The U.S. Small Business Administration today announced the appointment of Robert Holguin (left) as the Deputy District Director for Nevada, to oversee delivery of the SBA’s programs and services throughout the state and its seventeen counties.

“Bob Holguin joins the SBA with a diverse background and strong lending experience,” says SBA District Director, Ed Cadena (right). “His experience in economic development, small business lending and as a veteran means that Nevada’s small business owners, including veteran-owned businesses, have another resource at the SBA that understands where they’re coming from and can help them achieve their goals to grow their business and create jobs. Bob will be an asset to Nevada and our small business community.”

Holguin is responsible for the management and delivery of SBA financial and business development programs, targeting the small business community in all northern, southern and rural regions of Nevada.

“I am honored to join the SBA family and the Nevada District Office,” says Holguin. “I have worked with small businesses for the past 15 years, overseeing technical assistance programs and leading an SBA lending division at a mainstream bank. Having been a small business owner I understand the unique and complex challenges they face every day, and family business ties in Nevada provide insight into the struggles small businesses face in our state.” Holguin adds, “Bringing in more micro lenders to support Nevada entrepreneurs is a definite priority.”

Prior to joining the SBA, Holguin was Director of Business Services for Valley Economic Development Corporation (VEDC), where he developed access to capital programs to assist entrepreneurs to start, develop and grow within the Los Angeles region. During 3 years in small business lending at East West Bank, he quadrupled SBA lending, taking the bank previously ranked 300 to one of the top 100 SBA banks in the U.S.

Holguin also managed one of the largest Small Business Development Center networks in the country, with 11 locations, many with low to moderate income areas. He oversaw the Capital Access Center which became a top producing SBA loan packaging intermediary.

Holguin also brings over 20 years private sector experience in technology, manufacturing, retail and publishing environments. He was Director of Business Operations & CIO for Hispanic Business Magazine Inc. and currently sits on boards of directors of numerous organizations.

Holguin holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, and is a Vietnam era veteran. The Nevada district office is headquartered in Las Vegas.

As a Marketing intern, I spend a lot of time researching what’s new and trending in terms of marketing. Currently, Pinterest is increasing in popularity, so now is the time to hop on the bandwagon. Though not yet as popular as Facebook or Twitter, Pinterest has grown drastically within the past couple of years. However, it has a very specific audience. According to Forbes Magazine, it is mostly composed of college-educated females 25-34 years old. This narrow segment isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This demographic is known for its purchasing power, which is why many companies try to use Pinterest to market themselves, including nonprofit organizations.

Nonprofits market themselves to consumers in a variety of ways, but often through educational and emotive appeals. Pinterest is a great gateway when it comes to these two appeals. Firstly, the biggest difference between Pinterest and other social networks is that it uses pictures, not writing. This visual aspect allows users to connect to Pinterest in a different way. For nonprofits, this means they can post pictures that are inspiring, sad, helpful, informative, etc. Pictures often evoke more emotion than writing. For example, The Humane Society might say that factory farming is bad because pigs (and other intelligent animals) are thrown into tiny pens where they don’t have enough space to turn around, suffering until they are led to slaughter, assuming they don’t first batter themselves to death against their pens. That’s a brutal sentence, but you can’t quite see every detail. The picture on the left, however, might really make you think twice next time you’re craving bacon. And if that’s not bad enough, a pinned video of factory farms will probably push you over the edge.

Another visual tool is known as infographics, which allow an organization to show a large amount of data in an easy- to read and visually appealing format. Inforgraphics allow people to grasp a concept more easily than reading a paragraph of text. Pinterest also allows for links back to websites or social media when clicking on a pin. This can be a great way to get people straight to an ‘action’ stage. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals posts pictures of their store items on Pinterest. When clicked on, these lead you straight to the item you were looking at and you can add it to your cart with one click.

Finally, I have also made a short list of tips that nonprofit organizations should implement in order to be more effective in Pinterest marketing. When making this list, I referenced two blogs: John Haydon’s “12 Ways to Use Pinterest for your Nonprofit” and Mashable’s “10 Strategies for Non-profits on Pinterest” when assembling this list.

• Create purpose-driven boards- for example “Rescued Animals”- a board of happy endings
• Use interesting, appealing images- this is common sense, but important
• Realize who your audience is- it’s mostly educated women, so post accordingly
• Follow similar organizations- they might follow you too, giving you more presence
• Follow influential people (people who have lots of followers)- if they follow you back, their followers will see you
• Use keywords in pins and boards- great for SEO (search-engine optimization)
• Make sure people know where/how to donate- give them a clear call to action or there  won’t be any

For more information on Nonprofit Marketing, visit my blog at www.RachelLeeHarper.com

Sources:

Forbes Magazine: “Monetizing Pinterest? Pinbooster Has it Covered”

Mashable blog: “10 Strategies for Non-profits on Pinterest”

John Haydon’s blog: “12 Ways to Use Pinterest for your Nonprofit”

In recent years one of the most popular industries to get into has been the restaurant industry. The students at the Nevada SBDC see many clients attempting to strike gold in this industry by opening the next best, or in some cases the most innovative and different restaurant in town. However, there are a number of key factors necessary for success that many either overlook or are simply unaware of.

In Deloitte’s 2010 restaurant industry operations report, a number of helpful noteworthy statistics were found that could help clients or potential new entrants gage expenses and see where to cut costs while also informing the individual where the market is headed in the future so they can adjust to shocks. In the report Deloitte estimates the total US restaurant industry to be approximately $580 billion with expected growth in coming years. But, growth is not equal industry wide. Deloitte breaks down the industry further, projecting growth of sales for the limited service restaurants overall, but a net decline in sales for those in the full service business once adjusting for inflation. Of course these are averages and vary city to city and state to state. Industry average cost percentages are also covered in the report. On average expenses are as follows:

Clearly there will be some variance in these statistics. However, on average these are the numbers one should expect to see when opening or operating a restaurant. These figures also serve as useful benchmarks when deciding on wages and COGS (cost of goods sold). Of course there are a number of other variables that go into a successful business in this industry most of which are in the hands of the individual. But, here are some to consider before opening: Look at the traffic and the speed at which traffic goes by your desired location. If they are speeding by, although the traffic is high, the likelihood of them noticing your restaurant will be low. Also, consider the population demographic of the area you desire to open shop. Is it high income? Is it low income? Is the area residential or is it a business district? These can all play a role in the types of restaurants that will be successful. And will also help owners to set the optimal price per plate.

For more information regarding the restaurant industry, starting up a company of your own, or any of your other business needs feel free to check out the Nevada SBDC website at http://nsbdc.org or stop by the Reno, NV office in the Ansari Business Building room 411.

By Ryan Axt, Finance Intern

Recently, I sat with a new client, learning everything I could about his service. He was so animated the whole time, you can tell he was in love.

He was in love with his services, his industry, and his customers.

He knew which features made his customers doggedly loyal, and all of the important ways (important because they mattered to his customers, not just him) he was better than his biggest competitors.

Although he was just answering my questions, I got so amped up listening to him, I was on the verge of shouting, “sign me up, I want to be a customer too!”

But when I read his website copy, it sounded like aliens sucked out his soul, then replaced it with a drab, well-programmed drone. UGH!

I see this problem in nearly every website I visit: The copy’s written like a company talking at a faceless mass.

Instead, the copy should read like a human speaking with another human.

Because that’s what creates the connection with the reader and engages them.

And that’s what helps build the trust that motivates them to contact you for more information or to place an order.

Speaking human

What’s speaking human? It’s how you sound when talking with a customer staring at you eyeball to eyeball.

When you speak human, you automatically use helpful words, a sincere tone, more detailed and relevant descriptions and explanations.

You aren’t a machine spouting out data. You’re also not spewing shallow statements that sound clever but mean nothing.

But most of us forget that as soon as we write. We start sounding like we’re writing a school paper or we’re a sassy ad agency sounding smart. We stop sounding like a real person.

This creates a towering wall between your company and the reader.

And if that’s your first interaction with the reader, this wall can hurt your chances of a sale. Because the reader’s still human with the same concerns and emotions whether you talk to them in person or in writing.

So if the person’s still the same, why would you speak to them differently just because you’re talking through a website or brochure?

That’s like accidentally knocking hot coffee on a customer’s lap, then matter-of-factly saying, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused.”

You wouldn’t really talk like that, would you? Sadly, most copy does.

Try this speak human litmus test

If you want a quick litmus test on how well your copy connects and engages customers, look at your website’s FAQ page. How do you phrase the questions?

Are they written the way your customer would ask the question?

Do your answers sound like something you’d say if you were answering a friendly neighbor next door?

For a super clear example of speaking human, check out www.GrubHub.com.

They do a fantastic job saying things the way their customers talk in their heads. Their copy is simple, to the point, and answers all of the pertinent questions to get you feeling super cozy about their service.

And their casual tone doesn’t make you second guess their credibility.

Because they fill their homepage with credibility elements like testimonials and comments from major newspapers and magazine reviews. And it states upfront over 1 million people used GrubHub so far (that’s one of their USPs, by the way).

Back to our litmus test…

GrubHub helps you find the closest takeout restaurants to you and order online for free. Now take a look at their FAQ page. One question is simply, “Where’s my food?”

It’s phrased exactly the way their customers think when their order hasn’t arrived and their belly’s grumbling.

Notice how it doesn’t say, “What happens when my food doesn’t arrive at the time the restaurant stated?” That’s not speaking human. That’s a company speaking company.

So take a quick gander at your FAQs, then ask yourself:

• Are they real questions my customers ask or are they what I think they want to know?
• Are they phrased the way my customers ask them?
• Do my answers sound like something I’d say to them if they were standing in front of me?

Use your ears

Here’s another way to gauge if you’re speaking human enough. Read your copy out loud.

Do you feel the copy is talking WITH you, or AT you?

One way to speak human is use more “we” and “you” in the copy. Of course, you want more you’s so you don’t come off narcissistic. That alienates the reader.

You may not be able to sound as casual as GrubHub, but you can sound more formal and still sound human.

To see what I mean, let’s take a look at a sample from a children’s cancer center…

I won’t give their name, but they do a few things right. We can guess their customers are highly stressed, extremely worried, emotionally taxed parents. And based on the friendly program name and cheerful kid art type graphics in bright colors, they’re trying to show the hospital isn’t some cold building full of fast-moving, white lab coats. They really care about the patient’s emotions. That’s great.

But they contradict what they’re trying to convey with robotic copy that creates distance between the hospital and the reader. Here’s an excerpt:

“A true patient-physician partnership is evidenced by our providing as much treatment as possible in our beautifully appointed, child-friendly outpatient Center, which makes life easier for patients and families.”

Do you feel they’re talking with you or at you?

Do you feel the writer’s just reporting facts or reaching out a caring hand?

Here’s how that same paragraph can sound more human:

“We do everything to help your child feel as secure and nurtured as possible while they’re with us. Their room is decorated with inspiring colors, plush furniture, and friendly characters to help your child feel happy, comforted, and safe.

To further minimize their stress and anxiety, we provide as much treatment in their rooms as possible. This lets them stay in a familiar and comforting setting, while you stand beside them offering loving support.”

See? No hype – just human.

Remember, people don’t buy from companies. People buy from people.

Your customer knows what you should say

If you’re not sure how to phrase something, eavesdrop on a customer call.

Many times, I ride along with a company’s top sales people to hear how they speak with customers. I hear how customers phrase their objections. And how the salesperson overcomes them.

If you’re stuck on what to say, listen to a few phone calls between your sales people and your customers. Ride along on sales calls. Talk to customers yourself.

Hear their words.

That’s how your prospects and customers are phrasing questions in their mind as they breeze through your site or flip through your brochure.

When you phrase your answers to match how they think, you connect and engage.

When you sound salesy, fluffy, or stiff, you lose them.

Your turn

Listen to how you or your staff sound on the phone. Do they give standard issue answers that sound akin to, “I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused”?

Do your emails (even the form letters), website copy, brochures, and sales pieces sound like a corporate-y drone hijacked your keyboard?

If so, picture a real person you know who you care about. Then edit the copy as if you’re speaking with that person only. That will help you speak human.

———

Brenda Do is a freelance, direct-response copywriter in Reno, NV and President of BL Copywriting, LLC. Contact her at: www.BLCopywriting.com or 775-223-3637.

What I have noticed is people are starting to question what they eat, where it came from, and how it was made. In particular, people are looking at the quality of their beef. Currently, it seems many American farmers are in a transition of going from corn based feed lots where cattle are fed enormous quantities of corn, soy-based protein supplements, antibiotics and other drugs, including growth hormones. They are going back to the way it’s supposed to be, grass fed cattle free of hormones, antibiotics, and other supplements. It seems this change in Americans’ way of buying beef will not stop. 10 years ago there were only 50 grass fed cattle operations left in the US. Compare that to today where thousands are thriving and growing including some local farms here in Nevada.

Since grass fed cattle are more expensive to raise and require much more land, I don’t believe it will ever fully be America’s complete resource for beef. What we do know is that 60% of consumers could soon be choosing grass fed beef over grain fed on a regular basis. With that, we also know that shoppers purchasing such a product are willing to pay two or three times as much to guarantee that the beef they eat has had ample living space and sufficient time outdoors, were raised on organic or foraged food (or both), and were not fed antibiotics or growth hormones. In conclusion, we see that business is always on the move, and just because something has been the same for years doesn’t mean the consumers won’t demand differently once they become more informed.

Until next time, ask yourself how your customers and their buying habits are changing today.

For more information on the Food Industry in Nevada go to www.nevadafoodbusiness.com

By Geoff Shields

Marketing Intern at the Nevada SBDC

• When: Thursday, March 14, 2013, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
• Where: Washoe County Government Center, Building ‘C’ Conference room, 1001 E. 9th Street, Reno
• Cost: FREE! Register by calling 775-827-4923

Who Should Attend the Workshop?

Small Businesses with two years’ history that are prepared for contracting.

For information, please contact Judith Hepburn: Judith.hepburn@sba.gov, 775-827-4923.

Seating is limited. So be sure to

Register by calling

SBA: (775) 827-4923

the Army and Air National Guard within the State of Nevada, and procures mostly supplies, services,

construction and architect/engineering.

Join us to meet the Guard contracting team and find out:

 How to find contract award projects

 The SAM registration requirement

 The bidding process

 Types of contracts

 Service and Repair

 Computers and Peripheral Equipment

 Furniture (Systems and Stand Alone)

 Audio Visual

 Carpeting, fencing, sprinklers, etc.

Presenter: Lt Col Pierce Tucker – Supervisory Contracting Officer, USPFO for Nevada

When: Thursday, February 14, 2013, 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Where: Washoe County Government Center, Building ‘C’, conference room.

1001 East Ninth Street, Reno, NV

Cost: Free! Register by calling
(775) 784-1717.

Click here for more details

On the other hand, uncertainty among employees about the quality and cost of individual health coverage continues to make employer-provided health coverage an attractive recruiting and retention tool. Because of these advantages, most employers plan to continue offering coverage for now. The additional uncertainty for employers, with compliance obligations hinging on court decisions and the political process, has made many companies hesitant to make any large-scale changes.

Learn more and see important upcoming dates here

Crowdfunding is essentially a donation funded venture from many donors generally via the Internet.  The way it works is that the individual or group seeking funding puts together a “pitch” for donations. These pitches are usually in the form of a video or written description of the requestor’s plan. Detailed plans describe what it is that will be developed or produced along with how the funds will be used.  As an incentive to attract donors, requestors will offer “rewards” for various denomination levels.  An example of this may be an artist’s signed CD for a donation of $20.  As the donation value becomes larger the gifts get more elaborate.  The requestor is then obligated to fulfill these rewards if the venture is fully funded.

So how do you start?

Take a look at this document produced by the Nevada Small Business Development Center which compares many of the top crowdfunding sites.

See which one best fits your needs as well as provides the best opportunity to get funded and give it a shot. Let us know how your experience went.

ELKO, NV – Startup Weekend, a national grassroots business-launching event, is coming to Northern Nevada, September 28-30, 2012. Startup Weekend Elko will connect local entrepreneurs, developers, designers and startup enthusiasts with mentors and resources for a weekend of sharing ideas, forming teams and launching startups. The weekend-long event will take place at the Great Basin College campus in Elko.

Whether participants found companies, find a cofounder, meet someone new or learn a skill outside the usual 9-to-5, they will be better prepared to navigate the chaotic and exciting world of startups.

“Many of us in Nevada had the rug swept out from our feet the past few years and we’ve had to adapt; become innovative and entrepreneurial to survive,” said Daniel Herr, life-long Northern Nevadan, organizer of the event and a recent participant in the Las Vegas Startup Weekend. “Northern Nevada has a lot of hidden gems and I am really excited about bringing this fast-paced startup proving-ground to Elko. It will be great to bring entrepreneurs from many of Nevada’s smaller North-Eastern communities together.”

On Friday night, attendees will take the open mic to pitch their ideas to the group in 60 seconds or less. After groups form, the rest of the weekend will be spent formulating the most popular ideas – often web and mobile applications – with the help of mentors and seasoned startup entrepreneurs. It’s a 54-hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing and market validation. The weekend culminates with presentations in front of entrepreneurial thought-leaders, bankers, venture capitalists, and marketing and sales gurus, providing an opportunity for critical feedback.

“Startup Weekends are full of energy and creativity all focused around a model of ‘build and test as-you-go,’ ” says Shavonnah Tièra, organizer of the July SWVegas weekend. “Roughly 80 percent of participants continue working with their team or startup after the weekend, and over 36 percent of participating groups are still going strong after three months.”

The event’s principal sponsor is the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization (NIREC), a private nonprofit that focuses on transforming Nevada’s technology-based ideas into sustainable enterprises.

Software developers and designers as well as individuals with non-technical business skills (i.e., marketing & PR) are encouraged to sign up. Registration is open to everyone, though spots are limited to ensure a great experience. Registering costs $99, with discounted rate of $49 for students. For the best weekend of your entrepreneurial life, register online at elko.startupweekend.org.

About Startup Weekend Elko
Startup Weekend Elko is an intense 54-hour event where local entrepreneurs, developers, designers, marketers, product managers, startup enthusiasts and anyone interested in building a business will come together to share ideas, form teams, and launch a startup. The event will start at 6:30pm on Friday, September 28, 2012 at Great Basin College in Elko. Startup Weekend Elko is organized by Daniel Herr (@DanHerr) and Shavonnah Tièra (@ShavonnahTiera). If you are interested in helping organize the event, we would love your help in making this event a great success for Elko and Northern Nevada, please connect with us on Twitter @SWElko or by emailing elko@startupweekend.org.

Startup Weekend™ (a nonprofit organization) supports the development and expansion of entrepreneurship through events worldwide that educate aspiring entrepreneurs by immersing them in the process of moving an idea to market. Startup Weekend has built a network of more than 55,000 alumni, thousands of volunteer organizers and 100 trained facilitators spread across more than 300 cities in 100 countries. Kauffman Foundation, Google, Microsoft, .Co, Sendgrid, Cloudmine and the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization are sponsors of Startup Weekend Elko. We are also looking for more sponsors. If you are interested in helping sponsor the event, please email elko@startupweekend.org. For more information, visit elko.startupweekend.org or connect with us on Twitter @SWElko.
Download a high resolution version of the SWElko logo and help us spread the word at u.swelko.org/SWElkoLogo

Contact:
Daniel Herr
@DanHerr
775-393-9285
elko.startupweekend.org