Characteristics of industries
• Site Ring Analysis for specific locations
• Market and consumer trends for specific locations
• Competitive analysis
• Customer trends and demographics
• Foreign trade

The MI-SBTDC can assist you with secondary research by submitting a request to our Research Center at Grand Valley State University. To make a research request please call our Regional Office at 231.922.3780

You may visit one of our Business Resource Centers (BRC) in Northwest Michigan. BRC’s are located at several libraries and house business reference books, publications and computers for public use. Please view the listings below to locate a BRC near you.

Business Resource Centers in Northwest Michigan

•  Traverse City Michigan Works
•  Elk Rapids Public Library
•  Central Lake Public Library
•  Charlevoix Public Library
•  East Jordan Public Library
•  Petoskey Michigan Work
•  Petoskey Public Library
•  Mackinac City Public Library
•  West Shore Community College

 by John Watkins of Watkins Marketing

Back when I had an advertising agency in the early 1990’s the  company stationary had printed on the bottom of each sheet:

 Have a  Plan…  Work the Plan… Succeed!

I believe even more today in the importance of writing marketing plans.  These plans lay the proper foundation to get a company started right. With the addition of the internet and social media, there are more marketing opportunities than ever, and a marketing plan will help you choose how and where to get your message out.

The marketing plan answers the questions: Who are our customers, What are we selling them, and How do we reach them.  A good way to write a marketing plan is to answer the 4P’s of marketing PRODUCT, PRICE, PLACE, and PROMOTION.  These are the big four that have been the basis of most plans since the 1950’s.  In the last decade or so, 4 more Ps have been included in most companies marketing plans: PEOPLE, PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, PROCESS, and PACKAGING.

You might think that not all 8P’s apply to your business, but this is not true. Even home-based businesses should use these 8P’s.

Let’s take one of my clients who is launching a new home-based business and her 8P’s:

• Product: As a company that produces Scavenger Hunts for corporations and non-profits, her product is a proposal for the hunt.
• Price: Contracted rates or a percentage of the profits for staging the hunt.
• Place:  She works from home meeting clients in their office.   The hunt takes place outside in an area around the company putting on the hunt, or inside a building like a museum.
• Promotion: She is working with a very narrow list of for-profit companies and non-profits that are easy to target using email, a web-site, and a brochure.
• People: The principal is a go-getter just a couple of years out of college with an arts background that has run a non-profit and been a business manager for a well-known market research firm who had an idea for the company and struck out on her own. She is a company of one.
• Place: No client will probably ever visit her apartment but pictures from other successful scavenger hunts appear on the web-site and in presentations.
• Process: Make the targeted companies aware of the new business, solicit work, create proposal, create and stage unique scavenger hunt.
• Packaging:  Since the customers will not come to her and there is nothing to see until the event takes place, her web-site, logo, stationary, and how the proposal looks will become her packaging.

The 8 P’s with just these one or two-line definitions will form the basis for the marketing plan and will then define her business model.  When you add the other elements that are traditionally present in a marketing plan – financial data (how much money you have to start the business, how much you will charge, etc.), product data (product attribute, how you are different from the competitors), sales data (what you expect to sell and why), advertising & promotion data ( how you will promote your product and company), and market data (where you will do this, who your competitors are, hours, etc.) you will have your completed marketing plan. Once you have a plan that makes sense – work your plan.

The plan helps you figure out what is important and what is not. It will even provide you the financial information you will need to know when you succeeding. In short, you will have the plan, you will work the plan and you will know when you are succeeding. Good luck.

Submitted by John Watkins, managing partner at Watkins Consulting watkinstc@gmail.com.

Mr. Watkins is a business development consultant with over 30 years experience helping companies start, grow, and launch products.

Boring Meetings Suck

Get more out of your meetings, or get out of your meetings

By Jon Petz

3 ½ out of 4 stars

$22.95, available at most local bookstores

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2011

Reviewed by Chris Wendel

Before I picked up the recently published book Boring Meetings Suck, there was still part of me that was still resigned to the fact that meetings were to be tolerated, regardless of their structure or end result. It’s fair to say that the book Boring Meetings Suck, by author Jon Petz, draws a distinct line in the sand for the reframing one’s expectations of torturous business meetings.

As you can gather from its title, Boring Meetings Suck is edgy with its content, pushing the well established, yet seldom challenged traditions of business meetings. When referring to meetings, Petz is talking about anything from an everyday office meeting, to a seminar, to a larger conference event.

Petz attacks common assumptions about the meeting game with a no-nonsense approach, along with easy to adapt techniques. In fact, a lot of the book’s early discussion goes into who should attend the meeting itself and the roles of each attendee. There is a reason to have a meeting and that meeting should hold value for anyone invited to it.

Starting with its own Agenda Item 1: Boring Meetings Suck…so Why Do We Have ‘EM?: Petz attacks old assumptions with a hefty dose of common sense. Working with the premise of insanity being defined as doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting different results, Petz questions every part of the meeting process that is illogical and impractical.

Petz’s techniques classified as SRD’s (Suckification Reduction Devices) run the gambit of correcting common blunders in the areas of preparation, meeting length, presentation, and technology. By the way, Petz is unforgiving in his conviction that online meetings, conference calls, and Friday meetings “really suck”.

Perhaps these SRD’s are best demonstrated with his scathing review of Microsoft’s PowerPoint presentation software that has been the staple of presentations for the past 10-15 years. Petz’s summary and prescribed suggestions for using the program (if at all) are invaluable for “…meeting attendees just as much as meeting facilitators!”

Another invaluable tool is a series of reoccurring “Get out!” suggestions that appear throughout the book. These are cut- the-to-the-bone techniques for leaving or excusing oneself from a meeting when events go unfairly off track. For example if a meeting appears to being heading on a tangent different to its original planned agenda. You can either:

• Address the meeting facilitator, boss, or person who had the initial objectives and ask if you should begin working on those objectives separately from the group, or simply ask, “Will we reschedule?” Give that person an either/or question; you know that staying in that cage is not an option.

Boring Meetings Suck is comprehensive with its scope and serves as a solid easy to read reference guide. Think of any awkward meeting situation and this book has it covered, from organizing a meeting,  to public speaking, to rethinking the way you own organization treats (and in too many cases wastes time with) meetings. If there was ever a book that was more relevant to today’s work meeting environment, this is it. Once you’ve read Boring Meetings Suck, you may need additional copies to leave on the desk of someone else who is known office wide for running poor meetings.

There is one disclaimer for older readers of Boring Meetings Suck. Many of the baby boomer generation and older remember (in their earlier years) when the word “suck” was an obscene slang word. Over the years, society and over use muted its meaning. It is worth noting the over preponderance of the ways that the author Jon Petz uses “suck”, which may be bothersome and inappropriate to those ages 50 and over.

Chris Wendel is the Regional Director for Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) in Traverse City. The MI-SBTDC assists businesses with one-on-one business consulting, market research information, and entrepreneurial training. The Northwest Michigan Council of Governments is the host organization for the MI-SBTDC in the Grand Traverse region.