I recently returned from the America’s Small Business Development Center’s annual conference in Washington, D.C.  I had the opportunity to attend a workshop at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Experts from the Global Intellectual Property Academy and Office of Governmental Affairs provided a “top 5” list that captures common international intellectual property issuesContinue reading…

From September 15th to October 15th we celebrate the culture and contributions of Hispanic Immigrants and American citizens whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America.  During this time period seven of those countries celebrate their Independence Day. At the Ohio SBDC Latino Center at Columbus State we work with entrepreneursContinue reading…

So your business plan is complete and you’re all set to go to the bank for a small business loan but have you checked you personal credit score? You may ask yourself, why does my personal credit matter if I’m getting a small “business” loan? Well I hate to break it to you, but yourContinue reading…

Here we are in September. Four months left to make or break your sales goals for the year. So what does your does your sales funnel look like? Plenty of hot prospects ready to buy or a bunch of maybes with people wanting to take some time to think about it? If it is between “No”Continue reading…

As a business owner, you probably have a website, a business Facebook page, maybe a blog, an e-mail marketing newsletter, a twitter account, you’re linked in to LinkedIn, and maybe you’re even posting things on the newest social media craze.   You’re doing everything possible to get your message out to increase awareness, and obtain thatContinue reading…

In its second year, Mercadito Raíces, a Latino food business incubation program of our Latino Center hosted 5 vendors at the Latino Festival, August 11th and 12th in downtown Columbus, Ohio at Genoa Park. The Mercadito Raíces program is a 5 month training program where Latino food vendors turn their business idea into reality. DuringContinue reading…

Think Exporting Is a Great Idea but Don’t Know How or Have The Time? Consider participating in the Ohio Export Internship Program! On Thursday, August 9th, the seventh annual class of the Ohio Export Internship Program (OEIP) graduated in a ceremony held at the Ohio State House atrium. The grant funded program developed by theContinue reading…

Caught in the dog days of a summer time sales taking a dip? Wondering how you can cool off the stagnant revenue slide? With many clients focusing on back to school expenses and the like you may be feeling a bit scorched. Well here’s a few ways to glide into fall on a high note.Continue reading…

Depending on your business August can be an exceptional month; for clothing and school supply retailers it could be fantastic, for others not so much. Every business experiences its low sales periods as it flows through its natural industry seasonality. So whether your low period is August or another month throughout the year there areContinue reading…

Here we are in the month of August. I bet you are getting a bunch of out of office replies when you call or send an email looking for an appointment. It can certainly be frustrating when you are hustling to grow your small business. So what makes August such a difficult month to do business?Continue reading…