Everyone Needs an Editor

Flickr CC Horia Varlan

Alachua County residents have access to a fantastic (and little known) resource. The Adult Learning Center provides access to a service that offers free proofreading for documents. And you'll get a response within 24 hours!
I've personally received feedback on all sorts of materials - blog posts, articles, web content, essays for job applications, resumes, and cover letters. It's a fantastic service, and it's free! Documents cannot be larger than 1400 KB, but my 450 word article was only 19 KB, for some perspective.

I think this service could help busy indiepreneurs who need a second set of eyes. Non-profits may benefit from sending grant proposals for proofreading.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you use the service.

I'm taking a long weekend to visit my sister, so my work week is ending today. Happy Thriday!

Carrie

The CIED: Cultivating Entrepreneurial Growth in North Central Florida

From Flickr User LadyDragonflyCC

How is innovation cultivated in North Central Florida? Recently, I had the opportunity to tour Santa Fe College’s Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED). I met with Dug Jones, the Assistant Vice President of Economic Development, and Bill Dorman, the Entrepreneur in Residence at the center. The mission of the CIED is "to foster innovation and economic development by adding value and providing enrichment to individuals and organizations within our business community." Dug demonstrated how the CIED eliminates barriers to entrepreneurial success through its services such as meeting space, educational programs, technology resources, peer group meetings, mentoring, and more.

The CIED provides services to entrepreneurs at every level. The Entrepreneur Incubator caters to new businesses and provides opportunities to meet with seasoned Incubator Resource professionals for mentoring and guidance. As an alternative to the home office or coffee shop, the CIED provides space for business meetings and interaction with clients. As a business grows, “Incubator babies” are expected to thrive and graduate from the program. Success stories include the Citizen’s Co-op, Applied Food Technologies, and Corks & Colors Studio.

The Incubator and other services are included with membership to the CIED. There are two levels of membership, and fees are paid on a month-by-month basis. The Associate Level membership offers access to the CIED facilities, networking group meetings, and advising services, while a Resident Level membership provides these services as well as permanent office space at the center.

New members and guests will experience Dug and Bill’s passion for helping fledgling and established business owners succeed. Depending on your needs, I believe membership to the CIED would be an invaluable resource. For more information on the center or the incubator, visit the CIED, or watch this video. The CIED is located at the corner of 6^th Street and University Avenue and offers plenty of parking.

For more information on business incubation, check out:

How to Choose an Incubator from the New York Times

Incubation Nation: Where Great Ideas Are Born: An overview of 20 incubators by Inc.

The Perks of Business Incubators from the North Central Florida Business Report

In the coming weeks, I'll report back on other business incubators in North Central Florida.

Have you utilized any incubator services? Would you consider it in the future?

The Survey Says...

From Flickr user orangeacid

Thanks to all of the local indiepreneurs who filled out my informal survey!  I asked the following two questions from a variety of local business owners:

What do you feel is the biggest challenge in running your small business?

What would help you with this challenge?

The biggest challenges represented on the survey dealt with time management and marketing outreach. Others were concerned with raising consumer awareness or sourcing financial support. Finally, navigating the legal and regulatory landscape was a major issue for new business enterprises.

Some of the notable solutions offered for these problems included a desire for affordable human resource services and guidance in finding alternative support staff (interns, virtual assistants, etc.). Others mentioned a need for affordable bookkeeping and accounting and shortcuts to getting things done. Finally, outreach and networking were major concerns – so let’s start a meet-up (more info soon)!

Do these results sufficiently reflect of the needs of the local entrepreneur? What sort of support do you think is needed in our local community?

Over the next few weeks, I’ll look into resources and organizations to help local indiepreneurs with these needs. If you have a recommendation for a resource or service, please let me know!

Guides to Starting Your Indie Business

Flickr user alancleaver_2000

Starting a small business can be overwhelming.  Check out these resources for assistance:

The U.S. Small Business Administration guides you through setting up and running a small business, while the Florida Small Business Development Center’s “Thinking of Starting a Business?” resource is user-friendly and well-organized.

The Department of State’s SunBiz site offers an additional guide to getting a business started in Florida and focuses on registration and the legal processes required by the state. Or, check out Gainesville’s Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) organization for mentor assistance, workshops, and templates.

When you’re ready to begin researching your small business needs, check out the public library's Small Business Resource Center for samples of real business plans and assorted small business topics. Likewise, as you define your target market, Demographics Now offers statistical information based on geographic locations.

Do you prefer a book? Then check out:
The small business start-up kit by Peri Pakroo
Legal guide for starting & running a small business by Fred S. Steingold
Making money from home : how to run a successful home-based business by Donna Partow

There are also many eBooks available on new business enterprises.
The entrepreneur equation by Carol Roth
Four ways you can start your own business by Bruce Barringer
Freesourcing: how to start a business with no money by Jonathan Yates

Eventually, I'd love to write a simple guide to starting an indie business. Want to get involved? Shoot me an email at informationslinger@gmail.com.