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Archive for November, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving from NHEconomy!

Wednesday, November 26th, 2014

Here comes Thanksgiving, on its way via a snow storm, which is a nice way to start the holiday season. It’s a nice time of year in New Hampshire.

It is also a busy time, a time to wrap up projects for the year, chart a course for the coming new year and somehow, find the time to make merry and enjoy the company of friends and family.

From all of us at the Division of Economic Development, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving … and a safe one, if you are traveling.

And, of course, being a champion of business and the economy, we have some business of our own to pass on.

DED-annual-meeting-socialFirst, our 19th annual meeting is coming up on Dec. 9. It’s a day when we bring together our colleagues from across the state and talk about the economy, some trends and what’s ahead. Thanks to sponsorship from our friends at Public Service of New Hampshire, this year’s event is at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester and the theme is Live Free and Grow. Expect, as always, an interesting keynote speaker, some lively panel discussions and presentation of awards from Commissioner Rose. We’ve squeezed in time for lunch and socializing with colleagues.

Registration is free, but seating is limited (and those seats are going fast), so we need you to register. Take a moment and click over to the registration page and we will look forward to seeing you.

By the time our annual meeting rolls around, you may be already started on your Christmas list. A good day to get started is Small Business Saturday, coming up this Saturday.SmallBizSaturday

Our state abounds with small businesses, some of the 23 million in the country. Since 1982, small businesses have increased 49 percent and since 1990, they’ve created 8 million jobs. Of all U.S. sales, 54 percent happen at a small business.

Small businesses here are everything from manufacturers to Main Street merchants. They employ our friends and neighbors, they give our communities identities and make them a nice place to live. In terms of dollars and cents, if you spend $100 at a local business, roughly $68 stays in the community.

See you around town.

Lorna Colquhoun
Communications Director
NH Division of Economic Development

 

NH SBDC Turns 30! Join the Celebration!

Thursday, November 13th, 2014

The New Hampshire Small Business Development Center celebrates 30 years of helping people turn their dream of opening a business into reality. State Director Mary Collins is our guest blogger today and she joins us at 3 pm next Wednesday (Nov. 19) on our radio show on WTPL-FM 107.7, New Hampshire Business Matters. Happy Anniversary and many more. – Ed.

There’s more to a business than bricks and mortar. Inside every door are people who took their dreams and passion and put them to work. For every single business in New Hampshire, big or small, there’s a story and who doesn’t love a good story?

SBDCThe New Hampshire Small Business Development Center turns 30 this month and we’ve been having a great time telling the stories of some of the thousands of people we’ve met since 1984, helping them to forge their vision, turning it into a business and success.

We’re also throwing a party, and you’re invited, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

NH SBDC is reaching out across the years to connect with clients, partners, staff, advisory board members, supporters and friends with one simple request – we want your face. Email your photos, along with your name, affiliation, and how you are/were connected with us to nh.sbdc@unh.edu or post it to our Facebook page, or tweet it @NHSBDC #nhsbdc30th.

For the past few weeks, we have been featuring these folks on our Facebook and Business Tips pages. All the photos received will become part of the Faces of SBDC slideshow at the upcoming anniversary party.

Set aside 5:30 to 8 pm next Thursday (Nov. 20) at Dyn (150 Dow St., Manchester) for the celebration, which will feature refreshments (including wines, craft beers and mead) and door prizes, many from our past and present clients. We’ll premiere our short film and Gov. Hassan has been invited.

Register here.

We couldn’t turn 30 with our anniversary sponsors: Northeast Utilities – PSNH; Business NH Magazine, TD Bank; UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics; Peter T. Paul, and Peter Paul Wines.  And we also thank our funding partners for 30 years:  U.S. Small Business Administration, the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development and the University of New Hampshire.

Mary Collins

State Director

NH Small Business Development Center

A Different Kind of Marketing Conference

Monday, November 10th, 2014

 

When you see “Dare. Play. Breakthrough.” on the signs promoting a business conference, you know you’re in for a different kind of experience.

The ‘A-Ha!’ Summit, which this agency helped launch back in 2009, is celebrating its sixth year of bringing the latest information in marketing and social media to New Hampshire professionals. This year, the conference is happening from 9 am to 4 pm, Thursday (Nov. 13) at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester.

Lani and Allen Voivod, the co-owners of Epiphanies, Inc. in Gilford and co-founders of the Summit, say that they’re thrilled to showcase “top experts in email marketing, mobile marketing, digital media, Instagram for business, content creation, results-driven success coaching, community building, online visibility, and energetic technology.”

The mix, they say, has to do with delivering the right combination of cutting-edge stuff, plus topics that help people get better at the things they’re already doing, and sessions and activities that get people out of their comfort zones.

Definitely not your typical business event.

Of course, we’ve been to the conference every year, and there’s a great opportunity for networking, too, since it draws attendees from a wide range of industries. Business owners, entrepreneurs, marketing managers and staff, and nonprofits groups have all been represented in the past.

One new wrinkle in the event is their keynote speaker, Roderick Russell, and his bio is unusual, to say the least. He’s described as a “professional sword swallower, mentalist, hypnotist and  speaker, driven by an intense desire to explore the fringe of human experience. The author and host of Remarkably Human: The Art & Science of Being Remarkable, his work has been also featured on the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, CNN, MTV, Maxim Magazine, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, and more.” Seems like the right guy to be giving a talk called “Dare to Be Remarkable.”

The other notable in the agenda is the “Online Domination” panel, which promises to cover “branding, responsive design, Internet performance, inbound marketing, search engine optimization, and trend-watching in business for 2015 and beyond.” And what conference would be complete without a free lunch and continental breakfast?

Lani and Allen tell us there are a few seats left, and the place to get tickets is at http://AhaSummit.com. Be sure to find us there and say hello!