Tag Archives: Business Assistance

Local vendors get tips for accessing capital during February’s Workshop Wednesday

In Texas, small businesses serve as economic engines, making up more than 90 percent of all business activity statewide.

And yet, these small business still struggle with accessing the capital needed to help them grow.

“Many people are not aware that there are a lot of resources in the Houston area for business owners,” PeopleFund Houston Senior Loan Officer Nini Gutierrez said, leading a recent presentation for local minority- and women-owned businesses. “Going out into the community and educating people on these resources and how they can get help is very important so that businesses can continue to grow and be successful.” Continue reading →

Workshop Wednesday: How to do business with HISD

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Members of HISD’s Supplier Diversity department gathered with local business owners and vendors on Wednesday to provide them with tips for successfully submitting required Minority & Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) reports to the district.

HISD established the M/WBE program in 1988 to advocate fair and equitable opportunities for the participation of M/WBE firms or companies. The M/WBE participation report makes it possible for smaller businesses to gain contracts within the district after all requirements have been met. Continue reading →

Workshop Wednesday presents human capital strategies

G&A Partners Director Jose Laurel spoke to a crowd of local business owners and vendors on Wednesday offering advice on hiring and retaining good employees.

Laurel emphasized two critical requirements that are essential in achieving growth and success: employees must be eager to learn and companies must be willing to evolve.

Laurel asked attendees how often their companies administered employee reviews. While most in attendance said their companies conducted reviews annually, Laurel noted that the best practice was to conduct shorter appraisals on a regular basis. This ensures employees have the opportunity to get and give feedback.

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Workshop Wednesday focuses on maximizing the value of businesses

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Local business owners and vendors gathered on Wednesday to hear from Bank of America executives on the multiple ways to grow their businesses by increasing and monitoring cash flow.

Vice President of Global Banking & Markets Brian Barrow and his colleague, Vice President of Small Business Banking Doris Leal, began their presentation by asking questions about each attendee’s work industry and job title. The presentation was a part of the Workshop Wednesday series hosted by HISD’s Business Assistance Supplier Diversity department. Continue reading →

Workshop Wednesday promotes financial freedom

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Certified Financial Educator Lijoy Thomas and his team educated local business owners and vendors on Wednesday about the concept of building a strong financial foundation.

During Thomas’ presentation, part of HISD’s Business Assistance Workshop Wednesday series, attendees were given clarity on compound interest and debt management, as well as a better understanding of the meaning of the terms asset, liability, and net worth.

“How is it that the richest country in the world is in so much debt?” asked Thomas as he presented information on the nation’s consumer debt level. “An average family owes $15,950 in credit card debt.” Continue reading →

Workshop Wednesday: Protecting your business from loss

Workshop Wednesday this month featured Dane Bubela, vice president at Frost Insurance, who discussed how carrying the proper insurance can protect your business from unexpected loss.

Bubela told the group of about 25 attendees that obtaining appropriate coverage can give business owners peace of mind from knowing that their assets, from the building and its contents to employees and inventory, are protected.   Continue reading →

Tips on effective communication presented at Workshop Wednesday

(Hernandez, Mariauna L)Is communication an art or a science? That was the question posed to attendees at this month’s Workshop Wednesday, which focused on the importance of communicating effectively during sales pitches.

Professional Presentation Coach & Workforce Development Expert Ellis Hubbard spoke to an eclectic crowd of attendees during his Listen2WIN workshop about the importance of listening to and noting the body language of the subject of their sales pitch. Those two things can help a salesman identify the type of person with whom they are dealing.

“You have to get to know folks in order to sell,” said Hubbard, who reiterated that listening is the key to communication. “The more you know about someone, the easier it is to sell to them.”

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Business representatives get tips on tweaking sales styles to fit different personalities

Representatives from local businesses came together last week to get tips from Houston-area business builder and coach Ted Hair on how to increase their sales by tapping into a buyer’s personality.

Since the early 1900s, Hair said, a personality-based sales model has been used to teach salespeople how to identify and speak to different buyers by classifying them into one of four different categories —dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance (DiSC).

“You’re not a salesperson,” Hair said, stressing the importance of identifying your buyer. “You’re a problem-solver.”

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Local vendors receive tips on creating HISD proposals

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Founder and President of Keystone Resources Julie Irvin taught a crowd of local vendors the tips and tricks to creating a successful proposal for HISD.

Irvin said most businesses are unaware of the great resources available to them via the HISD website or the subscriber emails sent by the HISD Business Assistance department.

“HISD has all of these golden opportunities for small businesses, but they’re not able to meet the goals simply because businesses don’t put in a proposal because they don’t know what to do,” said Irvin.

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Local business owners learn how to turn contacts to contracts

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Founder of Superb Speakers and Consultants Joyce Scott spoke to a large crowd of small business owners on how life experiences taught her how to not only obtain clients, but how to keep them.

“People do business with people they like,” said Scott. “You build relationships making clients look good.”

Scott stressed that in order to be successful and gain big contracts, business owners must build a winning team by seeking out people who excel in areas they are lacking.

Continue reading →