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Worry About the Right Things
Evolving a business from a small home space to commercial space requires good management of resources. Jim Hoing, co-owner of WhettStone Business Solutions (Omaha, NE) (http://www.whettstone.com) talks about how they grew their company by investing in people they knew they could work with and count on. Jim says a business owner should worry about finances, not the athestics. Don’t worry about making mistakes, but learn to correct mistakes quickly and honestly for the customer. Be open to adapt and evolve with the clients needs. Use your website as the front door to your company and use it to make money. View Video
Sales Tips for the Service Business
Derrick & Jeff Eells, owners of TenDotTravel (Lincoln, NE) (http://www.tendottravel.com) share their sales tips. First and foremost have strong conviction about the product, let the customer drive what you deliver. Clue into the non-verbal behaviors, mirror actions, show value, and practice presentations. As brothers, separating the business from the family is hard to do. Derrick and Jeff are candid about how they walk that fine line. (www.tendottravel.com) View Video
Passion, Culture and Sales
As brothers, Derrick & Jeff Eells, owners of TenDotTravel (Lincoln, NE) (http://www.tendottravel.com) share their passion for their business and explain how they use it to drive their business forward. Still, passion is not enough, one needs a great product that fits the customer and is delivered creatively to meet the customer’s needs. As a business that specializes in a travel incentive business, Derrick and Jeff share how they cater their travel incentive options to the different generations. (www.tendottravel.com ) View Video
Applying the Cooperative Business Model
Jim Crandall, Program Coordinator of the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, (http://ncdc.unl.edu) University of Nebraska-Lincoln details the services provided by NCDC: formation discussions, feasibility studies, board of directors training, building membership, and marketing the products. As a cooperative boardof directors one does have legal responsibility to the membership to create a successful business. The cooperative business model can be powerful if done correctly. Contact Nebraska Cooperative Development Center (http://ncdc.unl.edu) . View Video
Understanding the Cooperative Business Model
Be a price maker through the Cooperative Business model. Jim Crandall, Program Coordinator of the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (http://ncdc.unl.edu), showcases the Cooperative model and how it works as a business structure or marketing association. An advantage is the cooperative’s ability to access larger markets by aggregating products and increasing price through volume. Individual investments are financial as well as time and talents. There are 26 similar organizations across the United States. Contact Nebraska Cooperative Development Center (http://ncdc.unl.edu) View Video
Bringing a Food Product to Market
Add value to your farm or business by developing a food product and moving it to market. Jill Gifford, Program Manager at the Food Processing Center (FPC) (http://fpc.unl.edu), University of Nebraska-Lincoln talks about the processes needed to get a food product developed and on the grocery shelf. On the average it takes about one year and at least $35,000 to develop a new food product. Most difficult areas are converting the kitchen recipe to a manufacturing situation and package development that follows regulations and attracts the consumer. Contact the Food Processing Center for additional information (http://fpc.unl.edu). View Video
Assistance for the Food Entrepreneur
Where does one go to get help getting their family recipe into the food market? Jill Gifford, Program Manager at the Food Processing Center (FPC) (http://fpc.unl.edu), University of Nebraska-Lincoln highlights how the Food Entrepreneur Assistance Program can help the business owner move from the kitchen recipe to the consumer. Recommended FPC steps are: (1) food industry overview training, (2) develop a business plan, (3) develop the business and product, (4) address regulatory issues, and (5) design packaging and sales tools. Contact the Food Processing Center for additional information (http://fpc.unl.edu) View Video
Landing Government Contracts
Landing government contracts is not easy but a possibility. Jeffrey Hicks, Chairman and CEO of 21st Century Systems, Inc. (21CSI) (http://www.21csi.com) details 21CSI’s experience accessing defense contracts through the SBIR (Small Business Innovation and Research) grant program. The plus is that a company can follow both a commercial and government application of the products at the same time. 21CSI has a balance of R&D, government contracts and commercial products. (http://www.21csi.com) View Video
Evolving a Business to Capture Markets
Jeffrey Hicks, Chairman and CEO of 21st Century Systems, Inc. (21CSI) (http://www.21csi.com) shares his experience working within an evolving company. From employee number five to CEO of the company, Jeff says that the key was learning to give up control for the benefit of the company. 21CSI has shifted focus from R&D to commercial applications. The goal is to learn as a company how to take the capital investments they put into products and further commercialize them to grow the business. (http://www.21CSI.com) View Video
Networking to Grow Relationships and Business
Jim Hoing, co-owner of WhettStone Business Solutions (Omaha, NE) (http://www.whettstone.com) learned how to use networking to grow his business and has since watched his efforts mushroom into a networking newsletter that brings clients, customers, friends and others together. Networking requires a large investment of time, but the payoff can be large for the business. View Video
