- CAMEO Membership – Join or Renew
- Women’s Business Center Grant Opportunity
- Save the Date: MicroLenders Forum, January 26,2016 at the Federal Reserve Bank, San Francisco
- The Goodies – This week’s highlight is Claudia’s op-ed “Shop (and invest in) small business to raise all boats” that was just published in the San Jose Mercury News.
CAMEO Membership
Q: Where do you find a dynamic network of organizations and individuals that support businesses that create local jobs, build wealth, and grow California’s economy through microbusiness development?
A: CAMEO!
Don’t take our word for it. Oscar Dominguez, Director of the Contra Costa Small Business Development Center and CAMEO board member, says
CAMEO creates tremendous value by bringing more awareness of our field and is pivotal to assisting members to acquire resources, collaborate and link to complementary organizations and thought-leaders at the state and national levels.
Renew your membership/join us.
In 2016, we will bring you more exciting programs and resources. We will again deliver Go-to-Market training to specialty food producers in rural regions. Also, back by popular demand is access to professional media relations tools. And of course we will persist in our tireless advocacy for government and corporate support for the micro sector, building the case for the DIY Economy, and promoting the new Small Business Borrower Bill of Rights. CAMEO is here to assist members to meet the growing demand for their services from the increased numbers of microbusinesses and self-employed in California.
Take advantage of everything we offer. In addition to high quality programs, your membership dues easily pay for themselves with free group trainings, individual training opportunities, discounts on professional communications tools, member meetings and the priceless intangible benefits of collaboration and support.
Women’s Business Center Grant Opportunity
The U.S. SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership announces a Women’s Business Center Grant Opportunity.
The purpose of this grant is to provide funding for up to six (6) non-profit organizations that will provide services to the population of Alaska, California, Guam, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas or West Virginia to start a new, community-based Women’s Business Center (WBC).
Potential applicants are encouraged to participate in a questions and answers conference call on December 15, 2015 at 11:00 am PST. E-mail owbo@sba.gov to request registration information for the call.
And on a related note, Ann Sullivan, CEO of Madison Services Group, wrote a summary of this year’s progress toward promoting women’s entrepreneurship.
The Goodies
New opportunities for training, conference information, funding, scholarships, and other information that have crossed our desks since the last Must Know. I have posted a running tab of current Industry Goodies on the CAMEO website that lists items that were in past emails. Check it out to make sure you’re not missing anything, like grants whose deadlines are still alive!
CAMEO in the News: Claudia’s op-ed “Shop (and invest in) small business to raise all boats” was published in the San Jose Mercury News on November 20.
Annual Micro Census Summary: Download a copy of the
Annual Micro Census Summary for more details on our collective work.
AEO National Conference: Save the date May 18-20, 2016 in Washington, DC to celebrate 25 years! EconoCon25 gathers actors in the small business space who impact America’s smallest businesses and underserved entrepreneurs — lenders, nonprofit and for-profit service providers, advocates and policy makers, entrepreneurs, funders and investors — for meaningful dialogue about how to innovate faster, partner smarter, and execute better. AEO is offering $200 off the early bird rate if you register for EconoCon25 before December 31, 2015.
Entrepreneur Tracker: Join the seven CAMEO members who are using FIELD’s Entrepreneur Tracker. The tool offers a credible, affordable way to collect and understand outcomes achieved by small business and microbusiness clients. Such outcomes include: Business start and survival rates, jobs, changes in revenue, hourly wages paid to workers, and client movement out of poverty. To discuss pricing and learn more about EntrepreneurTracker, please contact Tamra Thetford.
State Workforce Plans: A series of ‘Roadshows for Public Input’ on the State Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) will be held around the state this month. The purpose is to communicate the vision and strategies; receive feedback/input on how the State (via the State Plan) can better facilitate regional leadership, alignment with industry, system integration for scale, new ideas and innovative practices, etc; engage local boards and their stakeholders; set-up for WIOA regional planning.
For Your Clients: The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced a series of 15 workshops across California designed to help businesses apply for the California Competes Tax Credit (CCTC). Your clients can benefit from the $75 million in tax credits available to business that want to come to California or stay and grow in California. The next application session is from January 4-25, 2016. A number of very small businesses have received tax credits of $20,000 or more, including an accounting services firm, a commercial printer and an animal memorial services company. Go-Biz is hosting a series of workshops around the state starting in Santa Clarita next Tuesday and going through the new year. Check the California Competes Tax Credit website for a workshop near you.
For Your Client: National Small Business Week has been recognizing the special impact made by outstanding entrepreneurs and small business owners since 1963. During this week, the U.S. Small Business Administration honors small business owners and entrepreneurs for their outstanding achievements through various awards. The The deadline is January 11, 2016.