https://forms.shelbycountytn.gov/lfserver/vendorapplication

Please make sure that you access, print & or read the attached instructional documents prior to completing the application.

“It could be janitorial supplies. It could be printing. It could be medical supplies. It could be computer supplies,” Ford said. “It’s everything you see in county government.”

Shelby County Government through its Purchasing Department believes that a successful community is one where all levels of society and business are given equal opportunity to enjoy economic success and prosperity. The purchasing department believes that Locally Owned Small Businesses represent a major part of our business community and offer a wide variety of products and services needed by the County. When the County utilizes this segment of the community, it enriches the owners, employees and families of these businesses and the community as a whole with success and prosperity.

 Locally Owned Small Business subcontractors who have certified by the Shelby County Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance and are urged to consider same in compilation of their bid. Additionally, subcontractors on the list are advised of the project so that they may advise the general contractor of their desire to submit a bid.

 For informational purposes, the County considers a Locally Owned Small Business to be one which:

• Is a sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership, joint venture or any other business or professional entity that has gross annual sales of Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00) or less over the last three (3) fiscal years.
• At least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a Shelby County resident and located within the boundaries of Shelby County, Tennessee.

To help our Department expand these programs, the Purchasing Department urges our locally owned small businesses to contact the Shelby County Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance at (901) 545-4336 and inquire as to certification.

 As we move to a new millennium, Shelby County will continue to emphasize policies that foster locally owned small businesses by removing obstacles to their growth and by implementing incentives. For all of us, it is important to remember that fostering small businesses is good business in Shelby County.

The University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business looked at the relationship between social media and small businesses and found that the technology adoption rates in the U.S. have doubled in the past year from 12% to 24%.

The data comes straight from the university’s third installment to its Small Business Success Index report and is based on a December 2009 telephone survey of 500 small business owners. Adoption rate calculations are compared against a baseline report conducted in December 2008.

The study concludes that one nearly one in five small business owners are integrating social media into their business processes — Facebook() and LinkedIn() were the most popular sites. In fact, 45% of surveyed respondents even believe their social media initiatives will pay off financially in 12 months or less.

As the graphic below details, the small business owners who are using social media are primarily engaging in social media through company pages (75%) and status updates (69%) on Facebook or LinkedIn. What’s especially intriguing is that a much smaller percentage of respondents — just 16% — are using Twitter() as a customer service channel.

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Memphis Entrepreneurs you could win $50,000 towards your business.

Are you America’s next great inventor? Have you successfully launched a business or created a new product? Are you generating new jobs to boost the economy? If you have a great story to tell or idea to share, we want to hear it! Make your idea come to life by shooting a 3-minute video explaining what free enterprise means to you by April 9. Any digital video camera will do, be it low-end or professional quality.

Provide a virtual tour of your big plans or get some friends together to tell your free enterprise story. Please read the terms and conditions and frequently asked questions for detailed information on the contest. Watch the video! http://www.freeenterprise.com/take-action/video-contest/

I missed the BENNY Awards, but I grabbed this article about the winners over at commercialappeal.com.

The Black Business Associationof Memphis has announced winners of the 24th annual Black Entrepreneurship Networking Needs You awards, including accountant Charles Whitsy as outstanding business professional and Taylor Brown Apothecary as business of the year.

The awards were presented Saturday evening during a ceremony held at the Holiday Inn at the University of Memphis. Best-selling author and business speaker Don Hutson delivered the keynote address.

“We had an outstanding list of nominees and an excellent selection of winners,” said Roby Williams, BBA president. “These people and organizations promote the best entrepreneurial efforts in our city while creating new jobs and a stronger tax base.”

Other BENNY recipients are:

Hardy Bottling, outstanding woman-owned business.

FedEx, outstanding corporate involvement.

McDonald Plumbing, outstanding service provider.

Memphis Light Gas & Water Division, outstanding business development.

Methodist Healthcare, outstanding business purchasing.

Pete Mitchell and Associates, outstanding professional services.

The New Olivet Baptist Church, outstanding community involvement.

Renaissance Business Center, outstanding business facility.

Total Control Logistics, outstanding new business.

The BENNY Awards are sponsored by the BBA, which was founded in 1974 and is supported by the Memphis Department of Housing and Community Development.

The awards recognize business accomplishments by minority and women-owned businesses and honor supportive corporations

Congratulations to the winners as well as the nominees.

Look at more cost effective ways to market your business.
E-marketing is a very powerful and cost effective way to market your business.  It enables you to send out newsletters, mailshots, special offers and loyalty schemes directly to your customers via their email address at no extra cost, you save on postage and/or printing costs too. It also encourages them back to your website to see what other services you offer. The only investment is the time needed to design your promotional e-mail material it is so simple!
Invest in an on-line business management tool to help you save time and money .
Using a business management system that offers an ‘on-line diary feature’ to enable your customer’s access to book their appointments direct is a great way to reduce down the volume of calls and work generated for reception cover.   Business tools to analyse the productivity of your staff against work load and business demand is invaluable to ensure that your business is running efficiently and recruitment of staff is being spent wisely.
Ensure that your business software is not costing you in the long run in hidden costs.
Check that you are not tied into lengthy maintenance & costly technical support contracts for your business software.  There are a few companies now that offer business software on-line, saving you in set up fees, annual subscriptions, free maintenance and technical backup as well as data protection. You automatically get free upgrades to keep your software up to date and switching over could not be simpler.  You just register and pay on line and you will be up a running within hours not days.  You also have technical support via email or phone so help is at hand as and when you might need it..
Reduce your staff overheads with a virtual pa/receptionist.
Staff overheads are one of the first things that get cut in a recession.  An excellent way to compensate staff cuts but not lose on quality of service is to look at the virtual pa/receptionist option.   To ensure that you get adequate phone cover for your clinic without having to overstretch your existing resources, you can opt for a pay as you go virtual receptionist that will represent your company.  She will answer calls, take messages, book appointments and send out marketing material for mail shots, create and send out invoices, update account spreadsheets etc.  She is totally reliable and does not require holiday, sick or lunchtime cover, you simply use her as and when you need to – costing as little as £75 a month!  A fraction of the cost of a full-time pa/receptionist
Save on the cost of telephone calls
Look at reducing your phone bills every quarter by installing VoIP technology.  VoIP allows you make your phone calls over the internet at the fraction of the cost of a normal phone call saving you hundreds of pounds on your annual business phone.  It is really easy to set up and run don’t be put off by telecom technology.
Increase customer retention through improved customer care
Ask yourself not what your customer can do for you but rather what you can do for your customer.  Customers are driven by both emotional and practical needs – make sure you are satisfying both of these.  Look after them by offering customer loyalty cards – stop your clients using your competitors, and reward customers with referral schemes.  Most important listen to what they have to say about your products and services as well as your staff, ask them to complete questionnaires – there opinion is vital to your success long term.  They may even give you new ideas that you may not have considered.
Reduce your operating costs.
Look to see where you can save money on basic essentials i.e. stationery, raw materials etc source suppliers on-line  and save money or go direct to the manufacturer and cut out the middle man.  A little time spent on researching on the internet will reduce down your material and equipment costs.  You can search via brand and model number and then go to price comparison sites to get the best deal.
Understand your customers needs better.
Keep up to date with your customers, a good customer database is an invaluable investment to your business.  It allows you to share information amongst your team improving knowledge and communication as well as customer confidence in the way you implement it.   A database can identify customers needs – their likes and dislikes and will provide vital clues in helping you to cross sell other products and services you offer to increase customer spend.
Reassess your products and services.
Look at all the products and services that you offer in relation to how much you sell and how profitable they are.  At times it is necessary to eliminate treatments that are simply costing too much to operate i.e look at materials and labour costs in relation to net profit.  The products and services that are the high profit earners are the ones that you and your staff should be pushing make sure you all understand this.  Or look at your existing products and services and ways to save money on materials and time but not compromising quality of service.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-ideas-articles/top-tips-for-small-business-owners-to-succeed-in-an-economic-recession-1871962.html

About the Author“I ran my own company for seven years so I know what small businesses really need – and what just gets in the way. I want to create tools that actually help people to grow their businesses.”
Claire left a career in the video games industry to launch her own beauty salon in the late nineties. It was while managing her small business that she had the “eureka moment” that would lead to icomplete.com, and the concept of a fully integrated, complete business management solution. She co-launched icomplete.com with her husband, Stuart, in May 2007

Description: This workshop will provide important information concerning how to effectively finance a new or existing business. Learn step-by-step how to apply for a SBA Patriot or Community Express Loan. Community Express loans are available in these amounts: $5,000, $7,500, $10,000, $12,500, $15,000, $20,000 and $25,000. This is not a credit card loan. These are SBA-guaranteed loans, payable over 10 years. Full or part time businesses are eligible. Bring the following if you wish to apply for a loan: driver’s license or official ID, social security number, evidence of LPRA status if not a citizen, federal tax ID number and your business checkbook. All partners, principals or co-owners of the business must apply together. Those with a criminal history or anyone who has defaulted on a government loan including student loans are not eligible. Non-profit business are not eligible. Times are 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. There is no charge for this workshop and there is no registration required. If you have any questions, please call 526-9300 which is the Renaissance Business Center.