SBDC at UW-River Falls | June 2022
Client Spotlight:
Ted Blank - Ted Blank Luxury Travel & Adventure
We are excited to take a look at Ted Blank Luxury Travel & Adventure for this month's client spotlight:

Q: Why did you start this business?
A: I started my business to share my passion for travel and help my clients build a lifetime of special travel memories.

Q: What is a challenge you have overcome?
A: Operating a travel agency during the Covid pandemic is the greatest challenge I can imagine. It took creativity, a big dose of resilience, and a lot of focused effort to emerge with my business and my client base largely intact.
Q: What are 3 tips for those thinking of starting their own business?
A: Entrepreneurs need to be passionate, creative, and resilient. Passion helps get you through the bumps in the road, creativity helps you to see things differently than others, and resilience gives you the strength to pick yourself up and try again after the inevitable setback.

Q: Why have you been successful?
A: I was fortunate in life to have leadership experiences from a young age, in particular, through Scouting. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized how important those experiences were, both in shaping myself, but also in understanding and appreciating how other people may approach a situation differently. Working well with others, whether as customers, partners, or employees, is critical to success, and I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to start working on my leadership skills from a young age.

Q: What is next for you?
A:I’m excited to focus on scaling my business by hiring staff to complement my skills and build a larger, more robust enterprise.

Q: Anything else you would like to share?
A:After two painful years of Covid, it’s exciting for me to be riding the crest of a huge rebirth of travel. I wouldn’t be anywhere else right now!
Connect with Ted
Phone:(651) 964-8245
Event
The Defense Alliance is hosting the following 75 minute lunchtime presentation: Federal Contracting as a Way to Jump Start Your Business. It costs $25/person with a boxed lunch included. Some of the topics covered are types of available funding, an overview of market opportunities in the Federal Government, and a few others. For more information and to register, click the button below!
Book Review
We are taking a look at one of the many helpful books available at our SBDC Donor Library! This month's book is:

Brand Damage: It's Personal!
Brand Damage: It's Personal! deals with the ever-growing importance of personal branding. This book is a practical guide for everyone from teenagers to seasoned professionals. It provides information on how to create and proactively manage your brand, items that can damage a brand, and entertaining stories and illustrations.

"Brand Damage is not only a terrific read, it contains such valuable advice for recent graduates entering the business world and for those who have been in business for many years. If you want pertinent and focused timely advice that can shape your career and help you achieve greater success, then you need to buy, read, and then re-read this book."
-Amazon Reviewer

Don't Forget to Check Out the SBDC Donor Library!

Access our digital library database to browse our available selection! Then, head over to the St Croix Valley Business Innovation Center to grab your book, making sure to use the sign out sheet located on the top of the bookshelf.

Now Accepting Business Book Donations!

Grant Opportunity
Additional $25 Million Invested into Main Street Bounceback Program- Grant Deadline Extended

Governor Tony Evers this week announced that an additional $25 million will be invested into the Main Street Bounceback Grant Program.

The program has already helped more than 4,200 small businesses and nonprofits in all 72 counties in Wisconsin. This additional investment will enable 2,500 more small businesses and nonprofits to move or expand into vacant commercial spaces across the state. The governor further announced that the deadline to apply for a Main Street Bounceback Grant has now been extended to December 31, 2022. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until all the funds are disbursed.

Grant funds are available as part of the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) and distributed by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) regional partners. Businesses must apply through the partner organization for the region in which they are located. The program is open to new or existing businesses opening a new location or expanding operations in a vacant commercial property where the lease commences, or sales contract closes, on or after January 1, 2021 and on or before December 31, 2022.

Additional information about the Main Street Bounce Back Grants is available here: https://wedc.org/programs-and-resources/mainstreet-bounceback-grants/.

SBDC Lenders Project
Are you looking for a way to finance your business? The SBA has created a list of all the approved Wisconsin lenders.
Thinking about a business loan in 2022?
We have the experts to help you with financial projections and more! Contact us to get the conversation started - katherine.fossler@uwrf.edu
Space now available at
St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center


Long Term Office Space

Up to 7,000 square feet now available for rent - starting at $8 per square foot
All spaces feature free parking at an easy to access location in between Hudson and River Falls, and include a number of amenities such as fiber-optic WIFI, free business coaching and consulting, and much more!

Click for more information, or call:
715-425-3066

Contact the SBDC at UW-River Falls
The Small Business Development Center at UW-River Falls helps entrepreneurs succeed at any stage. We offer no-cost, confidential consulting and business education across a wide region, primarily serving Pierce, Polk and St. Croix counties.
Don't forget to look for us on Facebook!
The Wisconsin SBDC Network is a proud part of the Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship in the University of Wisconsin System. It is funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Call 715-425-3472 or e-mail katherine.fossler@uwrf.edu
The SBDC at UW-River Falls offers no-cost, confidential business consulting and education. Visit our website: wisconsinsbdc.org/riverfalls