I love sharing the mission of GROW with local people who have questions about starting a business. So often I run into people who never would have talked about their business ideas, but open up completely when I let them know that I work for a small business center that helps people start and grow their business. The great thing is that we offer several free and low-cost entrepreneurial resources, but the tough part is getting the word out! GROW does  many things to help educate and empower business owners, but even long-time GROW businesses and volunteers often don’t know everything that we do. With that in mind, I want to share information about one of the lesser-known—and most valuable—services we have available.

Many business owners have told us that they started off on the right foot because of the advice they received from our business counselor, Tom Heinz. Tom does free business counseling (yes, free!) to people who need information, referrals, or even just need a sounding board for their ideas. Sometimes people come to our office with incredible ideas, and just need to know that they are on the right track. Other times people come in for business counseling completely stuck and need help figuring out what to do next. No matter what size your business, or how big or small your idea is, you can always contact GROW to see if we can assist you. Even when we can’t help directly, our staff is constantly learning about other community resources available so that we can connect GROW clients with what they need. All you need to do is take our Intro to GROW orientation, and then get in touch for a follow-up. Intro to GROW is offered the first and second Thursday of the month, at noon and again at 6pm. It’s a one-hour overview of everything we do, and the gateway to all of our programs. Visit growbusiness.org to view our events calendar and RSVP for an upcoming Intro to GROW!

Have a great day!

-Adrienne Asselmeier, Director of Marketing and Communications

Here are some community events you might be interested in!

How to Buy or Sell a Business
The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center is assembling an experience team of experts to discuss the many aspect of purchasing or selling a business.
Date and Time: Thursday, June 13, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location: GVSU Cook DeVos Center for Health Sciences Building
Hager Auditorium, Room 119301 Michigan Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
For more info

Top Innovation Tools
What if there was a perfect tool for creativity – the Swiss Army Knife for innovation?
Date and Time: June 14, 2013 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: The Stream, 1 State Rd., Newaygo, MI 49337
For more info

Venture Plan Orientation and Eight-Week Workshop
The MI-SBTDC’s most highly attended workshop for entrepreneurs.
Venture Plan Orientation
Date and time: Thursday, May 30, 2013 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: Western Michigan University Haworth College of Business

Venture Plan Orientation
Date and Time: Tuesday evenings, June 4 to July 30 (no class July 2nd)
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Location: Western Michigan University Haworth College of Business
For more info

It’s the plight of communications employees everywhere: people don’t read. People don’t really take a second to read all the words in a message and process the information appropriately, or they just plain don’t read their emails. If you think that you’re saving time by not really reading every message, or by not checking your account frequently and having a system for receiving, addressing, and filing emails, then your business is missing opportunities that could cost you.

I regularly email business owners and other professionals with marketing offers. We do cross-promotion, content marketing stories, and events to highlight local businesses and outstanding people, but a bizarrely large percentage of messages go unanswered. It’s okay because I just move down my list to others who deserve some hard-earned free advertising, but it never makes sense to me why important and potentially fruitful messages go unread!

Of course, a frequent situation that I see is when people don’t know how to manage their email, or they get an unreasonable amount that they can’t keep up with, and things end up getting lost in their inbox. That’s a shame, and it’s another way that your business can suffer. This is fixable, however. Take a look at the Small Business Computing blog’s article “5 Tips to Better Manage Your Email.”

If your email management system is fine, but you find that you’re missing instructions from people or having miscommunications frequently, make sure that you’re reading your emails! People are saying important things and you don’t want to miss out by not reading what they’re saying.

I had a laugh and realized that I was thinking incorrectly about business communications. Messages to people that you don’t know well should have the things that are polite to include, but—especially in a small office or department—you don’t need to drone on with superfluous details and redundancies, or even extended salutations. That’s why I loved the Entrepreneur.com article “Productivity Lifesaver: The 5 Sentence Email.” It advocates for emails being five sentences or less in order to get to the point quickly and address only what you need to say. It’s a lot like what I try to do when I realize I’m talking too much: pretend there’s a fire and you have to get your message out as soon as possible.

Most of our readers here own their own small business, or are part of a small business crew. Since we don’t usually have a well-developed internal communications plan and business communications coaching, it’s worth reading articles like this every now and then to see if we can improve the way that we write and how we understand the writing of others.

Next time you’re going to draft a long message to someone, or you realize that your email has three paragraphs, look back to see if you can cut some things out. Though many people (and I’m definitely one of them) don’t prefer phone calls as their first choice, consider a phone call if you need to do more explaining than can be done in five sentences. In the end, you’ll be saving time and you’ll find that you get better at getting your point across sooner so that everyone can move on to further discussion, or action.

~Adrienne Asselmeier, Director of Marketing and Communications

Hello everyone! Here are some upcoming events at GROW and info on how to save on your registration if you sign up early. As always, you can view our events calendar on our website at growbusiness.org!

Our next Intro to GROW orientation sessions are May 9th, at noon and again at 6pm. They’re one hour, totally free, and get you hooked up with the resources and information you need to start and grow your business. Meet our program manager and business counselor Tom Heinz and learn about the GROW curriculum, our networking opportunities, funding options, FREE business counseling, and much more. View our events calendar for RSVP information, and feel free to bring a friend!

Lunch with Punch!
Looking for some valuable small business networking? Come to Lunch with Punch! We have the event once a month for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to do some fun peer-to-peer networking. It gives you a chance to connect with others, and to meet our Program Manager Tom Heinz. He’s also the one who facilitates our FREE business counseling and other amazing programs for small business owners. The next Lunch with Punch is Wednesday, May 15, from 11:30am–1pm at the Holiday Inn downtown. Register before Friday, May 10 and save $5! Click here for details and registration.

Start Smart
Start Smart is a monthly business readiness course that focuses on the fundamentals of doing business. This class is crucial to helping small business owners and entrepreneurial hopefuls understand what it takes to get their business started on the right foot. Our next Start Smart class is also this Wednesday, May 22, from 6pm–9pm. Register here!

That’s all for now. Thank you for following our small business content on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Have a great week!

Hello everyone!

The following is an announcement that we received from The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center (MI-SBTDC) that you may be interested in. To find more information, use the contact listed at the bottom of the post:

Sponsorship Program – How to Buy or Sell a Business Conference

The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center at Grand Valley State University is assembling an experienced team of experts to discuss the many aspects of purchasing or selling a business. The conference will focus on questions such as:

Buyers

• How do I find a business to purchase?
• How do I determine the purchase price to be paid?
• How much is my business worth?
• How do I finance the purchase?
• How do I investigate the business once I find a target?

Sellers

• How much is my business worth?
• How do I find a buyer for my business?
• Should I finance the sale of my business?
• What do I need to do to get my business in shape to sell?

Following an opening session with buyers and sellers participating with a panel of experienced professionals, buyers and sellers will separate into individual sessions targeting both tracks [sellers and buyers].  Focused sessions will cover specific challenges and opportunities.

Who Will Attend this Conference? Accountants, attorneys, business brokers, financial planners, CEOs, CFOs, business owners and others who desire to learn about acquiring or selling a business.

When? Tentatively scheduled for Thursday, June 13, 8am to 12pm

Where? GVSU’s Cook-Devos Center for Health Sciences Building, 301 Michigan Street N.E., Grand Rapids

Sponsorship  A limited number of sponsors are being solicited.  Sponsors are listed on each communication piece and conference materials.  Cost: $500 or in-kind donation.  Contact Eric Seifert: eric_seifert@gvsu.edu.

May is here! We’ve got some great events coming up this month, and early registration discounts are available for all of them, so take a look at our calendar and don’t miss out!

Tomorrow! May 1st at 6pm we’ll be having our quarterly Alumni Ambassador group event at Founders Brewing, 235  Grandville Ave SW. Get together with other small business owners who have taken GROW courses. It’s a great way to network with other entrepreneurs, share best practices, and talk about what’s important to you.

Each event is facilitated by a GROW staff person and offers free flow discussion on a range of topics: best practices, social media use, challenges, time management, etc. It is intended to provide networking and support to GROW clients in a relaxed setting. FREE! No cost for attendance; food and drink available for purchase. Pre-requisite: Minding Your Own Business Graduate or Small Business Growth & Planning Series Participant. RSVP here!

Our next Intro to GROW orientation sessions are May 2nd and May 9th, at noon and again at 6pm. They’re one hour, totally free, and get you hooked up with the resources and information you need to start and grow your business. Meet our program manager and business counselor Tom Heinz and learn about the GROW curriculum, our networking opportunities, funding options, FREE business counseling, and much more. View our events calendar for RSVP information, and feel free to bring a friend!

The Small Business Growth and Planning Series (Small Biz GPS) for this month is Marketing Strategies—a crucial training course for small business owners. Get an overview with Marketing 101, specialized online strategies for Internet Marketing, and complete the cluster with Branding & Personal Selling. Save $10 if you register before Friday, May 3rd at 5PM! Get details and register here.

That’s all for now! As always, thank you for following our small business content on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Have a great week!

Last week was tough for all of us, and many people in West Michigan are still dealing with flooding. As things start to get back to normal, we hope you’ll be able to join us at one of our upcoming events. Here are some updates!

Want to know how to use LinkedIn to grow your business? That’s easy. We’ve got Rachelle Smith coming in for an UpClose Workshop this Thursday to cover important information for business owners. She’ll focus on:

• The sales process and why each step is important
• What sales cycles are and why they are important for your business
• Prospecting and qualifying as business development tools
• The difference between marketing and sales
• Offline vs. online branding
• Personal branding and networking strategies to stand out
• Moving your online relationships offline to generate new business

All of these points and instructions for using LinkedIn will be discussed. The best part? UpClose Workshops are FREE if you’ve come to Intro to GROW, taken a GROW course, or are an AWE member. No catch. We just ask that you please RSVP so we know how many people will be here. More details…

May 1st at  6pm we’ll be having our quarterly Alumni Ambassador group event at Founders Brewing, 235  Grandville Ave SW. Get together with other small business owners who have taken GROW courses. It’s a great way to network with other entrepreneurs, share best practices, and talk about what’s important to you.

Each event is facilitated by a GROW staff person and offers free flow discussion on a range of topics: best practices, social media use, challenges, time management, etc. It is intended to provide networking and support to GROW clients in a relaxed setting. FREE! No cost for attendance; food and drink available for purchase. Pre-requisite: Minding Your Own Business Graduate or Small Business Growth & Planning Series Participant. RSVP here!

Our next Intro to GROW orientation sessions are May 2nd and May 9th, at noon and again at 6pm. They’re one hour, totally free, and get you hooked up with the resources and information you need to start and grow your business. Meet our program manager and business counselor Tom Heinz and learn about the GROW curriculum, our networking opportunities, funding options, FREE business counseling, and much more. View our events calendar for RSVP information, and feel free to bring a friend!

That’s all for now! As always, thank you for following our small business content on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Have a great week!

An article published in Forbes caught my eye recently. “When Amway and Microsoft Team Up For Women’s Leadership, the Sky’s the Limit” describes a monumental event that happened right in our backyard:

“Two global, economic powerhouses—Amway and Microsoft—just took an historic step forward, together, for womankind.  They teamed up to host a women’s leadership event at Amway’s massive World Headquarters in Ada, Michigan.”

Anne Doyle, the author at Forbes, points out that Amway has never hosted a women’s leadership event, and that Microsoft has only “dabbled” in such gatherings. The event was historic because these two business giants, shining a spotlight on women’s issues and leadership initiatives, are showing their dedication to empowering women as an equal and powerful part of the workforce that needs to be represented and valued in all industries.

Current business leaders are starting to see where they’ve been lacking by not representing the perspectives of women in crucial business practices: “Women make 85% of all consumer electronic purchases,” a Microsoft executive pointed out. What savvy business owner knows this and yet does not employ women leaders to help understand the needs and desires of their customer?

The rise of women and the realization of their power in business is something that Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women (GROW) understands well. We’ve been working for nearly thirty years to empower women to become successful in business, and we’re still adapting and following trends to help women reach the highest level possible. We were so pleased to be at this event with Microsoft and Amway and to know that others support our efforts to help women reach their business goals.