Category Archives: Business Development

Free networking event in Bremerton.

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After-hours event hosted by TruSeal Pavement Maintenance at the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce office.

Bring plenty of business cards, get ready to network away – and have a great time too! Why not bring one of your work associates or customers? These after work events provide the perfect opportunity to chat and build relationships.

June After-Hours Networking Event
Thursday, June 28

5:30 – 7:00 p.m.

RSVP HERE

 Hosted by

at the Bremerton Chamber of Commerce
286 Fourth Street, Bremerton
Parking available for this event at Kitsap Bank,
corner of Sixth and Pacific.

Success in scaling your business.

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by Kelly Deis of SoundPoint Consulting

First, what does it mean to scale your business, and how does it differ from growing your business?

Consider scaling a business:

“growing sales at an exponential rate while only adding costs incrementally by developing a replicable system for delivering goods and services.”

with simply growing a business:

“increasing sales coupled with increasing costs with little improvement on profit margins.”

The difference is clear. There is nothing easy about scaling your business, particularly for small businesses. It takes intention, strategy and investment.

Often business owners are caught in a Catch-22. They know they can sell more if they hire a Vice-President of Business Development. But, they can’t afford to pay for this this new position until they have increased sales.Yikes.

The larger your business, the easier it is to scale. Larger businesses may have multiple revenue streams, fungible staff and banked capital which can help see them through the ramp-up phase of accelerating growth. Smaller businesses often do not have this luxury.  Continue reading →

Get your products ready for e-commerce success.

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ecommerceBefore the Internet age, small business startups had little opportunity to showcase their products right alongside major national brands. Online marketplaces have leveled the playing field for small businesses, effectively helping them leap geographic boundaries and sell their products in markets that would never have been possible.

Whether you are selling your products on Amazon, eBay or directly from your website, it is critical for you to efficiently manage your product setup and ensure you can be easily discovered by consumers. Many of the same best practices that lead to in-store success can be applied to e-commerce, with a special focus on providing consumers with a well-rounded view of your product prior to purchase.   Continue reading →

10 reasons to keep your business blog active.

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Publishing a business blog is an important part of any marketing strategy, but many businesses launch one, not realizing that maintaining it is just as critical. Quality content is key, and if you’re a business professional you have lots to offer based on expertise in your field.

Here are 10 reasons why you might want to use that expertise to keep your business blog active.

1. Drive Traffic to Your Business Website

Customers who read your blog are 97% more likely to click on your website. That improves your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) making your website more likely to rise to the top of organic searches. In addition, the more you blog, the more traffic you get. Here are five steps to build a website if you haven’t got one yet.

In addition, blog sites that post daily get almost double the traffic than sites that post monthly or less.  Continue reading →

If you are a business owner, this is for you.

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by Ken Sethney, Kitsap SCORE Branch Manager

I was a business owner myself for many years. Now, I’m a volunteer business mentor with the Kitsap branch of SCORE.

SCORE is a non-profit organization that’s been around for many years. We have more than 10,000 volunteers nationwide, and we’re committed to helping people start, grow, and successfully exit their businesses.

In Kitsap County, we have 7 volunteers who meet with people from Kingston to Port Orchard, Bainbridge Island to Silverdale.

In the last 4 years, we’ve focused on face-to-face mentoring. Most of the people we’ve met with have been thinking about starting a new business.

Since meeting with us, many of them have. And their businesses range from food trucks to restaurants. Healthcare providers to general contractors. Retail shops online or right here in your town.

In 2018, our start-up mentoring services will continue, but we are starting a new program designed to help people who own businesses that are up-and-running.  Continue reading →