WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration and the W20 Group, an entrepreneurial ecosystem of digital communications companies, is launching a five-topic social media webinar series to help small businesses leverage and grow their businesses using social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and mobile marketing.

Social media is playing a growing and vital role in the success of small businesses growing and creating jobs. It provides the opportunity to build deeper relationships with customers, to increase sales and to reach new markets in a cost-efficient manner. The webinars will help small businesses to develop a comprehensive social media plan that is engaging, effective and that has maximum return on investment.

A recording of the first webinar is available below:

Some of the slides from the presentation are included below:

Note: The next webinar on blogging is coming up on May 8 at 1 PM ET. We will have a sign up link soon.

You see, just because someone is a fan of your business, that does not mean they will see everything you share on your Facebook page.  In fact, it is estimated that as few as 16% of your fans will see any given post that you make.

So, how can you maximize the chances that more of your fans will see your content?  You must make sure that you are frequently posting engaging content.  In other words, the goal of  your posts should always be to generate likes, comments and shares for these actions increase your Edgerank with fans, thereby increasing the likelihood that your future posts will be present on their respective newsfeeds.  

For a great explanation, our friends at PostRocket have created the infographic below.

Are you struggling with bootstrapping your Kentucky startup, contact your local SBDC for small business advice and assistance.

Click here to download your own copy of The Bootstrapper’s Bible.

What do you think about Seth Godin’s “The Bootstrapper’s Bible”?  Does it inspire you to start freelancing?  Are you already an independent professional or self-employed individual looking for assistance or guidance in expanding your business?  If so, KSBDC offers a program just for you. For additional information, contact the KSBDC location nearest you.

9 Business Owners Graduate from Lexington
Minority & Women Contractor Training Program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 11, 2013) – Nine business owners graduated recently from the Lexington Minority & Women Contractor Training Program. The 10-week program offers instruction to women and minority business owners to help them compete in the construction industry. Program participants must be a minority or women owned business with at least 51% ownership in a construction related business.

This year’s graduates are:

This year’s graduating class represented a diverse group of entrepreneurs with one thing in common: the desire to improve the performance and operations of their business. The participants overwhelmingly agreed the program was beneficial and would help them further their businesses.

- Dee Dee Harbut, Special Programs Director

The 10-week program covered topics including business planning; contract law; insurance and performance bonds; accounting and financial statements; drawings and specifications; bidding and estimating and cash flow analysis. Program participants learned the necessary tools to grow their business despite an uncertain economy and had an opportunity to network with one another and prime contractors; building relationships that they can draw upon in the future.

The Minority and Women Training Program began in 2001 as a way to increase opportunities for women and minority business owners and graduated more than 100 entrepreneurs state-wide. The program was discontinued in 2007 due to budget cuts.

In 2011 a partnership was formed between the Blue Grass Airport, Fayette County Public Schools, Lexington Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG), Messer, BEX Construction, UK Facilities Management and the Kentucky Small Business Development Center to restart the program. “We recognized a real need for this program in our communities,” said Marilyn Clark, LFUCG minority business enterprise liaison. “By working together we were able to bring the program back and serve more minority and women business owners.”

For more information on the Minority and Women Construction Training Program contact Dee Dee Harbut at DHarbut@uky.edu or Marilyn Clark at MClark@lexingtonky.gov.

This year’s outstanding Kentucky businesses are:

• Artemis Electronics, LLC (Prospect)
• Browns Valley Truck Equipment (Utica)
• Drug Testing Centers of America (Paintsville)
• Giovanni’s Pizza (Pikeville)
• Great Northern Building Products, LLC (Louisville)
• Lexington Contracting, LLC (Lexington)
• Measure Consumer Perspectives (Louisville)
• Unique Granite and Marble (Owensboro)

The Kentucky Business Pacesetters program highlights outstanding businesses operating in and contributing to Kentucky’s economy. It is an absolute pleasure to commend their successes.

- KSBDC State Director Becky Naugle

Businesses were selected based on nominations that indicated that each business is changing the economic landscape of Kentucky by introducing innovative products; increasing sales and/or production; boosting employment; and serving the communities of Kentucky.

Pacesetters will be recognized in front of government leaders, small business owners and advocates at the Kentucky Celebrates Small Business awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 22 in Frankfort. In addition, they will attend a private luncheon at the Governor’s mansion.

April 24: McKendree University, 10168 Linn Station Road, Louisville, KY 40223

April 30: Community Ventures Corporation, 1450 North Broadway, Lexington, KY 40505

Of course, there are many factors that contribute to the success or demise of a specific small business.  Lack of industry experience, inadequate financing, poor cash flow, poor business planning, ignoring the competition, management incompetence, a diminished customer base, poor location (especially true for retail and restaurants), and a lack of entrepreneurial skills are a few of the more commonly referenced reasons for failure.

The infographic below attempts to illustrate some of the reasons why certain types of businesses are more likely to fail than others.

We want to hear from you.  What do you think about these statistics?  Do you agree or disagree and why?  Leave us a comment below.

Click the image to view full size.