Happy July 4th… Shop Indie!
- MicroLending Academy Balance Sheet, Part II
- Be Counted – Microenterprise Census
- The Goodies – This week’s highlight is ‘Wealth Inequality Webinar Day’ on July 16th. Scroll down for info on how to register.
MicroLending Academy Balance Sheet, Part II
Register for July 8 – Balance Sheets Part II. Now that we’ve gone over the basics of how balance sheets function (revisit Balance Sheet Basics), what type of analysis can we do with it? In this webinar we will review some common balance sheet ratios used by lenders, but then move onto analysis that is useful for business owner management decisions:
- How much working capital does the business need to operate and to grow? Are there ways to manage working capital more efficiently?
- What is the operating cycle of a business and what can it tell the owner about business operations? Particularly, how is the owner managing inventory, bills and collections?
- What does the balance sheet tell us about how a business has used debt and how much the business might qualify for? What type of debt does the business need most?
- Finally, even if you work with businesses that don’t have balance sheets, how can you use this knowledge to direct clients to better business development decisions?
Be Counted – Microenterprise Census
Every year, CAMEO partners with FIELD at the Aspen Institute to conduct a census of microenterprise programs using the microTracker platform.
It’s time to stand up and be counted. CAMEO members that fill out the Census by July 17, 2015 will receive $100 toward lunch for staff members, like Arcata Economic Development Center (see group selfie of Ross and staff at Stardoughs) and others did last year. If you’ve already filled out the census, email Andrew for more information on your ‘free lunch’.
Need help? Tamra Thetford of FIELD presented this user-friendly guide to completing and understanding the microTracker Census. And again, email Andrew, he’ll walk you through it if necessary.
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!
Wealth Gap Webinar #1: Our colleagues at Asset Funders Network present Narrowing the Racial Wealth Gap Through Business Ownership on Thursday, July 16, 2015, 10:00-11:00am PDT. One of the primary ways in which households build wealth is through business ownership. However, racial and ethnic minorities have historically been challenged to access the resources (capital, information, markets) needed to start and grow businesses. Micro and small business development strategies and programs, which have historically targeted minorities, are tools for narrowing the racial wealth gap.
Wealth Gap Webinar #1: Thursday, July 16, 2015 must be the unofficial wealth gap webinar day. At 12:00-1:00pm PDT, the Federal Reserve hosts Racial Wealth Inequality at the Metropolitan Area and National Levels: Findings and Implications.
Professional Development Opportunity: The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s CDFI Fund have two remaining workshops in their Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas Capacity Building Initiative training series July 22-23, 2015 in Denver, CO and August 19-20, 2015 in Kansas City.
Funding Opportunity: The third-annual PG&E Economic Vitality Grant Program launched this week (June 1). This shareholder-funded program will support local job creation, workforce training, business development and other innovative programs that support local economic vitality and growth. It’s geared toward local government organizations, educational institutions and 501(c)(3) nonprofits throughout their service area. The online application is due July 31, 2015.
AEO Conference: Registration is now open for AEO’s 2015 Microbusiness Learning Conference, September 24-25 in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference is designed for front-line microbusiness professionals, and will focus on training, professional development and capacity building. The agenda is coming soon. Stay tuned!.