Whether you are looking to obtain financing to start or expand your business, this webinar is for you! We’ll cover the basics of financing, including the 5 C’s (credit, collateral, commitment, character and cash flow), SBA guaranteed loan programs, microloans and alternative financing options, resources and more!
Elizabeth Yearwood has been with the Small Business Administration since March 2013. She is the Public Information Officer and Economic Development Specialist for the SBA Nebraska District Office and travels through the state of Nebraska providing workshops on small business start-up, financing, and other entrepreneurial topics. Elizabeth is also an Air Force veteran, and served in England, South Korea and Washington state.
Investment is a critical element of any budget. In this training, Certified Financial Planner John Posey will discuss how investing discipline can lead to more financial freedom. You’ll learn about investment principles and historical evidence that can help you become a better investor. You’ll also discover why investment timing and selection don’t matter as much as you might think.
You will learn:
Investing discipline equals financial freedom
How embracing an evidence-based approach to investing can help
Timing and selection of investments isn’t as important as you may think
John Posey is a Hebron, Nebraska native who grew up as a small-town farm kid and has been working in financial services since 2005. A Certified Financial Planner, he previously worked at locally-owned institutions, including a community bank and an accounting firm in addition to two Fortune 500 organizations. John founded Plains Advisory to help others invest smarter, plan for the future, and leave a legacy.
April 13 | Members-Only Training | Google Webinar | Make Better Business Decisions with Analytics
DATE: Tuesday, April 13th
TIME: 2 p.m. CT
Learn best practices and analyze trends about how customers engage with your business online, then turn these insights into well-informed, actionable decisions.
April 15 | Members-Only Training | Google Webinar |Reach Customers Online with Google
DATE: Thursday, April 15th
TIME: 11 a.m. CT
Learn how your business can be found online withGoogle. This workshop explains howGoogleSearch works and how you can improve a website’s visibility with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The session also introduces products likeGoogleMy Business,GoogleTrends, Search Console,GoogleAnalytics,GoogleAds, and more.
In this workshop we’ll discuss best practices for:
Improving your website’s visibility inGoogle’s organic search results, on all devices
Microsoft and Apple started in garages, and Facebook started in a dorm room.
Meanwhile, Dorothy Lynch started selling her famous salad dressing at a Legion Hall in St. Paul, Nebraska. Todd Booth began his successful automotive business by working in the wash bay at a local car dealership after he graduated from high school.
While GROW Nebraska businesses haven’t reached the magnitude of Facebook, Apple and Microsoft, many have grown from small businesses to successful enterprises that are continually increasing sales, creating jobs and bringing Nebraska to the world.
GROW Nebraska members Dorothy Lynch, Jayhawk Boxes, Baker’s Candies, Platte Valley Auto and Fat Boy BBQ are all successful businesses that started small and have grown tremendously in the past few decades.
Success didn’t happen overnight for these small-town Nebraska businesses. From creating quality products to treating customers well and keeping up with technology, each business has created its own unique path to prosperity. And, for many, GROW Nebraska has played a part in their success.
Baker’s Candies
-Greenwood, NE
Baker’s Candies is a relatively new Nebraska business founded in 1987 after Kevin Baker, an aerospace engineer, decided to venture into the candy-making businesses. He applied his engineering skills to design an efficient way to automate the candy-making process. That combined with the mouth-watering unique flavors of Baker’s Candies created a popular candy business that is still family-owned and operated today.
“Our company is really run by a family of engineers rather than chocolatiers or businessmen,” said Kevin’s son, Todd Baker. “We’ve never been great at business, but we’re really, really, good at making (mass producing) chocolate. So, we keep our heads down and do what we do best: Making Nebraska’s chocolate. As long as Nebraskans continue to be proud of our family business and the products that we make here, it has been our experience that they will take care of most of your problems – advertising, marketing, sales, opportunities, etc.”
Baker said their formula for chocolates is “ridiculously simple.”
“We buy the best ingredients on the planet and then make the best chocolates possible for far less cost than our competition,” he said. “We like to think that ‘we make world-class chocolates for regular people,’ a goal that resonates with Nebraskans and others from here in the Midwest.”
During the fall of 2019, Baker’s Candies opened the largest candy factory outlet store in Nebraska’s history. It contains almost 6,000 square feet of candy along with other Nebraska food and retail products. All of the store’s products were either made on-site or purchased and resold directly from their manufacturers. Many GROW Nebraska members’ products are also sold in the store.
The new outlet has more than doubled the company’s direct-to-customer retail sales.
Baker’s Candies continues to sell products online and through a variety of other wholesalers.
“Sales, even during the pandemic, have continued to grow exponentially,” Baker said. “We now ship our chocolates regularly to all 50 U.S. states and to just about every country that this downhome Nebraskan can pronounce. This year, we expect to produce close to 40 million chocolates here in Greenwood, Nebraska.”
Baker credits Nebraskans for his company’s success.
“Nebraskans are uniquely proud of the things that are made here,” he said. “If you take good care of them, give them something to be proud of, they’ll take your business to the ends-of-the earth with them wherever they go!”
Bakers Candies has been a member of GROW Nebraska for a couple of years.
“We wished that GROW Nebraska had been around 35 years ago when we were getting started,” Baker said. “Launching a new business is overwhelming at times, but knowing it’s here now, working for Nebraska entrepreneurs, was all the incentive that we needed to join!”
For more information about Baker’s Candies, click here.
Story by Kristine Jacobson, GROW Nebraska member and owner of KRJ Public Relations, a business that helps non-profits and businesses tell their stories and gain momentum through blogs, newsletters, annual reports, social media and other publications.
Do you take credit cards? Do you want lower credit card processing fees? We have a merchant program with risk free comparison options that can save you money.
In the prior PRIME grant, GROW Nebraska® purchased technology equipment for 50 low-income participants and began an intensive training program to teach them to use the technology effectively. The current grant extends that training and allows those who came in at the end of that project to receive additional training as well as bringing in new low- and very-low-income entrepreneurs and small business owners for exceptional training and market access services.
GROW Nebraska partners with organizations like Nebraska Enterprise Fund, Center For Rural Affairs, and Small Business Association (SBA) to help connect members with micro loans.
Through a Google AdWord Grant, GROW Nebraska® offers the opportunity for members to explore this feature at no cost, which can be a great addition to your marketing plan. Google AdWords is an online advertising program used to create ads to reach people that use the Google search tool, who are looking for specific products–like yours. All ads run through the GROW Nebraska Foundation's Website.
MarkeTech is more than a conference. It’s cutting edge training, valuable networking, and a technology showcase. Be inspired, be engaged, and work hands on with today’s most innovative tools.
MarkeTech provides organizations with tools and ideas advancing their businesses through collaboration between marketing and technology. As a member, save $100 on registration, learn more at www.marketechconference.org.
Twice a month, on the third and fourth Thursdays, GROW Nebraska hosts free, open-to-the-public trainings. Participants can tune in from any location where they have phone or internet service. Each month GROW Nebraska® features different presenters and topics related to marketing or small business.
GROW Nebraska® also offers free Grow With Google Trainings the first Wednesday of every month. Our Google Trainings are offered in English and Spanish.
GROW Nebraska® Members are encouraged to tune into our "Tuesday Member Talks" which are for GROW Nebraska® Members only. Within these you can chat with staff and experts.
Need help getting on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google Places? We offer free individual assistance to get you started in the social media world. This can be a valuable addition to your marketing plan. We will also post or repost information about your business on our social media platforms to make our followers turn into your followers, too, and you can feature videos about your business on our YouTube Channel.
GROW Nebraska® offers a series of workshops focusing on technology and marketing for entrepreneurs. In today’s chaotic world, it is easy to get distracted by advertising proposals that derail our marketing budgets. Attending these workshops gives you a firsthand look at marketing and technology methods to increase the success of your next trip.
Business owners, community leaders and marketing staff can accelerate their skills with a small investment of time and money.
We pride ourselves in communicating with our members about what they need and want. This service includes an initial consultation and as many follow-up conferences as each member desires.
"GROW Nebraska has provided marketing leads and encouragement to expand my markets." -Sharon Walde, Heirloom Treasures
"GROW Nebraska helped me find my niche in the market. I've been really happy with the services and opportunities that GROW has provided for me." -Ima Gene Mason, Im's Countryside Painting
With the help of our ecommerce sites, our GROW Nebraska® members benefit from a strong web presence. Sell your products through our online platforms including BuyNebraska.com, Amazon and Ebay.
Members are able to join our Mark It to Market UPC program. ($25/code with $5 annual renewal fee). GROW Nebraksa has a UPC Program to help GROW Members get on Amazon and work with large businesses. GROW Nebraska works with number of partners for wholesale opportunities.
GROW Nebraska members have opportunities to sell their products at our Kearney retail location on the Younes Campus, in pop-up stores and at the Nebraska State Fair.
GROW Nebraska® is very active on social media, and we use these platforms to reach thousands of fans and followers with information about our members. Read our blog and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Tiktok.
Through our market testing program, you can take advantage of mall and airport traffic that you otherwise would not have access to. You can set up a table any day of the week at our Kearney retail store. You can offer samples or just talk about your product to potential customers. Customers want experiential shopping; they want to meet the artist, author, designer or manufacturer. Think about it like a farmer's market or craft show but without the booth fee! It is a great opportunity to launch a new product, get feedback on a current product, and build your brand.
GROW Nebraska's connections offer members the opportunity to take part in valuable promotional spots on television that have a statewide audience. The cost of these spots would be prohibitive for small businesses, but GROW members can be featured on the NTV Good Morning Nebraska television show through the GROW Nebraska® spot at no cost. Being featured on these shows gives GROW Nebraska’s clients state-wide exposure and helps them brand their name and product. Thousands of potential customers listen to these shows. This is a media that is effective, and thanks to GROW’s efforts, members can access this remarkable marketing asset at no cost.
We provide all of our members with a webpage within our website. It's easy for members to update with the latest information, videos, photos, events, and job openings. This platform for the webpage is a powerful successful tool for search engine optimization (SEO) and is key for small businesses looking for exposure in today's marketplace.
In the age of online shopping, stunning product photos are more important than ever. GROW Nebraska can help you make your products shine with professional photography.
