Author: Alison de Grassi

StartUp Mendocino Reception
Blog

Let’s Kick Off StartUp Mendocino 2022!

https://www.westcenter.org/lets-kick-off-startup-mendocino-2022/

On the afternoon of Monday January 10, 2022, West Center held a lively reception to kick off their Business Accelerator program, StartUp Mendocino. This event was an opportunity for the 14 program participants from 13 different start-up businesses to meet in person and for our generous sponsors to learn about the goals and ambitions of the cohort over the 23 weeks of the business program.
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The Road Ahead

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-12-14-a-year-like-no-other/

During the past year at West Center, we have seen amazing acts of determination and survival among our clients. Our daily engagement with these entrepreneurs has shown us that many are living lives driven more by fortitude than by fear. Their tenacity in the face of the unknown gives us, the West Center team, the strength to help them in every way we can.
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Close Your Books at Year-End

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-12-8-close-your-books-at-year-end/

It’s getting to the end of the year and for small business owners that means tying up all the accounting and bookkeeping loose ends to get in shape for the start of the new year. If you’ve kept on top of those accounting tasks throughout the year, it shouldn’t be much of a burden but if you haven’t, here are some tips to get you started.

What does it mean to “close the books” and why does it matter?
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Online Sales Are Here to Stay

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-11-29-whats-your-online-sales-plan-this-holiday-season/

The shift to online sales has been enormous, particularly with the contribution of the pandemic and the continued reluctance of shoppers to visit brick-and-mortar stores.

According to Deloitte’s 2021 annual holiday retail forecast, retail sales are likely to increase between 7% and 9%—reaching a staggering $1.28 to $1.3 trillion from November 2021 to January 2022! And in 2020, Adobe Insights Digital recorded $188.2 billion in online sales during the holiday season, with projections that those numbers will increase by 11% to 15% in 2021.
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Road to the Last Mile: Efforts to build robust broadband in Mendocino

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-11-15-road-to-the-last-mile-efforts-to-build-robust-broadband-in-mendocino/

On Sunday November 14, the Ukiah Daily Journal, and associated newspapers, ran the following article penned by freelance journalist Carole Brodsky. This article is the first of three planned articles that will examine the history and future of broadband in Mendocino County. As the pandemic showed, the lack of connectivity puts our county at an economic disadvantage.
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Technology Takeaways For the Road Ahead

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-10-29-technology-takeaways-for-the-road-ahead/

West Center subscribes to many newsletters and information sites in an effort to find up-to-the-minute information that will be useful to our small business owners everywhere. And, as the pandemic has shown us, technology has been a huge feature of our lives that has enabled businesses to stay in business, kids stay connected with schools, and families connected with each other.
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It’s October: Support a Woman-Owned Small Business!

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-10-13-its-october-support-a-woman-owned-small-business/

It’s National Women’s Small Business Month all month long so what are you waiting for? Support a woman-owned small business every day this month! In October West Center highlights some of the benefits women bring to communities when they own a small business.

Did you know the US has 12.3 million women-owned businesses and those businesses generate $1.8 trillion a year?
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New November Workshops!

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-10-13-new-november-workshops/

Our innovative “Artists in Action” series of workshops has looked at how artists can best make a living, create a great website, and get the word out about them and their art on social media. On November 3, Bob and Kate Burridge return with a 90-minute dive into “The Art of Pricing.” If you’ve been struggling with the question of “how much is my art worth?” then this is the workshop for you!
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Startup Mendocino 2022: Applications Are Now Open

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-9-27-startup-mendocino-2022-applications-are-now-open/

West Center is thrilled to open the application portal for their business accelerator program, StartUp Mendocino, on October 1, 2021. This no-cost program is designed to give local entrepreneurs with great ideas the opportunity to participate in an intensive training program to spark new thinking about what is possible for their business, their community, and the economy of Mendocino County.

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Funding for the Future 

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-9-9-funding-for-the-futurenbsp/

For a small business owner, the importance of cash in hand can never be overstated. Proper planning and cash flow management ensure that a small business can face economic shocks when they arise. In 2020, by our tracking, more than 300 Mendocino County business owners received just shy of $5 million in federal and state Covid-related forgivable loans and grants; that’s cash in hand. But what do these numbers really mean for a rural community like ours?
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Opportunities to Learn in October

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-9-9-opportunities-to-learn-in-october/

West Center has an exceptional month of workshops in October! We’re recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month with a line-up of Spanish language workshops focused on money management for entrepreneurs and social media strategies for business owners.

Kick off the month with the first of a four-part Spanish language webinar series to learn the basics of planning your expenses, increasing your savings, managing your debt, and improving your creditworthiness.
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Living the New Normal

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-8-23-living-the-new-normal/

I recently had a Zoom conversation with a good friend who told me how hard it was to visit her mom in a nursing home. Her mom suffers from Alzheimer’s. She spoke about the pain of remembering all the things they used to do together that they can no longer do. What she learned, however, is a new way to interact. For her mom, every day is a new day filled with joy for the discoveries that lie ahead. For my friend, she now finds herself forging ahead into a new normal.
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Sizzling September Workshops!

https://www.westcenter.org/2021-8-10-sizzling-september-workshops/

With September comes the fall equinox and the changing of the seasons with shorter days and, hopefully, a drop in temperatures! Some things are harder to change though. We’ve said it before and we’ll keep saying it: ensuring your small business can survive a disaster should be top of mind. In Mendocino County, we’ve had quite the run of wildfires, smoke-filled skies, the pandemic, PSPS events, and now the lack of water, which currently threatens the operation of many businesses. Join us on Wednesday September 8 to learn the essentials you should pack in your Business Go-bag.