Entrepreneurs can take advantage of new, free online training and other resources offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration to assist them during this period of economic recovery. The SBA offers a variety of online courses to assist small businesses in more effectively managing their firms in the current economy.
The new course topics, available directly at www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses, include revising business plans to reposition with current conditions, winning customers in a slowing economy, restructuring existing debt, and diversifying your customer base with federal contracts.
The most recently added course is “Downshifting in a Slowing Economy: A Business Planning Guide.” This course is designed to help business owners reorganize and streamline their business strategies. Other related business tools include a new automated business plan template, and an assessment and strategies guide for surviving in a slowing economy.
“The SBA is helping small businesses with the resources and tools they need in the current business cycle,” said Jeff Andrade, Associate Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development. “In addition, SBA offers a variety of resources and referrals to small businesses uncertain about what to do in the current economy on its Web page on Economic Recovery at www.sba.gov/helpingmainstreet.”
Each free course is self-paced, and provides practical guidance on how to stay on top of economic conditions. These and other courses can be accessed from the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/training. To access them, click on “Free Online Courses,” then make a selection under the header “Surviving in a Down Economy.”
The SBA can also help to find local agency offices and lenders. Business owners can: talk with an SBA representative about financing options and identify local, participating SBA lenders; learn about SBA’s Loan Guaranty Program using an electronic guide with audio assistance and many targeted links; and train with expert counseling and mentoring services by talking with a Small Business Association representative or resource partner about management assistance.
For more information, visit www.sba.gov.
Judy K. Sheppard Receives WIPP "Member to Watch" Award for Advocating Women in Business
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. – Judy Sheppard is a lot like the Energizer Bunny. As the president and CEO of Professional Services of America, Inc. (PSA, Inc.), Sheppard is constantly on the go seeking business opportunities for her human resources and human resources development business headquartered in Parkersburg, W.Va.
She also is a strong advocate of women-owned and West Virginia businesses, two groups she relentlessly promotes throughout her travels around the country. “Each day I set a goal to do something that will make a positive impact on West Virginia’s business climate,” said Sheppard. “Making a difference in West Virginia and for West Virginia businesses is what keeps me going.”
Sheppard was recognized at the Women Impacting Public Policy’s national conference as the 2008 WIPP Member to Watch which demonstrates her commitment to the advancement of women-owned businesses.
PSA was incorporated in 1996 as a derivative from two companies established by Sheppard, Accumark Services, Inc. and Plastic Source Alternatives. As a result of being situated in West Virginia’s Polymer Alliance Zone, much of PSA’s work was reliant on the chemical industry. Sheppard felt even though PSA was doing well and growing, she needed to explore other avenues of growing the business.
That is when she looked into the U.S. Small Business Administration’s certification programs. “I knew in order to take the company to the next level, government contracting was the way to go,” stated Sheppard. “Being a Native-American, woman-owned small business fit SBA’s certification program criteria and provided the channel into the world of government contracting.”
“Two words come to mind when I hear the name Judy Sheppard; passionate and believer,” said Melissa Loder, Business Development Specialist for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s West Virginia District Office.
“She believes in West Virginia; in her fellow small business entrepreneurs; in doing her absolute best; and she believes all this with great passion. A person like this is always a pleasure to work with.” The U.S. government is the world’s largest buyer of goods and services –from spacecraft and advanced scientific research to paper clips and landscaping services. Federal agencies are required to establish contracting goals, with at least 23 percent of all government spending targeted to small business. The SBA’s certification programs are aimed at leveling the playing field to allow small businesses to obtain a fair share of these government contracts.
“The fact that PSA, Inc. is an 8(a), Small Disadvantaged Business and HUBZone certified company has helped my business achieve higher margins,” added Sheppard. “It really makes a difference when competing against larger companies.”
The 8(a) program is an essential instrument for helping socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain access to the economic mainstream of American society. The program provides access to sole-source federal government contracts. “So far, we have been able to obtain approximately a dozen government contracts through certification programs,” said Sheppard.
“Though each contract is a bit different, they all have been well worth the effort. I would encourage anyone remotely interested in government contracting to take the initiative and see if they qualify for any of the certification programs. I am certainly glad I did.”
Sheppard was recently recognized for her outstanding business achievements by West Virginia University at Parkersburg. She received an honorary degree at the institution’s graduation ceremony this past December.
If you are interested in learning more about government contracting, contact Melissa Loder at SBA’s West Virginia District Office at (304) 623-5631 extension 224 (email: melissa.loder@sba.gov), or visit the SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov and select Contracting Opportunities under the Services heading.
The mission of the SBA is to aid, counsel, assist and promote the interests of small businesses by providing financial, procurement and business development assistance and advocating on their behalf within the government.
All SBA programs are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis.
Getting a lower interest rate on a credit card can be as simple as lowering the rate on your existing account.
Fax Machines
Telephones
File Cabinets
Internet Access
Credit Cards And Loans
Credit Counseling Services
Credit Reports
Small Business Credit Cards
Hanging Files
Manila File Folders
Computers
Call institutions at which you have existing credit card accounts. Ask them to convert your account to the lowest available rate. Ask them to consider your payment history and longtime customer relationship.
Search for a company with better rates if your existing credit card company cannot satisfy your request. Look for solicitations in the mail or contact local banks. You can even contact either Visa or MasterCard and ask for a list of preferred issuers.
Contact companies in which you are interested and ask for an application. Inquire whether you can send an application by phone, fax or Internet.
Once you complete and return the application, you should have an answer within 10 business days. Call if you haven’t heard anything.
If your request is denied, the company is required to give you an explanation in writing. You are also entitled to a free copy of your credit report. Your denial letter should explain how you can obtain this. If it does not, contact the credit card company directly and ask for assistance.
You can keep rolling over credit card balances to different cards at introductory rates until you are able to pay off your account balance. However, this can be time-consuming and requires you to keep accurate records.
Read the fine print – these “lower” rates may be introductory rates only, meaning they only last for a short period of time, after which your rate will jump up.
Maintain a good credit history. Credit card companies generally reserve the lowest interest rates for customers with the strongest credit histories.
Every person can avoid being involved in accidents at work by following these ten simple tips.
1. Always be alert on the job-Being awake and alert all the time while at work will not only prevent accidents from happening at work. It will also enhance the performance of the worker and can even earn him a promotion or a salary increase. Most of the people who become involved with accidents at work are those who feel sleepy while working.
2. Wear the required uniform-A person who works in a factory has a greater chance of being involved in an accident at work. Thus, he should be more vigilant about the wearing of proper uniforms and other protective garments when working. Never take safety to chance so always go to work with the proper dress code. If your work requires you to wear a hardhat helmet then wear it.
3. Listen and actively participate during emergency drills-Some work places conduct emergency drills to make sure their employees know what to do in cases of emergencies so as to avoid accidents. Some employees take this as another boring drill so they just look around and take it for granted. So when emergency time comes they are the ones who are left behind in the face of grave danger.
4. Always ask your supervisor about the possible risks of doing a certain task-There are workers who are exposed to danger just by doing their regular workloads. A worker should always check with his supervisor if he is unsure about the task at hand or if he feels that doing that task will expose him to great danger.
5. Never take a high-risk job for which you have not been trained for-It is stupid for anyone to take on a high-risk job especially if he has not been trained for the job. Imagine an untrained person doing the job of a fireman? Doing this will not only expose you to a great danger but will expose other people to danger as well. 6. Always follow the safety program of your workplace-Employers are responsible for the well-being of their workers while at work so they have installed safety programs which the employees should follow. Employees can avoid an accident at work if they follow the safety program mandated by the employer.
7.Always be on the lookout for possible cause of accidents and then report it to the management-There are workers who are already aware of a disaster waiting to happen but they refuse to see the warning and go on with their work. If you see telltale signs of a possible cause of accident at work like a ceiling that is about to give way or a stairway thats about to give way then you should report it to the proper authority immediately. Do not wait for the accident to happen as it might happen to you.
8. Owners of a company should always post signs or rules that should be observed by their employees in order to avoid a possible accident at work. These posters should be posted in areas that are highly visible to the workers so they will be able to read them.
9. Formation of an emergency team among the workers-The team will be responsible for monitoring possible hazards at work that may cause an accident. They will also formulate rules and regulation to be observed in case of possible incidents that may cause harm to the workers.
10. Never risk the health and safety of the employees-Profit may be the main motivation of a company but they should earn their keep without exposing their workers to hazard. Company owners should always prioritize the health and safety of their workers no matter what.
There are a lot of precautionary measures that both employers and employees can take to prevent an accident at work. However, a worker who follows the safety measures and procedures set by the employers for the workplace will most likely be able to prevent future accidents.
There are many people who go searching for their perfect career. Some people browse through online advertisements, post resumes on the Internet, and maybe even consult the horoscopes. But for Robin Alawat, the perfect career found her.
Before 2006 Robin made a living selling Mercedes at the Astorg dealership in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Robin was exceptional at customer service. So exceptional in fact, that on two separate occasions customers asked if she ever thought about getting into insurance. Robin said she didn’t think about selling insurance until she was confronted by her own car customers. “The one person who told me to get into insurance was a branch manager for West Virginia. His mom came in to buy and car and he was with her,” Robin said. “He thought I would be good at it because he thought I had a good way of explaining things to people.”
It took two years before Robin made the decision to leave the car dealership and start her own insurance agency. Robin said the deciding factor for the career change was her son Caleb, who was only one year old at the time. “The car business involves a lot of hours and at that time I missed out on a lot of his life,” she said.
Robin determined that she wanted to be more involved in Caleb’s life and decided that owning her own agency would allow her to do that, she said. In 2006 Robin became appointed as an Erie Insurance Agent and started her own business later that year.
Robin said she is glad she made the decision to own her own agency. “At the time my husband Anthony and I decided we were going to run [the agency] together as a family business,” she said. Unfortunately, Anthony passed away four months after opening the agency. “At one point I thought I was going to close,” Robin said.
But the thought of her son Caleb kept her motivated. “I knew in the long run I had to keep on with my agency and try to learn how to be a single parent,” she said. Robin also said that keeping busy with the business helped her overcome the difficulty of losing her husband.
It took some hard work and trying times, but Robin was able to build her agency from scratch.
“I built my book of business from the ground up,” she said. “I had to go out and get those customers.”
Robin did her own marketing and convinced her friends and family to switch insurance providers. “I’ve always worked in customer-service related jobs, so it’s kind of my niche,” she said. Robin holds licensing in Property and Casualty and Life insurance.
Now remarried, Robin envisions her son eventually taking over the family business after he graduates from college.
Alawat Insurance is located at 3205 Grand Central Avenue, Vienna, West Virginia. For more information, call (304) 865-2434.
The 2008 Women & Money Conference will be held Friday, October 17th in Parkersburg at the Grand Pointe Conference Center.
Women & Money Conferences are informative, free presentations designed to help people better handle their personal finances. Included are planning for retirement, getting out of debt, saving for college, building a household budget and more.
“We all need to plan ahead,” says State Treasurer John Perdue, “and tomorrow will arrive faster than we think. There is no time like today to begin building your financial future.”
Led by nationally-known financial planner and author Dee Lee, the conference program is chock-full of useful ideas, tips and activities. Lee’s down-to-earth, engaging style will leave you inspired and motivated to take on the tasks ahead.
Each conference also features a variety of financial services exhibits that add another useful dimension to the conference experience. Sponsoring organizations staff the exhibits and are available to discuss their services with attendees. The conference agenda builds in ample time for visits with the exhibitors.
Over the past six years, more than 7,200 people from across West Virginia have attended one of the WV Money Conferences. Nearly everyone comes away with concrete ideas for improving their personal finances.
To register for the 2008 Women & Money Conference, go to www.wvtreasury.com.
Judy K. Sheppard Wins Award from Nation’s Largest Business Women’s Organization
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 12, 2008) – Judy K. Sheppard, president and CEO of Professional Services of America in Parkersburg, W. Va., recently received a 2008 WIPP Member to Watch! Award during a ceremony at Women Impacting Public Policy’s (WIPP), We Decide! conference in Washington, D.C. The nation’s largest bi-partisan women’s business group, WIPP presented awards in several categories to honor individuals, associations and companies who have demonstrated a commitment to advancing the growth and goals of women-owned businesses.
“Judy is a successful business leader who works to create positive changes in her community and for women business owners across the country,” said WIPP President Barbara Kasoff. “We are proud to recognize her achievements and active citizenship by presenting this WIPP award.”
Other 2008 WIPP Members to Watch! Award, winners include Kathy Bennett, president and CEO of Bennett Packaging of K.C., Inc., in Lees Summitt, Mo., and Rebecca Herwick, president and CEO of Global Products, Inc., in St. Peters, Mo. These awards honor leaders who have made a significant impact in their industry over the past year through innovation and excellence.
Mary Schnack, president of Mary Schnack Media Services, Inc., in Sedona, Ariz., received the 2008 WIPP Member of the Year Award, which recognizes a member who has shown extraordinary commitment and leadership in the organization.
Doña Storey, president of Quality Technical Services, Inc., in Virginia Beach, Va., was presented with the WIPP Public Policy Award for her active engagement in the political process.
WIPP’s Fast 5 Awards were presented to five members whose companies have demonstrated rapid growth during the past five years. Award recipients were Afreen Al-Amin, CEO of Verascom, LLC, in Dallas, Texas; Michelle Crumm, chief business officer of Adaptive Materials, Inc., in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Jeanne Johnson, co-founder of Server Centric Consulting in Kansas City, Mo.; Laurie Simon, president and founder of Ombrella, Inc., in Kirkland, Wash.; and Rita N. Singh, founding managing partner/CFO/CPA of S&A Consulting Group, LLP, in Cleveland, Ohio.
The 2008 WIPP President’s Award was presented to three outstanding WIPP members for their work on behalf of women entrepreneurs throughout the country. Receiving this year’s President’s awards were Indy Freeman, president and CEO of TeknoLogix, Inc., in McLean, Va.; Nancy Aber Goshow, senior managing partner of Goshow Architects in New York, N.Y.; and Magdalah Silva, president and CEO of DMS International, Inc., in Silver Spring, Md.
Women Impacting Public Policy is a non-profit, national bipartisan group with over half-a-million members. WIPP is The Collective Voice in Washington, DC, for 46 national women and small business organizations. WIPP strengthens its members’ sphere of influence in the legislative process, creates economic opportunities for members and builds alliances with other small business organizations. For more information about WIPP, visit www.wipp.org.
By: Anna Ripley
I believe that all of us can be honest if we really want to; although, it is not something that comes naturally to us. Because we are selfish creatures, we are apt to only think about ourselves and what we can get out of the situation. Well if all of us take that attitude, we are in a pitiful shape.
I am a business owner and I have purposed in my business that I will have integrity and honesty in my dealing with my customers. I will work to the end to make sure that what I say, is what I will do, and what I sell I will stand behind.
I will not sell a product that I can’t get behind 100% and know that the quality is good for me and for my customers. So many times we think that we need to sell anything in order to make a dollar, well that is not true for me.
I will not sell certain things, simply because I need to make a dollar. It is important to me to be able to tell my customers that I use what I sell. That. I cook with and give what I sell to my family as gifts. This way, they know what I am doing is of importance to me. I believe that integrity is short sited for so many people today and we just go along with what someone else is doing. Well that just not good enough for me. When I stand before God I want him to say, “WELL DONE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT”.
All of us have the opportunity to be honest and to have integrity, but will we? I am just one person who has decided to live a life that shows my ethics and to live what I say I believe, and to do what I say I will do, what about you?
You can decide today to treat others as you want to be treated, or to talk to others as you would want to be talked to, or live your life doing unto others as you would want them to do onto you. Now what would happen if all of us as of this day decided to have integrity in our dealing with us, not just in our business life, but in our everyday life as well?
A few years ago I allowed my circumstances to dictate whether or not I would be honest in a situation, this is the story: We went into a grocery store and the cashier forgot to ring a large item, and I didn’t tell her that she had forgotten to ring the item. So I paid her what she said I owed and I left the store. My husband said we didn’t pay for that piece of meat and you knew that the cashier didn’t charge us. He said, “We should go back and pay for it now.” I said, “Absolutely not it was her mistake not mine.”
Well not the end of the story, we argued about this for sometime and it really caused a great deal of confusion in our marriage.
The thing that came out of this was, we agreed that from that moment on we would not allow our needs to dictate our integrity. You see, we had just gotten married and our money was very tight. I tried to rationalize that maybe that was a blessing from God. Well of course you know that God will not give us a stolen blessing. So we agreed that if someone gave us too much we would tell them and give back the overage, or if they owed us we would tell them and get back what was owed us, and I can truly say that from that time forward we have tried to live our lives using that philosophy. We have chosen to have integrity.