Missouri Small Business and Technology Development Centers Blog

Last Tuesday night, central Missouri felt its first really serious – and treacherous – winter storm. Roads were slick and visibility was poor. Only those willing to take the risk were out on the streets and highways that evening. Only those with a sincere need to travel and a strong desire to reach their destination were huddled up against the bitter cold and harsh elements. Only those with a deeply held belief in their mission were willing to take the chance.

That’s why our plans to honor 20 of Missouri’s best innovators and entrepreneurs in Jefferson City went off without a hitch. Because you don’t reach that level of excellence and achievement without the qualities of determination, tolerance for some risk, belief in the mission and commitment to success. Those innovators and entrepreneurs were there, as were the members of the statewide Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers (SBTDC) and Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) who assisted them in achieving amazing milestones in business creation, investment, sales and job generation. For their work they were rewarded with the 2009 Rising Star of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards, a statewide recognition for their diligence, creativity and business development success. (more…)

In the current economic situation, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, unprepared and even a little hopeless, but there are some things you can do to help you survive the uncertain times.

Don’t wait to ask for help. The staff of our Small Business and Technology Development Centers can assist you in addressing issues around credit — both yours and your customers — and other issues related to cutting expenses and trying to hold onto cash.

One mistake many entrepreneurs make is feeling that they have to go it alone. They keep everything to themselves, afraid to share their fears or concerns with anyone, including business advisors or employees. But in reality, everyone close to the business knows it’s facing tough times, so don’t try to keep things a secret. People who work for you want to know the real situation, so keep them informed and ask for their ideas for ways to cut costs and find efficiencies. If you work as a team, you’ll feel more supported, and there are more hands and heads to carry the load. (more…)

One of the best things about the holidays is having some down time to catch up on reading. In addition to a couple of good novels, I read Guy Kawasaki’s latest book, Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition.

Kawasaki is a former Apple Fellow who helped develop the Macintosh computer, and he’s one of my favorite authors on the topic of telling it like it is for entrepreneurs. There is no glossy American Dream rhetoric in his books. He’s been there, and he tells you what it’s like – the sometimes unglamorous side of being your own boss and doing your own thing. And for me, it’s his irreverence, coupled with all of his real-life examples, that makes his books such a good read. (more…)

The perils of a baby boomer in an online social network

Late last year, some friends of mine convinced me that I needed to create a profile on Facebook and another one on LinkedIn, which is supposed to be like a Facebook for business people.

“This is not for me,” I thought. “No one needs to know about me, or what I do in my spare time, or what books I’ve read.”

But the needling continued, so I finally just went “out there” and set up a page and went on my happy way. (more…)