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Poll on Rural Economic Development Strategies

Marilyn — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:15:52 +0000

What economic development strategies are important to rural citizens? To discover that answer, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln asked 2,490 rural citizens the question, “What type of impact on your community do you think would result from your community pursuing the following economic development strategies?” Although the results varied by location, age, education and income, the overall results were very positive toward entrepreneurship as a development strategy:

Providing loans to small businesses and entrepreneurs in their community (79%)
Developing a youth entrepreneurship program in their local school/s (76%)
Providing training or technical assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs in your community (74%)

Poll respondents were also positive toward specific infrastructure development that captured the unique characteristics or resources of the community. For example, persons living in or near communities larger than 10,000 believed developing industrial parks in their community would have a positive impact (66%) compared to persons living in or near communities with fewer than 500 persons (33%). In addition, persons living in the Nebraska Panhandle region were more positive about the perceived impact of promoting development of wind energy (82%) than persons living in Southeast Nebraska (68%).

To read this report and others, visit the Nebraska Rural Poll at the Center for Applied Rural Innovation.

Submitted by Rebecca Vogt, Survey Research Manager, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Flood CleanUp, Contractors Register with FEMA

Marilyn — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 16:43:00 +0000

Now that the Missouri River flood waters are beginning to recede in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, the need for businesses to help with cleanup is critical. If your business is interested in contracting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), contact Andy Alexander, Program Manager and Counselor with the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) to help (402-554-6253). A step-by-step guide is available to get you started in registering with FEMA.

NBDC PTAC is also available to assist any business interested in contracting with local, state and federal agencies. PTAC offices are located in Omaha, Auburn, Kearney and Wayne.

Submitted by Marilyn Schlake, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Student internships may be an option worth exploring.

Marilyn — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:51:01 +0000

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 8^th, 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

Online Tutorial on Refining Idea Concept

Marilyn — Tue, 25 May 2010 21:05:12 +0000

Here’s a jewel of information for the average inventor. Planet Eureka!, operated by Merwyn Research, Inc., provides free on-line tutorials for getting your invention noticed and to the market. The FREE Merwyn Business Translation Workshop includes nine videos and a downloadable workbook that walks you through the process of translating your idea into a simple description. You can then use your workbook to pitch your idea to others or use the fee-based services provided through the Merwyn Business Simulation Research and post your idea on their searchable website. Caution – simulation research is not cheap!

Planet Eureka! is also a searchable website where you can look-up other innovations or seek manufacturers that may be looking for your type of product. Planet Eureka! is supported by the USA National Innovation Marketplace, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Kauffman Foundation and others.

For more information about Nebraska’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, contact Dave Wright, dave.wright@nebraska.gov

Social Entreprenership at its Best – TOMS

Marilyn — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:53:47 +0000

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.I have been a fan of TOMS Shoes and the unique story of creator and entrepreneur, Blake Mycoski for several years. As a student myself, I have written papers on his venture. As an instructor, I teach my students about this inspiring mission and one-for-one business model that, I believe, will continue to have an impact on the business world as well as the social responsibility of entrepreneurs.

I was pleased to be sitting only one table away from Blake Mycoski during lunch. It was very hard to contain myself and not to jump out of my seat and tell him about how excited I was to meet him, what a fan I am, and how motivating his story is to me and many others. I wanted to tell him how proud I am to wear my TOMS Shoes and to share the story with others about how he has given over 400,000 pairs of shoes to children in need, because of his brilliant one-for-one concept. But instead, I decided to patiently wait until he addressed the entire group.

Blake Mycoski took the stage in his casual attire, including his camouflage TOM Shoes and greeted the crowd of 1200 young professionals. He told the story of TOMS Shoes that began with a trip to Argentina, when accidentally learning about the detrimental results of poverty including the lack of shoes for children, his wheels began turning in response to the need, and within forty-eight hours developed TOMS Shoes; a profitable business where a person could buy a pair of shoes today and give a pair of shoes tomorrow to a child in need.

Not only is Mycoski a business savvy person, but he is a very intriguing story teller. He entertained the audience with memorable events that occurred in his start-up journey and shared three important lessons that can be applied to any business. First, he recommended that entrepreneurs consider sustainability and how the non-profit component to a business can contribute to a lasting mission. Next, explained that sometimes the best ideas come from a spontaneous response to a need and people should pay attention to their initial reactions to situations. Last, he stressed the amazing partnerships and highly-qualified employees that can be attracted to a business that tells the truth in its story. He shared the collaborative efforts he had with AT&T. He told the audience, “Giving not only feels good, but it is good for your business.”

Mycoskie also got personal as he shared the moment that changed his life forever. He said that it wasn’t when the idea struck him, it wasn’t when the fashion industry picked up on it and celebrities were wearing TOMS Shoes. The pivotal moment was when he took his parents and sixteen other friends and interns to Argentina for the first shoe drop, and the team hand-placed 10,000 pairs of shoes on the feet of children who otherwise would not have shoes; many of which could not attend school for this very reason. Watching his mother carefully tend to these children as she interacted with them during this process was an experience that he said he will never forget.

Blake offered the audience the chance to win a “design your own” shoe party by sending a text message to TOMS Shoes, the true sign that in addition to being a philanthropist he is a true-blooded marketer and businessman. Mycoskie then took several questions from the audience before ending his presentation. He left the group inspired, but yet humbled. His non-conventional approach is endearing but also reminds us all about the power of entrepreneurship and to think creatively when it comes to solving problems. One last thought that he left with the audience before bringing them to their feet for a standing ovation was, “Make your mission bigger than making profits.”

If you attended the Young Professionals’ Conference last week, give us your feedback on the success of the conference.

Thanks to Guest Blogger: Lisa Tschauner, Central Community College, Entrepreneurship Coordinator and Business Instructor. Contact Lisa at ltschauner@cccneb.edu

UNL NebraskaEDGE and NxBizSuccess Webinar

Tonia Franklin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:00:20 +0000

Topic: NebraskaEDGE and NxBizSuccess, hosted by Marilyn Schlake and Tonia Franklin. To attend the webinar simply log into the Adobe Connect Pro meeting room location at: http://breeze.unl.edu/p18749928/

Monthly eShip Webinars are scheduled for the 4th Tuesday of each month at 10 am CDT at the same Adobe Connect Pro meeting room location.

Website to Search for Angel Investors

Marilyn — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:04:46 +0000

Angelsoft.net is a new online startup tool to help business owners find venture capital firms and angel investors worldwide, including in and around Nebraska.

Launched in 2009, Investor Search allows users to search by location, investment size, industry, milestone, valuation, and more. You can also search by keyword, and sort results based on closest location, most active, response time, investments, and applications. The tool includes profiles of over 1,000 venture capital firms and angel investor groups.

Angelsoft.net has an online business planning tool that helps the business owner put together a business plan specifically designed for the investors. You will be asked 11 questions that every investor wants answered. Along the way the website provides you with tips on how to best complete each question. When you are finished, you will have a document that you print, share as a PDF, or use to apply to the 1,026 groups that accept the Angelsoft application.

New Searchable Patent Website

Marilyn — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:08:28 +0000

Patent Lens is a worldwide, open-access, free full-text patent informatics resource. Users can search and retrieve the full-text of more than 9 million patent documents from US, Europe, Australia and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), their status and counterparts up to 70 countries. Patent Lens is supported by the Initiative for Open Innovation (IOI) and partially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Visit the Patent Lens Search Help to get started on your searches.

Top Ten Nebraska Lenders For 2009

Tonia Franklin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:50:48 +0000

Small Business Administration News Release

OMAHA - Ten of Nebraska’s leading lenders have been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for providing SBA lending to small businesses throughout the state during SBA’s fiscal year 2009 which ended September 30. “These top ten lenders have led the way in providing access to capital for Nebraska’s entrepreneurs. They have continued to support small business during these tough economic times by taking advantage of SBA loan programs offered through the Recovery Act,” said SBA Nebraska District Director Leon Milobar.

These top ten lenders, combined, provided 46% of the entire years lending activity in number of loans and 37% in total dollar amount for SBA’s Nebraska District Office. District totals for the period from all lenders were 476 loans for $118.4 million. To view the listing in a pdf file, click on the title below.

10-02 Top Ten Nebraska Lenders 2

Who is Using Social Networks?

Marilyn — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:32:39 +0000

The social network dynamics are constantly changing, from who is Facebooking to who is Linked-in. These dynamics impact how you conduct your online business. To help capture what is happening with the online social network phenomenon, the Pew Internet & American Life Project is publishing multiple reports that explore the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life.

Twitter and Status Updating, Fall 2009 by Susannah Fax, Kathryn Zickuhr, Aaron Smith.

Some 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others–up from 11% in April.
Thirty-seven percent of Internet users age 18-24 use Twitter or another service, up from 19% in December 2008.

The Pew Internet project posts data on numerous topics such as : Teen Use, Broadband Issues, Health and Technology Trends, Social Networking Use, Web 2.0 Integration, and Technology/User Types.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project is one of seven projects that make up the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The Project . The Project aims to be an authoritative source on the evolution of the internet through surveys that examine how Americans use the internet and how their activities affect their lives. The Pew Internet Project takes no positions on policy issues related to the internet. It does not endorse technologies, industry sectors, companies, nonprofit organizations, or individuals.