While you’re driving to your holiday dinner, listen to Claudia on TheSelfEmployed.com’s podcast about micro business. You can also check out our op-ed on the same website that makes the case for a Self-employment Assistance program in California.
In this week’s Must Know
- Thanksgiving – A Moment to Remember
- The Days After Thanksgiving
- The Goodies
Thanksgiving – A Moment to Remember
When I think of who I’m thankful to have met, David Blicker, the executive director of Opening Doors, pops to the top of my list. David passed away on October 26th after a short illness. He was kind, fun, and generous with his time and knowledge. That’s David having a great time with Debra DeBondt, Judy Hawkins, Lorrie Williams and Shufina English at the AEO meeting in 2011.
His wife Terrie told The Sacramento Bee
David was a very gentle leader. He had vision, a passion for making the world a better place and compassion for people who were in trouble and needed help. He was generous of spirit, generous with his time and charities….Rather than thinking of reasons why something couldn’t be done, he would say ‘yes, we can do this and we’re going to do this and this.’ People fell in line because he was really empowering as a leader. He’d say that many hands were better than one. He developed people and he listened.
Read more about David’s contributions to the world. He will be missed and remembered fondly.
The Days After Thanksgiving
Working Solutions and Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center host their fourth Annual Holiday Gift Fair in San Francisco on November 29, 2012 from 5:00-8:00pm at 101 2nd Street. This free event is open to the public. Find out which vendors will be there and stay up to date with details of the Fair.
Show a little love and support local businesses with one of La Cocina’s signature Gift Boxes. Each box is lovingly hand packed at La Cocina and is filled with a variety of treats, both savory and sweet.
If your organization is hosting a holiday fair, then please let us know.
Small Business Saturday is November 24, 2012, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. SBS is a day dedicated to local, independently-owned small businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods across the country. Something CAMEO holds dear. Here are ways your business can get involved and help support Small Business Saturday:
- Shop Small and show your support for small businesses and create goodwill within the communities where you work and live. Let CAMEO know what you bought and where for Small Business Saturday.
- If you are an independent business owner, make the day your own: Think about having special promotions and join forces with neighboring small businesses to create a block party or holiday event. Don’t forget to leverage Small Business Saturday marketing tools.
- Spread the word: Sign up for email updates at www.shopsmall.com and make sure to ‘Like’ the Facebook page and tell your family, friends and loyal customers about Small Business Saturday on your social networks.
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!
Take Action: Please 1) sign the Be Your Own Boss petition to help the unemployed start their own businesses, 2) recruit five colleagues/Facebook friends to sign and 3) if you can, really spread the word by downloading the toolkit.
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!
Free Webinar: CAMEO and Small Business Majority co-host a free webinar: The Fiscal Cliff: What it Means for Your Bottom Line on Tuesday, November 27, 2012, 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. PST // 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST. We invite you and your clients to attend and learn about the upcoming changes to federal tax policy and how it might affect the small business community. Learn more and register.
CAMEO Speaking Event: Heidi (me) will be on a panel at the CalAsian Chamber of Commerce Annual State of Small Business Lunch on November 28, 2012 at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Learn more and register. Also, check out our calendar for more CAMEO and member events.
Free Webinar: AEO and Office of Community Services jointly host AFI and Small Businesses: Helping Entrepreneurs Build Assets on Thursday, November 29 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. PT // 1:00-2:00pm EDT. This webinar will introduce the AFI program and the current field of grantees, describe the ways AEO members and microenterprise development organizations can become involved and the benefits to their members, and highlight the experience of a current AFI grantee that is using their grant to help support small business owners. Register.
Free Media Training: American Sustainable Business Council holds three media trainings. December 4 is about social media; December 11 is op-eds and letters to the editor; and December 18 is broadcast. All webinars are from 12-1:30 p.m. PT. Learn more and find out how to register.
Free Webinar: CFED hosts What Works for Job Creators? Experimenting with Integrated Delivery Systems for Microenterprise Services on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 12:30-1:30 p.m. PST// 3:30-4:30 p.m. EST. Over the past year, CFED has worked with several local partners including CAMEO member, Mission Economic Development Agency, to explore different delivery systems that integrate tax assistance, access to financial services and products and business counseling for greater impact. Learn more and register.