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Student internships may be an option worth exploring.
Looking to add staff without the full-time commitment? Student internships can help you get things done on a limited budget.
The Nebraska Internship Program, which began on June 1, has job training funds available to help businesses hire student interns. The program provides a 40% match, up to $3,500 per internship, for eligible businesses hiring eligible student interns (businesses in distressed areas may receive a 60% match up to $5,000). A business may apply for funding for up to 10 interns per year, with a maximum of five interns per company location, per year.
Eligible businesses are primarily in Manufacturing, Research & Development, Distribution, Transportation, Storage & Warehousing, Data Processing, Telecommunications, Insurance & Financial Services, Administration (Headquarters) and more. Eligible students must be enrolled full-time in a postsecondary college or university with junior or senior status, or in their second year of a two-year program. Internships must pay minimum wage or more and range from 200-1,000 hours.
As of August 8th, 79 businesses have applied for Intern Nebraska funding with 45 businesses approved and participating in the program. Nearly $640,000 of the $1.5 million available in funding is committed. Thirty-one qualified businesses are in rural Nebraska and 14 businesses are in urban parts of our state. Approximately 38 qualified businesses are still looking to hire around 124 interns as of today. The intent of the program is to create at least 500 new internships annually in Nebraska.
For more information about the program, to post a job opening, or to search posted student resumes, go to http://InternNE.com/employer. To learn more about the benefits of hiring interns, here’s a video featuring Dan Shundoff, owner of Intellicom, Inc.: Expanding Capacity with Interns
Marilyn Schlake, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Must see – UNL Webinar on Food Product Development
Wow!!!!!! You missed an excellent webinar on Food Product Development if you were unable to attend the UNL Extension eShip Webinar Series on Tuesday, October 19th. Laurie Keeler, Senior Manager of Product Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Food Processing Center shared so many cool examples of unique new food products and how entrepreneurs came up with the idea and how they made them marketable.
Laurie talked about product ideas such as developing unique products with water; line extension which involves adding new lines of product to get more space on the shelf, and final packaging of products for convenience. Laurie outlined the steps needed to create a successful new food product and the problems and pitfalls in the development process. We also learned that the UNL Food Processing Center is a premier service available to anyone across the United States. They specialize in helping individuals and businesses develop food, pet and cosmetic products. It’s right there in Lincoln, Nebraska.
This is a webinar you should see. Go to the archived presentation at: http://breeze.unl.edu/p72177450/ .
The next UNL Extension eShip Webinar will be Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. CST/9:00 am MST. Katie Pakarek, UNL Extension Education in Stormwater Management will highlight Entrepreneurial Potentials in Stormwater Management.
Guest Blogger: Dennis Kahl, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Wine School for the Perfect Wine
Has anyone tasted a really good wine lately? If so, it may just have come from a Nebraska winery. Scan down the list of awards that Nebraska wines have won over the past few years and you will be impressed. According the Nebraska Winery & Grape Growers Association, there are now 21 wineries and ten additional tasting rooms located throughout Nebraska that offer unique flavors and unexpected sceneries. Download the Official Passport to the 2010 Nebraska Wine Tour and enter your name for prizes.
Oh the flip side, if you are interested in starting a winery or already have a winery, then consider going back to school…that is a wine making school sponsored by the Five Rivers Resource Conservation and Development. Small-Scale Commercial Wine Making School will be held October 22 & 23 and the Advanced Wine Making School II will be held November 5 & 6 in Nebraska City. Here’s your chance to learn more about making and perfecting wines. For workshop information, contact Five Rivers RC&D at 402.335.3347 or email bobbie.meints@rcdnet.net. The workshops feature viticulture experts who can provide great information to get your wines to award winning levels.
Oh, for future reference, I like the bold reds.
Until next time,
Marilyn Schlake, Associate Director, NebraskaEDGE Program, UNL
Did you know?…NE resources
Did you know?…
Did you know that Nebraska has a new association for small businesses? If not, you need to check them out. The Small Business Association of the Midlands is offering tools, education and networking opportunities for individuals just getting started or are operating an existing business. The SBAM targets businesses with less than 99 employees for their seminars, resources and online information. A membership meeting is being held on August 10 from 8:30 am – 10:00 am. Can’t attend? Contact SBAM to learn more about their services and membership fees.
Did you know that there is an innovation club available in Southeast Nebraska? The I2E (Inventors, Investors and Entrepreneurs) club provides individuals with the opportunity to pursue their passion of launching or selling an innovation or business concept. The next meeting is scheduled for August 10, from 5:30pm – 8:00 pm at the Kimmel Education and Research Center. More information on the I2E Club and membership forms are available online at http://kimmel.unl.edu/i2eclub1 or contact creimers2@unl.edu.
Did you know that entrepreneurial services are available through the Nebraska Self Employment Services for individuals with disabilities? NSES participants must first be clients/consumers of Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Services include workshops and one-on-one technical assistance, including feasibility study, business planning, funding, and support services. More information is available at the NSES website.
One more did you know. The NebraskaEDGE is now registering for the entrepreneurial training courses in Holdrege, Columbus and Red Cloud. Holdrege course starts, August 17th, Red Cloud, August 30, and Columbus, September 7th. Course and class information is available on the NebraskaEDGE website.
If you are looking for a specific resources and don’t know where to turn, please drop me an e-mail and I will find one that best works for you.
Until next time,
Marilyn Schlake, Associate Director, NebraskaEDGE Program
Office Security – Time to Get it Done
Wow! Nebraska has sure had its share of storms this Spring. Unfortunately, too much rain, tornadoes, hail, and subsequent floods have ruined homes and businesses alike. Along with mother nature’s fury came water-logged computers and electrical problems from lightening strikes and downed power lines. This type of weather can cause serious problems with computers and lost data. Do you have an equipment and software inventory to provide to the insurance company as proof of purchase and value? Do you have a backup system that safely stores the irreplaceable family photos or costly business records? Read more
Another Plug for Bootstrapping
An interesting article came out this week from Techcrunch.com on the benefits of bootstrapping a business to stay lean and hungry. Guest writer, Vivek Wadhwa, an entrepreneur turned academic, talks about his experiences starting companies with venture capital. He found that his decisions were about pleasing the board members rather than pleasing the customers. Wadhwa states, “Pleasing board members became an unnecessary priority.“ In the long-run the focus should be on building customer relations for long-term growth.
Research conducted by David Townsend, NC State University and Lowell Busenitz, University of Oklahoma, also showed that acquiring investment capital did not guarantee success. Is venture capital wrong? By no means, no. Venture capital can be a breath of life for a cash-strapped company that has huge manufacturing or other start-up costs. Each entrepreneur should research and critically assess their need for and type of capital investment that would best work for their business.
Wadhwa’s article reminds me of an interview I conducted with Derrick Eells last fall. Derrick and Jeffrey Eells own TenDot Travel, a Lincoln-based corporate incentive travel company. Bootstrapping was the name of the game to getting this business started. If what Wadhwa states is true that “capital starvation leads to innovation,” then TenDot Travel is the epitome of innovation. Derrick and Jeff started their business the day after they quit their jobs. Living out of their house, the Eellses began cold calling and competing against the industry giants. They had new innovative products that were making the industry clients rethink their prior relationships. Through determination and persistence, they won businesses over. To ramp up and keep costs down, they hired contractors instead of employees. They also looked to family and mentors to help with the business operations and decisions. As the business continues to grow, now reaching over the $1 million sales mark, the Eellses continue to stay lean and hungry for new opportunities.
Check out the Eellses’ videos : Passion, Culture and Sales, and Sales Tips for the Service Business and let me know your thoughts on bootstrapping the company, the pros and cons, and how you best bootstrap to save costs.
Until next time,
Marilyn Schlake, Associate Director, NebraskaEDGE Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Here come the U-Boomers!
As I was scanning the Internet today, I came across an interesting article about U-boomers. Like most of us, I had heard about the infamous baby boomers, but U-boomers? Now, that is something new. According to David Court and Diana Farrell of McKinsey and Company, an international marketing research firm, U-boomers are the next big opportunity for consumer companies. Read more
Social Entreprenership at its Best – TOMS
I was filled with excitement as I started my day out early. I slipped on my TOMS shoes, and smiled at the thought of getting to hear one of my favorite entrepreneurs share his story at the Greater Omaha’s Young Professional Summit. I was thrilled when I learned I had been given the opportunity from Partnerships for Innovation to attend this event at the Qwest Center. Three hours later, after my eastward journey, I arrived at the event and was amazed by the large crowd attending the Summit. This event was incredibly organized with breakout sessions that delivered valuable messages, information, and resources to the participants. However, my favorite part of the day was lunch, and not because of the meal, although it was very good. It was because of the key note speaker, Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes, Blake Mycoski. Read more
Webinars Offer Online Advice
Congratulations, you now have a web site. The only problem, it’s not generating the traffic you want, nor the sales you need. What is the best option for you? Is it SEO, SEM or keywords and tag lines? Read more
Terry Jones speaks at Governor’s Conference On Rural Development
On November 6th, 2009 at the Nebraska Governor’s Conference on Rural Developmentin Kearney NE, Terry Jones, founder of Travelocity.com and chairman of Kayak.com spoke about technology changing how we conduct business. It was a great presentation on innovation, rethinking and redesigning the customer relationship and our interaction with that customer.
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