Bresnan Communications, Bloomberg Television and the Wyoming Entrepreneur.Biz network have joined together to present two free luncheon programs featuring author and business expert, Jane Applegate. ‘Clear the Way to Unlimited Success’ will be held at the Commons in Powell on October 7. The program begins at 11:30 a.m. Jane Applegate is the author of The Entrepreneur’s Desk Reference and 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business. For 12 years she wrote a weekly syndicated column, Succeeding in Small Business, for the Los Angeles Times and hundreds of newspapers around the world. Applegate was named ‘National Media Advocate of the Year’ by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 1994. In 2000 she founded SBTV.com (Small Business TV). Currently, Jane is a columnist for Forbes.com and Success magazine. Free admission includes program, lunch and copy of Jane’s book. Pre-registration required by October 1. Go to www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz to register.

Wyoming businesses of all sizes will come together in Cheyenne this October at a conference to inspire innovation within Wyoming companies and build a business community Wyoming residents want. 

The 2nd annual Business-to-Business Idea Expo is set to take place Oct. 9-10 at the Little America in Cheyenne. 

Registration for the event is $100 for the first participant and $75 for each additional attendee.  A networking after-hours event is included in the conference registration and is open to the public for $10.  Additionally, a trade show featuring business-to-business vendors and government business services is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day.

The conference will cover a wide array of business-related topics regarding finance, marketing, people management, and entrepreneurship in two days of breakout sessions.  Sessions include seminars and discussions on how happy employees make productive workplaces, what it really takes to get grant funding, and how New Media can help keep businesses relevant to a new generation of consumers, among other topics.

The expo also encourages businesses to intermingle and share ideas with the hope of providing contacts and fostering growth for Wyoming companies. 

Building the Wyoming We Want Director Jeff Fuller will be the closing keynote speaker on Oct. 10 at 12 p.m.  The Building the Wyoming We Want effort was started in January 2008 by Gov. Freudenthal to help Wyoming citizens and communities determine their vision for the future.

In addition to presentations by Wyoming business leaders, the expo will feature keynote speaker Doug Hall, founder and CEO of Eureka! Ranch, a company that teaches businesses how to better create ideas, select ideas that have a higher probability of success, and implement an action plan to get products or services to market more efficiently.  Hall is the author of award-winning “Jumpstart Your Business Brain,” which landed on National and Amazon bestseller lists and will be given to Idea Expo attendees. 

To register, visit www.wyomingideaexpo.com or call Brandon Marshall at 307.777.2820.  To reserve booth space at the trade show contact Annie Wood at 307.777.2844 or visit the Idea Expo website at www.wyomingideaexpo.com. 

The Idea Expo is hosted by the Wyoming Business Council and its partners at the University of Wyoming: Gro-Biz, Manufacturing Works, WyomingEntrepreneur.biz, the Wyoming Market Research Center, Wyoming Research Products Center, and the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative. 

The conference is sponsored by Bresnan Communications, First Interstate Bank, Rocky Mountain Power, U.S. Bank, Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, and the Wyoming Rural Development Council.

The mission of the Wyoming Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. For more information, please visit www.wyomingbusiness.org.

Here’s what Hill has to say about it:

How small business owners view the economy affects all sorts of operational decisions. Will they go ahead with that PR initiative? Hire that new employee? Outsource some aspect of their business?

The NFIB Small Business Economic Trend report can provide insight into the mindset of your entrepreneurial peers and/or potential B2B customers. This monthly report looks at small business optimism levels, earnings, sales, inventories, employment, and much more. It then compares current numbers to historical data to provide a relative snapshot of small business thinking.

Currently, that thinking is a little dark. Optimism is flagging, inflation fears are rampant, and expected earnings are down. That’s this month. Check back next month, and the month after, for what will hopefully be a heroic and speedy turnaround.

It’s a 23 page report with lots of cool tables and charts but it looks as if most of the info can be digested by reading the few pages of commentary at the front.

Virtual world is the safest for miners

We in Wyoming certainly have enough of those environments:  mining, drilling, logging, and farming certainly have to rank among the nation’s most dangerous occupations.

• “Customer pull selling”–using the 3 laws of marketing physics
• How to engage your entire team in growth
• How to get products to the market much faster
• A system for continuous growth

Manufacturing-Works will provide a free growth assessment for any company that attends. This assessment will indicate how ready the company is to grow, and what obstacles that they may encounter.

This program is for all types of companies in Sheridan and Johnson Counties. Eureka is for any company that is serious about growth.

Two seminars will be held in Tuesday, July 29th:

12:30 pm to 2 pm (lunch served)

5 pm to 6:30 pm (Hors D’oeurves served)

All seminars will be held at the Wyoming Business and Training Center, 1831 South Sheridan Avenue, Suite A in Sheridan, WY. Seminars are free to attend; to register, please contact Philippe Chino at 673-8004 or via email at philippe@forwardsheridan.com

Register deadline nears!

Sign up now for

Small Business Development Center’s popular
Business Counselor Training Course
Holiday Inn, Cheyenne

August 12-15, 2008

Four days of comprehensive, interactive sessions include:

§ opportunities to network with your business development peers and discover new resources

§ a great crash course on everything that an economic development professional needs to be aware of to work with businesses in Wyoming

§ training in 12 Modules (Code of Professional Conduct, Counseling Techniques, Public Speaking and Training, Cross-Selling Services, Product Development, Government Regulations & Services, Market Research and Planning, Financial Statement Analysis, Sources & Requirements for Funding, Business Plan Development, Starting a New Business and Human Resources)

§ New this year: social networking, Web 2.0, and the future of business development

$150 registration fee includes training, lunches and materials

Registration Deadline, July 25, 2008

Sign up now. This class won’t be offered again until 2010.

Contact Candy Lane
307-234-6691
Email: sweetone@uwyo.edu

Newsletter for Wyoming Entrepreneurs July 2008

In this issue

Free CD gives sneak preview of this year’s Idea Expo

Wyoming business counseling and training goes “Web 2.0″!

Farmers’ market grants offset high fuel costs

Adverting grants offered to Wyoming small businesses

Need a small amount of capital? Try a Wyoming microloan!

Wyoming Travel and Tourism hosts signage workshops

SBDC’s popular business counselor training course slated for August 12-15

Business Week seeks top 25 under 25

Secretary of State offers new website

Grant opportunity announced for veteran franchisees

Community assessment team member training planned for August

Interested in selling to the government? We’re here to help!

Free CD gives sneak preview of this year’s Idea Expo

The Wyoming Business Council is giving away copies of Doug Hall’s audio CD Jumpstart Your Business Brain to whet your appetite for the Idea Expo, slated for October 9-10, Little America, Cheyenne. Hall, described by Dateline NBC as “an eccentric entrepreneur who just might have what we’ve all been looking for - the happy secret to success” will share his secrets as keynote speaker. Hall is the founder and CEO of Eureka! Ranch, an “invention & research think tank” specializing in igniting bold thinking on new products and services for corporate clients. A sought after speaker on innovation he’s authored four books including the national bestseller, Jump Start Your Business Brain. Mark your calendar for October 9 - 10 and contact Brandon Marshall today for your free CD, 307-777-2820; brandon.marshall@wybusiness.org.

Idea Expo 2008

 Quick Links to Resources

• Wyoming Entrepreneur.Biz
• GRO-Biz
• Wyoming Business Council
• Wyoming Small Business Administration
• Manufacturing-Works
• Wyoming Research Products Center
• Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI)

Wyoming business counseling and training goes “Web 2.0″!

WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz has launched a new Web 2.0 interface allowing Wyoming businesses to interact with SBDC counselors through a secured dashboard. This enables you to log into the site, access a library of valuable business information, communicate regularly with consultants and coaches and register for classes.

Log-in to setup your account today!

Farmers’ market grants offset high fuel costs

The Wyoming Business Council has created the Farmers’ Market Fuel Reimbursement Grant to help Wyoming producers offset transportation costs associated with participating in farmers’ markets. To qualify for a grant applicants must: be a Wyoming producer travelling to a Wyoming farmers’ market; sell fruits, vegetables, meats, or other value-added ag products; and, meet income eligibility requirements based on annual net farm income and family size. Fuel costs will be reimbursed at half the federal mileage rate, currently 29 cents per mile. Application deadline is August 30. Contact Kim Porter, 307-777-6319; kim.porter@wybusiness.org.

Adverting grants offered to Wyoming small businesses

“Bresnan Business Incubator Grants” for cable advertising are now available from Bresnan Communications, Inc. in partnership with WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz Small Business Development Center. Grant funds range from $500 to $10,000 and must be matched dollar for dollar by grant recipient. Each grant provides free commercial production and assistance with advertising strategies. Applications must include a business plan, legal business documentation and historical financial data. Contact the Wyoming Small Business Development Center at 800-348-5194 or apply online.

Bresnan Business Incubator online application

Need a small amount of capital? Try a Wyoming microloan!

The Wyoming Women’s Business Center makes loans to individuals needing small amounts of capital. The center is now accepting applications for microloans ranging from $500 to $10,000 to help fund business start-ups or expansions. Your credit must be C+ or better to receive a microloan with a maximum term of six years. Individual technical assistance is available for the duration of the loan. Contact WWBC, 307-766-3084; wwbc@uwyo.edu.

Wyoming Women’s Business Center

Wyoming Travel and Tourism hosts signage workshops

Wyoming Travel and Tourism is presenting workshops around the state on the basics of developing interpretive signs. Topics include developing interpretive text, standard design guidelines, fabrication methods and installation requirements. Workshop binder and reference materials included. Applicants and recipients of the WTT Turnout and Sign grant are strongly encouraged to attend. Seating limited to 20 participants. Upcoming dates and locations: Cheyenne, August 5; Rock Springs, September 9; Pinedale, September 10; Lander, September 17. $50 Fee. Contact Leslie Kedelty, 307-777-2839 or 307-214-0465; Leslie.Kedelty@visitwyo.gov.

SBDC’s popular business counselor training course slated for August 12-15

Sign up now this four-day crash course on everything an economic development professional needs to know to work with businesses in Wyoming. Network with business development peers and dig into the basics of counseling, statewide resources, government regs, marketing, finances, business startup, human resources and public speaking. This year we’ve added a module on social networking and Web 2.0. $150 fee includes training, lunches and materials. Register by July 25. Contact Candy Lane, 307-234-6691; sweetone@uwyo.edu.

Business Week seeks top 25 under 25

Business Week announced it’s fourth annual search for the Top 25 US entrepreneurs who are 25 years old or younger. If you know someone who fits, whose business shows a clear potential for growth, nominate him or her at the Business Week site. Nominations accepted until July 21.

Click to nominate a young Wyoming entrepreneur!

Secretary of State offers new website

The Wyoming Secretary of State’s new website is easy to use and filled with valuable information for entrepreneurs. If you want to register a business name, use the eCommerce section to see if it is available. Check out the pros and cons of various forms of business such as partnerships, LLCs and corporations. Filing forms available on the site.

Wyoming Secretary of State

Grant opportunity announced for veteran franchisees

The VetFran Business Grant Fund, sponsored by the IFA Educational Foundation and the PepsiCo Foundation, assists veterans who have been awarded a franchise through the IFA VetFran program. Financial grants of up to $10,000 may be used for business development, education, training, technical assistance, the purchase of equipment and products or services necessary for the operation of business. Candidates must have received an honorable discharge from any branch of the US Military or Coast Guard.

For more information and application

Community assessment team member training planned for August

If you would like to be a team member of the Wyoming Rural Development Council’s community assessment process, sign up for the training scheduled for August 14 in Cheyenne. Community assessments give you an opportunity to delve into community topics such as agriculture, education, volunteerism, economic development, infrastructure, health and social services, housing needs, planning, town beautification, town communications, youth activities and recreation. 9:30 am - 3:00 pm, Little America, Cheyenne. Contact Jo Ferguson, 307-777-5812; jo.ferguson@wybusiness.org.

Interested in selling to the government? We’re here to help!

Learn how to complete required registrations and receive one-on-one assistance in this workshop scheduled for EWC Community Training Center, Torrington, August 12, 8:00 am - 10:00 am. We will register you for our bid match service, review helpful websites and share examples of products and services agencies are currently buying. For more information and to register call Shannon Howshar, GRO-Biz, 307-637-5029; Lisa Johnson, Goshen County EDC, 307-532-5162.

Wyoming Small Business Development Center is a partnership between the U. S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming.

Send news to Editor: wsbdc@uwyo.edu

http://www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz

Call toll-free in Wyoming 800-348-5194