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Policy Webinar Today! Faces Deadline Tomorrow! MiLEs Success!

In this Must Know…

Ironing Out the Issues, A Webinar Today

You are invited to “Ironing Out the Issues,” a webinar today Thursday, April 19 at 2:00pm PT. With so much going on in Washington and Sacramento, we have gathered our policy friends to keep you informed of all the excitement.

  • Ann Sullivan, our woman in DC, will be giving you an update on the political landscape of Washington and what we can expect from the FY2019 budget and the upcoming election season.
  • You’ll hear an update and be able to ask a few questions on the historic state investment in small business development from Toni Symonds (invited), Staff Consultant on Assembly Committee the Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy and Jesse Torres, Deputy Director, Small Business and Innovation, California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
  • Other good things are happening in the state – find out what they are.

Register for the webinar “Ironing Out the Issues.”

Faces Award Nominations End Tomorrow


Nominate your successful clients for the Eighth Annual CAMEO Faces of Entrepreneurship Award. Last year’s winners were:

  • Tyrone Botelho and Tiffany Hoang, Circle Up Education (nominated by Skys the Limit aka Youth Business USA) and
  • Javier Zamora, JSM Organics (nominated by California FarmLink).

This year it could be your client!

Legislators from the business owners’ districts will present the awards at our annual meeting. This is a great opportunity for your clients and helps us build strategic connections with our legislators. Award winners will be selected based on the following criteria: type of business, region, demonstrated growth and job creation, and contributions to their community.

Nominate your businesses by April 20, 2018.

MiLEs Success


This week we held our second MicroLending Essentials, i.e the MiLEs training with twenty-five people from 17 organizations participating, some of which are brand new members. Susan Brown grounded them all in the crucial elements of microlending underwriting, such as credit memos, amortization, credit report analysis, and more. Here’s what one of the participants said about the training:

Susan… is excellent at helping attendees shift their perspective and entertain thinking that may be outside of your everyday paradigm – which is a skill. She knows and gets the audience and presents “nuggets” of truth that are digestible and REAL! This experience has been great for me and I look forward to using what I learned in the TA space.

Guillermo Sandoval from TriCounties Bank, who was our main sponsor for the event, attended the training. He liked it so much that at the end of the training, he asked for everyone’s business card and picked one from the hat. That lucky person’s organization received a $2,000 grant! The winner was Willow Lending (photo is Julia Anderson and Sarah Speakman of Willow with Guillermo.) We thank Guillermo for his generosity and encourage everyone to attend all of our events, as you never know what surprises might be in store!

You can see more photos on CAMEO’s Facebook page. And don’t forget to like us while you’re there.

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!

Member Kudos: Congrats to CDC Small Business Finance who has been selected as this year’s Jody C. Raskind Award recipient. This recognition is presented annually by the U.S. SBA to a mission-focused lender that has distinguished itself in helping small businesses start, grow and expand.

Member Kudos: Esther Morales and Claudia Viek of Invest in Women Entrepreneurs Initiative made the case for directing government agencies and private banks to better target and support women-owned businesses in the American Banker – “Women entrepreneurs are the sleeping goddesses of our economy. When a woman business owner is successful, she buys a house and invests in her kids’ education. At the same time, her purchases, donations and taxes circulate locally.”

New Report: The Federal Reserve Banks of San Francisco, New York, Dallas, and Richmond issued the 2017 Small Business Credit Survey: Report on Disaster-Affected Firms. This is the first in a series of reports this year examining the results of an annual survey of small business owners. 61 percent of affected firms had revenue losses ranging from $1-$25,000, and 35 percent had revenue losses over $25,000.

Happy Financial Capability Month: Join the conversation online by using #FinCapMonth to connect with peers in the financial capability field. Read Prosperity Now’s blog post. Submit your financial capability resources, findings and events.

For Your Clients: The California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) is holding Cannabis 2.0 Workshop series in Los Angeles on April 20, 2018. The program includes a coaching/networking luncheon, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and more.

Funding Opportunity: The application is now available for Community Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant Program. The deadline is May 31, 2018.

Moving Main Street Forward: AEO’s microbusiness and microfinance conference is a must-attend event for professionals providing capital, technical assistance and other forms of trusted guidance to Main Street and microbusiness owners. Carolina will see you in Detroit, Michigan, April 30 to May 2, 2018. Check out the agenda and register. If you are attending, we will hold a California delegation dinner on May 1, 2018. Stay tuned for an invitation. Also, CAMEO has a limited amount of scholarship available, contact Heidi Pickman for more information.

For Your Clients: Register now for the #SmallBusinessWeek Virtual Conference on May 1-3, 2018! The U.S. Small Business Administration and SCORE Association will host a free, 3-Day Virtual Conference during National Small Business Week. The Virtual Conference offers all the best parts of an in-person conference, but without the hassle of traveling. Watch 12 educational webinars, get free business advice from mentors, pick up free information and resources from sponsors and network with fellow business owners.

Professional Conference: Join the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (CHCC) for their Legislative Conference on May 16, 2018 in Sacramento. The conference provides a platform for Hispanic business leaders and Chamber members to engage in the legislative process. The Legislative Conference attendees participate in educational forums, networking opportunities, and gain insight on how to activate local members, and stakeholders on initiatives impacting their business community. A state procurement matchmaking session will be added to this year’s conference with California State Agencies.

For Your Clients: Join Small Business California for their 2018 Education Day on May 22, 2018 in Sacramento. Small business owners from around the state will hear from leading experts on relevant issues such as: Workers Compensation, Medical Marijuana in the Workplace, State Contracting Opportunities, CalSavers Retirement Savings Program, PAGA Lawsuits, Universal Healthcare or Single Payer Plans, Employment Development Department, and more.

Professional Conference: Join Opportunity Finance Network for the Small Business Finance Forum on June 26-27, 2018 at the JW Marriott in Chicago, IL.

Yelp for Funders: Foundations need feedback loops, and nonprofit need tips on grantseeking. In other words, we all need GrantAdvisor.org to succeed. And you can help with 7 minutes of your time.