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Etsy Goes to Market in Chico; Member Kudos

  • Etsy Goes To Market in Chico
  • Member Kudos
  • The Goodies – This week’s highlight is a Hillary for America campaign call this Friday, August 5, 2016 at 12:00pm PT // 3:00pm ET to learn more about her jobs tour, 100-days jobs plan, and how you can get involved with the campaign. You must RSVP.

Etsy Goes To Market in Chico

Last night kicked off the first Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship training at the SBDC in Chico as the second part of our Go-To-Market program in Chico. The first was our specialty foods conference in April. Everyone came with their products – jewelry, Christmas ornaments, greeting cards, quilts, children costumes, wood pallets, leather goods, pet products, ceramics, water colored paintings, clothing, and tea. There was even a cattle rancher who owns goats and sheep and makes wool (for knitting, including adding colors) from shearing her goats and sheep. According to SBDC Director Sophie Konuma, “It was a great training and everyone was able to set up a shop.”

The Etsy class is a focused pathway for artistic individuals who make products themselves or add value to an existing product such as clothing, jewelry, or wood crafts. They have to apply and be selected into the program. Those selected are serious about their work. Some are already in business and want to grow; some have tried to make a business work, but stalled; and some want to turn a hobby into an income-producing business.

The classes are customized toward Etsy businesses. Participants can get help and advice from teams in their geographical area or craft specialization and they have access to mentoring services. Topics include:

  • Taking clear, quality photos (ultra important to a web-based business!);
  • Writing a good ‘About’ page, for the business owner and the product;
  • Describing a product, the what and the why;
  • Identifying your target market and reach customers;
  • Using social media to market products;
  • Providing excellent customer service; and
  • Implementing best practices for shop policies, i.e. payments, exchanges, returns, packaging, and pricing.

The 5-week class has 32 registered participants and a waiting list for the next class. Learn more about the Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship program in Chico.

Big thanks to Shufina for spearheading this program!

Member Kudos

Congrats to our members for the great work they do!

Centro Community Partners is among the 50 semifinalists of the Drucker Prize for 2016 – a prestigious award that fosters innovation in nonprofit organizations as a source of “change that creates a new dimension of performance.”

Catherine Marshall has joined Bristol Strategy Group as a Senior Consultant. She will continue to operate her consulting practice as Capbuilders.

ICYMI, Boku Kodama, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center and CAMEO Board Member, is working with Laney College in Oakland on a one-stop shop for entrepreneurship training and business startups. It’s a great project that if successful, Boku says, “will revolutionize a process that will serve students and clients with sustainable results.”

Also, thanks to Boku for his post “Two More Reasons to Support Small and Micro Business Infrastructure.” Use the evidence in this post to make the case for your programs!

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!

Election 2016: Hillary Clinton has a five-point plan to build an economy that works for everyone and make the largest investment in job creation since World War II. Join the Hillary for America campaign for a call this Friday, August 5, 2016 at 12:00pm PT // 3:00pm ET to learn more about the jobs tour, the 100-days jobs plan, and how you can get involved with the campaign. You must RSVP.

For Your Clients: Our friends at Small Business California are conducting their 12th annual survey of small businesses around the state. Please forward to your clients and friends in the small business community. This is an important annual effort that takes the pulse of small business in California.

For Your Clients: Small Business Majority is hosting Access to Capital 101: Funding Options to Start and Grow Your Business every Wednesday, the next one is August 10. They present an overview of alternative lending options including community development financial institutions, SBA’s loan guarantee program and reputable online options, key questions to consider when seeking funding, the Small Business Borrowers’ Bill of Rights and helpful tools and resources.

AEO Feedback: AEO is facilitating stakeholder engagement related to the SMART (Straightforward Metrics Around Rate and Total Cost) Box. The engagement process includes a questionnaire intended to help solicit feedback from a broad range of stakeholders. Please submit your feedback by August 5, 2016. Background: In May of 2016, OnDeck, Kabbage, and CAN Capital announced an initiative to create and adopt a model disclosure for small business lending with support from AEO. The goal of the Smart Box is to make progress toward advancing transparency for the benefit of small business owners. These three lenders (and others) are committed to adopting a common set of metrics including total cost and APR.

Professional Development Opportunity: You’re invited to join the CFED Assets & Opportunity Network and Center for Financial Security for a new four-part virtual Listening & Learning Series on Financial Coaching & Counseling. They are on the following Wednesdays from 12:-1:30pm PDT: August 10, and September 14. The A&O Network has also released Financial Coaching Census.

Grant Opportunity: AARP Foundation is launching Work for Yourself@50+, a new initiative designed to educate low-income adults age 50+ about self-employment, including the factors that one needs to consider and first steps that one should take when deciding to work for themselves. This initiative includes the “Five Simple Steps to Get you Started” toolkit, Workshop, and interactive website. AARP Foundation is requesting applications from eligible organizations to partner with the Foundation to host the workshop component. Applications are due August 26, 2016 by 11:59 pm Eastern Time and must be completed online.

Nonprofit Taxes Webinar: The California Board of Equalization is offering free nonprofit seminars and workshops discuss tax laws, exemptions, and reporting requirements as they apply to non-profit and exempt organizations during the month of August in Perris, Oakland, Apple Valley, Fullerton, and Chula Vista.

For Your Clients: Fund and Fuel Your Dreams is a 2-day event on September 8-9 where you will get hands-on, expert training on how to raise money for your business. You will leave with a step-by-step plan and resources to take the plan forward. It is also a place to connect with like-minded mission-driven, heart centered women entrepreneurs in a supportive fun environment!

Attention CDFIs: The Department of Treasury (Treasury) is seeking your comments on the CDFI Program’s forms and applications. Federal agencies are required to give stakeholders the opportunity to comment on the agency’s forms and information gathering processes. Treasury is soliciting feedback on the Financial Assistance Application and the Technical Assistance Application. Comments are due by September 12, 2016.

PayDay Lending Rules: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed a rule aimed at reshaping the market for payday loans and other short-term credit. The proposal would require lenders to ensure that the consumer has the ability to repay the loan, provide notice that the lender is withdrawing funds from the consumer’s account and cease automatic withdraws if the consumer’s account is overdrawn. Comments on this proposal are due September 14, 2016.

New Report: Opportunity Fund released a very important research report, Unaffordable and Unsustainable: The New Business Lending on Main Street.” Until now, we have been relying on stories to explain what’s happening with online lending. Now we’ve got some data on the loans and cash advances being offered to small businesses by short-term, high-cost alternative lenders. Cliff notes on findings: 94% interest rates; average payment is 1.78x income -YIKES.

For Your Clients: The California Labor Enforcement Task Force (LETF) has designed new mobile versions of fact sheets to help employers understand and follow labor, licensing and payroll tax laws. The fact sheets have been designed for employers in specific industries including: Agriculture, Automotive, Construction, Garment, Landscaping and Restaurant.

Take Action: If there’s ever a time in politics that really needs a woman’s voice, that time is now. CAMEO has joined Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) for their campaign – WE Decide 2016 – to engage women in business in the 2016 election.