Business Incubator Center

Our own Helen Roe named Colorado Small Business Development Center Counselor of the Year

tbenson — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:28:49 +0000

Helen Roe, Colorado Small Business Development Center Counselor of the year

Calling All Commercial Bakers – Mesa County Fair Contest

tbenson — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:42:28 +0000

Are you a commercial baker? Check out the contest by the Mesa County Fair. Deadline is July 17, so you have time to plan and give it your best shot!

Mesa County Fair Commercial Cake Baking and Decorating Contest

What are you working on this year?

tbenson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:39:15 +0000

What are you working on this year? This is one of the first things I ask when I have the opportunity to sit down with one of our small business owners and talk about their company. Personally, I believe there is a key distinction between working in a business and working on a business. Any business owner can attest that it is easy to get sucked into working in your business; after all, you are the business, right? That good old entrepreneurial spirit that got you into this situation lets you believe you are ultimately responsible for selling, making, shipping, cleaning and handling every distraction that comes up. The sink’s clogged? Got it. The phone’s ringing? Got it. The deposit is ready? Got it. So here is the million dollar question: How do you improve, build and thrive as a small business if you are constantly working in the business? You have to take time to work on the business. You need a plan. Why are Starbucks, McDonalds, Chipotle and other companies so successful? They have a plan which allows them to create a consistent product every time, everywhere. They have a plan covering pretty much every part of their business. Having a good plan enables a small business owner to work on various parts of their business as it evolves. So, how do you develop your plan? There are a lot of good resources on the topic, but I think the first step is using the resources at the Business Incubator Center. Thorough the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), we offer free business counseling and a number of classes to help small businesses develop and grow. If you are committed to developing your business plan, we offer a comprehensive class through our SBDC called the Leading Edge which we offer twice a year. This spring’s class starts next week, Feb. 7. So, what’s your plan?

From Jon Maraschin, Executive Director

For more information on how the Grand Junction SBDC can help you develop your plan and work ON your business, click here

Keep Taxes from Being Taxing

tbenson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:15:28 +0000

It’s a fact of life. Everyone has to pay taxes, and so do businesses. Tax season is in full swing, so don’t make it any more taxing than necessary. Here are some things to remember to make tax time as easy as possible.

Deductions – Keep detailed records of expenses including healthcare, salaries, and rent. If more than half of your trip was devoted to business you can deduct your travel expenses as well as other business-related expenses such as meals or hotel stays.
Employee Taxes – Be sure to pay the proper amount of unemployment, FICA, Medicare, Social Security, and federal and state taxes. Check with your accountant on the correct amounts for 2012.
Estimated taxes – Be sure to keep up with your estimated taxes due in April, June, September and January, to avoid cash flow problems or an IRS penalty.
Sales Taxes – If you sell a product, you will need to register with the Colorado tax department and pay sales taxes. Internet companies may be exempt from sales taxes, but pay a use tax instead.
Keep your Records – Keep all tax records for a minimum of 7 years. Include 1099s, expense receipts, mileage logs, etc.
Tax Deadlines – April 15th isn’t the only important date for taxes. Keep an eye on your calendar to avoid missing important due dates for estimated, sales, and payroll taxes.
Loans – The principal and interest of many business loans is considered a business expense and can be deducted.

With a little preplanning and preparation you can significantly reduce tax-related stress, and focus on your business.

To find out more about what the Grand Junction SBDC can do for you, click here:

S&S Innovations Expansion News

tbenson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:10:37 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

THE BUSINESS INCUBATOR CENTER

2591 Legacy Way, Grand Junction, CO 81503 · 970/243-5242 · Fax 970/241-0771

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

DATE: February 3, 2012

CONTACT: Annalisa Pearson

PHONE: 970-243-5242

S&S INNOVATIONS, DBA TATTLER REUSABLE CANNING LIDS, ANNOUNCES RECENT EXPANSION AND RECORD SALES

Brad Stieg, President of S&S Innovations announced the company recently doubled their square footage at the Business Incubator Center. The expansion is in response to sales in excess of 10X expectations in 2010, and continued exponential growth in 2011. S&S’s Tattler Reusable Canning Lid sales have been primarily from internet, phone and mail requests and a limited retail presence, but they are currently in negotiations to potentially stock their product in up to 2,100 retail stores. S&S uses multiple ad venues to generate the phenomenal response. A recent 750 unit promotion on Markdown.com was increased to 2,000 units in less than 8 hours of a 4-day sale due to demand.

S&S added full and part-time employees as well as hiring Mesa Developmental Services to assist with packing of orders. Stieg notes they expect to hire more employees for the seasonal sales jump and expand into additional space by this summer when they will have an injection mold machine manufacturing parts on site. The company is currently shipping the equivalent of one semi-load of product throughout the US every two weeks.

Tattler lids are made in the USA, are BPA free, guaranteed reusable, and pay for themselves after only a few uses. S&S recently made major upgrades to their website making it more user-friendly, Stieg said, plus utilizing Twitter and a Blog. Purchases are available directly from the website or Amazon.com. Tattler lids were invented in the mid-70’s by Loren Stieg, CEO, with limited distribution, primarily in the Midwest. “Resurrected” in 2010, the family-owned business went to web-based marketing and sales with increased production.

The Business Incubator Center serves a mission to support the launch, growth, stabilization and long-term success of business enterprises. We measure success by our ability to guide entrepreneurs through sound business decisions and our positive influence on economic growth in the region. Over our 24 year history, this structure has generated powerful results, including:

the launch of more than 260 companies,
the generation of more than $150 million in revenue by these companies,
the funding of 313 businesses in the community,
the creation of approximately 10,000 jobs, and
the investment of over $53.7 million in capital.

For more information on our programs please contact Annalisa Pearson or go to www.gjincubator.org

CONTAC T INFORMATION:

S&S Innovations, Corp                         Annalisa Pearson
Reusable Canning Lids                          Business Incubator Center
(970) 255-7011/Brad Stieg                apearson@gjincubator.org

bstieg@reusablecanninglids.com (970) 243-5242
www.reusacom

For more information on S&S or Tattler Resuable Canning Lids, click here

Check out the video for Grandma Rosa’s Tamales from Channel 8.

tbenson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:45:35 +0000

Grandma Rosa’s Tamales interviewed by Channel 11 News for a spot on Healthy Tamales. http://www.nbc11news.com/localnews/headlines/Healthy_Tamales_138329874.html#.TycoTOvwfVo.facebook

Celebrate Your Customers Everyday

mariah — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:58:07 +0000

Every year there is a Customer Appreciation Day, but I say let’s buck the system and celebrate customers every day. Here are some great ways you can tell your customers how much you appreciate them.

Send a thank-you note to every customer. Do not attempt to sell them anything, simply thank them for the business. If you don’t have a customer database, start one. Loyal customers are created by following up after the sale.
Run a “real” customer appreciation promotion. Think about what your customer would really enjoy and find a way to provide it. Do they need a price break or an additional value? Maybe gift-wrapping or extra deposit slips. If you don’t know your customer’s hot buttons, ask them.
Call them. A telephone call from you might confuse them, especially if you’re not calling to sell them anything. Tell a great story for them to share with their friends.
Offer a referral gift. Good feelings are generated when you reward your customers for sharing your business with their friends. Reward your customers who brag about you with a token of appreciation. This is where all that schwag in your inventory get put to good use. Give away gift cards whenever someone introduces you to someone new.

Great customer service is rare these days. Create a revolution that gets your customers bragging about you and you will earn new business that you wouldn’t get on your own. If you’re still looking for a reason to celebrate, look no further than your loyal customers. Every day can be customer service day, so start blowing up those balloons.

For more information about what the Grand Junction SBDC can do for you call 970-243-5242 or click here

A Word From the New Guy

jmaraschin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:36:37 +0000

It is a privilege to introduce myself as the new Executive Director of The Business Incubator Center. I follow a very short list of former ED’s who have left a very positive mark in the local community; I am honored to stand on their shoulders as we move into 2012 and beyond.

A few words about who I am and where I come from: I was born and raised in Fruita, Colorado, where I was fortunate enough to experience small town USA. I left the area in the early 80’s after the economy fell apart and moved to South Texas, where I graduated from high school. From there, I spent some time in Wyoming and Carbondale before I went into the Navy to see the world, which I did. After Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, I was honorably discharged and found myself in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah where I received a BS in Marketing with an emphasis in accounting and a little philosophy thrown in for good measure. During my time in Salt Lake I developed a passion for bicycle racing with a local team and skiing as a member of the National Ski Patrol at Brighton; I also dabbled in entrepreneurship by helping to start and run a couple of small businesses. I eventually landed at a large regional bank, where I quickly moved up from being commercial underwriter to commercial lender with a large and diverse portfolio of business customers. Wells Fargo assimilated in my bank in 2000 and I was able to hold commercial lending positions in Steamboat Springs and the Grand Valley after I returned home in early 2006.

So why leave a career in commercial lending? I have always been passionate about small businesses, but found a consistent gap between what banks are looking for and what many small business owners were prepared for. The Business Incubator is the mechanism for our community to help those small business owners get prepared and increase their likelihood of success exponentially; when I saw the opportunity to be part of creating the future for our community, of course I jumped at the chance. Being part of the Business Incubator Center team is something that is the most rewarding and challenging thing I have ever done.

I have consistently been asked what my plans and vision are for the Business Incubator Center, which is an interesting question as it is a successful organization with a 24 year track record. First, we need to be the best at what we do. We need to consistently strive to have the best business model, staff, and counselors from our community while being painfully transparent. We will continue to partner with Colorado Mesa University as well as the local and state economic development partners to create jobs and move our community forward. We continue to focus on and improve our current programs while looking for areas of opportunity which include a downtown presence. Lastly, I am dedicated to keeping the organization fun; in the words of Yvon Chouinard “I want my people to come to work on the balls of their feet and bound up the stairs two at a time”….after all, if you aren’t having fun and doing what you love, what’s the point?

-Jon

Give Your Business Some Jingle This Holiday Season

mariah — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:42:11 +0000

The Holidays are here and the sound of jingle bells is filling the air. If you are a retailer or look to holiday sales to boost your bottom line you know the holiday season has been in full swing for a couple of weeks already. Here are some tips to boost your sales for the rest of this year’s holiday season.

See the spirit. It’s true. People buy more during the holidays, not just in malls or on official shopping trips. They may see something at a gas station or somewhere else and are more prone to buying it. Take advantage of that spirit and create a holiday display, marketing campaign, or offer special holiday items, deals and packages.
Reward loyalty. For those customers who have been extra loyal or make large purchases, give them a little bit of the holiday season in return with a discount or incentive to keep them coming back.
Play reindeer games. Often this time of year means extra stress, but try not to let the stress of the season swallow you up. Celebrate your employees or coworkers with a white elephant gift exchange, Secret Santa’s or a small potluck.

Focus on the customer. Your customers are why you are in business. Customer service is often ignored in the hustle and bustle of the season. Keep your customers as a top priority and you will not only see sales increase, but may also gain some long-term customers who are able to leave your business with a smile.

Meet Jim Cadez-SBDC Business Coach

mariah — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:46:50 +0000

I’m a native of Grand Junction and over the years I have seen the Grand Valley grow and change. I have degrees from Mesa College and Denver University. After college I was on active duty with the US Army and Army Reserve. My working years have all been here in Western Colorado with our family company Central Distributing Co. Our company with distribution centers in Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, and Montrose, provide products to all types of businesses. During my years working in the business community I have been active in Grand Junction Lions Club, Director on the Chamber of Commerce BOD, Past President of St. Mary’s Hospital, President of Colorado Distributors Association, active in my church and other civic groups. What I enjoy about the Business Incubator Center is that it provides a start for you and your dream.

Business Incubator Center

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