SBA South Dakota District Director, Jaime Wood, recently attended the graduation for the Immigrant/New American CO.STARTERS cohort, hosted by Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota and Startup Sioux Falls, an SBA Community Navigator partner. Participants who immigrated from 12 different countries participated in the cohort. Self-employment through business ownership is often the pathway to prosperity for New Americans.
SBA South Dakota Deputy District Director, Bryson Patterson, recently visited with Selene Zamorano-Ochoa and her Spanish Language CO.STARTERS cohorts. CO.STARTERS is a program designed to provide entrepreneurs with the insights, relationships, and tools to create a sustainable business through a ten-week series. The program is offered by Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota and Startup Sioux Falls through the Small Business Administration’s Community Navigators Grant. This SBA grant seeks to connect communities to SBA resources and services by engaging entrepreneurs through a hub and spoke system of community navigator institutions.
National Small Business Week Awards
The National Small Business Week Awards are back! SBA is now accepting nominations for its 2023 National Small Business Week Awards, including the Small Business Person of the Year. Could you be our next winner? If you’re a small business owner or know a small business owner with an inspiring story to tell, it’s time to submit a nomination!
A complete nomination package must be received electronically via BOX by December 8, 2022, 3pm ET. You answers should be in detail on forms 3301 and 3315 – it’s very important when it comes to judging the business! Our SBA Resource Partners can help assist, at no-cost, in writing your BEST nomination. You can locate a Resource Partner at https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/resource-partners.
Below is the list of requirements and forms, for your convenience:
October is Disability Employment Awareness Month! Now more than ever, small businesses are finding it challenging to hire talented workers. Hiring disabled workers can help businesses meet their talent needs while strengthening their competitive edge. By hiring individuals with disabilities, businesses can:
We’re excited to announce that this year’s National Veterans Small Business Week (NVSBW) will take place on October 31-November 4! Each year the SBA during NVSBW celebrates, connects, and empowers service member, veteran, National Guard and Reserve, and military spouse entrepreneurs all week long. This year marks the ninth annual NVSBW.
We’re now on LinkedIn!
You follow our Twitter account. You check our Website for events. Now you can follow us on LinkedIn! Interact with us, get great content and more!
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) prioritizes assistance for those small businesses that are starting to export, already exporting or in the export supply chain. These small businesses may need additional funding to acquire equipment, retool, new facilities, refinance debt on unreasonable terms or acquired another business to achieve their export sales potential. International expansion can provide small business with substantial growth opportunities, but it can also present additional risk factors for their lenders. The SBA has designed programs for these development opportunities and at the same time minimize lender risk by providing a 90% guarantee.
Please join us to learn how your bank can participate in these programs. The International Trade Loan and Export Express programs that provide lenders the opportunity to assist direct and indirect exporters with long term financing. This training will cover the following topics:
In celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we will feature a dynamic panel of founders & leaders from Southern California-based companies, fostering disability inclusion & equity, who will share how they have successfully grown their businesses internationally.
Hear from these leaders as they speak about their respective journeys of selling & promoting their brands globally.
Learn about the opportunities to seek out, as well as the challenges to avoid as you launch or expand your international business.
Receive information & resources that will help you chart your path to global sales & expansion success.
We look forward to having you join us on Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 11am PDT!
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Public Private Strategies Institute (PPSI) will host webinars as part of their Building a Better America: A Small Business Resource Community (BBA Resource Community) series.
The goal of these webinars will be to connect small businesses with critical resources and information about the Biden-Harris Administration’s policy agenda, including how the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and American Rescue Plan create opportunities for small businesses.
Additionally, these webinars will feature training to help small businesses access and utilize these resources to grow their business and create great jobs. Through the BBA Resource Community, the SBA and PPSI will convene respected leaders from across business, government, advocacy, and economic development, to provide these briefings and training.
Webinars will discuss:
Steps you can take now to learn and take advantage of existing programs that are available at the U.S. Small Business Administration & other agencies;
Updates regarding programs and recent policy announcements, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, American Rescue Plan and Made in America;
Discussion on important, timely policy issues, including paid leave, the earned income tax credit, the child tax credit, access to affordable childcare, hiring and retaining workers, and health care access and cost;
Your questions answered by SBA Leadership & small business experts.
Looking for resources and tips to protect your small business against cyber threats? Join SBA for its first-ever National Cyber Summit on October 26, 2022 at Noon ET. The free event will highlight tools, tips, and resources to help strengthen small business cybersecurity.
After completing this training, participants will understand the following:
How the personal and business credit reporting landscape relates to their business
What goes into the personal and business credit reports and scores used to assess credit profiles
How to establish and build strong personal and business credit histories to support the growth and sustainability of their business
How lenders and other businesses may use personal and business credit reports and scores to assess lending risk or evaluate other business-to-business opportunities
How the use of credit reporting services can help small business owners make sound decisions
How to leverage strong personal and business credit histories to obtain satisfactory financing terms
How to recognize when business and personal credit history may become a bigger factor in seeking larger financing options
Join SBA on October 27, 2022 for a webinar in recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month to learn about disability awareness, inclusion, hiring employees with disabilities, and the importance of equity and opportunity to help uplift and support entrepreneurs with disabilities. Speakers include:
Shari L. Thomas, Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights
Suzanne Foley, Owner, Port City Pretzels, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Gregory Modica, President and CEO, Government Supply Services, El Dorado, Arkansas
Trade remains an engine of growth for America. Manufacturers need capital to take advantage of these opportunities.
Join us for an intimate conversation with a fellow manufacturer and their banker as we discuss challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned for financing global sales growth.
Calling all manufacturers: Whether you are new to export or currently exporting and looking to grow your sales, this webinar is must see!
There is no cost for the webinar, but advance registration is required.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) prioritizes assistance for those small businesses that are selling their goods and services in the international marketplace or are in the export supply chain. SBA’s goal is to make sure that small businesses with bona fide export sales opportunities have the necessary working capital to capture all those sales. SBA has specific programs designed to provide small businesses in the export supply chain with access to lines of credit and at the same time minimize lender risk by providing a 90% guarantee.
Please join us to learn how your bank can participate in these programs. The Export Express and the Export Working Capital Program (EWCP) provide lenders the opportunity to assist exporters with revolving lines of credit and standby letters of credit. This training is designed for lenders and will be interactive in nature. The training will cover the following topics:
Is your digital presence on the NAUGHTY or NICE list?
Make your business cybersecurity part of your checklist as you prepare for the holiday season!
Join SD CEO East & SD CEO West for a FREE one-hour virtual workshop with Dakota State University Vice President Research & Economic Development – Dr. Ashley Podhradsky.
The first 30 minutes includes a presentation about: Phishing, Cybersecurity, Social Media protection, Backups, and more!
The rest of the 30 minutes is YOURS! Bring your questions or issues to help solve together.
Join SD CEO West Women’s Business Center on Thursday, November 3, 2022, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (MDT) at The Joy Center in Spearfish for this presentation on how to create business content.
Do you ever feel lost on how to create content for your business or company? What even is content? Where should I post? How often?
Ellen Pustejovsky, content creator specialist, will share her tried and true formulas to help you cultivate a strong online community that naturally converts followers into customers. Discover what your audience wants to see and hear from you, learn simple and unique ways to create content that’s engaging and valuable, and build workflows that keep you relevant and consistent no matter your brand or niche.
Get together with SD CEO West for coffee and connecting on Tuesday, November at 8:30 am – 9:30 am at Sturgis Coffee Company in Sturgis! Early networking starts at 8:00 am.
Meet other women in business in the Northern Hills area and start your day off right with some powerful connections, inspiration, and great conversation.
Entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners, students, intrapreneurs – those who work for a company, municipality, higher Ed or nonprofit – all women are welcome.
There is no cost to attend and the SD CEO West Women’s Business Center will provide coffee. Specialty drinks are available for purchase. Please register so we know you are coming.
SDSU Extension and the South Department of Tourism will host an Agritourism Workshop on Thursday, November 17 at the Sturgis Community Center (1401 Lazelle St., Sturgis, SD 57785) from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. MT.
This workshop will focus on what you can do to enhance your visitor experience. Topics that will be addressed include visitor expectations, collaborations, developing a tour, communications with visitors, and other important action steps. This conference is scheduled immediately prior to the South Dakota Local Foods Conference.
Please register by November 9. The cost to attend is $35, which includes lunch and snacks. No refunds will be issued after November 9. If you have any questions or for more information, contact Peggy Schlechter, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Field Specialist.
How are we doing?? Take a moment to complete the South Dakota District Office Customer Experience Survey and let us know. Your feedback will help us improve the services we can provide you. Find the survey at: https://surveymonkey.com/r/SBACXSurvey
SBA South Dakota District Office
200 North Phillips Avenue, Suite L101 Sioux Falls, SD, 57104 Phone: 605-330-4243 www.sba.gov/sd @SBA_SouthDakota
