Often, insightful nuggets of wisdom and advice reside in the lyrics of great old songs. One such ditty is the 1966 hit single by The Temptations, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”

 

Now I’ve gotta love so deep in the pit of my heart, And each day it grows more and more, I’m not ashamed to come and plead to you baby, If pleadin’ keeps you from walkin’ out that door.

 

Imagine the “love” referred to in this song represents a strong desire to succeed in business. And, the “you baby” symbolizes any one of the many people who can single-handedly make or break a viable enterprise—its largest customer, a key employee, the company’s investors, a major supplier of critical material and supplies, or a valued business advisor. Finally, what you want to keep “from walkin’ out that door” are customers and prospects that you need to grow and be successful.

 

One would think that, in these trying economic times, a business owner would jump for joy if a new, nice-sized account just fell into her lap, or a very talented individual offered his services for next to nothing to “just have something worthwhile to do” and became your best worker, or an angel investor decided to “take a flyer” on your little venture and plop down a windfall sum of money. Miracles do happen, from time to time, you know. So, why aren’t more business owners taking advantage of the bevy of training programs and consulting services—having little-to-no cost associated with them—that are out there and ripe for the taking? What kind of resources, you ask? Let’s explore.

 

And your excuse is…

The group to which this author is actively involved—the Acworth (Ga.) Business Association—surveyed its 275-person membership this past summer to determine what specific help would most benefit a small business hoping to survive beyond the Great Recession. While more accessible business loans, more free-spending customers, and lower Cost of Goods Sold were mentioned—all of which the ABA had little control over—one off-handed suggestion was made: what about several “How-to” workshops on various subjects vital to running and growing a business.

 

A committee was convened and a series of 90-minute, hands-on seminars were developed covering topics such as “Low-Cost, Highly-Effective, Easy-to-Apply Marketing Techniques,” “How Social Media/Networking Can Build Business,” and “Website Makeover: How to Improve Your Web Presence by Design.” Questions were asked pertaining to when the workshops should be offered and how much attendees were willing to invest to attend. The pilot program on marketing was scheduled on the most popular day of the week, at the most requested time of day, and cost only $25 to attend—and that included a money-back guarantee if one did not walk away with enough valuable, relevant information to realize a full payback. Invitations were extended to neighboring Northwest Metro-Atlanta business groups to bring the potential candidates to attend up to about 750. How many people signed up? About two dozen—slightly over three percent of the target audience.

 

Now, those 24 people raved about the program—its content and delivery—and some said they could easily validate a full return-on-investment within just one week of attending the workshop. I dare you to show me a 100 percent ROI within seven days on any type of investment. But, how many other ABA members should have attended and provided their business with a much needed shot in the arm? 

 

The sad irony is that typically only three to four percent of registered trade show attendees of The NBM Shows—scheduled for Philadelphia, Dallas, Indianapolis and Long Beach in 2012—take advantage of the wonderful education program presented by well-known industry experts on a wide range of business and technical subjects. Last year, the unlimited educaton package—which included having your entire shop attend at any show and post-show, on-demand access to those same classes online for sharing with others that couldn’t be there or for replay—was only $250. How can you beat that deal? Yet, only a relatively-small number of attendees took advantage of the opportunity.

 

The reason most cited for not investing in one’s education, regardless of the program? “I can’t afford the time or money to attend.” It makes me wonder, can you afford not to attend? Really…what’s the value of just one great idea? 

 

More great resources

On occasion, a budding entrepreneur will say, “The help I need can’t be covered in short, public seminars. I need more personalized help in all areas of business management and I don’t have the money to pursue an MBA.” Well, even he is in luck. There are numerous programs that are specifically designed for the start-up or newly ordained business owner.

 

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City is the major funding organization for a program called FastTrac Growth Venture. It is an award-winning, comprehensive package of entrepreneur-learning programs and materials that provides existing and aspiring entrepreneurs with key business insights and skills, leadership experiences and valuable networking and mentoring opportunities they need to start, grow and lead businesses. 

 

The series of 10 modules usually spans seven weeks and explores topics such as Making Strategic Decisions, Using Financial Tools and Charting Performance, Seizing the Market, Managing Operations and Growth and several others. Check out www.fasttrac.org for more information and the location nearest to you. The cost of enrollment is $895 for the first person and $550 for each additional attendee. Often, as is the case at the Kennesaw (Ga.) State University Small Business Development Center, scholarships up to $300 are available.

 

Speaking of Small Business Development Centers, the U.S. Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov) funds and supports approximately 1,000 service centers across the nation that provide no-cost consulting and low-cost training. You can locate the nearest SBDC by visiting www.asbdc-us.org and searching by ZIP code or state. 

 

Some examples of continuing education programs offered by an SBDC include Writing an Effective Business Plan, Finding Money for Your Business, Legal Issues and Tax Tips for New Businesses, Small Business Marketing Strategies, and QuickBooks Fundamentals. The average cost for a single 2.5 hour session is $69. 

 

The SBA is also a resource partner for SCORE Counselors to America’s Small Business (www.score.org). SCORE stands for Service Corps of Retired Executives and it has more than 12,000 volunteers at 364 chapters nationwide—most of which are located at Chambers of Commerce. This nonprofit association is dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and helping small business grow through online and in-person mentoring services. Founded in 1964, SCORE has helped 8.5 million small businesses—including Vermont Teddy Bear, Vera Bradley Designs and Jelly Belly Candies, to name a few—and has assisted nearly 20,000 start-up companies each year. 

 

And the hits keep coming…

Interested in self-guided, reasonably-priced templates to produce a spiffy business or marketing plan? Check out the products of PaloAlto Software (www.paloalto.com). 

 

The official business link to the U.S. government is located at www.business.gov. There, you can find good information on certification for women-owned, minority-owned and veteran-owned businesses, as well as a host of other topics including how to register and incorporate a business, and searching for loans, grants and financing.

 

My Own Business, Inc. (www.myownbusiness.org) was started in 1992 around the time of the Los Angeles riots by Phil Holland, Founder of the Yum Yum Donut Shops chain in California. It is a nonprofit organization that believes in teaching people to run their own business for a nominal cost and is subsidized by tax-deductible donations from organizations—including Avery Dennison Corporation and Focus Avenue—and private individuals. They offer 16 online sessions covering all the essential topics necessary to inform entrepreneurs how to avoid the most common pitfalls of business ownership.

 

As I hope you can see, there’s really no good reason not to explore and consider any or all of these resources. Good luck.