East Bay Small Business Development Center Classes
East Bay has an exciting new selection of classes and seminars for the first half of 2008 now available on our revised website at www.eastbaysbdc.org. Over the next few weeks we are pleased to offer the following programs across Alameda County:
- February 21, Fremont, 9AM to 12PM, Accessing Capital for Small Businesses and Start-up Companies
- February 26, Oakland, 2PM to 5PM, Accessing Capital for Small Businesses and Start-up Companies
- February 28, Oakland, 2PM to 5PM, Retailing 101 for all traditional retailers as well as retailing start-ups and those brick and mortar retailers looking to increase sales and profits and operate at Best Practice.
- March 4, Pleasanton, 9AM to 12PM, Writing Successful Business Plans
- March 6, Oakland, 2PM to 5PM, e-commerce and web marketing to build Sales and Profits
To sign up for the program please go to the East Bay website, www.eastbaysbdc.org, then go to the Seminar section, go to the selected seminar and follow the Register Now link. Please repeat the process if you would like to sign-up for more than one program.
If you have any problems please call East Bay SBDC at 510-208-0410.
Small Business California Survey
Dear Oakland Merchants,
Here (below) is a survey link from "Small Business California" if you
would like to fill out.
It is critical to Small Business California that you complete this survey as
it will set the agenda for us next year. The results of the survey will be sent
to all the legislators and the Governor.
http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB227F8L4GXTR
Thanks,
Shari Godinez
Program Manager
The Oakland Merchants Leadership Forum
333 Hegenberger Road, Suite 306
Oakland, CA 94621
phone: 663-0653 fax: 530-4812
shari@omlf.org
Holiday Crime Prevention Tips:
During the holidays here are some helpful tips to remember during the holidays.
Make sure all doors and windows are properly secured. When leaving home for an extended time, have a neighbor or family member watch your house and pick up your newspapers and mail. Consider taking all items of "high value" back to you primary residence; money, jewelry, TV, VCR, stereo, computer. If you choose to leave items of "high value," make sure that you have recorded the serial numbers. It is recommended that you mark or engrave your property with your driver's license, so that it can be identified as your property. Large displays of valuables should not be visible through the windows and doors of your home. Indoor and outdoor lights should be on an automatic timer. Leave a radio on so the house looks and sounds occupied. Check with the police department and ask for "vacation checks" services for unattended residences during the holiday season.
If you leave your vehicle parked at your residence during the holiday season, remember to:
Park your vehicle in an area that is visible to the public and well lit at night. Secure all doors and windows Remove all valuables or secure them out of sight. If your vehicle has a built-in security, use it. When leaving for a holiday or vacation, do not pack your car the night before. It only makes a more attractive target for a thief.
Holiday Crime Prevention Tips for the Workplace:
The holiday season is a busy time of the year for family and friends. Unfortunately, burglars like the festive holidays because there are more opportunities for them. Here are some helpful hints to consider before leaving the workplace or home during the holidays:
All inner office doors and building exterior doors should be closed and locked. Do not prop open an exterior door if working after hours during the break.
Where We Live
This is a fantastic advertising opportunity being offered by the "Oakland
Tribune" which is neighborhood specific. This section will publish Friday, June
22, 2007. The goals is to have the City of Oakland utiltizing (5) pages, profiling
it's distinct neighborhoods for example Glenview, Laurel, Dimond, Fruitvale,
Maxwell Park, East Oakland, North Oakland, Melrose, Havenscourt, Elmhurst, and
so on...Each neighborhood will get a 12-15" profile. For example, a certain neighborhood
could purchase a full page for $2750 splitting the cost by 9 merchants, each
paying $305.56/ea which includes a 2 col. X 4" full color advertisment, leaving
a center section empty to talk about neighborhood events throughtout the year,
or maybe a neighborhood calendar of events. Click
here to see a mock up to show
the general idea of what "Oakland Tribune" is trying to convey.
Please call or e-mail Shannon Oliver, Advertising Account Executive, if you have further questions or are interested.
Click Here for a printable copy
of the flyer.
Shannon Oliver
Advertising Account Executive
Oakland Tribune
(510)293-2636
(510)293-2705
soliver@angnewspapers.com
Shop Oakland Passport Coupon Book
OMLF is currently working on the Shop Oakland Passport Coupon Book Marketing Campaign with the City of Oakland. We would like to give all merchants a chance to be part of this campaign by placing an ad in the book for a small fee ($75.00-$100.00). We will be printing 100,000 books to be distributed to the consumers through businesses and as a special insert in the December 2007 issue of Oakland Magazine.
We are currently putting together a mail out for Oakland businesses to invite them to participate. We would like to ask you to forward your up-to-date business district list preferably on an excel spreadsheet to shari@omlf.org.
Click here for a copy of
the registration form.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Shari Godinez
The Oakland Merchant's Leadership Forum
405 14th Street, Suite 712
Oakland, Ca. 94612
phone: 663-0653 fax: 836-3473
shari@omlf.org
Upcoming East Bay SBDC Classes
1. Getting and Refinancing Small Business Loans
2. Green and Competitive: Sustainable Business Management Program
More information on the East Bay SBDC website: http://eastbaysbdc.org/classes/index.html
New Resources on OMLF Website
Hi Everyone,
We've added some new resources to our website. Check them out at www.OMLF.org.
1. New Business Announcement Form - Feedback Welcome!
We have built a new web tool that you can use to announce new businesses in
your district. The form is brand new, so please feel free to make suggestions.
We will be improving it over the next few weeks, making it prettier, etc.
2. Advertise Your Distrct Events on the Oakland Visitors & Convention
Bureau Website
We added OVCB's event form to our toolkit. Download it from our website and
add it to your toolkit! Don't have a toolkit? Contact us your district leader
or the OMLF office to get a copy.
3. Small Business Resources from the City of Oakland
Check out the resources City of Oakland's Business Assistance Website, see
the link on our homepage.
4. Small Business Resource Directory from the Oakland Metro Chamber
The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has put together a Small Business
Resource Directory, see the link on our homepage.
Check out these resources and more on the OMLF website at http://www.omlf.org
Getting Rid of Graffiti
New: A
message from the Greater Rockridge Neighbourhood Crime Prevention
Council on helping keep College Avenue Graffiti-Free
Graffiti is an intermittent problem in the Rockridge and virtually
impossible to stop. If you have graffiti that needs to be removed please contact RDA assistant manager Adam Borcherdt at
510.604.3125 to corridinate having RDA maintenace specialist Mike Qiu carries remove the graffiti.
The Graffiti Hotline for the City of Oakland is 238-4703 and the
"Graffiti Abatement" program can be reached through 434-5101. Both of
these are worth a try for graffiti on public areas such as lampposts,
news racks, mailboxes, electrical conduits and more.
Be Proactive! The Oakland Police Department is working with the
Berkeley Police Department to track down offenders in this area.
Meanwhile, they stress that it is really helpful that businesses
take responsibility to remove graffiti as quickly as possible, as it
sends a clear message to the trouble makers that their destruction
will not be tolerated or lasting. In addition, as a preventative
measure, it can help to light up one's business at night to increase
visibility.
Parking Permit Information
The City of Oakland has issued renewal letters for parking permits as
of June 1. If you have not received your renewal letter, please call
Shahla Azimi, City of Oakland Parking Division, 510-986-2692. If you
would like an application for parking permit, please email
Adam at
info@rockridgedistrict.com or call 604-3125 and she will send one to
you. This applies to RDA businesses only.
Cal State East Bay SBDC Classes
Check out classes at the
Cal State East Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
Among other classes:
- Strategic Business Planning
- Small Business Accounting Certificate Series
- Small Business Marketing
- Employment Law
- Starting& Managing Your Small Business
- Contracting SuperSeminar
Check the
full calendar at SBDC for details.
The Cal State East Bay SBDC, a partnership between Cal State
East Bay (formerly Cal State Hayward), the Northern
California SBDC Network and the U.S. Small Business
Administration, offers classes, consulting services and
business planning resources for small businesses throughout
Alameda County. We are focused on developing and implementing
programs and services that support small business growth,
productivity and economic development.
East Bay Entrepreneur Center
Check the
Calendar of events of the East Bay Entrepreneur Center
Register online or call or call (510) 763-4297.
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