Seminar January 14, 2010 on Social Marketing!

 

Economic Development

Small Business Support Center

Small Business Online Resources

Enterprise Zone Tax Credits

 

 

 

   

Selma Small Business Support Center

                                  

Upcoming  Events:

Social Marketing

 

Thursday, January 14, 2010

8 a.m.

Selma City Hall

     

       Guest Speaker will be Travis Huff with        Ricana Media & Real Time Outsource

Do shoppers have access to your business through Facebook, Twitter and other internet websites?  Learn how you can expose more consumers to your business through social media. 

 

Seminars sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric Company and Union Bank of California

 

 

Mission Statement

The Selma Small Business Support Center (SBSC) is an economic development program designed to empower and increase the entrepreneurial capacities of the socially and economically diverse people of the City of Selma.  The SBSC strengthens the community's economy by providing valuable resources and information to local entrepreneurs and small business owners. The SBSC offers seminars on various topics including Web Development, Marketing and Information Security, networking opportunities, referrals to professional services such as attorneys, accountants, and loan officers, business plan consulting, loans designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and more.

 A Business Incubator Without Walls

A traditional business incubator usually provides an affordable physical location, shared office services, and business development assistance to new or formerly home-based businesses.  All of these services are offered in an effort to foster a strong setting for new business growth.  The SBSC program is an incubator without walls. It provides participating businesses with many of the same advantages as a traditional business incubator, without sharing the same building.  This allows those businesses to continue operating in their present location, while deriving some of the same benefits associated with a traditional incubator.

Small Businesses Are Important

Many economic development experts are convinced that the fastest way to increase jobs and strengthen a community’s economy is to encourage local entrepreneurs. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), “small businesses are the engine that drives our economy.” Small businesses employ about half of our entire work force. They provide more than half of the nation’s private gross domestic product and are the primary creators of new jobs. Nearly 80 percent of the new jobs created in the past six years were created by small business. Even though small business is the engine that drives our economy, the SBA reported that, “the failure rate for new small business in their first five years is 80 percent.” Although some experts believe that this figure is too high, it is clear that starting a new business is risky. The SBSC can help to reduce that risk. You can contact the SBSC by phone, email, or a visit to the office to learn more about how this center can be a resource for your business.

 

City of Selma Economic Development Department

 (559)891-2200 or 1-800-80-SELMA

 

The SBSC office is located at 1710 Tucker Street, Selma, CA 93662

 

Office hours are Monday - Friday 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM

 

 

Send an e-mail to roseanng@cityofselma.com

 

Services New Guidelines Resources/Links

Direct technical assistance and business plan creation- Offers guidebooks and examples of business plans, directs businesses to examples online, and can review potential business plans.

Access to loans and financing- The USDA Revolving Loan Fund is offered to local area small businesses looking to expand or start-up businesses. This loan program makes microloans that are usually available for one to two percentage points above the prime rate. The SBSC also directs small businesses to other sources of loans such as the top ten lenders to small businesses in the surrounding 15 counties, the Valley Small Business Development Corp., and websites that identify lenders of microloans such as  www.businessfinance.com.  

Business workshops, trainings and seminars- The SBSC hosts various  workshops and seminars designed to develop Selma area small businesses. Past events include seminars on Marketing for Small Businesses, Small Business Taxes, Information Security, and QuickBooks.

Networking opportunities- SBSC works with the Selma Chamber of Commerce.  Through the Chamber of Commerce, local business owners have the opportunity to meet with other local business owners. 

Referral-  The SBSC identifies other organizations that  promote small businesses including the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE (Counselors to America's Small Business), and various websites for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Follow the Small Business Online Resources link on the sidebar and click on the Resources/Links tab to view all organizations.

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2004 City of Selma, California  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED