April 1, 2008  

A BUSINESS NEWSLETTER from SCORE: the SBA's resource partner.
Also at e-news on the web. Click on gold box below for mentoring info.

WATCH A VIDEO

DO A REALITY CHECK ON YOUR BIZ!

Reality checks are good for business.
Learn HOW from those who have done it!
Brought to you by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and SCORE. SCORE-Cedar Rapids VIDEO

SUCCESS STORY: HOME RUN ERRANDS

TAKES A BITE OUT OF YOUR CHORES.

 
"I make it easy for you," says Donna Reynolds, Owner of Home Run Errands in Marion, Iowa. Donna helps people who need something done!

Too busy to run to the cleaners? Need someone to help your aging parents with simple household tasks? Don’t want to choose between attending your daughter’s soccer match or running to the grocery? In these cases and many more we all simply need to call Donna Reynolds. Your chores are her business!

Donna's is yet another story about how new businesses are helped by having the foresight to lean on SCORE--the SBA's mentoring partner. Read about how Donna benefitted and how you can too.

IMPROVE YOUR ODDS OF SUCCESS >>

ASK SCORE

DON'T MAKE THESE WEB ERRORS!

Internet sales by small businesses are increasing and could triple during the next couple of years. Web sites are no longer a novelty; they are a necessity for small firms, solo operators and home businesses of almost any type. Do it right!

Know the best practices to follow and the pitfalls to avoid in this brief but "on point" article. Activity on the Internet does not need to be difficult and can make the world your market.

AVOID THESE WEB MISTAKES >>

WE HAVE A WINNER!

NICE SEEING YOU AT THE EXPO.

We are happy to announce that Debra Domke of Cedar Rapids, both an independent businesswoman and an accountant at Aegon, was the winner of our free dinner prize at the Open for Business event this year. Congratulations Deb! About 200 folks stopped by to see or chat with us at this Expo. We are very happy to have met you all.

SAVING FOR THE FUTURE

DO YOU HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY?

At one of our seminars, a participant asked me a question that I had never formally thought much about: 

"Do you have any recommendations for an exit strategy?"

People do not often think about ending a business at the time their business is in the beginning stages, but it is an excellent question. In addition, it is useful to consider some pivotal items that contribute to whether and how successfully you can retire from your business. They can be the difference between success and failure in this endeavor.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO READ ON >>

Jean Kruse
SCORE Chairperson and retired CPA

LOCAL NEWS

FRANK TORRENS - ONE OF THE BEST!

Achieves SCORE's Highest Honor

Frank Torrens is one of those incredible people who has helped counsel businesses in a manner few can. He did it with the experience of a former general manager and corporate president. Frank has served at the highest levels of the Cedar Rapids area SCORE organization. In early March, 2008, Frank was awarded the SCORE PLATINUM AWARD. This is the highest honor possible in this esteemed national organization of business counselors.

Congratulations, and an appreciative nod from all of us FRANK!
(CLICK ON Frank's picture above for more.)

SMALL BUSINESS WEEK - THIS MONTH!

SCORE, the Small Business Administration's business resource partner, is looking forward to this year's national celebration of small business. The celebration will occur during the entire week of April 21-25, 2008.

To learn more about the national initiatives and events surrounding this important week, CLICK HERE.

FREE OFFICE SOFTWARE

Small businesses often start with minimal resources. Many cannot afford the commercial and proprietary office software suites distributed by the major software companies. There is good news:

or OPEN OFFICE. ORG

One of the world's most powerful and current Office suites is free. More importantly it is "open" (meaning no restrictive licenses) and can be downloaded by anyone. It includes a powerful word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program, "pdf" export and data base. It is also compatible with the leading commercial equivalent. If you need an Office suite and cannot afford hundreds of dollars for one, check it out.

Brought to you by the Cedar Rapids chapter of SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business," a nonprofit association and resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. SCORE is dedicated to entrepreneurship and the formation, growth and success of small businesses nationwide. Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 7.5 million entrepreneurs.

Copyright 2007. SCORE Chapter 227. All rights reserved.

SCORE® Ch. 227 c/o SBA, 2750 First Avenue NE, Ste. 350,
 Cedar Rapids IA 52402-4831
(319) 362-6405 Ext. 2005

Office hours:  10-12 and 1-3  --NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED