Tag Archives: jamestown

MAKE Camp 2015 – What an Amazing Week!

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The week started with each of the 14 Roane State Community College’s Cumberland Business Incubator Make Camp 2015 campers aged 8 through 18 customizing their personal safety glasses so they could easily be identified if left behind. The amazing result? Not one camper lost their safety glasses during the 5 days of camp! IMG_1276More safety rules for use of the Maker Space followed as well as an overview of the options for Monday making; video documentary, tile art work, rockets or woodworking followed by all campers attending a Karate session taught by a third degree black belt. By the end of the first day campers were talking about production runs of some of their projects to sell. Entrepreneurs in the making! Continue reading →

5 Quotes on Business… from Signers of the Declaration of Independence

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This 4th of July, the United States celebrated its 239th birthday.  Hopefully you’re reading this with memories of a holiday weekend filled with fun and relaxation with family and friends.

In honor of our founding fathers, I share a few quotes that apply to business, from some of the more notable men who signed one of the greatest documents ever drafted.  It’s amazing that these concepts hold as true today as they did over 200 years ago. Continue reading →

Entrepreneurship in American History

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John Steele Gordon

The following is adapted from a speech delivered in San Diego, California, on November 15, 2013, at a Hillsdale College Free Market Forum on the topic “Markets, Government, and the Common Good.”

The word “entrepreneur”—one who undertakes, manages, and assumes the risk of a new enterprise—comes from the French, where it literally means “undertaker.” The word was borrowed into English in the mid-19th century­—perhaps the golden age of the entrepreneur—when the number of new economic niches was exploding. The activity of entrepreneurship, of course, is much older, going back to ancient times. As for America, our nation was founded, quite literally, by entrepreneurs. Continue reading →

Marketing

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Marketing business sales Offering value is not enough. If no one knows (or cares) about what you have to offer, it doesn’t matter how much value you create. Without Marketing, no business can survive – people who don’t know you exist can’t purchase what you have to offer, and people who aren’t interested in what you have to offer won’t become paying customers. Continue reading →

5 Reasons You Should Pay Someone to do Your Accounting

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Many small business owners start out thinking they will do everything they possibly can in their business to keep costs low, including doing their own accounting.  Some have learned the hard way that small errors can add up to a big mess. Continue reading →

$1,423,400 and Counting!

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We just filed a report with the Economic Development Administration (EDA) on the impact the Cumberland Business Incubator has had since February, 2013. Our number for Private Investment Generated came to $1,423,400! This is money that our clients have spent in their businesses on real estate, building expansion, equipment, rent and build out. Continue reading →

First Hire

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Your initial employees can make or break the place.  Choose wisely.

The first few employees at your startup are crucial. They set the tone for your company and determine whether you fade out or make it to the next level.

“Hiring the right people is absolutely critical in the beginning, because each person you add will have a significant impact on shaping what will – and won’t – be valued, and how people will behave,” says Chris Cancialosi, founder and managing partner of gothamCulture, a New York-based organizational consultancy. Cancialosi was interviewed for Entrepreneur magazine about attracting and selecting employees to create the right corporate culture from the start. Continue reading →

3 Reasons to Apply to a Business Accelerator Program

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From Forbes by Ryan Frankel

Technology, access to capital and tremendous desire to start a business has made launching a new venture easier than ever. The growth in new businesses has been met by a proliferation in business accelerator programs designed to help entrepreneurs launch and scale their pursuits through carefully designed programs and access to mentors, talent and capital. Continue reading →

3 Myths & Productivity

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Ask almost any business owner or professional how they are and the most likely answer you’ll get is “Busy”.  The problem with ‘busy’ is that it doesn’t equate to productive (as in getting the most important things done) – it generally just translates to busy.

Busy makes you feel like you’re getting a lot done. Busy makes it look like you’re getting a lot done. Busy makes you work longer hours…according to a recent Gallup study the average work week is now 47 hours and almost 40% of workers are working more than 50 hours a week (despite the fact that the data clearly shows that longer hours don’t equate to more productivity). Continue reading →

CBI Maker Space – What’s Up?

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The Maker Space instructors and volunteers have been working hard to keep up with the arrival of equipment that needs to be assembled and developing projects so that as you take the Safety and Basic Use class for specific equipment, you actually make something to take home with you in the process of your training. Continue reading →