Click Here To Schedule A FREE Remote Business Counseling Session with Stony Brook SBDC Business Advisor Accelerate Your Tech Potential and prepare for holiday shopping Setting Up Contactless and Remote Payments - Oct 14th Prepare for Online Holiday Shopping and Catering Orders with Free Technology Enhancement Assistance -Set Up Contactless and Remote Payments -Ensure Your Website is Mobile Friendly -Manage Delivery Orders From Multiple Delivery Services Contact SBDC For Free Online Appointment Technology is one of the countless aspects of the business world the pandemic has upended – and one of the most critical. Join us as Michael Chiang, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Stony Brook Small Business Development Center, and Phil Rugile, Director of LaunchPad Huntington, provide an inside look at the technology landscape for small businesses as the pandemic stretches on. Chiang and Rugile will share their experiences with the SBDC’s Technology Enhancement Program, part of the Suffolk County Forward recovery program. With a focus on major technology priorities including contactless payment and mobile-friendly websites, the program helps startups and small businesses implement the technology that their survival depends on. Click Here to Register Empire State Digital New York State has partnered for a first-in-the-nation program with leading global e-commerce partners—Shopify, Square, Clearbanc, and Etsy—to accelerate New York State- based small businesses’ ability to grow their online presence. Shopify, Square, Etsy, Clearbanc. The participating digital partners are offering specialized solutions such as education, free resources, marketing support and discounted pricing that are unique to the needs of New York’s small businesses. Visit ESD.NY.GOV/empire-state-digital Atención Negocios Hispanos! Attention Hispanic Businesses! Ureeka PowerUp Program The PowerUp Program will award over 500 eligible LatinX small businesses across California, Texas and New York with a $5,000 grant paired with coaching support and resources. Deadline to Apply October 14th 2020, 11:59pm EDT Stony Brook SBDC Hispanic Initiative - How to do Business in the Digital World Jacqueline Franco, a Stony Brook SBDC NYS Certified Business Advisor has recently completed the third in a series of a special training programs for Hispanic Entrepreneurs, sponsored by Bank of America, on how digital marketing and technologies are transforming the way we do business today, to help businesses understand how to overcome the barriers they are facing, and learn how to define and develop a plan to successfully apply technology and new digital tools in their business. Now the tough part....the participants have to prepare an updated business plan showing the current problem or opportunity, a clear and effective solution, and how the business owner will incorporate the new digital tools to solve the problem and boost their revenue stream. Join Us For the Awards Ceremony on Thursday, October 15th 6:00-8:00pm EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT EXPANDS NEW YORK FORWARD LOAN FUND TO INCLUDE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM RECIPIENTS Previously Ineligible New York State Small Businesses Can Receive Low-Interest Working Capital Loans Available to Small Businesses That Received PPP Assistance of $50,000 or Less Empire State Development (ESD) today announced that Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) recipients are now eligible to receive low-interest loans from the New York Forward Loan Fund (NYFLF). This conditional change will provide the Fund's network of lenders and financial institutions with greater flexibility and enable them to provide more small businesses with working capital to cover expenses associated with reopening. QuickBooks Online and Desktop Discounts SBDC clients can receive an exclusive offer:
QuickBooks is offering one month free then 50% off for 12 months for new QuickBooks Online customers. Discount on QuickBooks Desktop too! To redeem these offers, click on the link below to speak to a Business Advisor. Make an Online Appointment to Speak to a Business Advisor Grow with Google Webinar - Sell Online This Holiday Season with E-Commerce Tools October 14, 2020, 9-10 AM PT / 12-1 PM ET Learn more tips and how to sell online to customers as they kick off their holiday shopping this season. We’ll walk through the benefits of setting up an online store with Shopify and how to list your products on Google Shopping so that you can sell from anywhere. Plus, learn about more helpful tools to stand out online, such as Local Opportunity Finder and Grow My Store. Tip #1 Make sure your website Secure Socket Layer (SSL Certificate) is installed and enabled. When a website has encryption installed with an SSL certificate, the URL address will show a lock icon next to the URL address. Very important that your web visitors know their information is securely transmitted during any transaction between them and your website. Tip #2 Many online shoppers have become accustomed to free shipping on their online orders. For small businesses to compete in the virtual shopping arena, they should consider including free shipping on orders or free shipping on orders exceeding a certain dollar amount. Tip #3 Rename your photo file from abstract name such as 100_12345.jpeg, to keyword rich file names that describe the product. For instance, you have a gift boutique offering home accessory items. One of you items is a wooden jewelry chest, change the photo name to wooden_jewelry_chest_.jpeg. This will enhance the SEO value of your photos. Download flyer now. Click Here to Register w/ Grow With Google Join the Business Solutions Roundtable The Business Solutions Roundtable is a free business solutions and networking group which began in May 2005 as a way for small business owners to brainstorm and find solutions to problems and concerns faced in their businesses, especially with Covid-19 business disruption. Meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month at 9:00am virtually via Zoom. To Register for the next Roundtable Meeting, please email us at SBDC@Stonybrook.edu with a subject line 'Business Solutions Roundtable', briefly describe your business and provide a link to your business website, and we will send you an invitation to attend. BEWARE OF SBA Disaster Loan and PPP SCAMS AND FRAUD SCHEMES Please be on the lookout for grant fraud, loan fraud, and phishing! America's SBDC's Have Been Helping Small Businesses for 40 Years!! Make an Appointment For Your Free Professional Business Advisement Today! Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of the SBA. Visit www.bayportbluepoint.com for more Bayport-Blue Point Chamber of Commerce news!