The Great American Small Business Challenge

The Great American Small Business Challenge is ready to launch! It's time to access your free business development software, online training and support. Read the 8 quick facts about the Challenge:

1. the purpose of the Challenge is to help Samll Business Owners create an effective business-development process.

2. The Challenge us a best-practices approach. It's consistent with Baldridge, Six-Sigma, ISO, TQM and many other quality-based methodologies.

3. The Challenge is a prescriptive approach. This mean everyone uses the same software and step-by-step methods.

4. Everyone can be a winner.

5. Companies compete at their own pace.

6. Awards are renewable annually.

7. The Challenge is open to all Small Businesses.

8. The Challenge is a turn-key operation:

* Free Software, Online Training & Support
* Challenge Handbook
* Access to the Challenge Community Network
* Free Marketing Kit:

- Press Releases
- email Blast Copy
- Newsletter Articles
- Ad links


Here are three easy steps that you need to do right now!

Step One:

Click here to download and print a free copy of the Great American Small Business Challenge Handbook.

Step Two:

Click here to sign up for your OnTheSystem business-development software. Select the “Three for Free” user option located on the far right hand side of the screen.

Step Three:

Click Here to JOIN our online community. Then check the "Events" section for a list of upcoming online training classes. Don't miss your chance to get a jump start on the Challenge. Sign up now!

If you have any questions, please contact Mike or Jean:

Mike Kramer, SBDC National Coordinator (847) 675-8211 mkramer@thegreatamericansmallbusinesschallenge.com

Jean Kulig-Tucker, National Director (877) 642-1907 ext. 2 jkulig@thegreatamericansmallbusinesschallenge.com

San Diego Hispanic Network

The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce (HISCEC) wants to invite you to be part of the San Diego Hispanic Network by becoming a Member of the Chamber. The goal is to become a website where people can find high-skilled and talented Hispanic Professionals, as well as Hispanic Businesses from different industries within the San Diego County Area.

We have gotten calls asking for web designers, translators, carpet cleaners, CPA’s, online marketing consultants, business development consultants, among others. We have always referred the closest professionals and businesses available in HISCEC’s database to the people that have contacted us. By promoting the creation of local networks, the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce is going to be able to promote its Members by geographical region. The San Diego Hispanic Network is the first one of its kind promoted by the HISCEC.

Steps:

1. Sign up for your Basic Membership. It has no cost.

Why is FREE?

The mission of the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce is to promote e-business tools for the success of Hispanic businesses. By offering free business listings via the free Basic Membership, the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce is:

I. Helping to provide Hispanic businesses to have access to new markets.
II. Enabling Hispanic businesses to interact more closely with customers and suppliers.
III. Helping to promote the products and services offered by the businesses that join the organization.

Through the free Basic Membership the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce is helping to redefine the market based on the benefits provided by the service. There is no catch and no hidden costs at all. We’re sure that you have seen various free scams on the Internet, but the free Basic Membership offered by the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce is not a scam in any way, shape or form.

We make our living by conducting ourselves with integrity and honesty in everything we do. We very much appreciate your trust in us. We are never going to do anything that can jeopardize that relationship.

2. Complete your profile, if you have a business. Once you have completed, your business gets listed in HISCEC’s Hispanic Business Directory automatically.

3. Post a Classified Ad under the Community Response forum available in HISCEC's website. You can ad a title with up to 60 characters and description with up to 500 characters.

4. Sit back and relax. Let us do the marketing for you! The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce will do its best to help you get new customers.

To promote your business and services in HISCEC’s San Diego Hispanic Network is an extra advertising channel that you can add to your advertising strategy.

U.S. Navy Hosts Hispanic-Owned Small Business Conference

The U.S. Navy Program Executive Officers for Submarines and Littoral and Mine Warfare will host a conference for Hispanic-Owned Small Businesses (HOSB) who seek opportunities with the U.S. Navy at California State University in Los Angeles, CA on 27-29 January 2009.

The conference will provide an unprecedented forum where HOSB owners can connect directly with senior Navy and industry leaders to learn, collaborate, and explore ways in which U.S. Navy undersea and littoral mine warfare programs can benefit from the vast product and service offerings of our nation's HOSBs.

Furthermore, the conference will facilitate relationships among minority-serving colleges and universities and the federal government to attract an increasingly effective and diverse workforce for the U.S. government.

In addition to informational sessions, this conference will provide valuable networking opportunities, including one-on-one sessions where HOSB representatives will meet with large government prime contractors and government representatives to learn about immediate and upcoming business opportunities.

For more information on the HOSB Conference or to register for this event, please visit http://www.hosbconference.com or contact Charise Arellano of Burke Consortium, Incorporated by email at hosbconference@bcinow.com or phone at 703-941-0600.

Beyond Juice - San Diego

One block down from The Gym at 734, there is a business named “Beyond Juice” owned by the Hurtado’s Family. I had the opportunity to talk to the CFO, Anna Hurtado. Ms. Hurtado told me that they opened the business a couple of weeks ago after two years of planning. They have a delicious and healthy product and a great location.

If you are around the Hillcrest area in San Diego, California, stop at “Beyond Juice” and get a fresh and delicious juice or any of the other healthy products that they sell, this business is “beyond juice” so keep that in mind, they also sell nutritional meals.

It’s very interesting to see the great mix of businesses that Hispanic Businessmen and Businesswomen own. For example, within one block we have a Gym and a smoothies and nutritional meals place.

We wish both of them the best. Both businesses have a great location, they have worked very hard to get where they are right now and they both seem to have the business skills necessary to succeed.

The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce is honored to have “Beyond Juice” and “The Gym at 734” as Members. We look forward to helping them and other Hispanic business owners with the promotion of their businesses.

You can count on us.

Until next time!

Sincerely,

Jose Aburto

The Gym at 734 - San Diego

The Gym at 734 had its grand opening on Saturday 6th, 2008 and we were invited to the event. We got an invitation by Jorge Cubas, one of the owners of the Gym. Jorge is a native Peruvian who moved to the United States 16 years ago. After traveling within the country, he settled in San Diego.

Jorge completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and is currently finishing an MBA at the University of San Diego. Jorge has also been a personal trainer who has worked in different fitness chains for many years in his career.

It was very pleasant to talk to Jorge while we were at his Gym. He is an entrepreneur who summarizes his beliefs in life and business by citing Emerson:

“To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch… to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This to have succeeded”.

Jorge’s business partner is Adrian DaSilva. Adrian is a young entrepreneur who believes in putting all his efforts to reach his potential. Adrian is also a fitness aficionado who trained with Jorge in one of the fitness chains in San Diego. Adrian’s knowledge and expertise comes from a large background in the service industry, especially the hospitality industry, where he excelled rapidly and got promoted to management positions faster than his peers.

If you live in the San Diego area, the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce invites you to visit the Gym at 734. The Gym’s team is committed to treating you as the unique person you are.

Cheers to your success Jorge and Adrian!

Sincerely,

Jose Aburto

Free Business Listing

HISCEC is an up and growing online organization helping to promote small businesses through the Internet. We have been in the market for 7 months. We have 382 Members and 190 businesses listed in HISCEC's business directory. We have over 1,700 unique visitors a day, a well indexed site, plus a team of experienced and well educated professionals who look forward to serving you. We invite you to take advantage of HISCEC's free business listing service.

The Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce is offering a free business listing (with logo of your business, pictures of your business, information about your business, link to your website, you can create an online catalog for your products/ services and get customer feedback).

Because it’s the Holidays, we are offering a special promotion. We are giving away 300 Premium Memberships to the first businesses who get registered at HISCEC’s business directory. The benefits of the Premium Membership are:

- Create an online catalog with up to 100 products. The benefit of adding some of your products or services to your profile is that if you use the right description and the appropriate keywords, your product or service can rank high in some search engines. For example, if you Google the following products that are already listed in HISCEC’s business directory you will see how well they are ranking right now:

/ Rectangular Copper Tub
/ Copper headboards
/ Mi Viejita Refried Pinto Beans
/ Large crib size
/ Crema de almeja





Same situation happens with the name of the companies. Search for the following companies in Google and you will see: “Handbook Live”, “Quick Seminars LLC”, “TechExpo World”, “GEICO - Field Representative”, “D'arte-sano”, “Industrias Aviles”.



- Post banner ads in HISCEC’s site. As a premium member you can post up to 5 banners:

2 – 88x31 pixels
1 – 120x60 pixels
1 – 120x240 pixels
1 – 160x600 pixels



- Add 2 sponsored links to HISCEC’s ad network. The sponsored links have a direct link to your site.



- Internet Marketing. We will do our best to help you promote your business online and offline. We can work with you to help you take full advantage of our services and business network.

We look forward to serving you.

Sincerely,

HISCEC's Staff