SCORE Big In 2012

January 3, 2012

Are you hoping to achieve better results in 2012 than what you experienced in 2011? Although hope and faith are certainly important ingredients for success, they are not a substitute for a good plan. And don’t forget the old definition of insanity: “To continue what you have always done while expecting different results.”

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any solid indicators that the economy is going to improve much in 2012. In fact, if our government doesn’t start making some dramatic pro small business changes, there are indicators that it could get worse. And even if it does improve, the experts are telling us it will never be the same as it was before it went south. So what’s a small business owner to do?

All we can do is focus on those things over which we have control. “We cannot change the direction of the wind but we can adjust our sails to reach our destination.” It sounds easy enough but when you are struggling to stay on course when sailing in rough waters, how can you adjust your sails?

The answer comes through continuing education and utilizing the many resources available to you. Allow me to highlight a few of them.

CEO FORUM
The CEO Forum is open for enrollment in January and new Forums will continue throughout the year.  The Forum provides roundtable opportunities to learn and share with your peers. Benefits for existing businesses regarding the Forum include:

• Participate in professionally facilitated discussions on business issues
• Receive feedback and advice on management, marketing, sales, finance and operations from other business owners
• Opportunity to step back from day-to-day obligations and improve accountability to your goals and commitments
• Exchange ideas and resources
• Learn new approaches

Each participant will have a personal business coach. The dedicated coach will meet with the client on a regular basis, assess current business to prioritize, set goals and objectives with action steps to achieve.

The CEO Forum is jointly sponsored by SCORE and St. Thomas University and is targeted to small business owners with 5 to 20 employees. The cost to participate is a fraction of that charged by other roundtable/forums.

To enroll, contact the Minneapolis chapter of SCORE at minneapolis@score-mn.org or phone (952) 938-4570 and ask for Jim Handy.

THE SIMPLE STEPS FOR GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
The Simple Steps for Growing Your Business begins in April. It is a series of workshops and roundtables designed to provide a new way to connect with a group of under-served, existing businesses.  Minnesota SCORE chapters helped create 1,300 businesses in 2010 and over 65% of all SCORE assisted start-ups are still in business. The program is designed to help both current and new SCORE clients expand their business and contribute to the Minneapolis communities through job creation. The tools provided in this program are designed to assess, engage and mentor current small business owners so they can effectively implement strategies aimed at growth.

This low cost program is designed for small business owners or key executives who have been in business for one year, are fully committed to the business and want to expand. Experienced mentors provide one-on-one help to customize the growth plan. Roundtables meet to exchange ideas with a peer group of other small business owners. Finally, a menu of sales, marketing, operations, management and finance workshops (1 held every 2 weeks) focus on implementing strategies and plans.

To enroll for an April kick off, contact the Minneapolis Chapter at minneapolis@score-mn.org or phone 952 938 4570 and ask for Rick Barkley

MAINSTREETCHAMBER
Free membership and free networking events are just some of the benefits for small business owners. MainStreetChamber also offers a variety of continuing business education workshops, seminars, Lunch & Learns as well as Webinars. In addition, MainStreetChamber also sponsors continuing business education delivered by other credible resources including the two mentioned above.

The best way to ensure that you are notified of these events is to become a member of MainStreetChamber Minnesota and begin receiving our weekly newsletter, subscribe to our blog, like us on Facebook, join our LinkedIn group and/or follow us on Twitter.

So unless you want an encore of your 2011 results, you’ll need a better plan for 2012. As small business owners who wear many hats, it’s easy to get lost in the minutia. And it is ever so lonely at the top. I know because I have been there many times before. So why not take advantage of these and other resources brought to you by MainStreetChamber? It’s your business and your future… will 2012 be a better year?

Filed under: Announcements,Entrepreneurship,Marketing,Member Benefits,Networking,SCORE,Small Business Education

Tags: CEO Forum, continuing education, growing your business, MainStreetChamber Minnesota, SCORE, small business resources