 Good morning everyone is as people continue to join in first of all it's a exciting day in Colombia, South Carolina. And as well and we're so excited to be offering such a needed service to our participants. We have several people who are several organizations who are collaborating. So as we allow the rest to get in then we will start. This is a hour packed pool of information, which we want to be able to assist you in creating and establishing implementing and continue to involve with your business plan. So we're going to get started. I'm sure you're talking with Dawkins and I am the owner of top while and documents LLC. We are a financial service company and basically with in addition to tax preparation we also provide a strategic leadership services we are partnering with the Small Business Association and Angela Brewer is on the line. The city of Columbia office of business opportunities with Asia triggers here. I am so excited that we have Alan in the room who is with the South Carolina Business Development Center. And there is Kate with USC technology incubator and of course miss Cheryl Sally from the Benedict college women's business center so we're here to provide you with information that we feel is credit is critical for anytime business but definitely this time of season because of inflation job labor costs all of those different articles that are involved in creating and and keeping your business. Valuable this week will be ideas out ideal there's plans and concepts how we created value proposition. Next week is going to be about your market. Third week is going to be about that financial piece to tie all of this together and week number four is going to be packaging everything up your executive your executive executive plan and making your business look as if it is a million dollars worth a million dollars because it is worth a million dollars for you and your business. Each collaborator in this and we are facilitators here the goal for this is that it's going to be a collaboration between you, the audience and us as facilitators while we will walk you through the process. If you, there should be a chat in the chat a actual workbook that we can follow as it goes along. We also are planning, I guess a remedial remedial concept so that we can walk the two P to the two week plan before we're walking into that financial planning piece. The goal is to create you for you to be able to follow the process. There is a conversation with the collaborators or whether it's homework or pre work. We don't care what you call it, but the goal is take that workbook, take your concepts and walk through the process. I am not going to keep you wrong because we have an hour just to get a whole lot of information in the in the scenario, and then from 11 o'clock to 1130 that is going to be the question and answer piece. So, this week, it will be sure Sally with the women, I mean, business college women's development center. I was our women's business center we got the developments and the business. And then there is the illustrious Angela from the US small business administration we have to get that one right. I'm not going to keep you. I am your facilitator. I am going to give the podium, the zoom podium as Cheryl will say to the illustrious and the fine experts as it relates to concept and creating a value proposition. Cheryl. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you so much, Sheila. I'm going to let Angela start us off this morning. Turn the past the zoom microphone over to Angela for a minute, and we're going to bounce back and forth and share information, share ideas about your business plan and the process. Good morning, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much Sheila for correcting it because I had my sentence all ready to go we are not the Association, the administration, but thank you all for. Thank you all for joining us this morning as stated my name is Angela Brewer I am a business opportunity specialist with the South Carolina district office of SBA. We have gotten past the PPP. We have gotten past EIDL now we're working on small business who need assistance with just getting their business started. So they're going to need a small business loan and the first thing you're going to need the first thing the bank is going to ask you for is a business plan. So guess what we got that covered to so today we'll be working on a start the process of getting your business plan in order so you can walk into a bank and successfully get a business loan to get your small business off the ground up and running or expanded. Thanks again for you all joining us Cheryl. Thank you so much. I'm Cheryl Sally with Benedict College and Women's Business Center. We are and this is and I'm going to stop a minute because this was part of what I was about to say in some of the slides to come. What I'm what I'm doing here is a pitch about Benedict College. So who, what, when, where, how and why. Right. And so and that's what your business plan is going to articulate help you to articulate and write it. But we're Benedict College Women's Business Center. We are primarily funded by the Small Business Administration. We launched back in September of 2020. We're located here in Columbia, South Carolina, but we do cover the state of South Carolina, providing one on one counseling information like what we're doing today with business planning how to develop your business plan, how to develop your infrastructure, the dismanagement positioning or funding government contracting, so on and so forth. And we do that by, you know, we have a staff don't do it alone. So we have this beautiful group of collaborators that's in the network here. And it's a, it's a more, a lot more resources here in South Carolina for your business. We focus on women, particularly women of color, and to kind of summarize our vision, our mission, our purpose is to be a gateway out of poverty for our socially and economically disadvantaged women, particularly women of color. So what we do, we provide the one on one counseling at no cost. And so our goal, end of the day is to help our entrepreneurs, you know, develop their business start their business, leave a legacy in the community and so we provide those tools and services. So just what I did, it's, it's, it's, it's all coming from the plan that we first presented to the SBA, right. And that I had to study, right, so that plan turned into a proposal to the SBA to give us the grant to operate the center. So that's why the plan is so important. And I had to study that plan to be able to articulate that turn it back over to you, Angela, you can share your screen, but thank you so much. Thank you so much for being here today. So the idea, I mean, Angela, you can unmute your mic because we're going to share talk, talk about this together. Also, we do have a few of the staff from the Women's Business Center, I think Mr. Donald White is on the line as well as Kitwanda Cyrus and Kayla London and they're on the on the zoom as well. So, there's a, you know, Angela mentioned about using the plan for funding, but, and not but but, and you use it to know where you are today, and to know where you want to be in the years to come, you know, this this business. What do you want it to look like 20 years from now. So where you are today, where do you want to be six months from now six years from now 60 years from now. What what are the steps that you need to take to get there. So this plan is going to help you to organize all is your checklist is your organizational document to keep you focused on where you're going and how you're going to get there. Next slide. So we're going to go through that today. How do you structure your business the people and the partners technology so on and so forth. You get you use the plan to get funding but like I said, if it's your it's your internal document. Would you take a trip. Go ahead, Angela, you can advance to the next slide. You've been taking a trip from here to California, without a map, a map how would you get there. Would you get there, probably not if you did not have GPS, you did not have a map. How would you get to California. That's the, that's the big the biggest important importance that's the main reason for the plan. How are you going to get to your destination in this business. So, and I can tell you a lot of the people that I need, you know, being a you can articulate who you are and introduce yourself to the world to the lender to your audience on Facebook on social media and, and all of all of those platforms if you don't know who you are and and what's your purpose for existing. What services are you offering. Are you a game changer in the market. Be confident in what you're what you're doing, and why you're doing it so the business plan development process. You know, your and Alan mentioned it don't say homework, but this is your time to research. This is the greatest investment that you can put into your business is your time researching, studying and implementing implementing the systems that you need. That's needed for your business. Just like the time you spend in school, you know, some of us, we were in school for 12 years 16 years, more, you know, 20 plus years in school. So, and that's to prepare you for life after school. This plan is your, your field work as Alan said this is your field work your study time. You want to in school every day you write down you study you and you write down the, you take the test and you write down the answers, you do the essay. So right now we're doing an essay for your business. That's going to articulate who you are what you're doing, why you're doing it when you're doing it, so on and so forth. Next slide please, and put your question. I want to interject. The business plan is going to be a living breathing document during this portion of the other business plan. You're going to write down your history. Why did you start this that you sit in the kitchen is growing when you're growing up your grandmother, you know, for the bakers or the cooks or the restaurant owners. I don't know what's your skin in the game, why did you get started why are you writing this business plan I used to sit down because they asked you for a history in the business plan I sat down now watch my grandmother or watch my mom cook and I said I'm going to do this. I mean you have to put your heart in this, you can't just go out there and have someone do it for you because they just going to Google what a baker do. They're not going to put your business in your business plan and that's what the banks are going to want to see. They want to see you. They don't just want to see what a baker do or what a cook do they want to see you so make sure you look at and you put down in your history why you got started at an early age I started baking at seven years old. I watched my mom or whatever you want to do but make sure you put your history in here and you have goals that you want to set in your history in your business plan why you got this started. So when you get started when you go sit down when you expanded like I tell I don't do a lot of counseling, but I speak to people all the time because they call our office and I refer them to our resource partners. But this is something that you should look at every six months to a year, and you should update your business plan often, because you should set goals for yourself so those are the things that you want to reach in your plan. Absolutely. Absolutely, it changes, and it grows just like Angela said the plan will change and it will grow it turns into this is strategic plan, and just a real a little nugget I mentioned that we had to write out. This is for some of the folks who are looking to be nonprofits let's say they're nonprofits right. Your plan business plan is your foundational document. Right. Once you lay out the plan, you extract information from it to create your website. You extract information from it to create your marketing collateral, your brochures your capability statement if you're selling to the government. So it's your foundational document and it can transform into a grant proposal. You know, I get so many people asking, do you know any grant writers, do you know, you know, do you do you, how do you do this and how do you do that all the time. Well, and the first thing I tell them do you have a plan. You have a plan for your organization, because in grant proposals and I'm kind of veering off a little bit, but in grant proposals, it is the plan is that it tells who you are. What you've done, you know, and your, what we have here, your personal, what you've done in the past, let's say if you're a startup. You don't have what the government calls past performance your business doesn't have past performance, but you have gifts, you have assets, and you have knowledge and so on and so forth, you try you transfer transfer those things to your business. Charles Sally enterprises. Um, that that LLC is backed by 35 years of business planning management and technical experience. So you transfer that but where do you do it. Right in that plan. We're located in, in Columbia, South Carolina, we, we chose this area, because there was an opportunity there we identified opportunity. So what's your area of coverage. And why do you do and we're going to get into the why you're doing it more in the market analysis and I'm not going to talk about that because that's another that's coming in the weeks to come. But I do tell you this, you, you have to study your farm, know your industry. And you, when you come to me clients and I'm all over the place here, but I'm because I get excited right because I meet clients all every day all day, you know, all the time and I've been doing that for about 30 something years. But when you come, especially if you're already in business, I mean clients or how long have you been doing this. I've been doing this since 2019, but they can't articulate the who what when where how and why. Why are they doing and if they're looking for funding, how much do they need and when you're going to pay it back and so on and so forth. Next slide please go ahead Angela you have something to. I love your excitement. Yeah, I do get excited. I really get excited I'm trying to contain myself because I really want and we really want as a collaborative. You want to get this foundational step in in starting your business or expanding your business. This is an often times overlooked step if I could tell you that nine out of 10 times. And I've been meeting a lot of clients for a lot of years. They will not have a business plan. So how do you know where you're going with the business. If you have not researched. And thought it out and you should be excited just like I'm excited is and don't let the business planning process and the written business plan intimidate you. You have it up here. You have most of the time if you're excited and you're passionate, you have a lot of what you need already up here. We want to help you get it on paper. So, Angela, you got any time in. No you have to keep going. And we have like to say our not laughing at me. We have Donald Donald on the line as well as kit wander they want to chime in please do so and Kayla, the staff here at the women's business center. We're all former current business owners. So, and they'll tell you that what I'm telling you and what we all can tell you is this. It's, it's, it's a necessity right idea and concept what's your vision. What is your vision that describes what you want to accomplish. Your dream you have this image in your head of this grand I call it the baby, you want to birth this baby from the moment that that idea came into your being, you want you have an image of what it will look like 20 years from now. So what's your vision if you look back at the community look back on your business. What will they say about your business and I have a little sample vision statement down here. Our vision is to become the number one choice when it comes to dental care service delivery in South Carolina, and to be amongst the top dental care service providers in the United States sample. Go out on Google, Google the word wide web. There is you, there's nothing that you can't find out there. Now, everything is not good information, but you will find it and you will begin to see a common thread of information. And then when you compare that com your research, you've done the common thread of information what you find online, you talk to the service providers, SBDC, WBC score. Who did I miss the veteran business opportunity centers, you have individuals at private like Sheila, you have the USC technology incubator, the list goes on and on with the service providers, then when you talk to us. And you tell us, okay, that, you know, this is what I've come up with. And then we will help you at no cost. I put that out there to determine. Yeah, that looks good, that looks really good. And there's nothing that that really excites me more than someone who's done some homework and research and it's okay if you have it, because that's a homework I use that word that word. It's some field work. Go ahead, Angela, Donald, Kayla, or Kit Wanda, if you want to chime in. Your vision should encompass something that you truly believe in don't go like Cheryl mentioned sample go out there and Google okay it's fine to go out there and Google and get some ideas. But make sure when you come up with your vision or your mission statement is something that embodies your business. Don't, you know, Coca Cola can't think you know slowly don't go out and get because that's not who you are not what you do. Go out when you think of your vision, think about you know sit down take a minute take a few days and think about what you want to bring to the world to South Carolina. Think about who you are before you put it on paper because once you put it down on paper, and you put it out there in the universe like everybody say I can go out there and delete it. Once you put it out there is out there, and I'm a firm believer on what you say is what I expect because if I pay for that's what I plan on getting or be angry. I can be real real angry so make sure when you do your mission and you do your vision statement you think about it before you put it on paper because people going to hold you accountable for what you put out there and what you and what they expect. I tell people I tell my kids all the time, you don't have to pay people your harder money if they give you what you are paying for. So if you put it out there, make sure you can uphold or stand behind what you put out there because they're going to be expecting and your your mission may change your vision may change at some point in time, and it's okay. It's okay that it changes because but in the thing with the business plan you that's your study guide right that's your that's your guide so you want to. And we said earlier, it changes, it grows, it is a living document, but it's your checklist to say, once a quarter, let me see am I on point with what I said I was going to do with this business. Let me see did I accomplish what I set out to accomplish it's on paper so you're not running around, really nearly doing things that you have not researched organized and planning keeps you focused. So you can measure if you are on point with the goals, the objectives, the task that you establish in that plan, and it's okay that it changes because certain things that you once you get in business, and all of the all of us who have been in business you realize that. So this isn't I plan to do this but it's not working out too well. So I need to pivot that magic word that pandemic, the word that is been emphasized, more than ever. In our lives is that word that came out birthed out of pandemics pivoting one that's what sometimes you have to do, but right down in research. I have down here on Sally dental group is established to be the first first class dental practice providing services and solutions for emergency and general dental dental needs. So keep it focus with your vision so the plan helps you to stay focused. It also helps you to stay organized. And imagine, and this is a, I will try to put this right. As you do your business, you're not focused on where you're going and how are you going to get there and steps you need to take people will come they will distract you, you become easily distracted. You'll get way off course, as to where you're supposed to be going and how you're supposed to be getting there, somebody come up with the idea, because you're and we get it all the time. What do you think about this, you know what do you think about that this will really increase your profits you'll get a lot of a lot of a lot more revenue if you add this to your business. And that may be something for you to consider because I didn't I'm about to go somewhere else now about diversifying your, your service, your income stream, diversifying your, your product offering and things like that will get into that a little little later. Next slide. Go ahead, Angela. This is Alan before you moved to the next well. And that you know what Cheryl is talking about is a lot of times when you're starting a business, you're trying to find revenue everywhere. And people will come and present opportunities to you that opportunities for you to make money, but they're not opportunities that help you execute on your vision and mission. So, you know, it can be easy, you can get easily distracted by revenue. When you're in the early stages of your business and so having a mission and vision statement that helps you stay focused on what it is you're bringing to the marketplace is really critical because it helps you to figure out what to do, but also what not to do. A lot of times, we see small businesses that have mission and vision creep. You know, based on an example that Cheryl mentioned, you know, 12 months they go back and look at their business and they realized they're not doing half of what they intended to do, and they're utilizing resources in a way that's not intentional. And part of what we want to present through this series is the focus on being an intentional business on the focus on using your resources, your time your money, your team, the ecosystem that exists here to help you move your business in the direction that is not only where the opportunity is for the opportunity to meet money, right to gain revenue and to serve people. But also that resonates with you and who you are from a mission and visions perspective, because it's tough. I've been a business owner is tough. And when your why is driving your business, it makes it easier to stick to it. Right. And so I just want to elaborate, you know, and echo what Cheryl was saying about mission creep opportunity creep people going to bring you opportunities to make money but really have an understanding of the opportunity fits what you wanting to do. Absolutely. Absolutely. And going back. Angela mentioned it a little while ago. Get your get your paper and pencil out and or your laptop or your phone. Use the phone. Start journaling. If you're, if you're new, if you're startup, start writing down before you get it out to the world. I just said, start writing down everything you find out, right. And all of this information that you write down that you jot down. It has a place in the in the business plan just like every piece of furniture in your house, it has a place. So, all of your some great great comments in the chat, all of the things that you find out in your research because now you're your private investigator right, your private investigator about your farm your industry, your farm farm and you want to write down what you what you want to do with your business. So start journaling, if you will, and then that journal will can transfer to and format it in your business plan. These are just sample mission vision statements here that I just grabbed offline to help craft your idea your mission, your vision. In another thing I want to add, when you're sitting down and you're thinking about what you want to do with your mission, decide who your competitors are and visit them. See what they offer. So when you are writing your mission statement, you're writing your vision, you're writing your business plan. This is what you're going to do. You don't have to name your competitor right now, but you are going to have to name in your business plan. But right now you don't when you're doing your history, your mission, your vision. Look at what they do, what they offer, and then think about what you're going to do different, what you're going to do better. So that's where your mission and your vision statement come in when you're planning and you're looking, looking over, go out to some of your competitors, go to McDonald's if you do McDonald's, go to Burger King, go to Zaxby, Chick-fil-A while these different places. If you want to do a restaurant, go to a different hospital if you want to open up a medical center. Look at what they do. Look at their staff. Look at, you know, when you're envisioning what you want to do. That's how you get your ideas. You don't have to copyright, but you need to see how they're running so you can know how you'll be running, how you are going to offer something different to the world. Absolutely. And we're going to get in that. All of that is a part of that market analysis section. And we'll get into that. I think that is what, what session is that? Is that the second one? Fourth one? We're going to take a real dive into the market analysis. But you should know your marketplace. And this is what we said earlier. You have to know your marketplace better than anybody else and how you're going to penetrate that market. But I'm not going to, I'm not going to even go into that. That's not my lane. My lane is this the startup part of this business planning. So we have the experts that's going to talk about marketing. Next slide please. But the whole point though is to put on your private investigator hat, your field work hat about this business, whether you're starting up or whether you're existing business, because things change. You need to know what's coming down the pipe for your business. What's coming? What are things to come? So you always have to stay abreast of what's coming down the pipe. And this is where the SWOT analysis, and we're going to get into that a little in another session. Because I noticed someone put that in the comment as well, that SWOT analysis, but then what are the potential threats? Technology, how is it changing? How is that going to impact my business? Business structure, foundation, and system. I know Mr. Allen Brown is going to chime in now because this is what I am a stickler for. And this is what you're going to flush out in that plan. Now we have your mission, you have your vision, you have your purpose, you know who you are, and the services that we're going to do, products or services you provide. But what about your foundation? There is not a house, a structure, a building built, number one without a design, architectural design, right? That's that map that you use to build that house on. There's not one built without a foundation. If the foundation isn't laid, the house is going to fall. I'm going to say that again. If the foundation isn't laid out in writing, the house is going to fall the minute the hurricane tornado, which we just had some. And we see that even the best laid structure sometime can get torn down. So self educating about business systems, business structure, which creates the infrastructure for your business. Starting up. And in that business plan, the systems that I'm going to talk about in a few minutes become their subplans within the business plan. But you need to self educate and know. I don't know. You need to self educate and know. Number one, what systems do I need in place? Number two, how are those systems? How do they operate? Number three, how do I monitor those systems? So it is very important to get started. The best time to do it is when you're getting started writing out the standard operating procedures for your business. It may be just the one pager starting out, but it will grow, it will grow. That's why we buy franchises, because you're buying a business in a box. So you want to set your business up to be franchise to be sold so on and so forth. And I'm going to buy a franchise or I'm going to buy a business because it is organized because it has a foundation, because it's turnkey. I always say this if, if, if, and I had this, we had this conversation at the office yesterday, you know, if, if you're missing from your business seven days, 14 days, 30 days. If your business missed a beat because you're not there. If you're not a real business yet you have a high end hobby, because businesses continue to run when the owners are asset, and they run because systems are in place. They're in writing somebody has been trained on those systems. So it helps you to stay organized. It's for the growth of your business for the stability of your business and long term sustainability sustainability for your business and positive net profits. And I would suggest to you that the less organized you are the less money you're going to make the less organized you are. It has a direct impact on your, your net profits. Okay, so this plan lays out. I do. Next slide please go anybody want to chime in. I see. Excuse me, we're, excuse me, I saw Kiki put one of our expert advisors here put something in the chat. And she currently has a business out and she want to chime in yet but she did piggyback and stamp, put a stamp on the systems and organizational, the management and the foundation for the business. Okay, no feedback. So, make, make a bind. Okay, make a binder. This is what I have in here. In the business plan that we're sending that you, we are providing for you all there is a section that talks about these systems right sort of like a little checklist. They are sub plans and when you start to write that plan. We want you to write, you know, on the accounting system what accounting system are you going to use, whether that's quick books and you have several out here. Peace tree quick books, I think one is what, um, zero, so whole so on and so forth. But what system are you currently using, or what system are you going to use, make a bullet point up under this section in your business plan write it out. What have you researched about accounting systems. Write it out what system are you going to use and what's going to be the process, because let's say quick books for instance, you know, it's a software system to hold you accountable every penny that goes into your business every penny that goes out of your business needs to be accounted for right. So, the standard operating developing standard operating procedures for quick books. It already has them in there you have tutorials and the guides, but now you're going to need someone to show you like Ms. Tuck Rolla Dawkins or another expert, as it relates to setting up your quick book system. But so it has the procedures in quick books how to operate quick books, but what it doesn't have if you're going to hire someone. Eventually, you're going to grow your business. Really, really grow your business. There's going to come a point in time where you need to hire somebody else or let's say it's so maybe one of your first employees is administrative manager, and you trust it entrusted them to make your deposits, or collect money from your customers, so on and so forth. Or, you know, look at so what is the procedure for making deposits that needs to be so you want to do your deposits every Thursday. That is a procedure. Everything you do in your business and those of us who are already in business. There's a process that you established you might start out doing it kind of you're all over the place. But eventually you're going to you're going to get your, your groove, if you will, on how you're serving your clients, how you're serving your customers and so on and so forth. But there's a process a chef or cook before you can. Before you end up with that cake. There is a process to getting there. Writing down the okay I need to go grocery shopping so when I go to the store. I need to get some flour I need to get this I need to get that. And then what do I do when I come back home with those ingredients you know what do I set the oven on and so on and so forth. There's a process that will come automatic to you in business once you establish that, but you don't write it down. You have to write down the process, and we were talking about this in the office that in order for you and this is the hardest part for most businesses. The, the, in order for you to work on your business and not work in your business, you have to stop and write the, the procedures down, so that somebody else can follow them, so that now you can go you know how do you got to got to monitor. You have to be able to check the checker, so you need to know how the system works in order to track and monitor the system, but in order to work on your business versus working in your business that transit that transition involves you having process procedures and policies in place and in writing your marketing is a system advertising sales, public relations. It is a system, I promise you is the system, and you want to embrace technology as much as possible, so that you can work smarter and not harder in these different systems. A few years ago I learned about who sweet, who sweet is a social media manager, and it may be many, many more on on on, you know, available now, but that was one that I started studying because it will link all of your, or your major social media platforms to to you know one platform Facebook I connected my link then I connected all of those different platforms posted one time to who sweet it posted to every you know it posted to all the platforms, not only that, it has a bulk message scheduler in it, so that I can set up this Excel spreadsheet which they call a CSV file, I can set it up. It's a date, the time of day, what I want to say, and the website address, I can set it up from now until December, all do for it to post every day. That is a system. That's a system that is a process, because marketing in. Oh my goodness, I don't want to jump ahead with marketing. I'm not going to jump ahead, I'm not going to jump ahead. Your source management system is a system, your greatest assets are your human resources, your employees, you're so contractors, or your volunteers, your, your, your employees, they're your greatest assets assets, and they can make a break your business or they can cause you a lot of monetary damage. If you don't have that system in place, and if somebody is not monitoring that system, whether they're employees, subcontractors or volunteers, they should, you know, they should have a packet. And you, when, when, if you've ever gone to work for anybody, there is first is a job description, there's a posting of that job description, there's the interview process, there is the selection process. There, there are once you decide, okay, this is the best candidate, how do you decide that there's a process for deciding that right. Once you decide that, that hiring or maybe jump, you know, missing a few of the processes but that's okay you get the point. Once you decide that, then the onboarding process, the orientation process, all of that's a process. And they're legal, obviously there are things you need to be in compliance with as it relates to the IRS, and so security department of Labor so on and so on and so forth, but everybody that touch your business, everybody, employees, subcontractors or volunteers, they need something in writing as to what your policies and procedures are. If you don't set the standards, others will set the standards for you, I promise you they will. You don't want that to happen. And I, you know, you, if there's no processes, there's no organization, then there's going to be chaos and confusion and more so, you're going to be the money is going to be seeping out next. Go ahead, anybody want to chime in, go ahead, Angela. No, keep it going. Ms. Sally, I can say something. As a business owner, you definitely want to, like you said, you know, have those processes in place because you got to think about it you're not going to be at your restaurant or your business, all the time. Who wants to work in their business seven days a week, 24 hours and not have a day off or break. And I wanted to say E myth, Revisited is also a good book to read about where it teaches you how to work on your business and not in your business. And who are you, Ms. Wanda Cyrus. So I'm, I'm Kiki, I go by Kiki by short but I do have a restaurant in Columbia area, Kiki's chicken and waffles. And I also work for Miss Sally in the Benedict College Women's Business Center with Miss Sally. We're a team. We're a team. But this is this is this is a part all of this in the performance management system. Pay raises. Yes, I issue one of our favorite restaurants absolutely performance management system. And administrative management system customer service management systems operations management, all of these, you need to know, because they tie together, they will overlap at some point in time. And they, most of them will have a dollar amount attached to them. What I've seen over 30 plus years 35 years and so is when if I could trace back the reason why businesses did not make it. I don't care what type of business. They did not make it or they have major hiccups in their business, because one of these systems either was not in place, not monitored, or, you know, so on and so forth and it wasn't in writing. All I can trace every hiccup and every failure to the lack of having the systems in place and the systems in writing. These are subsystem subplans that becomes that become plans by themselves in your business plan. So educate about that educate about that. Next slide. Yeah, Mike, Michael Gerber is a great, great, great business. I think excerpt from that is, he said in their, you know, McDonald's McDonald's one of the one of the largest business models that and longest running. But it's been around here for a very, very long time. Mike Gerber says in even if revisited is that it has ordinary people that work in extraordinary system. So, um, you the best or you're interlevel people, if you have a system in place, you can train almost anybody to run it but have it in writing because already said key personnel. Who, who will you need to be by your side to be on your team to help you grow your business. What are their qualifications. What, what, what job description do you need. Excuse me attached to resumes in the appendix of what you need. And you're thinking about the future you're thinking about here and now. In Europe, a lot of times when we start out we're wearing wearing all the hats. We're doing all we learned to do all of them. All of the different pieces all the different systems. But as you grow, as you make money, get more customers, you have to hire. So no in the beginning, where you what you need to have in place. Job descriptions that you need to have. How can you measure if you don't establish what they're supposed to be doing in your business, even if they're not here I'm going to go back to the volunteers. We have subcontract agreements and so on and so forth. And I have stores and I won't get into the stores because I think we're wrapping up on that I mean coming up on that our time, but I can give you stores and stories of headaches and hiccups from for not having the systems in place, just simple policies and procedures in place and you will not believe that something as simple as cell phone policy dress code policy. The answer the phone policy so on and so forth we take it for granted we hire people, even if they're family, right. Even if they're family, even if they're friends, have your policies and procedures in place so that they can follow them, and you can measure everything that's being done in your business. And is make sure your employees know your vision know your value, because if your employees are not up on your vision do not stand behind what you stand behind. They can cause you to lose business. I know it's been plenty of time I've gone places and had the worst customer service skill in the world, and I walk out. So make sure they are operating according to your standards, because they will make you lose business. Absolutely. And when you allow today we could go on and on into the human resource management system. But like I said they're your greatest assets take your time to have things in place to get to know the people who labor among you, right. Get to know who they are get to know what their personal, their personal goals are, if you can, you may have a system in place to do that. And I thought of this many many years ago of entrepreneurship savings plan right just like you have any other fringe benefit in your company, because an employee or subcontractor volunteer, they want they look they're looking at you, I'm going to use Kiki for example, and they they want Wow, I would love to have a restaurant like this this is my dream, you know to own my own restaurant to and they may ask Kiki how do you do that. That is the time for me, my light bulb go off. That's the time that I can duplicate my business. That's the time that I can potentially franchise my business and have what residual income money making my money making money for me while I'm sleeping right. But that's an opportunity oftentimes what I've seen is employer CEO were found against that. Because you're probably the greatest employee right, but that's the opportunity put them in a man management shadowing program. You can do that in an amount of time because you already know how long it takes you to. Yeah, right, Mike Ward he said they scared that somebody stealing their ideas. But guess what, you can duplicate, you can duplicate your business you know what it takes you can charge them a fee for getting them started after they go through your management program of business ownership. You can even invest, you know, you can be, you know, have I call it just like any other fringe benefit coming out of their chat, if they're serious about it and you can tell that, you know, put measures in place to really see if they're serious just when we meet with individuals at the WBC. When we give them the homework to do, we can really tell who's serious about growing their business based on how they complete the homework based on how they work on the business plan, how they do the research and so on and so forth. But employees want their own businesses probably your best employees because they're like sponges just soaking up everything because they want to learn this industry, but you can get residual income from them for years to come your children can get because now you've set it up. Like a franchise or not necessary franchise cost a lot to get set up, but you can still set it up and have residual income. Go ahead next slide. This is the organizational structure for future, you know how you're going to have everything structured the hierarchy, so on and so forth. Next slide, products and services. Describe your services describe your products. What are the features, what are the benefits of your products and or services. So when I am marketing. I got the marketing plan and everything. And this, this is probably just going to come out in the marketing section. The business is not about me now I don't need to be selling how great Cheryl Sally is in this, this business that I'm marketing, but what, how is my product or how is my service going to benefit you, the customer. What value is my product or service going to add to what you're trying to do. Is it going to save you time is going to save you money. Just what that what is your value proposition to your customers, your marketing message your content is going to be wrapped around, probably your value, your problem the problems that you are solving for your customers so in your plan, you're going to list those things. Why, why would I buy your product or service from anybody else. For instance, I had a client come to me years ago, want to do a plus size boutique down in the Vista right. And I'm like, hmm, very interesting, you know, I'm a plus size girl I would, I would love to come to your boutique but I've gotten used to shopping online. So I've gotten used to the stores that I, you know, shop with because they have some nice plus size, you know, items. So what's going to make me and I live in Northeast Columbia, which is about 2025 minutes from downtown Columbia. What's going to make me get, get in my car and drive down to the Vista, when I could just shop online. I said so be creative. If you add maybe something that nobody else is doing and I don't want to get into marketing but what's going to differentiate you, and what's going to be your value now let's say for instance, you add, we're going to do full makeovers for plus size ladies or men, you know, men, it may be men, I want to discriminate. So men or women or boys or girls we're going to do full makeovers right for plus size individuals, and we're going to show them how to wardrobe we're going to show them how to pick out the best patterns and items that supplement enhance where they are right. Um, if you do that, that now you're getting into not only selling me your items but you're counseling me on what do I need to wear to look my best. Who does that. And you may do a full makeover so this goes back into public relations. I read an article many years ago about a company in Pennsylvania, it was a beauty salon. And I was reading this article because beauty salons are you know pretty common business models, but I was reading the article because the young lady owning the beauty salon. She did once a year, maybe twice a year, she held, she did full makeovers for women who were big crime victims criminal domestic violence. So she partnered with, let's say a shoe store clothing store nail salon, everybody she needed to partner with in that community who took ownership of that idea to give those ladies who were victims of criminal domestic violence give them a full makeover. That was her give back, but so and going back to my point, what is going to make me come you can have a common business model, it doesn't even matter, but what value are you going to bring to the table. Write it out be creative. Any comments. I see the idea buddy.com is a great resource for brainstorming. Yes, brainstorm, write your ideas down what pain does your products of service relief. Next slide. Any comments, Angela. No, you're doing great. There was a, there was a question on that says, what if you're building a brand and have two businesses that you want to start should you, should there be two separate business plans. Not necessarily, because now we're getting into structuring. And we do have some legal next improved law firm provides pro bono services for us for the clients of the WBC. So, but you do you think about the parent company, and I can have multiple divisions in the company that may or may not be totally related. You can have one plan, right, that had that off have different service offerings, different divisions for that company. But, but no matter what business or what services of products, you still have to do the same organizational structuring and planning so you can have different divisions, different products and services, almost parent company, either subsidiary companies. And if it's totally totally. And I'm going to go into. I'm going to share our website here. Do you do with the box. Say it again. Are you through with the slides I can go to the website. Okay, it's the it's actually been at college, been at college website, but the ultimate brand, right the ultimate brand. This is what I wanted to get to its, what is your brand really. It's not the website. It's not the business plan. It's not the marketing collateral, but it is the customer's experience what is the encounter Angela touched on this is the encounter and the experience that your customers has as a as a result of doing business with you, your employees, your products and your services. So this customer relationship management system, crucial system in making sure that at the end of the day and this is what's going to really grow your business that your brand is your reputation for doing business. How are you going to write out all the things you're going to do to make sure that your customers are satisfied now, you can say well you can't satisfy everybody. But you really want to rank high as it relates to serving your customers and their experience. What do they walk away with when they have done business with you. What do they walk away with when they've done business with you. That is what's going to grow your business. And I put down here it's not the ultimate and or superior product or service but being making sure it's a consistent one. And Mike Gerber in Emith revisited he talks about that too. We are creatures of habit and we get used to consistency doesn't have to be the greatest in the world, but you have to be consistent. If I go into any place I want to see the same. If, if, if it's a restaurant or I want that I want the same heat chicken to be hot. Every time I go there. I get to taste the same every time I go there. I want the timeliness of the service that I get every time I go there. I want it to be the same so that I know I have the expectation. And you have to meet the customers expectation, every time they do business with you, write out what you need to do in your plan in order to do that. At the end of the day, that's what's going to help you sustain next slide I need to move quickly. And these are other people in your network. This is a part of your, your fieldwork. I was about to say your fieldwork of getting to know and creating your team, your village that's going to help you and and help you have a genuine interest in helping you succeed in your business right those the right that down right those folks down who you need to talk to bankers. Bankers do not were not able to get PPP long, because they did not have a relationship with a banker. You make business you make deposits in your business account, you need to talk to the banker. You need to have that list first you need to write it down who do I need to go see you in the next 30 days I need to talk to at least three to five bankers I need to make an appointment because this is what you're going to do every week or how much time you have to invest in your business if you're just starting out. I need to make an appointment to go talk to some of the community partners public partners that I need on my team that counter the CPA, the banker the attorney and the mentor for the business. I want to talk to them, and I would employ you that don't be intimidated. Because they're interviewing you you're actually interviewing them because they need you as a customer. So don't be scared to ask the bike Mr banker, how many. How many beauty salons have you funded over the past year. You know how many you're micro. I'm a micro I'm going to start up how many have you do you offer us do you all, you know, do you all fund a lot of beauty salon so on and so forth. I'm getting off of schedule but you get my point. Write that down in your plan who you who do you intend to have on your team map that out your referral network, who do you need to help you with this business short term and long term next slide. It's all about relationships, all about relationships. I think we had I wasn't monitoring the chat, but you can go to the Benedict's page really quickly. Angela. I hear you. No, I was saying any, any, any, anything more to add anything either other partners want to add. While you're pulling up benefits. No, not the not the WBC, the actual college benedict.edu. So what, while she's pulling that out what what comments, what questions that do you have for Angela and myself. Let me one of the, the collaborators that's on the on the zoom. So this, go ahead. Are you seeing this website. I am seeing it right. So Miss Mimi Terry, she has a question I just see I just saw that. And before, before we get to the questions go to about us. I think it's under about. What do you see under office of the president strategic plan. I promise you every major or organization organization has a strategic plan. And if you click on that plan go ahead and click on it, Angela, on it. Yeah, I think you can click on it within it, because a young lady asked about yeah there you go. She asked about different things. Yes, that's it. So as you scroll down. This is, you know, it talks about the vision, the strategy, the key and neighbors, strategic revenue growth. And it goes on to talk about the history. Go ahead. And you get the certain section is one section in here. So this this section as she's going kind of fast, but it talks about the different areas that's in your business what are the goals on the strength and academic programs what's the objectives to do that. So, in the different areas because they're there are a lot of divisions in the college to make the college, you know be what it is, you can scroll down a little bit. And to share every organization has a strategic plan. So our thing we want you to start out with that plan and has started out in writing so that's why we're here. You can stop Angela just wanted to share. Go ahead with the questions. Hi. Hi. My name is Naisha, but everybody called me Nini. So that's why I need to tear you up here. But my question is about accounting do you guys have an accounting firm that you all can recommend to people who are in need of one because I don't have an accountant. And I have been trying to track everything on my own and I know I'm not doing it the way I should be doing it so if anyone has anyone they could refer that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Thank you so much, Nini. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And this is the thing what you did it. You asked you know the thing is, you know that I need to, I need to do better. I need to do better and I want to do it right. And so that's what you do you I got to search it out. Well, who's out here to help me and help is here. She's Bella Dawkins, you know she provides services to our client and she's not the only one, but she provides she partners with the WBC to provide services to our clients at no cost to you to help you get your get your system set up. But she's going to talk about that in her segment, but if you don't use Miss Sheila, she's an expert what she does on the search out others that you do want to use, but whatever you do. Get it done. Right, because you want to be a count you want to know where every penny every penny has a place that's going out every penny has a place that's coming in. You want to not only know how to account for your money, because it plays huge plays big role in a lot of everything that you do right, including getting money, getting more money to grow your business but everything has a place and you cannot plan for where you're going financially, unless you have that in place. You cannot plan where you want to go so you just just can't just I'm just going to grow a million dollars I'm just going to have a million dollar company and selling all these products I have great great great services. How are you tracking that. How you tracking that. Absolutely. And I just recently got partnership with Walmart and registration approved with Hobby Lobby and I got a ton of products and have no idea where my money is going to be going or like you know and I need some guidance so. So we're, we're here. Thank you. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. Thank you. Proud of you so proud of you. I just want to make sure that that foundation is great because I always tell clients. It does not matter how much money you make. It does not matter how many customers you have. If you don't have a, if you don't have a firm foundation to land that on. You're going to lose a lot of money, or you're going to be dead in the water. We're in the business to to to make money to be successful to leave a legacy to give back all of those different things. Go ahead. Sheila is putting her phone number in the chat. If we, if you have any questions, we still can do that as well but as we begin to starting to wrap up piece, you guys have been provided a workbook. So that the goal would be your pre-work, fieldwork, homework, whichever one you want to call it. The goal would be for you to take what we have given you this week and kind of walk through that process, specifically your business structure and foundations, leadership and key personnel, as well as the products or services and or services. What is your customer experience? We're going to take what we dealt with today to discuss what we're going to talk about next week, which will be all about the marketing strategy, your target customer, your size and your growth rate, your external and internal marketing, regulatory, financial barriers, and your ideal client, as well as your competitor, because a lot of times we think about what we're going to do, but we forget about the person who's offering a substitute or a compliment to our business. So we want to discuss our competitor. One of the things that most businesses don't realize is what we call the SWAT. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Those are internal. What's your external opportunities and threats? So doing a deep dive on your similarities, your differences, why? Back to the why. Why would I want to come to your business instead of going to someone else across the street? So as we move forward, I will be sending out a, one of us will be sending out a link for Tuesday the, let me look at my calendar, Tuesday evening. The 12th. The 12th at, from six to seven. And this piece will be just about what you have experienced during week one and week two, if there are, it's not structured. So it's a place where you can ask those type of questions so that when we walk into the finance piece, we can move the narrative and make that make sense as it relates to dollars. So we do absolutely appreciate you guys and it is, it is definitely something that we felt like was an opportunity for us as collaborators, and we wanted to be able to share our knowledge with you as well. Are there any questions? They don't have to register for Tuesday and they can just, just sign into the link. Yes, they don't have to register just sign into the link and I'll send that out to one of us who are going to distribute that so there won't be any registration for that piece. Come in, bring your sandwich, bring your questions. Let's just enjoy it. Bring your water and your coke and we'll just spend time together as we talk through the process. It will be at six o'clock from six to seven. It's not structured so it's just basically we're going to go through those two weeks and just ask questions that you may have come across as you're doing your pre-work or homework or fieldwork. I am going to actually give it over to Aisha where she can close us out and of course she didn't know that I was going to do this. While she's coming to the Zoom podium, I'm just looking at, I can't see all the comments and questions, but we certainly will get to them. But no matter what type of business model you have, there is a process and a procedure for it because I think someone put something, I can't see it now, but I think she's a mental health therapist who wants to know what to do. It doesn't matter and we're here to help us so let's stay connected. It doesn't matter what product or service you're offering. You have a process, you have a procedure, you have a plan for it. So let's just put it, you know, let's just put it in writing. This is about getting your ideas, getting your goals, getting your vision in writing. So let's start the process of writing, getting that down. And prior to Aisha coming to the Zoom podium, there are certain things about your business that are creative and in order for us to walk through that plan, you have to be creative, you have to think out of the box. There are other parts of your business that is strategy, it's numbers. There is no thinking outside the box, it's about structure. So what you have to do is recognize what part of your piece is innovative and creative and what part of your piece should you follow a platform. Your profit and loss statement is structured. There is a standard accounting operating procedure that's involved with that. That's not creative. Your business plan, even though there are parts of it that is created, the book has been written on how to do that. So don't try to go outside of the, don't go into waters that haven't been crossed. The waters that we have, we know what works. So those are the things that we want to invent. This is a part of investing into the structure piece while you creating and being innovative with your baby because your baby going to need diapers. Your baby is going to need milk. Every baby that comes in the world, they need those. So we're providing the diapers and the milk and the clothes. Now, Ms. Aisha. And Kate, if you want to say something as well. And Alan, as we, and Alan, yes. Yeah, I'll start. I'll start. And I do see someone asked about repeating information. Sheila, you said that's Tuesday, April 12 from six to seven and we'll send a link out to everyone who read. Before you move on, some people said they're in the fact they want to attend the informal but then the fast track from six to eight. You know, I can, I can, I can make it five to five to six, five to six, yes. Well, how about this five to six 30 that means that for you guys that get off of working five o'clock y'all can get on online at six and for the old you guys, we have to do the fast track. It'll be enough to where we can accommodate and you're not required to stay the whole time. I would just be available for questions and answers. Now that I put myself out there. But there's some synergies, you know, between what we're discussing and what they're getting in fast track and so getting what she what show you. It's going to share with you in that session is is going to be part and parcel to some of the things that you're going to hear in fast track and so, like Cheryl said, like Sheila said, a lot of the information we're sharing is basic knowledge that's common to every business type, every business form. And so you're going to hear some of the things in fast track that you're hearing in this session and vice versa. You know, if you if you have to go to the fast track session, you know, 1515 minutes later than necessary because as a specific point that she was going over that's relevant to this content. You know, I don't think there be a big issue there but you definitely want to continue to stay on that fast track, you know, attendance role because there are some requirements there in order to graduate. And I will say that if you take a look in the chat, you know, I posted some things that you can take into consideration. When you're thinking about your ideas, you know, you know, like what products and services have frustrated you as a customer. Right. What things have inspired you to find ways to improve them. That's a way to promote or find ideas that may be beneficial for you to start a product start developing a product service and so if you take a look at the chat, say the chat you'll see some additional comments and questions that might be. And if you care to share your business. Someone asked about I think the name of these business, because they want to support her, which is great. Yep. In the chat so I didn't even see that. Thank you all. I think you have one right. Wait, you're here, Michelle. You have one of my planners don't you. I don't know whether it was you or someone else from your organization but a whole. I would love to get one. This is what it was. Yeah, beautiful celestial healing. Yeah, I remember. Yep, yep. So I'm gonna get I don't have one but I would love to purchase one so put your website. I'm typing it in right now. Thanks. Okay, great because that's what we have to do. Hey, we have to support each other. It's about networking. It's about networking and supporting each other. And we're going to think you know my little my little brain is thinking about, okay, maybe we need to have a little networking after we finish the four weeks where we can all meet each other and find out about the business but we're not we're not going to put that out there. But anyway, yes, if you would like to put your website address in the chat so others can, if you already have it. Please do so. Yeah, so the other thing I wanted to add to everyone as long as you registered I will send an email out this afternoon. That includes a survey we want to know what we did well what we need to work on for next week and how to move forward and how we can continue to assist your business. Also, I will send a copy of the presentation for for today to everyone who registered. I'll also add a contact list for all of our partners that were included in this collaboration this is definitely been well received everyone so this was absolutely needed great idea for the brainstormers for this event I think it was a great idea and obviously, it was very much needed so I'll send out that contact list. We are working on a recording, so I might not have that link to you today but hopefully either tomorrow or early next week. I can provide you with a recording to this event as well and then I'll turn it over to our other. If you put the event right link in the chat, or they can go to the SBA website and register for someone just act what you register at. I'll put a link in the chat. And please share this information with any and everybody that you know, because this is the foundation. This, this is the groundwork. I know a lot of businesses I meet a lot of businesses who are already in business been in business, five years 10 years and even sometimes longer that need to and have does not have a strategic plan written. And some of their, the pieces of their infrastructure is really really really weak, because of not taking these steps, initially. I'm just posted in the chat and they're starting a trucking business they don't know where to start, but I have initial item i.e. Sam tax ID and bank account. Cheryl did you are Alan because you are our resource partner who does a lot of the counselor for started business either one of you or both you put your information in the chat, so they can reach out to one of you all for assistance. I'm waiting on Kate so she can. This is with the USC Columbia incubator we want to definitely hear from her today. Um, I don't have anything to really add I would just say that it's really important that you attend each of the weeks, if your calendar kind of permits you to because each week we will be building upon the concepts that we've kind of initiated we, we made the concept, the marketing, the finance and then kind of your target audience those four areas ways for you to understand how to start your business and then grow your business and then reach more people and do those and innovative creative ways so we're excited to see you all as for the other weeks and if you have any other questions. Yes, the recordings will be sent out when I just sends out the survey and all those other items with the PowerPoint slides and all that fun stuff so everyone should have received the workbook already and then before the finance week you will also get a excel sheet shared with each of you to be able to walk through Shilia's presentation with her. So, if you have any other questions or concerns, definitely all the partners go ahead and throw your contact information in the chat I've seen a few people ask for that. But we're so happy that you are all here today and we can't wait to see y'all every other Thursday this month it's just going to be Thursday, Thursday mornings with us. So, as an incubator we serve we're actually going through a rebranding period, but we serve all startups and all small businesses we have affiliate members and we have resident members. And so we're able to host people within the building if they need office space or if they need storage space or if they need management space. We also allow them to use some of our common areas. We host our own networking events, our own programming and our own workshops. So if you're interested definitely feel free and reaching out to me and the programs and communication director so I'm over all of that information and our website is Well, I started in July and I don't run things like my former person so I'm not sure what that was for but definitely reach out again and feel free to email me and we'll set up an introductory meeting I always host an introductory meeting with those interested kind of share information about how we run things and how your business is ran and then we can find ways that we can work together. So, I'm excited to kind of look forward to seeing how I can serve more of y'all. And then of course a lot of our things with SBDC being in the building we also have some other resources score and PTAC in the building and then anytime we might have a good resource I send them over to the Women's Business Center or SBA for grant funding or Aisha for city help so lots of people that come together that kind of work together that's all about the community part of it all so that's what we're encouraged through this is for y'all to network as a community and also for y'all to tap into our network throughout the community. Yes, Mike Ward had a great point save the chat before you log out so you can have everyone's contact information, questions and that fun stuff. And Angela didn't mention this, but she said it before. No, like, make sure your position, like there's a step before you go to someone like the SBA, you need to have all of this groundwork laid out. Right Angela, or before you go to a bank or know when to go to the other resource partners right so this is the groundwork. I'm just a small peon in this world so exactly. So someone has asked how to, how do you save the chat. I'm thinking of just seeing something pop up by click something went so fast is three little dots like when you see it says at the bottom of the chat. It says to everyone and then you'll see a little looks like a little sheet of paper to the right, and there's a little smiley face in his three little dots. Next to that and if you click on that and then you can select save chat. This was great. I hope you all got something got some valuable information out of this. Yeah, this is much needed and this was much needed I know we get it all the time here at SBA like I said we don't do a lot of counseling but we get a lot of people who need assistance, who are looking for assistance and that's the first thing I tell them you need to get your business plan you need to get structure so thank you all for coming on today and being with us this hour and a half and look forward to seeing you all next week. I'm not supposed to close out but I just had to say that. Well, Angela has said that and she has closed us out so guys we appreciate you, and we're actually closing on time we are very cognizant cognizant of your time. So that's important to us and we look forward to seeing you next week. April the. April the 12th. 30. Yeah, yes. For the meeting. Also, one thing as a tax accountant I would be, I would not be doing my job if I didn't tell you that the deadline for filing your personal taxes is April the 18th. If I don't file an extension, which is the 4868. It does give you, I does give you an extension to file, but it does not give you an extension to pay. So just keep that in mind and no, we're not extending anything in time soon. No, that was my, my snail. So thank you guys for this opportunity, and we will see you next week. Do your field work. Your pre worker homework. Let us know next week. Organize and stay on a few minutes so we can have a little run through before we. Okay. Thank you everyone for joining us. Thank you all so much.