Transcript Slide 1
JoAnne Chalom, COMS, Ed.S.
JoAnne Chalom, COMS, Ed.S.
How many hats do you wear?
Attendees will
◦ Understand similarities & differences
An employee
A private contractor
Attendees will
◦ Access resources to develop a business
plan
An emerging
Or established business
Attendees will
◦ Understand the benefits of social
media marketing
Emerging business
Established business
Think
Time
◦ Presentation
◦ Questions
◦ Wrap-Up
Private contractors typically have
contracts for
◦ A set time period
◦ A set amount of money
Typically a school board employee’s salary
is based on a
◦ ‘School year’
◦ Ten months long
A new orientation and mobility specialist
may need to accept a lower fee structure
This may be similar to a beginning salary
for a recent graduate
Comparison between
◦ A veteran orientation and mobility
specialist
◦ Long-time employee at the top of the
pay scale
Wear and tear on School Board Employees'
car is not typically reimbursed
Contractors would typically use their car
and may or may not be reimbursed for their
travel time and expenses
A school board employee benefit
◦ The use of the company vehicle for work
related travel
◦ Reimbursement for mileage
School Board employees also have
benefits
It may include
◦ Medical
◦ Dental
◦ Retirement
What fringe benefits are provided to
employees?
Are they as prevalent for private
contractors?
Contractors can access health care
coverage through other means that may
include
◦ The Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act (PPACA)
Pension Plans
Group Errors and Omissions Coverage
Paid time off (sick or personal)
Paid Holidays/Leaves or Sabbaticals
Group Health Insurance
Groups Dental Coverage
Group Life Insurance
Professional Errors and Omissions Liability
insurance
General Commercial Liability Insurance
Business coverage for your vehicle
A private contractor would need to
consider expenses such as
◦ Gas
◦ Vehicle maintenance
◦ Office supplies
◦ Other expenditures
Congratulations, you have decided to go
out on your own and become selfemployed
Give yourself a pat on the back
Now exhale (after you have figured out
what you have just done)
Take a moment to say good bye
◦ Dependable paychecks
◦ Fringe Benefits
◦ Paid time off
Paperwork
◦ Oh what fun………..
All licenses required to have a business
must be kept current
◦ City
◦ County
◦ State
Monthly deposits
◦ Federal taxes
◦ State taxes
◦ State employment taxes
◦ (Formerly unemployment taxes)
Insuring that invoices are paid in a timely
manner
Insuring that business expenses are paid on
time
◦ When is it worthwhile to give some
of your responsibilities to another
professional like an accountant?
When you spend more time
completing these tasks when you
could be providing services to clients
and earning money
Research and think about your business in
a systematic way
◦ Financial backing
◦ Loans
◦ Investors
It helps you to think things through
thoroughly
◦ Study
◦ Research-If you are not sure of the facts
◦ Review-Look at your ideas critically
Mission Statement
Vision
Goals
Mission Statement
◦
◦
◦
◦
Brief statement
30 words or fewer
Explaining their reason for being
Guiding principles
Vision/Business Philosophy
What is important to your business?
To whom will you market your services?
Goals-destinations
Objectives-progress markers
Industry description- What changes do you
foresee in the industry, short term and long
term?
Will your company be poised to take advantage
of them?
Describe company strengths and core
competencies.
What factors will make the company succeed?
What do you think your major competitive
strengths will be?
What background experience, skills, and
strengths do you personally bring to this new
venture?
Legal forms of ownership
Sole Proprietor (DBA)
Partnership
Corporation
Limited liability Corporation (LLC)
Services
Describe your services in depth
What factors will you give?
Advantages ? (level of quality)
Disadvantages ?
What are the fee structure of your
services?
Market Research
◦ Know your niche market
Primary research
◦ Collecting your own data
Secondary research
Newspapers
Trade journals
Census data
Demographic information
Social Media
Economics
Size of market
Current demand (niche)
Trends
Growth patterns
Other factors
Competitive analysis
Customers
Strengths and challenges
Operational analysis
Other factors
Narrowing your niche
How big a piece of a business can you
accommodate?
As a new or established business owner
are you biting off more than you can
chew?
Score (http://www.score.org/)
(retired entrepreneurs)
◦ Free or low cost
◦ Mentoring
◦ Workshops
◦ Webinars
Association of Procurement Technical
Assistance Centers (PTAC)
◦ Free
◦ Mentoring
◦ Workshops
◦ http://www.aptac-us.org/contractingassistance
Topics offered…
◦ Finance
◦ Money
◦ Management
◦ Technology
Minority Business Owner
◦ A business that is owned, managed, and
controlled by a person who qualifies as a
minority
◦ At least 51% owned by a minority
Women Owned Business
◦ A business that is owned, managed, and
controlled by a woman
◦ At least 51% owned by a women
Small Business Enterprise
◦ A business that meets criteria from the
county or city
◦ Financial restrictions apply
Small Disadvantaged Business
◦ At least 51 percent owned by one or
more individuals who are both socially
and economically disadvantaged
Small Disadvantaged Business
Whose management and daily business
are controlled by one or more such
individuals
Logo
◦ How do you want your brand visually
represented ?
Tag line
◦ It’s more than a few simple words and it
must be very succinct
Blogs
◦ To blog or not to blog that is the
question
Logo
◦ Does your logo look professional and
does it relay an image you would like
associated with your company ?
◦ Yes, many free images are available, but
sometimes you get what you pay for
Tag line
◦ In a few succinct words do clients or
potential clients understand
◦ What products your company sells?
◦ What services your company provides?
Tag line
◦ What does it mean to your
clients/customers?
◦ It provides a clear and indelible mental
image of your primary business product.
◦ It answers the unasked question’ what
makes your business unique?’
Blogs are:
◦ Another representation of your professional
image
◦ Forever
Once posted you cannot retract comments
Once a blog is posted
◦ It is posted forever
◦ You cannot control the comments readers
post under your blog
Blogs are:
◦ A two way street type of Pandora’s Box
You are only in control of outgoing
messages
You cannot control responses
Know when to contact a professional who
excels in areas that are not your area of
expertise
Know when to invest your time wisely
Website Development
◦ Professional presence
◦ An extension of your business’s vision
Brochures
◦ Know your purpose
◦ Is it a giveaway or a marketing tool
◦ Limit fonts used
Create a clean cut media presence
◦ Clear
◦ Concise
◦ Not cluttered
To maintain and accentuate your
theme include the same
◦ Tag line
◦ Logo
Use a consistent theme across all
marketing media
◦ Website
◦ Brochures
◦ Business Cards
◦ Blog
◦ Advertising
Social Media
◦ Facebook
◦ Instagram
◦ LinkedIn
◦ Twitter
◦ Google+
Similarities & Differences
◦ Contractor vs. Employee
Your Business Plan
Social Media Marketing
Spend time putting your thoughts on
paper
Create a document that can be referenced
if you lose focus
Slow down and think about the business
you are creating
Be willing to knock down barriers to create
the type of business that reflects your
philosophy and vision
SCORE formerly known as Service Corps
of Retired Executives
www.score.org
Business Planning and Financial
Statements Template Gallery
http://www.score.org/resources/businessplanning-financial-statements-templategallery
The U.S. Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov/
Association of Procurement Technical
Assistance Centers
http://www.aptac-us.org/contractingassistance/
Terms to Know
http://www.frbatlanta.org/about/atlantafe
d/procurement/supplier_classification.cfm
JoAnne Chalom, COMS, Ed.S.
In Focus Mobility, Inc.
www.infocusmobility.com
[email protected]
(954) 261-9226