March 2007
Small
business Tips:
Blog Writing Tips
DisabilityBiz Update:
Entrepreneur Spotlights
Feature Article:
Small Business and Self Employment for People with Disabilities
March 9-11, 2007
Sixth
Annual National Disability Sports Conference
BlazeSports America, in partnership with U.S. Paralympics, a division
of the United States Olympic Committee, will present the conference in
Athens, Georgia.
March 19 - 24, 2007
CSUN
Technology Conference, Los Angeles, CA
This is a comprehensive, international conference, where all technologies
across all ages; disabilities; levels of education and training; employment;
and independent living are addressed. It is the largest conference of
its kind!
Alternative Funding Source
Prosper - the Online Marketplace
for People-to People Lending
People who need money request it, and other people bid for the privilege
of lending it to them. Prosper makes sure everything is safe, fair and
easy.
| trend – some studies estimate that 40% of them are run by people with disabilities. Yes, running your own business is a lot of work but it a great way for you to connect with your community and generate some extra income. Just remember it's like the journey of 1000 miles -- you do it one step at a time. Persistence and patience pay off. | |||
J. Andy Leaf, Seed Business
Network President |
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| Blog Writing Tips | |||
| 1. |
Pick a topic you know really well and stick to it - just like with any business, the more specific you are the more loyal customers (blog visitors) you will get | ||
| 2. |
Keep it short and do it often - you don't have to write a long essay each time - a couple of paragraphs or even sentences is enough - it's more important to do frequent updates | ||
| 3. |
Be yourself but be professional - you want to be able to sound natural - not forced - but you also need to monitor what you say - you don't know when your words may come back to haunt you. | ||
| 4. |
Stay away from cutesy phrases or purposeful misspellings - part of keeping it professional! | ||
| 5. |
Use Keywords - think about what keywords people may use to find your topic and carefully name your posts and categorize your topics using those keywords. | ||
| 6. |
Keep your entries fresh - try to make entries at least 2-3 times per week - as you explore the internet or do research, note pages or info that may be of interest to your readers. | ||
| Business Blog Examples | |||
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Duct Tape Marketing | |
Media Guerrilla |
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The Entrepreneurial Mind | |
E-mail Marketing Best Practices |
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| Entrepreneur Spotlight Starting April 1st, 2007 we will be profiling successful entrepreneurs with disabilities in a new section of our website. If you are a person with a disability and have done well running a small business, you can send us your info by filling out our Entrepreneurial Profile Form and we will post the information on our website. Each month we will choose one of the profiles to feature in our monthly newsletter with a more in-depth interview! |
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| Small Business and Self Employment for People with Disabilities A report form U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy |
| Small Business in America With more than one million new businesses each year, America’s economy depends on small businesses for its vitality and growth. According to the 1997 report of the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s 17 million small, non-farm businesses constituted 99.7 per cent of all employers, employed 52 percent of private workforce and accounted for 51 percent of the nation’s sales. Small business-dominated industries provided 11.1 million new jobs between 1994 and 1998, virtually all of the new jobs created during that time period. Small businesses are most likely to generate jobs for young workers, older workers and women, provide 67 percent of first jobs and produce 55 percent of innovations. Thousands of people with disabilities have been successful as small business owners. The 1990 national census revealed that people with disabilities have a higher rate of self-employment and small business experience (12.2 percent) than people without disabilities (7.8 percent). The Disabled Businesspersons Association estimates that 40 percent of home-based businesses are operated by people with disabilities. The University of Montana Research and Training Center on Rural
Issues for People with Disabilities has documented that entrepreneurs
with disabilities have successfully operated a wide variety of businesses:
Accounting Services, Air Conditioner Repair Service, Auction Service,
Auto Body Repair Shop, Bakery, Bicycle Shop, Boat Making Shop, Child
Care Service, Chiropractic Practice, Contract Services, Counseling
Service, Farming, Janitorial/Maintenance Service, Piano Refinishing
Service, Real Estate Office, Restaurant, Free-lance Writing, Used
Clothing Store, Weed Abatement Service and Welding Shop. The type
of business that a person with a disability can operate is limited
only by imagination. |
