Come and learn how to run an independent, online store with MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. WIP is for anyone, from existing businesses looking to add revenues to individuals selling handcrafts from their home to supplement their income.

Western New York businesses and entrepreneurs can now gain the knowledge and the confidence they need to begin gaining online sales and inquiries. Our scalable website allows us to host hundreds of businesses in our online mall. Individuals gain knowledge, experience and confidence in a comfortable setting in workshops like this one.

Subscribers and public welcome.  Wednesdays from 6 to 8 PM.

To register, please fill out the form found here (same-day registrations must be submitted before noon).

The Corporation for Enterprise Development has advanced MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. and our Web Incubator Program (WIP) to stage 2 of Innovation Ideas.

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Yes.  Store owners can track how often their products are viewed by using the admin interface for their store.  It looks a  little like this below.

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May 2008 - LISC approves MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc.’s sub-award of United States Housing and Urban Development capacity building grant through the Massachusetts Avenue Project.  The nearly $50,000 award allowed MBB to open its first independent office on the lower west side,

July 2008 - The Jubilee Community Loan Fund, Inc. begins expanding its board to add members from MicroBiz Buffalo’s core providers.

August 2008 - February 2009 - Board redevelopment continues.  With a focus heavy on those who provide services to small business owners: Cindi Thomason, Buffalo State College Small Business Development Center, joins her colleague Scott Smith of SCORE Buffalo-Niagara.  Bill Battle wears many hats as community outreach person for Bryant & Stratton he also serves as a board connector.

The Belmont Shelter Corp. and MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. agree to provide Individual Development Accounts to eight entrepreneurs on the West Side of Buffalo.

November 12, 2008 - MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. is born. It’s official, The Jubilee Community Loan Fund, Inc. amends its certficiation of incorporation to change its name and to open the door for the new organization to begin developing a strategy for influencing public policy on behalf of entrepreneurs.  (For official documents see here.)

February 2009 - MBB has an annual retreat at its 327 Niagara Street office to plan for the future.  The board decides to develop a new website to more easily connect entrepreneurs to small business services and to offer a platform to local small businesses to begin making sales online.  They also agree to develop funds to grow the Robert Grimm Micro Equity Program to further meet the capital needs of small business owners.

March 24, 2009 - Jubilee’s last viable borrower agrees to a repayment plan and begins repayment.

May 2009 - MBB develops, writes and submits its first three Federal Grant applications to grow its revolving loan program (not awarded).

July 2009 - MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. starts Nets to Net Worth, a youth development program combining athletic training with financial education.

Fall 2009 - MBB contracts with the Father Belle Center to provide entrepreneurial development training at the Belle Center as part of their workforce develop program (begins June 2010).

October 30, 2009 - MBB launches www.microbizbuffalo.org.

January 2010 - MBB awarded grant from the M&T Foundation to support the web incubator, WIP.

Spring 2010 - MBB negotiates and finalizes agreement with members of the Buffalo Common Council to support small business growth in the city of Buffalo through online sales.

May 2010 - MBB awarded grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation to support web incubator, WIP.

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Here are a couple key take-aways for small businesses in Western New York from President Obama’s time in Buffalo and what MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. is doing and going to do about it. (WBFO has the full text.)

“Look at where the puck is going to be.”  Canvass small businesses. How does one know what main street businesses need now and into the future if they are not asked? MicroBiz and Western New York’s network of small businesses providers (e.g SCORE® and SBDC) have been doing it for years – formally and informally. In assisting small businesses throughout Western New York, we have been able to identify some common needs.

Our Web Incubator Program is but one outcome of MicroBiz’s ability to identify needs and look at where the “puck is going to be”. In 2008, $200 Billion in sales flowed through the internet. However, many small businesses in Western New York do not currently make sales online. Why not? While the answers vary, three truths shine through: 1) the self-employed don’t know enough about it, 2) they feel it is cost prohibitive and 3) they don’t want to lose control of their business. MicroBiz wants our local businesses to be able to compete online. Therefore, we have built the tool and the training to help them do so.

MicroBiz takes the time to teach businesses how to run an online business. We provide the service at a reasonable cost to value (sometimes it’s free!). Finally, since we are providing the service on “built to be controlled by the user” open source software, businesses will easily be able to control what they want.

To further its mission and to grow its web incubator program, MicroBiz is going to start a canvass of small businesses. Thank you to President Obama for mentioning the need. I am glad we are in a position to fill it.

MicroBiz Buffalo, Inc. is a mission-driven 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that connects people to enterprise resources and builds tools and relationships to enhance the economic growth of Western New York through entrepreneurism.

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MicroBiz announces the start of a canvass of small businesses in Western New York to assist businesses by learning and addressing their needs.

To read the job description and/or apply, please visit our site here.

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Buffalo & Erie County Public Library:
1 Lafayette Sq., Buffalo 14203

This workshop is a must for new business startups to learn all the elements of business management required for success. It is also very helpful for those in business that may be experiencing problems, or want to fine-tune their business for greater efficiency and success.

You will learn about marketing research, marketing, business planning, insurance, federal and state taxes, legal structures, government resources, financing, counseling and more. Representatives from the private sector, SCORE, and government agencies will make presentations. SCORE members will be available for counseling.

Fee: $30 Includes coffee and donuts.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010  8:30 AM - 4:00 PM (see calendar)

Veterans may attend Workshops at no charge.

SCORE - Counselors to America’s Small Business www.scorebuffalo.org

SCORE^® is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

All SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

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Subject: YOUR BUSINESS BUILDER: Websites – A Necessity in Business

June 2010 - From SCORE Buffalo-Niagara - by Kenyon Riches of the Buffalo-Niagara Chapter of SCORE

Any business today must have a website in order to be most successful. A good website provides information about the business and its products and services, establishes instant communications and helps establish credibility of the business. It can reach potential clients around the world and even provide order processing.

Getting potential customers to your website can be difficult because it’s like having a store on the 46th floor of a midtown Manhattan building. People don’t know you are there or how to find you. There are three ways for them to find your website:

1. Search engines
2. Links
3. Promotional material

1.  Search engines – Some businesses depend to a great extent on reaching customers through search engines. Getting your website high on the list of search engine results can be difficult because everyone aims for the same result. Some of the factors that help achieve a high listing position include:

• The keywords and key phrases that you select, whether they are in the page title, and where they are on the page (high on the page is better).
• The number of times the keywords are used on your website as normal verbiage - they can’t just be repeated.
• Append articles, blogs news and relevant tools to your market on your website to increase your added value and placement.
• The number of other websites that link to your site.

Some businesses specialize in providing this service of optimizing your website for the best search results. Unless you want to spend your time learning SEO (search engine optimization), consider contracting it out to experts, especially if your business success depends on SEO. You can learn about the process at the following search engines by following their links below”

• Google (Submit Content to Google & Local Search)
• Yahoo
• Bing
• Askjeeves

2.  Links – You can pay to have your link on a website that you feel is a good prospect for your products/services, and become a “sponsored” link. You can also arrange for free reciprocal links with websites that are associated with your products/services, thereby benefitting both websites at no cost.

3.  Promotional Material – Your website can be on your products, business cards, stationery, brochures, email, invoices, the car/truck you drive, any ads or promotional listings, T-Shirts, etc.

Once you have the customer in your store (on your website), the quality of your website will reflect the quality of your company and the products and services you sell. It pays to develop a high-quality website that will create the customer confidence that will impel him/her to buy. Whether you choose to go “low cost” with an amateur site developer or a higher-cost professional job will probably impact your degree of success.

Consider attending no-charge counseling sessions at SCORE’s office within the SBA (fifth floor at 130 South Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo – Ste 540). SCORE also holds one-on-one counseling sessions specifically on Marketing at the Buffalo & Erie County Main Library – SCORE conference room - Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 1:30-4:30 pm. There are no charges for these counseling sessions. Call 716-551-4301 for appointments, and to attend a business workshop during June.

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From an IRS Listserve

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service will host a special nationwide Open House on Saturday May 15 to help small businesses and individuals solve tax problems.

Approximately 200 IRS offices, at least one in every state, will be open May 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time. IRS staff will be available on site or by telephone to help taxpayers work through their problems and walk out with solutions.

“Our goal is to resolve issues on the spot so small businesses and individuals can put any issues they have with the IRS behind them,” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said. “If you have a problem filing or paying your taxes or resolving a tough tax issue, we encourage you to come in and work with us.”

IRS locations will be equipped to handle issues involving notices and payments, return preparation, audits and a variety of other issues. At a previous IRS Open House on March 27, approximately two-thirds of taxpayers requested and received assistance with payments and notices.

So, for example, a taxpayer who cannot pay a tax balance due can discuss with an IRS professional whether an installment agreement is appropriate and, if so, fill out the paperwork then and there. Assistance with offers-in-compromise will also be available. Likewise, a taxpayer struggling to complete a certain IRS form or schedule can work directly with IRS staff to get the job done.

At the March 27 Open House, 88 percent of the taxpayers who came in for help had their issues resolved the same day.

Locations for the May 15 Open House are listed here.

The Open House on May 15 is the first of three events scheduled through the end of June. The next two are planned for Saturday June 5 and Saturday June 26. Details regarding those events will be available soon.

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April 21, 2010

Dear West Side Business and Taxpayers Association Member,

The economy grows ever more digital. Do local, independent businesses? Are you reaching more customers or your existing customers as well as you can, by using what they’re using?

Online marketing and retail can add new dollars to your bottom line. But you need to be online, where people can find you.

As for websites, too often businesses overspend for more than they need or settle for less than they wanted. Businesses that settle for the creation of product interest online usually miss out on converting the interest into sales simply by not having a checkout on their webpage. In 2008, $200 Billion in online sales flowed through the U.S. economy. Wouldn’t you like some?

This is where MicroBiz’s Web Incubator Program or WIP fits. Much like a typical business incubator, the program seeks to boost confidence and competency in a supported environment. WIP first offers a simple way for businesses to present an online face of their business at www.microbizbuffalo.org. After MicroBiz provides technical training in managing an online store, MicroBiz sets up the store. Just like that, you are open for business online.

Your local business association, the West Side Business and Taxpayers Association, has been working with MicroBiz and Councilman Rivera to provide you with a FREE opportunity to participate in MicroBiz’s WIP– a typical annual subscription to WIP costs $250.

To get you up and selling on the site, you will need to have the following:

1. Proof of membership in the West Side Business and Taxpayers Association. To join the Association, contact its President, Mr. Ron Carnevale at 639-1401.

2. Business Name and logo (in digital form)

3. Contact person

4. Email address

5. Physical Address

6. Phone number

7. Links to any existing websites for the business

8. Suggested Product category or categories

9. Images and/or descriptions of your products or services

Initially, we will bring your business onto the site under the Association’s listing. However, when you feel comfortable opening your online store - after some basic training on using the site and the establishment of a PayPal account - MicroBiz will convert your simple listing into your own online store.

We are excited to begin making this program work for you. MicroBiz would like to offer training to WSBTA members the first Wednesday of each month beginning May 5, 2010 at 6:30 through August 4.  (Further details are being confirmed.)

Our agreement with the WSBTA is to extend WIP subscriptions to all existing and new members through July 31, 2010.

Sincerely,

Jerry Turcotte,

Executive Director

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