Small Business Week Training Event Schedule

BATON ROUGE

Wednesday, June 19: 10:00 AM – 12:00 noon
8A Certification Training
Location: Louisiana Technology Park

LAFAYETTE

Wednesday, June 19: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Social Media for Business 101
Location: LITE

LAKE CHARLES

Thursday, June 20: 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Starting & Financing a Small Business
Location: MSU Burton Business Center

NATCHITOCHES

Thursday, June 20, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Marketing 101
Location: NSU Russell Hall

METAIRIE

Wednesday, June 19, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Advanced Quickbooks
Location: UNO Jefferson Center

Thursday, June 20, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Is Your Business Working for You?
Location: UNO Jefferson Center

Thursday, June 20, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
5 Steps to Secure Financing
Location: UNO Jefferson Center

MONROE

Wednesday, June 19, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Business Loans & Development for Small Businesses
Location: Ouachita Parish Public Library

Saturday, June 22, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Starting & Financing a Small Business
Location: ULM Hemphill Hall

PRAIRIEVILLE

Tuesday, June 18, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Starting & Financing a Small Business
Location: Ascension Parish Library

SHREVEPORT

Tuesday, June 18, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Starting & Financing a Small Business
Location: LSUS Business/Education Building

Thursday, June 20, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Beyond Business Plan on a Napkin
Location: CoHabitat

For more information, to make an appointment, or for a list of upcoming training events, visit the LSBDC website at www.lsbdc.org.

Over the last 10 years, through its partnership with Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration, the LSBDC has served over 116,000 small businesses – creating nearly 9,000 new jobs, 1,400 new businesses, $671 million in capital, and generated $693 million in new state income tax revenue.

To help small businesses prepare for hurricane season, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center has launched an all-new statewide mobile emergency alert system that delivers immediate updates via SMS text messaging. By texting READY to (318) 769-9921, small businesses can access information about potential hurricanes, floods or other emergencies that may impact their business. There is no charge for the service – standard message rates apply.

By signing up for emergency mobile alerts, small businesses will receive information on steps they can take to get ready and where to find help if needed. Should the president declare a state of emergency, the LSBDC will send a list of locations and contact information for state and local emergency assistance agencies including the LSBDC, U.S. Small Business Administration and Louisiana Economic Development.

“Communication is one of the most critical components of disaster planning and recovery. During a crisis, cell phones are often the best way to communicate and in some cases, the only form of communication,” said Barry Parker, business continuity director of the LSBDC. “Establishing this system gives us another way to get in touch with small businesses to help them mitigate the impact of a storm. We urge all small businesses to signup for this free service.”

Small businesses can customize their subscription to receive only alerts pertaining to their specific geographic area within the state. When subscribers select this custom setting, the LSBDC will only send notifications when an imminent threat approaches their area. Small businesses can visit www.lsbdc.org/READY for more details.

The LSBDC worked with interactive marketing and technology firm eMerge to develop the mobile alert system. The Slidell-based company has worked with numerous local government and emergency alert agencies across Louisiana to help ensure public safety during a crisis.

Having been impacted by six disasters in the last eight years including five hurricanes and an oil spill, the LSBDC is heralded as the gold standard for disaster preparedness and response. Since 2005, the LSBDC has provided business recovery assistance to more than 10,000 small businesses. Over the last several years, the LSBDC has consulted, trained and shared resources with various organizations at the national and international level.

In 2011, the ASBDC Accreditation Committee recognized the business continuity and risk management program, Ready for Anything, as a best practice. The program provides small businesses with education, training and business management assistance needed to minimize its losses and increase survivability when affected by workplace disruptions or natural and man-made disasters.

Louisiana Small Business Development Center Greater New Orleans Region
Receives 2013 Excellence and Innovation Award

LSBDC Greater New Orleans Region receives State and Regional SBDC Service Excellence and Innovation Award. (from l to r) Tatiana Clay, Business Consultant; Sandy Nguyen, Business Consultant; Yolanda Olivarez, SBA Regional Director; Carmen Sunda, Center Director; Mary Lynn Wilkerson, LSBDC State Director; Haritiana Rakotomamonjy, Graduate Assistant; Dianne Scalfani, Business Consultant; (from l to r) Albert Overman, Business Consultant; Mike Pennison, Business Consultant; Mike Cusack, Business Consultant; Mike Ricks, SBA District Director; and Wayne Aucoin, Business Consultant

Accelerating Your Sales is a high-impact, interactive training series designed to help small business owners formulate a game plan to improve sales and gain a competitive edge. This workshop is specifically designed for existing businesses, and over the course of four sessions, attendees will learn new and innovative strategies for increasing sales and profitability.

“Our goal is to help businesses position themselves for greater success” said Mary Lynn Wilkerson, LSBDC State Director. “We will teach them new strategies for attracting new customers as well as how to identify their best customers and attract more customers like them.”

Existing businesses often express to LSBDC consultants that sales and marketing is most important and critical to the success of their business. It is also the area that businesses request help with the most. According to Wilkerson, “How do I increase my sales?” is the leading question asked by small businesses. “This workshop is designed to answer that question and help small businesses implement a plan,” she said.

After completing this course, small businesses will walk away with a 9-month strategy that they can immediately apply to their business operations.

This workshop series is designed and conducted by Tom DeNardin, owner of DRDS Solutions, a management and marketing strategies company, and Management Instructor at University of Louisiana Monroe. DeNardin is a past recipient of the Top 100 award for marketing executives in the United States, awarded by Advertising Age, the nations leading marketing and media magazine.

After this 12-hour workshop series, participants will be able to effectively:

• Identify and focus on key customers and business opportunities
• Use demographic data to increase sales
• Market your business to achieve optimal results
• Promote your business without breaking the bank
• Drive sales using social media and new technologies

Workshop Dates

March 5, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

March 19, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

April 6, 2013, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

April 16, 2013, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

There is a $125 fee to attend, which includes course materials and light refreshments. To register for the workshop, visit www.lsbdc.org/ulm or call (318) 342-1224. Full payment in advance is needed to reserve a spot. Checks should be mailed and made payable to the LA SBDC, 700 University Ave., Monroe, LA 71209.

Last year, through its partnership with Louisiana Economic Development and the U.S. Small Business Administration, the LSBDC served 27,000 small businesses – creating 964 new jobs, 165 new businesses, $54 million in capital, and helping generate $17 million in new state income tax revenue.

About Louisiana Small Business Development Center

Designated and funded as the state’s principal provider of small business assistance by Louisiana Economic Development, the Louisiana Small Business Development Center is the only statewide, nationally accredited program that provides business consulting to entrepreneurs at no cost. Through a network of 10 centers, the LSBDC provides high quality one-on-one consulting, training and information resources to empower new and existing businesses.

LSBDC is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Louisiana Economic Development, and participating universities. All SBA programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.  Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities and limited English proficiency (LEP) will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.

The Louisiana Division of Administration is partnering with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab to conduct the Louisiana Small Business Broadband Survey.

The survey asks questions about businesses’ access to and utilization of broadband high-speed internet. The survey is designed to measure the extent to which small businesses throughout the state are participating in e-commerce.

The goal of the survey is to produce high-quality information that will help businesses better utilize broadband internet. Responses to the survey will remain strictly confidential. The survey is a critical element in the group’s efforts to promote economic growth among small businesses within the state through in-depth training and improved internet access.

To complete the survey, click here.

Every year, an Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) employee who demonstrates outstanding and exemplary performance, is honored with a Louisiana State Star Award. This year, the honors went to Sandy Nguyen, business consultant at the LSBDC Greater New Orleans Region.

Nguyen was honored at an awards reception in New Orleans on September 11, 2012, held in conjunction with the 32nd ASBDC Annual Conference. She was among 62 other State Stars from across the United States and U.S. territories recognized for their achievements.

“Receiving this award is a humbling experience. Not only am I honored to receive this award, but I am honored to have the opportunity to help so many entrepreneurs achieve business success,” said Nguyen.

Nguyen, a graduate of Tulane University, specializes in Vietnamese and Asian American business development, fishing and seafood industries as well as business continuity. For the past 25 years, she has used her business savvy, bilingual skills and cultural knowledge of her community to help thousands of Vietnamese, primarily in Eastern New Orleans, the largest Vietnamese community in the city, become accustomed to the rules and regulations of running a business in the U.S.

Nguyen was selected for being an exemplary performer, making significant contributions to the LSBDC  program and showing strong commitment to small businesses in the state. Since starting as a contract consultant in May 2001, she has been responsible for starting 22 businesses and access more than $25 million in capital to create 193 new jobs and save 1,068 jobs while increasing sales by $333 million, much of which is attributed to her work to help Vietnamese commercial fishermen following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike and the Deepwater  Horizon Oil Spill. These efforts proved to be extremely important giving that approximately 80 percent of commercial fishing licenses in the state are owned by people with Asian surnames, according to the Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Nguyen is currently working to help small businesses recently impacted by Hurricane Isaac.

“Sandy is an awesome business consultant. She has worked tirelessly to help small businesses in the Vietnamese community start, grow and recover from multiple disasters,” said Mary Lynn Wilkerson, LSBDC  State Director. “With her assistance, many of them have received reimbursements from the Oil Spill and accessed the capital needed to rebuild, save jobs and increase sales.

Due to her immense involvement in disaster recovery, Nguyen has been recognized by elected officials at the federal and state level. On the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, President Obama and the First Lady recognized and thanked Nguyen for her hard work, dedication and recovery efforts. She was also asked to testify at the Deep Horizon Oil Spill Roundtable hosted by Senator Landrieu. Wilkerson says that Sandy’s clients are more prepared for a disaster than they were pre-Katrina. “She has helped them develop business continuity plans and  prepare “Ready Kits” [important documents and supplies necessary for business to continue following a disaster] so that businesses can pick up and leave at a moments notice in case of emergency.”

Nguyen’s accomplishments also include being named one of  CityBusiness’ 50 Women of the Year for her achievements and commitment to excellence in her community in 2007.  Earlier this year, Nguyen received the prestigious LSBDC “5 Million Dollar Club,” award, which recognizes recipients for helping their clients secure five million dollars plus in loans, equity and other capital.

Prior to joining the LSBDC, Nguyen helped start the first Vietnamese nonprofit in the state, Vietnamese Initiative in Economic Training (VIET), which works to develop educational and economic training programs and act as a resource center for minority residents in Louisiana. This experience led to her starting her own nonprofit Coastal Communities Consulting that provides translation and immigration assistance.

Nguyen says that working for the LSBDC allows her to do what she enjoys most, helping small businesses. “I love my job,” said Nguyen. “As an LSBDC business consultant, I am rewarded everyday helping my clients, whether it’s helping them get immediate financial assistance to help them get back into business after a storm or helping their business accept electronic payment options to increase sales.”

In 2011, through its partnership with Louisiana Economic Development (LED)and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the LSBDC served 12,000 small businesses – creating 1,238 new jobs, 186 new businesses, $127 million in capital, and $48 million in new sales.This year alone, the LSBDC served 12,000 small businesses – creating 1,200 new jobs, 182 new businesses, $123 million in capital, and $45 million in new.

For more information, visit the LSBDC website at www.lsbdc.org.

About  LSBDC

Established in 1983, the LSBDC is the state’s premiere provider of small business assistance and the only statewide nationally accredited program that provides business consulting to entrepreneurs at no cost. Through a network of 10 centers, the  LSBDC provides high quality one-on-one consulting, training and information resources to help new and existing businesses start, grow and succeed.

Stay Connected with LSBDC

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/lsbdc

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/lsbdc

Google Places: gplus.to/lsbdc

YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/LSBDC

Victims of Hurricane Isaac that began on Aug. 26, 2012 in parts of Louisiana may qualify for tax relief from the Internal Revenue Service.

Following recent disaster declarations for individual assistance issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the IRS announced today that affected taxpayers in Louisiana will receive tax relief, and other locations may be added in coming days based on additional damage assessments by FEMA.

ThePresident has declared the parishes of Ascension, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard,St. Charles,St. John the Baptist, and St. Tammany a federal disaster area. Individuals who reside or have a business intheseparishesmay qualify for tax relief.

The declaration permits the IRS to postpone certain deadlines for taxpayers who reside or have a business in the disaster area. For instance, certain deadlines falling on or after Aug. 26, and on or before Jan. 11, 2013, have been postponed to Jan. 11, 2013. This includes the quarterly estimated tax payment due on Sept. 17, 2012.

In addition, the IRS is waiving the failure-to-deposit penalties for employment and excise tax deposits due on or after Aug. 26, and on or before Sept. 10, as long as the deposits are made by Sept. 10, 2012.

If an affected taxpayer receives a penalty notice from the IRS, the taxpayer should call the telephone number on the notice to have the IRS abate any interest and any late filing or late payment penalties that would otherwise apply. Penalties or interest will be abated only for taxpayers who have an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date, including an extended filing or payment due date, that falls within the postponement period.

The IRS automatically identifies taxpayers located in the covered disaster area and applies automatic filing and payment relief. But affected taxpayers who reside or have a business located outside the covered disaster area must call the IRS disaster hotline at 1-866-562-5227 to request this tax relief.

Covered Disaster Area
Theparisheslisted above constitutes a covered disaster area for purposes of Treas. Reg. § 301.7508A-1(d)(2) and is entitled to the relief detailed below.

Affected Taxpayers

• Taxpayers considered to be affected taxpayers eligible for the postponement of time to file returns, pay taxes and perform other time-sensitive acts are those taxpayers listed in Treas. Reg. § 301.7508A-1(d)(1), and include individuals who live, and businesses whose principal place of business is located, in the covered disaster area.
• Taxpayers not in the covered disaster area, but whose records necessary to meet a deadline listed in Treas. Reg. § 301.7508A-1(c) are in the covered disaster area, are also entitled to relief.
• All relief workers affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization assisting in the relief activities in the covered disaster area and any individual visiting the covered disaster area who was killed or injured as a result of the disaster are entitled to relief.

Grant of Relief
Under section 7508A, the IRS gives affected taxpayers until Jan. 11, 2013, to file most tax returns (including individual, corporate, and estate and trust income tax returns; partnership returns, S corporation returns, and trust returns; estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax returns; and employment and certain excise tax returns), or to make tax payments, including estimated tax payments, that have either an original or extended due date occurring on or after Aug. 26 and on or before Jan. 11, 2013.

The IRS also gives affected taxpayers until Jan. 11, 2013, to perform other time-sensitive actions described in Treas. Reg. § 301.7508A-1(c)(1) and Rev. Proc. 2007-56, 2007-34 I.R.B. 388 (Aug. 20, 2007), that are due to be performed on or after Aug. 26 and on or before Jan. 11, 2013.

This relief also includes the filing of Form 5500 series returns, in the manner described in section 8 of Rev. Proc. 2007-56. The relief described in section 17 of Rev. Proc. 2007-56, pertaining to like-kind exchanges of property, also applies to certain taxpayers who are not otherwise affected taxpayers and may include acts required to be performed before or after the period above.

The postponement of time to file and pay does not apply to information returns in the W-2, 1098, 1099 series, or to Forms 1042-S or 8027. Penalties for failure to timely file information returns can be waived under existing procedures for reasonable cause. Likewise, the postponement does not apply to employment and excise tax deposits. The IRS, however, will abate penalties for failure to make timely employment and excise tax deposits due on or after Aug. 26 and on or before Sept. 10 provided the taxpayer makes these deposits by Sept. 10.

Casualty Losses
Affected taxpayers in a federally declared disaster area have the option of claiming disaster-related casualty losses on their federal income tax return for either this year or last year. Claiming the loss on an original or amended return for last year will get the taxpayer an earlier refund, but waiting to claim the loss on this year’s return could result in a greater tax saving, depending on other income factors.

Individuals may deduct personal property losses that are not covered by insurance or other reimbursements. For details, see Form 4684 and its instructions.

Affected taxpayers claiming the disaster loss on last year’s return should put the Disaster Designation “LOUISIANA/HURRICANE ISAAC” at the top of the form so that the IRS can expedite the processing of the refund.

Other Relief
The IRS will waive the usual fees and expedite requests for copies of previously filed tax returns for affected taxpayers. Taxpayers should put the assigned Disaster Designation in red ink at the top of Form 4506, Request for Copy of Tax Return, or Form 4506-T, Request for Transcript of Tax Return, as appropriate, and submit it to the IRS.

Affected taxpayers who are contacted by the IRS on a collection or examination matter should explain how the disaster impacts them so that the IRS can provide appropriate consideration to their case.

Taxpayers may download forms and publications from the official IRS website, IRS.gov, or order them by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM (1-800-829-3676). The IRS toll-free number for general tax questions is 1-800-829-1040.

Related Information
Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses
Recent IRS Disaster Relief Announcements

America shops online and can’t find over half of Louisiana’s small businesses: 97% of shoppers look for goods and services online and 64% of Louisiana small businesses do not have a website. The Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC) is joining forces with Google to offer free websites and other Google tools for Louisiana businesses. The Google-led program, Louisiana Get Your Business Online will help drive economic growth by giving Louisiana businesses the tools and resources to establish a website, find new customers, and grow their business.

Louisiana Get Your Business Online is an easy and fast way for Louisiana businesses to get online. For the next year, participating Louisiana businesses can go to www.LouisianaGetOnline.com to get a free website as well as free tools, training and resources to help their business succeed online. Google is partnering with Intuit to provide its popular Intuit Websites offerings for free including an easy-to-build website, a customized domain name and web-hosting for one year.

Louisiana Get Your Business Online kicks off with a free workshop August 24^th at Louisiana Immersive Technologies Center, 537 Cajundome Blvd in Lafayette from 8:30am to 3:00pm. Participants will learn how to build their own website, as well as attend sessions devoted to growing and promoting their business online.

“We are excited to partner with Google to help Louisiana’s small businesses improve their online presence. In order to compete in today’s digital age, establishing a strong online presence is must,” said Mary Lynn Wilkerson, State Director of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. “This event is a great opportunity for small businesses, whether they’re just getting started or looking for new ways to increase their online visibility.”

Those wishing to attend are encouraged to register at www.LouisianaGetOnline.com or call 1-800-986-6958.

About Louisiana Small Business
Development Center

The LSBDC is Louisiana’s largest and most accessible source of assistance for entrepreneurs and the only statewide nationally accredited program that provides business consulting to entrepreneurs at no cost. Through a network of 10 centers, the LSBDC provides high quality one-on-one counseling, training and information resources to help small businesses start, grow and succeed.