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Western
Dairyland Business Center
January 2010 Newsletter |
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Join Us Online
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Happy new year! Starting
to think about tax season? We
have several tax and recordkeeping events this month to assist you!
January Events
(details below):
1.14.09 Free
Women's Business Networking Meeting, Recordkeeping Basics,
noon-1 pm, Eau Claire
1.14.10 Jackson
County Inventors & Entrepreneurs Meeting, 6:30 pm,
Black River Falls
1.21.10
Free Tax Preparation and the Schedule C, noon-1 pm, Eau Claire
1.28.10
7 Steps to Starting a Business, 6-9 pm, Eau Claire
1.28.10
Free Tax Chat Panel, Ask the Experts, noon-1 pm, Eau Claire
1.28.10
Recordkeeping 101, 6-9 pm, Eau Claire
For more information on any of these
events or to register, continue reading below or feel free to contact
me directly at kbriggs@westerndairyland.org
Sincerely,
Karman Briggs
Business Center Manager
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Women's
Business Network Meeting
Women's Business
Network Meeting will take place on Thursday, January 14
from noon to 1pm.
Recordkeeping
Basics
The
Western Dairyland Business Center and Women's Business Center will host
a Women's Business Networking meeting with Evlyn Carlile, of Simple
Office Solutions presenting "Recordkeeping
Basics." The
meeting will take place on Thursday, January 14 from noon to 1 p.m. at
the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street,
Eau Claire. The meeting is free and open to all women entrepreneurs and
business professionals. Individuals
interested in participating remotely via phone can contact jbdassist@westerndairyland.org for instructions.
Just
in time for tax season, Carlile will present practical advice and tips
for setting up and maintaining a functional small business
recordkeeping system. This meeting
will be the first of three sessions on tax preparedness taking place
this month. On January 21, Carlile
will be presenting on filing a Schedule C for your small business.
On January 28, bring all your
questions on tax preparation and record keeping to a panel of area
experts.
Carlile,
owner of Simple Office Solutions, has over 20 years of education and
work experience in bookkeeping and assists a variety of businesses in
the Chippewa Valley with their bookkeeping needs.
Feel free to bring your
lunch. And, remember to bring your business cards!
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Free
Tax Chats
January 14,
Recordkeeping Basics, noon - 1pm, (Women's Business
Network Meeting).
Just
in time for tax season, Evlyn Carlile of Simple Office Solutions, will
present practical advice and tips for setting up and maintaining a
functional small business recordkeeping system.
January 21, Tax Preparation and
the Schedule C, noon - 1 pm
Evlyn Carlile of Simple Office Solutions
will present "Tax Prep/Schedule C." Carlile has
over 20 years of education and work experience in bookkeeping and
assists a variety of businesses in the Chippewa Valley with their
bookkeeping needs. During this session, Carlile will discuss tax
preparation and the details of the expense categories in Form 1040
(Schedule C) including the mileage and the travel, meal and
entertainment categories.
January
28, Tax Chat panel, noon - 1 pm
The "Tax
Chat" panel discussion
includes area experts Evlyn Carlile, owner of Simple Office
Solutions; Lori Peabody, owner of Action Tax Service; and Lisa Geist,
CPA at Nohre & Co., S.C. During
this "Tax Chat,"
the Western Dairyland Business Development Specialists will moderate a
panel discussion where attendees will be provided the
opportunity
to direct questions to the panel on topics related to small business
taxes, such as issues inherent to operating a home-based business,
depreciation, mileage expenses and the Schedule C.
Individuals interested
in submitting their questions in advance, may email
jbdassist@westerndairyland.org.
The
three "Tax Chat" sessions will take place at the Western
Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418
Wisconsin St., Eau Claire. The
meetings are free and open to all entrepreneurs.
There
are three easy ways to register for the classes: online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org, by phone at 836-7511 ext. 171, or in person at
the Western Dairyland office in downtown Eau Claire.
Arrangements for persons with
special needs will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.
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Inventor
and Entrepreneur Club Meetings
Black River
Falls - 1/14/10
LOCAL
ENTREPRENEUR FEATURED
Bill
Eklund, owner of Sharp Photo & Portrait in Eau Claire will be
the
guest speaker at the Juanuary 14 meeting of the Jackson County
Inventorys & Entrepreneurs Club. The club meets on the second
Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Black River Area Chamber of
Commerce, 120 N. Water St., Black River Falls. The meetings are free
and open to the public.
Eklund
will discuss his experiences in going from manager of several
film-processing shops to purchasing and expanding Sharp Photo &
Portrait. Discover how foresight and planning enabled Bill to adjust
his business model in order to adapt to technological advances in the
photography industry many of which allow the consumer to print his own
photos from home.
Independence - 1/21/10
IDENTIFYING CUSTOMERS AND
CLOSING THE SALE
Jake
Bain, Branch Manager and Field Sales Manager for CUTCO
Cutlery,
will be the guest speaker at the January 21st meeting of the
Buffalo/Trempealeau Counties Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club.
The
club meets on the third Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m.
at
the Western Dairyland office, 23122Whitehall Rd., Independence. The
meetings are free and open to the public.
Bain
will present various tools and methods for identifying customers and
closing the sale that he has gainned from his experience with direct
selling for CUTCO Cutlery, the largest manufacturer and marketer of
high-quality kitchen cutlery and accessories in the United States and
Canada.
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7 Steps to Starting a
Business
Learn
the Basic Steps in Building a Successful Business Plan
Thursday, January
21, 6-9 p.m.
Western Dairyland, 418
Wisconsin St, Eau Claire
These training sessions teach
participants how to start a business
by assembling the pieces of a business plan. Topics covered include
feasibility, proving your market, funding your business, writing a
business plan, marketing, business legal structure and more.
After
the class, attendees may apply for free, one-on-one assistance from
Western Dairyland's Business Development Specialists to determine the
feasibility of their business idea and identify sources to prove their
market. Business Development Specialists may also help with
the
preparation of business plans and financial forecasts which could be
presented to lenders.
Tuition is $25, class materials are
included. Scholarships
are available for eligible individuals. There are three easy
ways
to register and pay for the class: online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org/eventschedule/, by
phone at 836-7511 ext 171, or in person at the Western Dairyland office
in downtown Eau Claire.
Registration and payment
must be received three days before the class.
Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made if requested
at least two weeks in advance.
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Business
Recordkeeping 101 classes offered
January
28, 6-9 pm, Eau Claire
or
February
4, 6-9 pm, Indpenedence
The class is designed for individuals who want a
hand written recordkeeping system to maintain.
Laptops
will be available for individuals with Microsoft Excel experience and
an interest in using an Excel based system, instead. Registrants
are encouraged to bring their business checkbooks so actual business
records can be used to enter data into the new recordkeeping system.
Good recordkeeping is a critical tool for every
business. An
organized system can save time and effort at tax time.
More
so, by maintaining an organized record keeping system, an entrepreneur
can easily produce profit and loss statements, which can be used to
monitor the status of a business throughout the year and head off
potential pitfalls. Accurate
record keeping puts a business in a better position to manage the
business and to make critical business decisions.
During
this hands-on session, participants will learn tips on how to set up an
effective small business office filing system, how to set up an
effective cash based record keeping system, how to record business
income and expenses, and how to create a profit and loss statement that
will generate the information needed to complete a Schedule C.
Tuition
is $25 for individuals. Class
materials are included. Scholarships
are available for eligible individuals.
There are three easy ways to
register and pay for the class: online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org,
by phone at 836-7511 ext. 171, or in person at the Western Dairyland
office in downtown Eau Claire or the Western Dairyland Office at 23122
Whitehall Rd, Independence. Because space is limited, pre-registration
and payment is required three days before the class.
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Women's Business Conference
The Western Dairyland Women's
Business Center is glad to be continuing the 7th Annual Women's
Buniness Conference on April 29, 2010 at
the Plaza Hotel & Suites in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
The event targets women
entrepreneurs who are starting, expanding, and/or working to improve
their businesses.
For updates and
details on this year's conference, visit the Women's Business
Conference Website:
*BECOME A FAN ON THE WOMEN'S
BUSINESS CONFERENCE ON FACEBOOK*
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Wisconsin Common Market
Wisconsin Common
Market, Western Dairyland's e-commerce site, welcomes
Nancy's
Country Crafts.
Nancy's Country Crafts offers an assortment of
products. "Green ?" Yes indeed! Our signature products are silk purses
and wallets. Our products are one of a kind. The silk pieces are the
remnants and small scraps from the XMI tie factory located in
Wisconsin. We also offer Christmas stockings and ornaments made with
the silk piece.
To learn more more
about Nancy's Country Crafts, visit the website at: http://www.wisconsincommonmarket.com/nancyscrafts
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News and Events
January 20: Midwest
Value Added Agriculture Conference
The Value Added Agriculture College
will have seven half and full
day in-depth session on various topics including: Post Harvest Handling
for Vegetable Production Quality and Success; Food Safety on the Market
Farm; Shaking the Federal Money Tree; Making Decisions about Local Food
Sales Opportunities Using the Holistic Management™ Framework; Wisconsin
Acidifi ed Canned Foods Training for Small Food Processors; Practical
Agroforestry and Permaculture: Creating your Disasterproof, Perennial
Farm; and QuickBooks 101 for Farmers. Register by December 1.
For more information visit: http://www.rivercountryrcd.org/valad.html
January
21 & 22: 4th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit
The Conference and Summit will be
filled with agricultural and business
information,
education, and networking brought to you by Wisconsin Local Food
Network, Hiawatha Valley Resource Conservation & Development
and
River Country Resource Conservation & Development. Register
by December 1. For more information visit:
January
27, Small Business TAX EXPO, Madison
The
Small Business Tax Expo is your chance to learn about federal and state
taxes including payroll, unemployment compensation and sales taxes.
Created for you by Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers, WI
Department of Revenue, Wisconsin Institute of CPAs and
Internal
Revenue Service. For more information visit: http://sbdc.wisc.edu/startup/sbtaxexpo/default.asp
April
29: Women's Business Conference, Eau Claire
April
30: Selling to the Government - Half Day Workshop, Eau Claire
May
6 - 8: WFCCA Conference, Wisconsin Dells
June 24:
I&E Rendevous, La Crosse
August
25 & 26, 2010: Government Contracting Conference, Camp Douglas
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National Entrepreneurship Week 2010
Have
Your Entrepreneurial Success Story Showcased on YouTube!
The
fourth annual
recognition of National Entrepreneurship Week (NEW) occurs February 20
through
February 27, 2010. Sponsored by the National Consortium for
Education
Excellence, National Entrepreneurship Week is a celebration of American
entrepreneurs and the educational programs currently preparing youth to
develop
a passion toward entrepreneurship as a viable career option.
"Last
year, organizations hosted
events that celebrated the power of entrepreneurship throughout
Wisconsin," said
Department of Commerce (Commerce) Secretary Richard J. Leinenkugel.
"Once
again, we'd like to encourage state and local government, schools,
nonprofit
organizations, entrepreneurs and community leaders to observe the week
by
hosting events."
The
focus of this fourth year's
celebration includes the celebration of Wisconsin's
entrepreneurs and the lifelong learning educational opportunities that
prepare
the NEW business leaders of the future. Organizations will
find resources
to support their event and program planning on the National Consortium
for
Education Excellence web site at http://www.nationaleweek.org/.
With
the theme Entrepreneurship Empowers
Everyone,organizations are encouraged to begin planning now.
Joining in
the recognition of National Entrepreneurship Week provides our leaders,
educators and entrepreneurs from every walk of life with an opportunity
to once
again celebrate Wisconsin's
entrepreneurial spirit.
In
collaboration with the Department
of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network,
our state
will heighten the awareness of Wisconsin's
entrepreneurial spirit by utilizing the social networking media, DPI's
YouTube.
As
social media has profoundly
changed the way entrepreneurs connect, by utilizing YouTube, Wisconsin
entrepreneurs have the opportunity to be a part of the state's
celebration and
gain recognition of their entrepreneurial spirit.
To
learn how to showcase your
entrepreneurial story on DPI YouTube or to promote E-Week events
through the
National Entrepreneurship Week web site contact Carol Dunn, Department
of
Commerce's Bureau of Entrepreneurship, at 608-267-0297 or carol.dunn@wisconsin.gov for
submission guidelines.
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Partially funded
by the U.S. Small Business Administration. This institution
is an equal opportunity provider.
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