Save June 17, 2014 for the 20th Anniversary celebration in Sacramento!
- State of Micro, 2012 Microtracker Results
- Claudia on Sabbatical
- The Goodies – This week’s highlight is the 2014 Small Business California Survey. Please forward to your clients asap.
State of Micro, 2012 Microtracker Results
Every year we survey our members to determine the landscape of the micro industry. We have crunched the numbers for 2012 and we have good news and bad news. The good news comes from the microlenders – microlending has remained stable over the last three years with the number of loans growing by 27%; and over the last five years, microlending volume has increased by 61%.
And now the bad news… As a group, we have served fewer clients and businesses each year since 2010 and have supported fewer employees each year. And TA providers saw a drastic reduction of 63% in clients served. If you look at median revenues, you find a similar pattern as to what’s been happening with our outcomes. Meaning, follow the money – as money goes up, the outcomes go up, as the money goes down, the outcomes go down. The graph shows median revenues with the green bars and businesses served with the silver line. On a related note, the median revenues for members have declined by 30% since 2009, while businesses served has increased by 23%.
What does this mean for the future of our work and the Micro sector overall? We are waiting for Aspen to complete their analysis of the national microTracker data. Our sector needs to revise how we communicate our value in local economic development vis-a-vis the fact that all new jobs come from self-employment and microbusinesses, and we know what they need to succeed. Given current funding constraints, we need to consider what we can do to increase efficiencies to increase services and how to market effectively to new and younger self-employed.
CAMEO is addresing these issues. We welcome insights from our members and stakeholders as we plan our advocacy and design future programs. Please email me or pick up the phone- 415-992-4484.
Claudia on Sabbatical
Claudia has led CAMEO for seven years and will be starting a three-month sabbatical on Monday in order to gear up for the next seven. Claudia says:
I’m looking forward to this time to think creatively about our sector and CAMEO’s role. I’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors, enjoying beauty, seeing family and doing some traveling. I really appreciate the support of our Board and talented staff in making this possible. See you in May – I’ll be at AEO!
Shufina English will be Interim CEO and I will be covering our policy agenda. The staff and board had their retreat yesterday and we discussed our ambitious plans for 2014. The board is confident that the staff will continue to offer excellent service, programming, and advocacy to the members and the field while Claudia is gone.
Join or renew your membership to our dynamic network of organizations and individuals. Together, we build businesses that create local jobs and grow California’s economy through Micro-business development. If you are not the head of your organization, make sure you pass on this message so that you and your organization don’t lose out on any of the member benefits CAMEO offers. Our membership drive is wrapping up!
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 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!
AEO Conference: Registration is open for AEO’s Big Easy Takeover! Connect with hundreds of industry professionals who are committed to giving Main Street microbusinesses the resources they need! Help America’s 25.5 million microbusinesses unleash their power. The conference is May 5-7, 2014. An additional enticement is the New Orleans Jazz Fest happening right before the conference. The hotel will extend the discounted room rate if you come early…let’s show AEO that CAMEO members know how to party! CAMEO members are eligible for a $50 discount off the AEO nonmember rate and can access it by entering the code SMA2014 at registration.
Member Kudos: Congrats to the Marcus Family and Fresno Community Development Financial Institution. Fresno CDFI provided funding for the family’s second Subway store in West Fresno (an economically challenged place). The store opened this Tuesday.
SBA Head Nominee: President Obama nominated Maria Contreras-Sweet, the founder and board chairman of ProAmerica Bank in Los Angeles, to head the SBA. CAMEO is excited for her appointment as Ms. Contreras-Sweet spoke at our Viva! event in 2009 and is a founding board member of the Los Angeles Latino Chamber of Commerce (formerly Latino Business Chamber of Greater LA), a CAMEO member. Join the US Hispanic Chamber and Small Business Majority in their effort to ensure she receives a quick confirmation as head of the SBA.
For your Clients: It’s time for our friends at Small Business California to survey California businesses. Please forward the 2014 SBC Survey to your clients. It will take about 10 minutes or less. The results of the survey will be sent to every Assembly person, State Senator, and Representative in the state, the Governor, and our two Senators. The deadline is February 28, 2014.
Healthcare Webinars: The Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority are committed to helping businesses navigate the changes and opportunities in health care through the Affordable Care Act 101 webinar series. They take place every Thursday at 11:00 AM PT // 2:00 PM ET. The next one is February 13, 2014.
2014 Los Angeles Economic Forecast Conference: With remarks by Mayor Eric Garcetti, the inaugural event of Forecast LA brings together Southern California thought leaders to help answer the most pressing economic and quality of life questions facing Los Angeles County and its nearly 10 million residents. The deets: February 25, 2014 from 8:00am-12:15pm at Loyola Marymount University. CAMEO members receive a $25 discount off their registration with the promotional code “cameo14”. Learn more about Forecast LA and register.
Grant Opportunity: The SBA announced a $3 million grant opportunity to provide entrepreneurship training to veterans under the SBA’s Boots to Business program. Public and private institutions are invited to submit proposals to provide entrepreneurship training, curriculum development and program management support services. The deadline is March 3, 2014.
For Your Clients: CAMEO is co-sponsoring a Certification Course for Veterans and Service Disabled Veterans. It’s a two week class offered by CAMEO member Joe Molina. Participants who follow the daily action items in this course will be able to complete the initial submission of information required for receiving a VBE or DVBE Certification. It starts on the first Monday of each month. The next one starts on March 3, 2014. Your clients can use the CAMEO discount code “CAMEO12014” to receive a $120 discount off the $199 tuition fee (so it costs $79.)
2014 CDFI Coalition Institute: The CDFI Coalition Institute also turns 20 this year. Attend this conference on March 5-6, 2014 at the Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC. Register asap to take advantage of the limited room block at the Hotel Monaco for a cost of $339 (2 nights, March 4th and 5th).
Industry Conference: What do you get when you mix 500 savvy social enterprisers, 3.5 days of top notch programming, the building momentum of a national movement, and the nation’s “it” city? Find out at Social Enterprise Alliance’s Summit 14 in Nashville on April 13-16, 2014. Build the social enterprise field, connect and strengthen skills. CAMEO’s network receives a 33% off discount with discount code CAMEO33. For more information click on the link above.
For Your Clients: The Sabor Latino Food Show is being held at the Pasadena Convention Center on May 13 and 14, 2014. It is “EL SHOW QUE VALE LA PENA!”. This is where business in the Latin Food community is conducted. They showcase products from all over the world and invite buyers from all over California.
Microfinance Fellowship: Lend for America has a fellowship program that trains students who are seeking to start microfinance organizations (“Campus MFIs”) at their respective college campuses. The Lend for America fellowship is designed as an incubator for Campus MFIs. Fellows receive a crash course in microfinance in North Carolina; a full-time paid summer internship with an existing microfinance group at one of three locations (North Carolina, New Jersey, or Rhode Island); and year-round support from Lend for America as they start their organizations on campus.