May 23-25: SBA's Free Forums to Address Key Small-Biz Concerns During National Small Business Week

The small-business public is encouraged to take part in this year's National Small Business Week town hall meeting and business forums, addressing key small-business concerns.

Participants will have an opportunity to exchange ideas and dialogue on relevant issues for small businesses with leading business experts during National Small Business Week, May 23-25, in Washington, D.C.

The town hall meeting and business forums are free, and will be held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Conference Center, 1330 Maryland Ave., SW, in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Small Business Administration [SBA] events on issues that impact small business and the economy include:
* Town Hall Meeting: "Small Business: Driving America’s Economy"
* Innovation Forum: "Turning Innovation Into Jobs"
* Exporting Forum: "Taking Your Business Global"
* Social Media Forum: "Join the Conversation"

Among this year's distinguished town hall and forum moderators and speakers:
* JJ Ramberg, MSNBC Host, "Your Business"; and Town Hall Meeting Moderator
* Sean Greene, SBA Innovation Special Adviser; and Innovation Forum Moderator
* Luz Hopewell, SBA International Tradel; and Exporting Forum Moderator
* Brian Moran, Veracle Media LLC; and Social Media Forum Moderator
* Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation
* Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
* Scott Griffith, Chairman & CEO, Zipcar
* Dinesh Lathi, eBay North America Marketplace
* Stephen P. Zimba, Cbeyond
* Claire Johnson, Google
* Dale Hayes, UPS
* Angus Thomson, Intuit Grow Your Business Division
* Luther Lowe, Yelp
* Rieva Lesonsky, GrowBiz Media

2010 Schedule of SBA-Sponsored Events
May 24, 2010 -- Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Conference Center
* 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. -- Town Hall with SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills
* 2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. -- Innovation Forum
* 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. -- Exporting Forum
Sponsors: eBay, Cbeyond and UPS

May 25, 2010 -- Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Conference Center
* 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 p.m. -- Social Media Forum
Sponsor: Intuit

Visit http://www.NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com/ to register for forums, and for the full National Small Business Week schedule.

Live Webcasts Available
For participants who are unable to attend National Small Business Week events in Washington, D.C., the town hall meeting and business forums will be webcast live online at http://www.NationalSmallBusinessWeek.com/.

2010 Small Business Week sponsors and co-sponsors include: Sam’s Club, Visa, Ford, ADP, Raytheon, Cbeyond, UPS, Intuit, Google, eBay, AT&T, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, D&B, Verio, ASBDC, NADCO, NAGGL, NASE, NSBA, WIPP and SCORE.

To view highlights of 2009 National Small Business Week events, visit: http://bit.ly/SmallBizWeek2009.

To learn about Small Business Week events in your area, go to: http://bit.ly/SmallBizRegion.

To stay informed about SBA's efforts to simultaneously promote entrepreneurship and economic recovery, bookmark the following URL: http://bit.ly/RecoverySBA.

SOURCE: U.S. Small Business Administration
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Palo Alto Software Releases New Marketing Plan Pro Powered by Duct Tape Marketing®

As students head back to school, small-business owners are revving up their enterprises. Need help? Good news! GoodBiz113 ad partner Palo Alto Software, in partnership with small-business marketing guru John Jantsch [pictured] of Duct Tape Marketing, just announced the release of its new Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing®.

In this latest release of Marketing Plan Pro, Palo Alto Software has taken the award-winning Duct Tape Marketing methodology and embedded it into Marketing Plan Pro. The result: a product that will guide users through the process of creating a powerful marketing action plan that will help them understand how marketing and advertising can help grow their businesses.

Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing -- the best way to write a successful marketing plan -- is all-new for 2008. Small businesses often struggle with marketing strategies, and how to put an action plan in place that will actually grow their sales numbers. Marketing Plan Pro will give any business a clear plan to start working from, and get them started on creating a winning marketing strategy in just 30 minutes.

Your First Marketing Plan -- Within 30 Minutes!
Creating a marketing plan doesn't have to take months. In fact, Jantsch recommends starting with the simplest marketing plan outline, and then returning to add detail as implementation of your marketing plan progresses.

Marketing is a system, not an event, and Duct Tape Marketing is a systematic approach to marketing that is as elegantly simple as that sticky and trustworthy roll of duct tape. The Duct Tape Marketing system shows customers how to develop and execute marketing plans that will give businesses life and longevity. Audio introductions narrated by Jantsch are also included for major topics.

This new version of Marketing Plan Pro will help you:
* Build your marketing vision to identify your business goals.
* Focus on action, not words.
* Find your customers.
* Identify your remarkable difference and help figure out how you stack up against your competition.
* Forecast sales and budget expenses.
* Publish your plan securely online.
* Present your plan in style.
* Track your progress.
* Get free books [including a copy of Jantsch's own bestseller, "Duct Tape Marketing"] and more!

“It’s been exciting watching my Duct Tape Marketing system go from blog to book to software,” said Jantsch, creator of Duct Tape Marketing. “Merging my system with Palo Alto Software’s Marketing Plan Pro software will make this methodology available to anyone wanting to see their business succeed. The 30-minute plan will allow anyone to get from plan to action immediately.”

“Working with John Jantsch to bring Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing to market has been a great experience for Palo Alto Software,” noted Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software. “Our Marketing Plan Pro software still employs the core elements that have always made it a great value — including the step-by-step approach that guides users seamlessly through the process of creating a marketing plan that will be immediately available for use and get results.

“Palo Alto Software’s collaboration with John Jantsch and the Duct Tape Marketing system will be nothing short of remarkable for new and repeat customers, and we are very proud to bring this version to market.”

Learn From the Best in Class
Marketing Plan Pro and Duct Tape Marketing are both widely recognized as the best solutions in their class. Among their accolades:

“If you're going to market with a new product or service, Marketing Plan Pro will deliver all of the professional documents that you need to plan your launch.” -- Entrepreneur Magazine

“Marketing consultant and entrepreneur John Jantsch has earned a large following among small-business owners... He dispenses tips, strategies and tactics to help entrepreneurs expand their businesses.” -- BusinessWeek

Practically speaking, summer's over. Now, focus on growing your business!

Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing is available as an instant online download or on CD-ROM [download included] via Palo Alto Software. All Palo Alto Software products come with a no-risk, 60-day, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee.

SOURCES: BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur, Palo Alto Software
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In June 2008, Entrepreneur Magazine picked Palo Alto Software's Business Plan Pro as one of the top resources that can take your company to the next level of growth and profitability. Click this link to learn why...

Staples Names Sen. John Kerry Small Business Champion of the Year

This week, Framingham, Mass.-based Staples Inc. honored Sen. John Kerry [D-Mass.] with their Small Business Champion of the Year award for his 23 years of service in the U.S. Senate on behalf of America's 27 million small-business owners -- including Massachusetts' 650,000 small businesses. Kerry chairs the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

"I'm deeply honored to receive this award from Staples," said Kerry. "I'm working everyday in Washington to do just what we ought to do: level the playing field for small businesses, and foster innovation and entrepreneurship -- from Brighton to Boston, and from Salem to Springfield."

Staples, which began as a start-up in Brighton, Mass., in 1986 with 42 employees, used the Small Business Investment Company [SBIC] program, managed by the Small Business Administration [SBA], to fund its initial expansion. That investment helped spur Staples’ growth to become one of the largest office products suppliers in the world.

"Staples is a tremendous small-business success story," Kerry noted, "demonstrating the power of a public-private partnership that uses a federal small-business financing program to bolster the good idea and hard work of an entrepreneur."

Sen. Kerry was recognized for his leadership efforts to get several small-business initiatives signed into law last year. Among his achievements: Winning legislation to increase funding for core small-business programs; expand energy efficiency resources; secure permanent funding for successful Women's Business Centers; e.g., the Center for Women & Enterprise, in Boston, Worcester and Providence, R.I.; increase funding for small firms to develop military projects; and restore transparency to the Transportation Security Administration's contracting process. Presenting the award on behalf of Staples was Mike Miles, company president and chief operating officer.

This year, Kerry will continue to work on behalf of Massachusetts small businesses and entrepreneurs around the country by fighting to reduce health-care costs, increase access to capital, foster green technologies, and boost energy efficiency. He also aims to expand access to federal contracts – especially for underserved communities, including women, minorities and veterans.

SOURCES: Staples Inc., U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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Entrepreneur Magazine and OPEN from American Express® Name Katrina Markoff as 2007 Woman of the Year

Last week, Katrina Markoff, owner/chocolatier of Vosges Haut-Chocolat, was announced as the 2007 Entrepreneur magazine and OPEN from American Express® Woman of the Year. Markoff will accept her award and speak at the next "Women in Charge: Winning Strategies for Women Business Owners" conference, to be held in Miami Beach, Fl., on Jan. 29, 2008.

Entrepreneur's editorial staff and OPEN from American Express® chose Markoff for her creativity, solid business acumen and passion for her community. Markoff turned inspiration into a highly successful business by using her culinary passion to create an entirely new chocolate experience with Vosges Haut-Chocolat.

This Woman of the Year first discovered she had a passion for trying new flavor combinations while attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She later began experimenting with exotic ingredients for truffles like wasabi, anise and ancho chili powder, eventually leading her to start her gourmet chocolate company in 1998. The unusual flavors in her chocolates have helped her make her mark -- one worth almost $12 million in 2007 sales alone.

Markoff has made sure to grow her business with the environment in mind -- Vosges Haut-Chocolat's headquarters is run with 100 percent renewable energies. She's also planning to attain LEED platinum-level certification as well, a special recognition for sustainable green building and development practices with the U.S. Green Building Council.

"Katrina is the total embodiment of the creative, passionate and socially conscious entrepreneur," says Rieva Lesonsky, senior vice president and editorial director of Entrepreneur magazine. "She is a wonderful example of how entrepreneurial success can be achieved while maintaining a sense of connection to community and responsibility for the environment."

As the Woman of the Year, Markoff will share her insights with other women business owners during the luncheon portion of the Women in Charge conference, designed by Entrepreneur. This one-day, second-annual event will feature breakout sessions, speakers, giveaways and special opportunities for women entrepreneurs looking to start a business or make one grow.

"OPEN from American Express® is committed to supporting initiatives that empower women entrepreneurs," says Marcy Shinder, vice president, OPEN from American Express®. "We are proud to partner with Entrepreneur magazine to recognize and celebrate Katrina's success. She is among the growing number of women business owners across the country who are achieving their vision and making positive contributions to the economy and their communities."

Markoff is featured in the January 2008 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, on newsstands now. For more information on the Women in Charge conference and to register to attend for free, visit http://www.entrepreneur.com/womenincharge.

About Entrepreneur Media Inc.
Entrepreneur Media Inc. is the premier content provider for and about entrepreneurs. Its products engage and inspire every day with the advice, solutions and resources that fuel the bold and independent way entrepreneurs think.

After 30 years, nobody reaches more growing businesses. As the original magazine for the small and midsize business community, Entrepreneur continues to be the definitive guide to all the diverse challenges of business ownership. Entrepreneur.com is the most widely used website by entrepreneurs and emerging businesses worldwide. Entrepreneur Press publishes the books that turn entrepreneurial skills into business success.

About OPEN from American Express®
OPEN from American Express® is dedicated exclusively to the success of small-business owners and their companies. OPEN supports business owners with unparalleled service. With tailored products and services, the team delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help customers run their business.

Specifically, business-owner customers can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings -- including charge and credit cards, business gift cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities, and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about OPEN®, visit OPEN.com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a card or loan. Terms and conditions apply.

GoodBiz113 ad partner American Express Company [http://www.americanexpress.com] is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

SOURCES: American Express, Entrepreneur Media Inc., For the Love of Chocolate [photo]
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Sens. Kerry, Snowe Demand Timeline for Implementation of Women’s Contracting Program

Yesterday, Sens. John Kerry [D-Mass.] and Olympia J. Snowe [R-Maine, pictured], chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, demanded that the Bush administration provide a timeline for implementing a 2000 law which requires that women-owned small businesses receive 5% of federal government contracts. For seven years, the Bush administration has failed to create the Women’s Procurement Program, which mandates that women have equal access to federal contracts. In 2006, only 3.4% of federal contracts were awarded to female-owned businesses -- far short of the federal requirement, costing women-owned businesses an estimated $6 billion in potential revenue.

“When it comes to leveling the contracting playing field for women entrepreneurs, Congress threw the first pitch in 2000, but the Bush administration still refuses to step up to the plate,” Sen. Kerry declared. “After seven years of delays, I am tired of listening to excuses. Sen. Snowe and I want to see a timeline for implementing this program now, so that women small business owners aren’t denied another $6 billion in contracts.”

“The end of Fiscal Year 2007 has come and gone, and the Women’s Contracting Set-Aside Program has not been implemented as promised,” said Sen. Snowe. “Our nation’s women-owned small businesses have waited long enough, and I call on the SBA to set this program in motion as expeditiously as possible.”

The Bush administration testified at a July 2007 hearing that the Women’s Procurement Program would be implemented by Sept. 30, 2007. When it became apparent that the deadline would not be met, Sens. Kerry and Snowe pressed the administration in a hearing in September to provide a time frame for implementation. After seven years of delays, the administration again refused to commit to implementing the program within a certain period of time.

***

Following, is the full text of the letter sent to Small Business Administration [SBA] chief Steven C. Preston:

October 17, 2007

The Honorable Steven C. Preston
Administrator
U.S. Small Business Administration
409 Third Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20416

Dear Administrator Preston:

As chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, we would like to express our deep concerns about the long-delayed implementation of the Women’s Contracting Set-Aside Program. The Small Business Administration [SBA] recently released Fiscal Year 2006 small-business “goaling” results that continue to illustrate just how far the government is from reaching its women-owned and agencywide small-business goals. Women-owned small businesses only achieved 3.4% of the 5% statutory goal.

The women’s set-aside program enacted in December 2000 authorized, on a discretionary basis, contracting officers to “set aside” competition for federal contracts to women-owned small businesses. The program required SBA to conduct a study determining which industries would be characterized as underrepresented. The study was finally completed and made available to the public in April of this year. Regrettably, nearly seven years after enactment, women-owned small businesses are still waiting for the program to be implemented.

During a committee hearing on July 18th, the SBA pledged to implement the women set-aside program by the “end of this fiscal year.” Also, in a September 20th hearing on expanding federal contracting opportunities for women business owners, we strongly urged you to follow through on your earlier commitment to implement the program by the end of the fiscal year. The end of Fiscal Year 2007 has come and gone, and the program has not been implemented, as promised. We hope that you would agree that women-owned small businesses have waited long enough.

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of your immediate attention to this vital issue. Please provide a response with a specific timeline for implementation of the women’s contracting set-aside program within 10 working days of receipt of this letter.

Sincerely,

John F. Kerry
Olympia J. Snowe

Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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Business Advisor Offers Improv Performance, Innovative Networking Opportunity for Entrepreneurs

"Joy in the Jungle: Adventures in Entrepreneurial Thinking" promises to be an inspirational and zany show for anyone in business or thinking about making the leap. The audience is invited to play along in this interactive variety show, featuring an eclectic mix of stories, songs and games on Saturday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. at Augsburg College, Minneapolis. Rosemary Senjem, accompanied by Catherine Roach, will lead the audience through the jungle of business plans, cash flow, profits, customer service, and more.

Senjem is a successful business advisor who has guided startup companies, CEOs and independent artists, among others. She has launched several companies of her own; provided marketing and Web services to small businesses; and was an Outward Bound wilderness guide for seven years. Senjem, who grew up around entrepreneurs, artists, missionaries and engineers, describes Entrepreneurial Thinking as a “birthright” ‐- to be honored in a networking session with birthday cake before the show [6:30 p.m.].

"Joy in the Jungle" is a lighthearted take on the principles of what Senjem calls Entrepreneurial Thinking. It also enables Inspired Entrepreneurs, or those who “follow their hearts into business,” she says, “to celebrate in a gathering of the tribe.”

When left to our own devices, notes Senjem, human beings are creative and we generally prefer to run our own lives. "Entrepreneurial Thinking is extraordinarily ordinary," she says. "It’s a basic human behavior. Everyone can do this when you know the principles that govern it."

Senjem’s holistic approach and unwavering enthusiasm has established her as a leader in the growing entrepreneurial movement. She utilizes an improvisational discipline and other experiential methods. Her philosophy is based on the notion that being attuned to your physical well-being is a powerful tool for unleashing intuition, and shows how intuition plays a key role in making strong business decisions.

Testimonials for Senjem's Distinct Approach

“Pretty much everything we envisioned for my business wound up happening… She was tremendous helpful…Rosemary is an incredibly funny, nutty, great person. I always get positive feedback and ideas.” -- Nicole Stone, life coach and martial arts instructor, Minnesota

“Rosemary brings a sense of creativity and fun. To me, that’s really important to business. Why be chained to a desk when I could be dancing around at it?” -- Liz de Nesnera, founder of caregiverscommunity.com and multilingual voice-over talent, hireliz.com, N.J.

Event Details

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. [birthday cake and networking, 6:30 p.m.; Q&A following performance]

WHERE: Sateren Music Hall, Foss Center, Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minn.

TICKETS: $20; discounts for students and groups. Call 612-226-5101 for a discount code; or, visit http://www.joyinthejungle.com/.

About Rosemary Senjem
Rosemary Senjem is the founder of Hand Spun Digital, Inc. [http://www.handspundigital.com/] and teaches Intuitive Plan workshops [http://www.intuitiveplan.com/]. Senjem earned a B.A. in Human Development & Social Relations at Earlham College. She has run her own barbershop, education consulting business and Web design company. She is currently writing a book about the principles of Entrepreneurial Thinking.

Source: Intuitive Plan/Hand Spun Digital
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OPEN from American Express® Supports Women Entrepreneurs Through Sponsorship of Women's Leadership Exchange Conferences

The Women's Leadership Exchange® [WLE], a national leadership and business development program, is proud to announce that, for the fifth consecutive year, OPEN from American Express® is the WLE Founding Sponsor. This year, with the support of GoodBiz113 ad partner OPEN from American Express, Women's Leadership Exchange will hold its first-ever Northern California conference, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007.

Exciting, new highlights include candid, inspirational "conversations" with two extraordinary women: Dawn Lepore, chairman and CEO of Drugstore.com, who recently led the Internet-based company to record sales in excess of $100 million; and California's own Carly Fiorina, former chair and CEO of Hewlett Packard, and author of "Tough Choices."

The conference also features expert- led seminars focused on leadership and business development skills, the WLE powerful brand of Speed Coaching, QVC Product Evaluations, and more. In addition to Dawn Lepore and Carly Fiorina, speakers and honorees include Quinn Tran, founder and CEO of goQTT, and Edie Weiner, renowned futurist and co-author of "Future Think."

Built into the day are various facilitated interactions between sponsors, speakers and the attendees so that they can build relationships and become resources for each other.

Michelle Thompson-Dolberry, director, Advocacy Marketing, for OPEN from American Express, says, "Over the past five years, working closely with the Women's Leadership Exchange, we have seen women make significant strides in every arena of business.

"Women helping women is the right formula for growth, and these conferences have definitely been a contributing factor, because they bring women together in the most impactful way. All of us at OPEN are proud of our founding sponsorship of WLE and we are delighted to help bring the first event to Northern California's entrepreneurial and executive women."

WLE was one of the first national advocacy/conference programs to give corporations the opportunity to build relationships with women business owners/leaders, and OPEN stepped up to the plate early on.

"OPEN from American Express committed to the growth and success of women business owners by becoming the WLE Founding Sponsor in 2002," said WLE co-founder Andrea March, "long before most corporations understood the potential of the women's business market.

"As my co-founder, Leslie Grossman, explains in her book, 'SELLsation! How Companies Can Capture Today's Hottest Market: Women Business Owners and Executives' [WLE Press, 2006], today, rather than 'mass sell' to women, companies need to get to know them directly, understand their needs, and help them succeed."

In addition to OPEN from American Express, WLE corporate partners include IKEA, Morgan Stanley, American Airlines, Bermuda Department of Tourism, and Jones New York.

For registration information, visit http://www.womensleadershipexchange.com/; or, call 888.937.5800.

The cost to attend the Northern California conference, which includes facilitated networking, breakfast, luncheon and a cocktail reception, is $299. Members of WLE's supporting organizations save $50.

The WLE also plans all-day conferences in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta and Long Beach/Los Angeles.

Source: The Women's Leadership Exchange
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Sens. Kerry, Snowe Press for Fulfillment of Women’s Business Center Renewal Grants

Today, Senators John Kerry [D-Mass.] and Olympia J. Snowe [R-Maine, pictured], Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, pressed the Small Business Administration [SBA] to comply with a law to make renewal grants available to established Women’s Business Centers around the country. Kerry and Snowe secured a provision in the emergency appropriations bill signed by President Bush, in May, to ensure that a steady stream of matching funds continues to be available to the most experienced centers.

“Unless the Administration acts quickly to get funding to these Women’s Business Centers, some of them may be forced to cut key services or possibly shut down entirely,” said Kerry. “This renewal grant program will ensure our successful centers, like the Center for Women and Enterprise in Boston, remain strong so they can focus on providing women entrepreneurs with the tools they need to succeed when starting or expanding a business.”

Kerry created the Women's Business Center Sustainability Pilot Program in 1999. Since then, Congress has worked in a bipartisan way to ensure that centers with a proven track record of success continue to receive matching funding from the SBA. The renewal grant program builds on the pilot program.

“The purpose of these ongoing grants is to assure that women business owners, as the fastest growing segment of the U.S. business community, receive the technical assistance they need to expand their businesses and enter new markets without interruption,” explained Snowe. “The SBA needs to act quickly, so that successful centers throughout New England and the United States are not forced to close their doors because they lack the funding to continue providing women with the business counseling and technical assistance.”

Congress intended for the renewal grants program to be implemented immediately, to ensure centers would receive funding by October 1, 2007. Because that did not happen, the affected centers would wait another year for funding. So, in a letter to the SBA, Kerry and Snowe urged the agency to temporarily tailor its grant-making process, so that Women’s Business Centers could receive these critical grants by January 1, 2008. These centers help level the playing field for women entrepreneurs by providing technical and educational assistance.

Women-owned small businesses contribute nearly $2 trillion to our economy each year. In 2006, there were 10.4 million women-owned firms in the United States employing 12.8 million people, according to the Center for Women’s Business Research.

Following, is the text of the letter from Senator Kerry and Senator Snowe to the SBA:

August 17, 2007

The Honorable Steven Preston
Administrator
U.S. Small Business Administration
409 Third Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20416

Dear Administrator Preston:

On May 25, 2007, President Bush signed into law the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007, which contained a provision creating a renewal grant program for the Small Business Administration’s [SBA] Women’s Business Center program. This provision enabled all Women’s Business Centers, including those which have graduated or are graduating in FY 2007 from the sustainability program, to apply for 3-year renewal grants. The legislation made the renewal grant program effective immediately, and Congress intended for new renewable grants to be disbursed to those eligible graduated and graduating centers by October 1, 2007.

The fact that these funds will not be disbursed to graduated or graduating centers by October 1, 2007, will hurt women business owners who need technical assistance. Therefore, to comply with the law and to mitigate any adverse consequences for women business owners seeking assistance, the SBA must temporarily tailor and abbreviate its up-coming grant making process so that the new renewable grants are disbursed to eligible centers by January 1, 2008. [In order to keep the grant cycle consistent, the first renewable grants should be scheduled to end on the last day of FY 2010.]

Women’s Business Centers are instrumental in supporting the growth and success of women-owned businesses, and it is very important that the Agency implement the renewal grant program as soon as possible. There are nearly 10.4 million women owned firms throughout the nation, employing more than 12.8 million people, and generating $1.9 trillion in sales.

Despite their contribution to the economy and double-digit increases in women business ownership, women are still less likely than men to own businesses, and, if they do own businesses, their average size of business is smaller. Women’s Business Centers specifically target low-income women, and between 45 and 60 percent of economically disadvantaged individuals entering the program are no longer in poverty a year or two later.

In the past, Women’s Business Centers could only receive funding from the federal government for up to 10 years. This left established centers struggling for funds, from Massachusetts and Maine, to New Hampshire and New Mexico. Women’s Business Centers target low-income women and are therefore unable to charge more than nominal fees for their services. Consequently, ongoing federal funding is essential in order for these centers to continue their work with women entrepreneurs.

We urge the SBA to support the established centers and to implement the program in a way that would allow them to immediately apply for grants, so they can begin receiving grants as of January 1, 2008. Please let us know how the SBA plans to implement these changes, and how the Committee can be helpful to you and your staff in meeting these timelines.

Sincerely,

John F. Kerry
Olympia J. Snowe

Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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SBA Releases First-Ever Procurement Scorecard; Seven of 24 Federal Agencies Met 2006 Contracting Goals

In an effort to increase the transparency and accountability in small-business contracting, the U.S. Small Business Administration [SBA] today released its first-ever Small Business Procurement Scorecard. The Scorecard will help agencies measure their achievements and progress in making contracting opportunities available to small businesses, improve the accuracy of contracting data regarding small businesses, and provide the public the opportunity to assess agencies’ performance in meeting these goals.

Seven federal agencies -- the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, and SBA itself -- met their small-business contracting goals.

“SBA’s and the agencies’ commitment to small-business contracting results is unprecedented,” said Clay Johnson, Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget. “With clear, outcome-oriented goals, clear, realistically aggressive plans to achieve them, clearly defined accountability, and frequent tracking of performance, SBA and the agencies are saying they want to be held most publicly accountable for contracting with small business at desired levels.”

SBA’s Scorecard builds on a series of administration initiatives to improve small-business access to federal contracts. At the request of the White House’s Office of Federal Procurement Policy and SBA, federal agencies spent months reviewing 11 million contract actions from the last two years to cleanse the database of miscoded contracts.

On June 30, federal regulations were changed. Contracts awarded to small companies acquired by large corporations will no longer count towards federal agency small-business goals – even if the acquisition took place before the rule change.

“These changes – increased accuracy, transparency and accountability – provide a real window of opportunity for America’s small businesses,” said SBA Administrator Steven Preston [pictured]. “Almost $5 billion in misreported contracts have been cleaned out of the small-business database.

"To meet their goals in 2007 and beyond, federal agencies know they will have to place more new contracts with small businesses. SBA is also increasing its staff and technical assistance to help our federal partners meet their contracting needs.”

Small Business Goaling Report
After working with federal agencies to identify miscoding and anomalies in the contracting database, SBA released the annual Small Business Goaling Report for FY 2006, and revised the FY 2005 report.

The Goaling Report shows that $77.7 billion in federal contracts were awarded to small businesses in FY 2006 -- up $2.7 billion from the previous year. The revisions reduce the share of contracts awarded to small businesses in 2005; $4.6 billion from the previously reported 25.4 percent, to 23.4 percent. For 2006, the figure is 22.8 percent, just short of the small-business procurement goal established by law at 23 percent.

Administrator Preston cited the progress federal agencies have made towards meeting the five targeted sub-categories for small businesses procurement as an example of what can be accomplished when agencies track progress towards small-business goals. “While only the target for small disadvantaged business has been met so far,” he said, “SBA is encouraged by the real gains made in every category in 2006.”

In other categories, contracts to companies owned by service-disabled veterans increased by 50 percent, from $2 billion to $3 billion; contracts to women-owned businesses increased by a billion dollars; contracts to 8(a) enterprises rose by $700 million; and contracts to HUBZone firms were up $1 billion.

“We still have more to do to reach our targets,” Preston said, “but these are accomplishments that our federal partners can be proud of.”

View From the Senate
In light of SBA's new report, Sen. John Kerry [D-Mass.], chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, expressed reserved praise.

“I’m glad to see Administrator Preston has taken some steps to fix the faulty and misleading small-business contracting numbers and hold agencies accountable, but these numbers should still be viewed with caution," Kerry declared in a formal statement. "Despite the federal contracting budget increasing by at least $20 billion last year, the percentage going to small businesses decreased, and the government still isn’t counting the whole pie because of special exemptions and exclusions.

“It’s critical that we continue to improve the reporting system and count all contracts in calculations, so we know the reality on the ground. It’s not about meeting the goals for the sake of meeting a number. Doing more business with small firms is good for our economic and national security, because it diversifies our supply base. I will continue to review and analyze these numbers, and will work with Administrator Preston to ensure that the entire government is truly meeting the small business goals.”

About the Scorecard
SBA rates 24 agencies green, yellow or red -- both on whether they reached their annual small-business contracting goals, and on their progress on efforts to make contracting opportunities available to small businesses. To achieve a green rating, a federal agency has to meet its overall small-business contracting goal, as well as the goals for at least three of four subcategories. For their current status, seven agencies were rated green, five yellow, and 12 were red. In the second category, under “progress,” 12 agencies were rated green, eight were yellow, and four were red.

Each federal agency has a different small-business contracting goal, determined annually in consultation with SBA. SBA ensures that the sum total of all of the goals exceeds the 23 percent target established by law. The Scorecard will be updated every six months and is publicly available on the SBA Web site.

Sources: U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, U.S. Small Business Administration
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