Practical Bizz Podcast Erica Saccoccio

If you own or are considering starting a women-owned business in New England, listen carefully. We had an informative conversation with a remarkable young lady named Lindsey Ramirez. She is a Rhode Island native, world traveler, computer coder, and entrepreneur that has her hands in everything. She inspires other women to feel empowered by encouraging them to try new things and take on any obstacle that comes their way. She is equally reflective in her practice and spreads the message of being your genuine self throughout the journey. 
We learn about support groups for women leaders, workshops in person and online, what it means to become a women-certified business, and how it can benefit your business. We dig deeper and talk about how women tend to shrink themself; people please and often discredit their worth. We are here to let you know we support you and we are changing the narrative. Did you know that in the United States, 41% of businesses are women-owned and that many of the highest-grossing companies are led by a women CEO? We know why. Women create positive work environments, retain staff, women are also great at collaboration, and value work-life balance. These are hot topics often discussed in today's workforce. So, grab your cup of tea, sit back, and learn about the resources available to help you start a women-owned business you will be proud of.
 Links:
For more information about the Center for Women in Enterprise please visit www.cweonline.org
 
Are you a Rhode Island Women's Business owner looking for support services? Do you want to reach out to more Rhode Island business owners while they are tuned in and focused on the business? Why not reach out for more information on how you can be a sponsor of our show at www.stellarbusinessconcepts.com for more details. 
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In life and business experience, talent, focus, support, and knowledge are power. There is a great benefit to working with a mentor or industry expert who has a wealth of golden nuggets to share with you as an entrepreneur. Let’s face it, running your business is hard. Day-to-day decision-making takes many skills sets that one business owner may not have. We are often juggling so many pieces of running the day-to-day operations. There is a wide abundance of benefits in regard to working with another experienced leader.  By doing so frequently, they become a sounding board that can be open and objective. This can be significantly more challenging if you are a solopreneur because talking to yourself can become lonely. Perhaps you have a business partner, you will encounter situations where you may not agree on the direction where your business is headed. Having an outside source to help to resolve different viewpoints can help save not only the business dynamic but encourage healthy interpersonal relationships within the business.
In today's episode, we spoke with Jeff Bodenstab from the Rhode Island branch of Service Corps of Retired Executives also known as SCORE. As we head into a recession, the resources mentioned in today’s episodes are FREE. This is a great benefit to our small business community as we actively track our expenses. We discuss mentorship opportunities, online training, resources, business templates, events, and more. Regardless of the status of your business or where you might be headed on your business journey, SCORE can assist you with starting, growing or exiting your business with confidence.

Speaking of exiting your business, as a business owner, if you still want to be involved with your local business community, you can also become a mentor for SCORE. This will allow you the opportunity to give back. There are so many options and opportunities to working with such a wonderful organization. Not a Rhode Island business owner? There are SCORE offices located throughout the United States. 

We are certainly proud to have such an amazing chapter in Rhode Island. They were recently awarded for their hard work and recognized as profound leaders in the field. For more about the Rhode Island chapter, check out the article below.
 
Links:
To learn more about SCORE Leadership click the link below:
SCORE Rhode Island Recognized as a Top Chapter in the Country - PR.com
 
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Print media is still king and there is a significant impact when businesses connect with their local newspaper. In today's discussion, we talk with John Howell, Editor/Publisher of the Warwick Beacon, among many publications, he is a contributor. The Beacon is a local newspaper published in little ole Warwick, Rhode Island and one we are very familiar with here at Practical BizZ. You will be surprised to find that many local papers are small businesses and rely on their community's support to stand the test of time. 
You may be shocked to uncover this is not your grandfather's newspaper. Most local newspapers offer the paper as an online subscription and provide links from your advertising to your website with one click. Only a few have even incorporated podcasting as a way to help the community learn more about your business and include a glimpse behind the scenes. A combination of print news, online, and podcasting is a great way to meet local business owners. Remember, people do more business with people they know, admire, and trust. 
This local journalism legend shares everything from how he and his partner found a creative way to fund their first of many publications and how they have kept the newspaper relevant and a significant part of the small business community. The local paper is an excellent resource for customers where they find everything LOCAL, from the news, sports, dining, arts and entertainment, exciting editorials, obituaries, legal notices, videos, and an array of happenings. In the world of social media, we have found that working with your local newspaper is often a grossly underrated resource and an opportunity many business owners do not take advantage of as part of a well-developed marketing plan. If you are a brick-and-mortar location, most of your business will come from within a five to ten-mile radius. This episode is a must-listen podcast if you are looking for an effective and affordable way to connect with your customers. 
 
Here are just a few ways to connect with your local newspaper:
Advertising"Business Spotlights" or "Ask the Expert Segments".Sharing your business events ex: Grand Openings, moving to a new location, new product or service launch, employee recognition, awards, or new certifications.Show support for your community. The local paper is a hyper-targeted resource and an effective way to increase your exposure to the people who do business with you. Send a press release when you have breaking business news to share.Local newspapers are available online in the hand of your customers.The print publication helps you stay top of the mind of your customer and in the hands of your customers for at least 5 to 7 days (much longer than the 10-second Facebook reel).Link your website to the local paper website to gain more traffic and leads.Be a guest on their podcast to help others learn more about you. 
Want to learn more about the Warwick Beacon? Click the link below.
John Howell: Editor/Publisher | Warwick Beacon (warwickonline.com)
 
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Event Ideas to make your business look like a Rock Star - YouTube
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We are joined this week by our guest R.I. Secretary of State Gregg Amore and Maureen Ewig, Director of Business Services at the Rhode Island S.O.S. offices, to get the details on what you need to know and the services available to help small businesses just like yours. We know many business owners often dread the "red tape" that can often come with opening or expanding their growing business here in "Little Rhody." During this interview, nothing is off the table; we cover the process of opening and closing a business, the required paperwork and how to find business records, when you need to complete filings, with how to remain in good standing with the business department. It is not as dull as it sounds; we promise if you hate paperwork, they have so many solutions, but beyond that did you know they offer support services for businesses as well?


 


You may be pleasantly surprised by how down-to-earth this dynamic business duo is. Secretary of State Mr. Amore, a retired educator, who ironically was the civics teacher of Steph, our Social Media Manager. During our conversation, I found as an educator, Mr. Amore shared many of our core values and made himself accessible for our interview when we reached out to his office; as a business owner, I appreciated that to the point where they came down to record at our office. Not only did Maureen have a long history of service to the State of the R.I. business community, which made me honestly a little nervous for our interview since this was the first time having an elected official or state employee on our podcast until Maureen rolled into our parking lot in her 4-door Jeep Wrangler. I uncovered she was a Jeeper, and I was instantly at ease. How Rhode Island is that? 


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In today's episode, we are joined by entrepreneur Hugo Adames, owner of the Event Factory located in Warwick, RI. 
 
Hello, 2023! We can finally host in-person events and reconnect with our employees, customers, and colleagues in our small business community. If you love people like we love people, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
 
Imagine hosting a top-notch VIP event as part of your solid customer retention and marketing plan. Our even better hosting an off-site staff retreat that re-engages your employees, which is always a solid business investment. We will talk about ideas and benefits of holding in-person events for your business. This includes everything from building brand awareness, while interacting and building strong relationships with your customers. Remember, branding is more than logos, colors, and fonts. It is also how you make your customers, employees, and community feel; when done right, personal events can give you a competitive edge and showcase your company in a way that shows you care.
 
Well-planned events can be a source of additional revenue and a way to showcase yourself as an industry leader. Events are a fantastic opportunity to cross-promote and collaborate with other businesses.
 
Last, but certainly not least, when was the last time you just had a good time while building your business? If that is not a measurable unit of success, then we don't know what is. Watch until the end to be the first to hear SBC's official event announcement.
 
For more information about being a sponsor, B2B exhibitor, or attendee at the 2023 RI Small Business Summit, Launching Your Business on The "Rhode" to Success, visit us at Business Coaching, Business Consulting, Business | Stellar Business Concepts for more details.
 
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In this candid conversation, Erica Saccocio interviews successful business owner Jesus Rios about how he started his Rhode Island-based tattoo business in East Providence RI. We talked about the importance of taking care of your customers, and how reviews naturally occur on their owner. We also discuss how life changes are often the catalyst that pushes people and business owners to act on things they have been putting off that can take them or their businesses to the next level.
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