The Edge Connection is pleased to invite you to join us for our 2014 Champions for Change Breakfast on Wednesday, June 25 from 7:30 am to 9:30 am at the KSU Center in Kennesaw. Come meet and mingle with our very own Champions of Change, The Edge Connection's funders and advocates who support our mission and vision, and the entrepreneurs we serve!

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Looking For A Small Business Loan? Do You Know Your  

Business Credit Score?

Not too long ago we talked about the Five 'C's of small business lending. Among the other four important 'C's, we identified Credit Score as one you can't afford to ignore. Although there are other contributing factors most lenders look at to determine your creditworthiness, because every lender wants to know your credit score, it's at the top of my list. In addition to your personal credit score, did you know you also have a business credit score?

Although we're talking about business credit scores, if you're a small business owner, you should know your personal credit score is every bit as important as your business credit score-particularly when we're talking about early-stage small businesses. In fact, most lenders will require a personal guarantee on any small business loan they offer an early-stage small business owner on any business loan.

The Perfect Makeover/Headshot Networking Event

and its Free!!

 
Join us from 6-10pm for an evening of fun!  We will have Julie Jones of Mary Kay Cosmetics offering free daytime, business makeovers and a photographer on hand to take free business headshots. There will also be networking opportunities with other Edgepreneurs and subject matter experts. You won't want to miss this very special event. 

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In early 2012, just a year after Michelle King started her business, she had more work than she could handle on her own. Reputation Capital, her Jacksonville, Fla.-based B2B public relations and communications firm, was continually growing through King's relationships and referrals from happy clients and required more and more of her time. She was working long weekdays and every weekend, and because she had worked as a consultant for years, managing teams of PR consultants and their workflow for other agencies, King knew that the billings and hours were too much for just one person. 

It's a dilemma faced by many solo entrepreneurs at some point - to keep the business small and easily manageable or to expand the business and hire employees for greater growth. 

 Woman-Owned Businesses

The Premier Development Program (PDP) is a six-month program for women business owners. The program includes various high powered training sessions which will arm business owners with dynamic skills and increase opportunities for success. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants in Metro Atlanta.  

The entrepreneurship gender gap stubbornly persists.

While 10 percent of American men ran their own businesses in 2012, only 7 percent of American women did, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) - a representative survey of American adults coordinated by Babson College - reveals.

Some argue that policymakers should double down on existing solutions to address the gender gap. Boost contracting set-asides and specialized finance programs for women would get rid of the problem, they say. But they are wrong.

Despite a wide range of programs to address differences in rates of business ownership among men and women, the gender gap has persisted. The female fraction of business owners remained stuck at 36 percent between 2007 and 2012, analysis released recently by the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration showed. And Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveal that women accounted for the same fraction of self-employed - 39 percent - in 2011 that they did in 1995.