Tag Archives: roane state

A New Twist for Gift Cards

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Gift cards are big business. Each year $400 billion worth enter the market. About 30% of gift-card values go unspent annually, in part because it’s so easy to forget about that piece of plastic you’ve tucked away somewhere. At 23 George Bousis started his Chicago-based company, Raise, offering gift-card holders the chance to sell the cards they don’t want and buy others they do want at a discount. With the new mobile app, Raise lets consumers grab discounted cards as they wait in line to make a purchase. Continue reading →

Planning to Sell Your Business?

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This article appeared in Forbes Magazine 8/28/2015 – by Bob House

Selling a business can be a challenging process. However, like many challenges in life, business owners who take the time to properly prepare will fare much better than those that jump right in.

This is the real life lesson learned by one couple that successfully sold their North Carolina cafe after 18 years of devoted ownership. Their story is an example of how a little prep work can ease the selling process and perhaps more importantly, lead to a higher sales price. For every small business owner, whether planning to sell now or much farther down the road, these lessons apply. Continue reading →

What Do We Do?

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Logo resaved Have you ever been so busy with the work of your business that you felt like it was time to stop and take stock of what it is you do?

Bonnie reminded me that it’s probably time we do just that. I thought I would share with you what I came up with. Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Standing Room Only & Hot Fudge Sundaes at CBI Pitch Night!

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Pitchers

Pictured left to right: Holly Hanson (Director Cumberland Business Incubator), Kimberly Williams (Spa Escapes), Ben Ford (Dendrophilia Landscapes), Cathy Kimmerly (OH Fudge!), Stuart Sitton (Select Auto Sales), Allison Crawford (Momentum Behavior Analysis), Jody Franks (Franksarousa Farms), and Facilitator Diane Morey (A to Z Printing)

Congratulations to the entrepreneurs who made their Pitch to the standing-room-only assembled crowd at the Cumberland Business Incubator (CBI) on Monday May 4th. Seven business owners worked on their business concepts for nine weeks utilizing a business model canvas approach called CO.STARTERS in preparation for Pitch Night. Five of the entrepreneurs were intent on growing existing businesses while two were developing brand new businesses. Continue reading →

Find the Gap – Part 2

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Architects: What makes a creator an architect? These creators identify openings and as blank-sheet-of-paper builders, they construct solutions from the bottom up. They have the unique ability to see vacancies and envision how separate parts can fit together to form new logical designs. Continue reading →

Find the Gap – Part 1

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The Creator’s Code by Amy Wilkinson is based on interviews with 200 entrepreneurs who have started companies that individually generate more than $100 million in annual revenue or social enterprises that serve more than 100,000 people. What the author found was 6 common threads in how they achieved entrepreneurial success.

In each case, the entrepreneurs describe the reason for their work as more than money – their goals were to make a mark on the world. In the 5 years of work the six skills that make creators successful came to light. Creators are not born with an innate ability to conceive and build $100 million enterprises. They work at it. They all share certain fundamental approaches to the act of creation. The skills that make them successful can be learned, practiced, and passed on. Continue reading →

Patent Protection??

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The need to protect the inventions and creative work of individuals has been recognized for centuries. The first modern patent was granted in 1421 to Filippo Bruneslleschi by the Republic of Florence for a barge with hoisting gear. Hundreds of years later, the United States Constitution affirmed the importance of protecting “writings and discoveries” in order to “promote the progress of science and the useful arts.” Continue reading →