Tag Archives: strategic plan

Talking About Marketing Planning

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And I mean that, literally, you can click here for a preview of my one-hour talk on marketing plans that will be available next week. The preview, the audio of a conversation between me and Erin Verbeck, is about the longer audio to be released next week.

A couple of points on this:

The relationship between a business plan and a marketing plan: a marketing plan is part of a complete business plan. The two are hard to separate. In practical terms, if you’re not in charge of the cash flow or profitability of the business, you might need a marketing plan, not a complete business plan. It’s the most important subset of a business plan. In the interview here, and in the larger audio to follow it next week, I’m pushing planning, not just the plan. A plan does you no good if it’s not implemented. It’s to get things done. And getting things done doesn’t depend on guessing the future right; you won’t. Nobody does. It’s a matter of scheduling regular reviews and making sure you compare the actual results to the original plan, and make changes.

This is all part of The Small Business Marketing Joysummit Continue reading →

SBA, SCORE, and SBDCs Explained – 3 Essential Local Resources for Small Business Owners

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“When you’re the business owner, there’s no one behind you. You’re the back-stop.” (Warren Brown, Washington, D.C. Small Business Person of the Year 2006).

How many days and nights has this reality kept you on your toes? From making sure your business stays on track to cheerleading your employees, day-to-day business ownership is about what you make it.

But what happens when you need help? Back-stop or not, you can’t go it alone forever. Help is at hand, if you know where to find it.

The government, in particular, offers a great deal of resources that support small business owners, both online and locally. Take a look at this Small Business Assistance and Training guide on Business.gov and you’ll find a variety of options – local SBA offices, Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, and more.

But just what does each of these provide? And where should you start? Here’s an overview of the services and support offered, and not offered, by three essential government-sponsored small business support organizations.

1. Small Business Administration (SBA) Local Offices

What They Do: The SBA is probably best known for the loan guarantee programs it provides to small business owners in partnership with banks and lending institutions. However this federal agency also operates local offices nationwide that provide free or low cost advice and counseling on a variety  of small business issues.

SBA local offices can help guide you through available SBA loan options and the application process and steer you towards small business-friendly banks. SBA offices also provide regular in-person and online training and workshops on a variety of topics including government contracting opportunities; disaster preparedness; assistance for veterans and minorities; the SBA loan process, and more.

Local SBA disaster field offices also help small business owners with disaster loan assistance in the event of a federally-declared disaster.

What They Don’t Do: SBA local offices do not help you process your loan paperwork.  You must work through your bank for an SBA loan. The SBA itself also doesn’t provide direct loans; your lender will submit your loan package to the SBA for approval. SBA offices also don’t provide grants for start-ups or for-profits. For more information about the SBA loan process and other financing options read: SBA Small Business Loans Explained: Availability, Eligibility and the Application Process.

Find your local SBA Office and follow SBA on Twitter and Facebook. Continue reading →