Category Archives: Main Street

The Megaphone of Main Street: Startups, Fall 2019

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The first year of operations is a critical time for any small business, with decisions made about market focus, finding financing and hiring a team that will have a significant impact on the business’s success or failure in the future.

SCORE’s fall 2019 “Megaphone of Main Street” data report focuses on the challenges facing startups, which are companies in operation for less than one year.

This latest installment of the Megaphone of Main Street is the fourth in a data report series that presents a snapshot of the current American small business landscape. This particular report delves into the world of startup entrepreneurship, sourcing both qualitative and quantitative data directly from a diverse group of roughly 1,000 startup small business owners across the nation. Continue reading →

Volunteer Opportunity: Technology Coach Silverdale

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Responsibilities

Under general supervision, assist library users with one-on-one instruction about basic computer use, internet use, and access to the library’s electronic services including downloadable library content.

  • Guide library users with computer topics such as hardware components, keyboarding and mouse, basic operation system navigation, basic software navigation, file storage and file system navigation, using USB and other external storage devices, and helping with basic tablet and smartphone navigation.
  • Guide library users with internet topics such as web browsers, web search engines, basics of web-based email services, basics on online social media services, basics of cloud computing services, and basic internet safety and security practices.
  • Guide library users with library downloaded content using relevant software applications, which currently include downloadable library books, magazines, and music files.
  • Assist with program set-up and take down, including managing of furniture and equipment.

Continue reading →

Secrets to Managing a Store Successfully: Part I

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male store owner

Retail is a complex and challenging business, posing problems ranging from inventory management to theft prevention. When coupled with falling prices inspired by major retailers, like Amazon, and the rising costs of labor, there are a variety of pitfalls facing modern retail businesses.

With so many ins and outs to consider, now more than ever, effective management plays a critical role in retail success.

In this two-part blog series, we reveal the core principles and techniques you should apply to manage a store successfully.

Streamline In-Store Operations

Whether you know it or not, many of the day-to-day tasks that dominate small retail operations are based on old-school styles and strategies, like counting inventory by hand, creating manual schedules, and entering sales transactions one by one into bookkeeping software. While these methods can be useful, they cost you time that could be invested elsewhere.  Continue reading →

The Megaphone of Main Street Small Business Jobs Report

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Infographic # 1: Small Businesses and Employment

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Small businesses employ almost half of all workers in the United States and have been responsible for much of the economic recovery (through hiring) since the 2008 recession.

SCORE’s latest infographic explores small business hiring challenges.

This infographic highlights the findings of part 1 of The Megaphone of Main Street Small Jobs Report.  Continue reading →

Google wants to make small businesses more visible.

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Since 2011, Google’s Get Your Business Online team has been helping small businesses all over the country make the most of the web. With their newest initiative, Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map, they are working to make sure that every business has information online so that the entire community can find them and support them.

To this ambitious end, Google has created a custom website for “virtually every town and city in the U.S.,” 30,000 in all. The sites provide small business owners with step-by-step directions on how to create a Google My Business listing, as well as how to improve the information that shows up about their companies on Google search, Google maps and Google+.