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Business center to help disadvantaged companies

The North Coast Small Business Development Center in Eureka, California, recently was awarded a $50,000 contract to help businesses owned by women and minorities become more competitive in the Caltrans contract bidding process.

Since the 1996 passage of Proposition 209 -- which eliminated the use of race and gender in higher education and state contracts and hiring decisions -- the percentage of women- and minority-owned businesses awarded Caltrans contracts has dwindled. In an effort to counteract that trend, Caltrans has invested in 10 small business development centers throughout the state to offer free educational workshops and counseling services to qualified disadvantaged businesses.

Read full article here.

25th annual event is set for April 16-18 in Durham

The Council for Entrepreneurial Development will put on its 25th annual venture capital conference on April 16-18, and applications are being accepted for companies wanting to present to potential investors.

The first deadline to submit applications for Venture 2008 is Jan. 11.

Companies from the southeast and Mid-Atlantic states are eligible to apply.

Read full article here

Go to Sound Off
on Business Financing

Starting up: Can't attract investors? Try bootstrapping

Small business financiers, vendors, customers and employees give you no credibility for corporate experience. Your credibility, or loss of credibility, starts the day you begin a start-up. No experience counts, unless it is previous start-up experience. We did not understand that new ideas from folks without a start-up track record don't get funded.

Get more info here

Tech Startups Eye IPOs Again, After Long Lull

After three fairly dismal years, the window is again open for initial public offerings of technology stocks. And investors couldn't be more bullish about what's in the pipeline for the next couple of years.

Read full article here

Too Good to Miss

The U.S. government likes exports. It helps our balance of trade to have lots of exports. So they are right there to help you with anything that you've got that you want to export. Here is a good starting point. Lots of info, tools and resources.

Click here for more information

There's still time. No matter whether or not you agree with the war, take a moment to say "Thank you" to our service men and women abroad. Xerox lets you choose your card from hundreds of choices, and your greeting too. Then Xerox will copy it and see that it is delivered to one of our men or women in the service. It just doesn't get any easier!

Choose your card here

IIM Lucknow to Provide Funding Up to $ 200,000 for Existing Start-Ups in North India
Last Date for Submission of Executive Summary: December 20, 2007

Participation in this event is not limited to the management students but invites common public as well to present their existing businesses to venture capitalists, angel investors and individuals who are in quest of great businesses to provide funding. This kind of an event is being held in North India for the first time.

Read full article here

Space race: Down-to-earth opportunities more likely to get VC funding

Largely the domain of governments and big corporations, space is about to open for business.

But investors serious about making money off-planet should probably focus on ideas a little closer to earth, speakers at the Space Investment Summit this week in San Jose told those in attendance.

Flying into space is not an option being considered. But there are plenty of investment opportunities related to space, if not exactly focused on leaving the planet. Such space-related opportunities include solar power generation, special construction materials and even Web 2.0 programs along the lines of Google Earth, which allows users to view satellite pictures of everything from the entire planet to neighborhood blocks.

Read full article here

New Angel Network in Windsor

Kelso Sharp, of Sharp Biofuels, and Carlo Miceli, of Miceli Technologies, kicked off the Odette School of Business's new Angel Network. The University of Windsor program aims to match entrepreneurs with potential investors.

Read full article here

Your Sample Business
Plan

I wish I could find a better example of an import-export store. This one truly isn't very good. But it will give you an idea of what you will want to cover in the business plan.

See business plan here

"Don't compromise yourself. 
You are all you've got."

~Janis Joplin

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