In this week’s Must Know
- SBA and DOL’s Gift To Micro
- Happy Holidays
- The Goodies: This week’s highlight includes a “Shop Local and Micro Guide” for the holidays.
SBA and DOL’s Gift To Micro
Who said this?
The entrepreneurial spirit is what drives this country. In fact, small businesses and start-ups are responsible for creating two out of every three new jobs in the United States. And more than half of all working Americans own or work for a small business. That’s why helping to create an environment where more businesses are easily able to start and succeed has been an important goal for ….
Sounds like CAMEO, but it was the SBA’s Karen Mills and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Hilda Solis in their blog post “New DOL-SBA Website Encourages Entrepreneurship.” The website offers states help to implement a Self-Employment Assistance Program, the very program CAMEO is working to bring to California.
Bloomberg had a nice write up of the federal effort to support self-employment.
Happy Holidays
The CAMEO staff wishes our members and friends a very happy, healthy and joyous holiday season. You make our job easy and rewarding.
The CAMEO office will be closed from December 22, 2012 through January 1, 2013. We will be rested and ready for a full slate of activities in 2013 that includes a microlending summit, introducing a bill, launching the Kiva and MMS partnerships and much more.
The Goodies
New opportunities for trainings, 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 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!
Holiday Guide: Support Micro during the holidays! Find out how with our “Shop Local and Micro Guide“. If your organization is hosting a holiday fair or has compiled a list of businesses selling products for the season, then please let us know.
Holiday Treat for You!: The elves have an opportunity for three Micro Enterprise organizations to receive pro bono consulting services to help build program and organizational capacity. Feel free to contact Jason if you are interested at 319-341-4556 or jasonj@friedmanassociates.net.
Must Read: Sunday’s (Dec 2) front page story in The New York Times, “As Companies Seek Tax Deals, Governments Pay High Price,” vindicates our position that cities should invest in locally owned businesses.
AEO and FIELD Membership Discount: You save $100 on AEO membership and $100 on a one-year MicroTracker Premium Plan subscription – that’s a total value of $500 for only $300! Learn more about the AEO/FIELD Membership Bundle. This is a must-buy, if you are not already an AEO member!
AEO Conference: AEO’s national conference, Tilt Forward, will be May 5-8, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. If you’re not an AEO member, CAMEO members receive a $75 discount with the code SMA2013. If you’re an AEO member, registration fees are 50% of the full conference price – another reason to join.
Free Webinar:: CAMEO co-hosts (along with Small Business Majority) “White House Business Leader Briefing: The Fiscal Cliff and Taxes” on Friday, December 21,10:00-11:30 a.m. PST // 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST. Join us for a FREE business leader briefing with the Executive Director of the White House Business Council to hear an update on the fiscal cliff.
Community Capital Webinar:: BALLE hosts Entrepreneur Showcases: Pitching Business Plans to Drive Local Investment with Slow Money Northern California. If you haven’t heard of an Entrepreneur Showcase, you’re not alone. But you are missing out on a great tactic for engagement and fundraising. Also called an “pitchfest,” these showcases are a new way of driving local investment and business support. Register for the webinar on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 : 10:00am PT. Cost is $25.
SBA Resource: Check out SBA’s new Small Business Learning Center.