SBDC Archives

SBDC Day at the State Capitol

Join the Colorado SBDC as we celebrate our client’s success and economic impact as part of National SBDC Day! The event takes place on Thursday, March 19th at the Colorado State Capitol Building located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver. The celebration kicks off at 9:00 am and goes to 11:30 am.

This event will allow members of the small business community an opportunity to network and meet with various legislators, community leaders, and fellow business owners. Colorado SBDC Day will also feature exhibitor tables showcasing some of the best local businesses and local Colorado products. In addition to all of this, there will also be free food and beverages!

If you’d like to attend Colorado SBDC Day on Thursday, March 19, 2020 click here to reserve your free event ticket: National Small Business Development Center Day – Colorado Small Business Development Center Network.

Free Cybersecurity Webinars

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Last week’s blog asked the question “Does Your Business Offer Free Wifi?” Based on the feedback that we received (it turns out a lot of you want to offer wifi to your customers) we thought it would be a good idea to share with you a series of free webinars dedicated to cybersecurity and small businesses. Presented by Dr. Shawn Murray, Founder & CAO of Murray Security Services, these videos cover a variety of topics ranging from Cybersecurity for Basic Computing, The Accidental Insider Threat, How to Find a Good Cybersecurity Company and many more. Each video is about an hour in length and can be viewed for free on-demand.

These videos are part of the SBDC Tech Source Cyber: CYA (Cover Your Assets) program through the Pikes Peak SBDC. For more information on Cyber: CYA. For additional information on Cybersecurity, please visit the Cybersecurity page on the Department of Homeland Security’s website.

Does Your Business Offer Free WiFi?

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We’ve all been there before: trapped in a waiting room with no bars on our phone. Or stuck on a plane with an out-of-service wifi router staring endlessly at the back of the headrest in front of us. An article on INCORP mentions a survey conducted by Comcast that “showed free Wifi is now one of the best amenities a small ‘Main Street’ business can offer its customers.” Obviously, Comcast has some skin in the game when it comes to buying Wifi for your business, but the fact remains that having free access to the internet tends to keep customers patiently waiting and in your business longer. And as we all know, staying longer can help encourage customers to spend more.

There are downsides to offering free customer Wifi and not every business would benefit from encouraging patrons to stick around all day (which invariably happens at your local Starbucks). If you do decide that free customer Wifi is right for your business the experts recommend setting up “super-secure” Wifi access for your customers and to create a separate network for your employees to protect your business data.

The Pikes Peak SBDC has a program called Cyber: CYA (Cover Your Assets) that can help you protect you and your business against cyber threats and make you feel a little easier should you decide to offer free wifi to your customers. You can even go on their website and request a business risk assessment.

Is 2020 the Year You Go Into Business?

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Was your New Year’s Resolution to start your own business? January has come and gone and February is drawing to an end, too. Have you started your business yet? Statistically it’s likely that you haven’t, but why? Research has shown that Resolutions fail not because we’re all quitters but because of the way we design our resolutions. We make broad goals that feel too large and end up quitting.

So what should we do? Rather than tackle a large goal, like say “start a business,” make a smaller, more specific goal. If you’re in the 80% of Americans who have already abandoned your New Year’s Resolution don’t give up just focus on that first step. A good first step on the path to starting your own business is coming up with a business plan.

Don’t know anything about business plans? Don’t worry there are many good resources available for people who need help crafting their business plan. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has a helpful tutorial on writing a business plan on their website. The Denver Public Library allows all cardholders access to their Business Plans Handbook, which consists of a collection of business plans that will provide you with an example on how to write yours.

You can also participate in the SBDC’s many low-cost classes designed to help business owners in all stages of starting and running a business. Several of these classes focus specifically on getting started! You can find a list of all “getting started” classes on the Colorado SBDC website.

The Colorado Business Resource Guide

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How much would you pay for a 72 page book that showed provided you with a checklist for starting a business, an overview of the various business legal structures (with pros and cons for each), information on tax (income, property, sales tax), employer responsibilities, marketing, financing, business owner liability, and much much more? Such a book, if it existed, would surely cost $24, $75, or even $100…right?

Well, such a book does exist but it doesn’t cost a penny. The Colorado Business Resource Guide is produced by the Colorado SBDC and is available for free as a PDF on our website and as a physical book at our Centers across the state. The Guide is available in both English and Spanish language versions. This book is an excellent primer for anyone considering going into business here in Colorado. The most commonly asked questions in regards to starting a business are answered within this book. In addition, the guide empowers readers to help themselves by providing contact information for the various state offices that oversee business here in Colorado.

And what’s already good is about to get even better when later this year the SBDC will unveil a newly revised version of the Colorado Business Resource Guide!