Business News for September 10, 2021
Today's message includes the following news, best practices, and online courses:
  • Next Week is Small Business Week
  • Will a different trade finance approach work for your business?
  • September is National Preparedness Month
  • Updated statistics provides Wisconsin snapshot of small business health and economic activity
  • Employee Motivation Doesn't Have to Cost Money

Upcoming SBDC Learning Opportunities
  • Full SBDC fall 2021 class calendar is here!
  • Launch into Leadership
  • Skills for Conflict & Negotiation
Business News, Updates, and Best Practices
Next Week is Small Business Week
join the SBA Virtual Summit and celebrate!
There are 461,525 small businesses in the Badger State, representing 99.4% of all Wisconsin businesses. Those small businesses employ 1.3 million Wisconsin workers, or 49% of the state’s workforce.

The SBA is celebrating these businesses next week during National Small Business Week, Sept. 12–18. Since 1963, National Small Business Week has celebrated the contributions local entrepreneurs make to our communities all year long. The SBA will host a free, three-day live virtual summit from Sept. 13–15 featuring educational workshops and networking.

Seeking an Export Deal?
Will a different trade finance approach work for your business?
Attractive payment terms can be the deciding factor in winning an export deal. Below, learn how each trade finance option works, advantages, and other considerations in these new videos from the US Commercial Service.

  • Cash-in-advance - the most secure method of payment, but not the most attractive for foreign buyers
  • Forfaiting - exporters can obtain cash by selling their medium and long-term foreign accounts receivable at a discount to a forfaiter
  • Documentary Collections - an approach used for merchandise and commodity exports, generally with an established and ongoing customer

Learn more about SBA's export and international trade products here or join the upcoming export webinar on complying with foreign trade regulations Sept 28.  
September is National Preparedness Month
download our free guide to help you recover and plan
September 2021 is National Preparedness Month. Disasters can take many forms, and the financial cost of rebuilding after a disaster can be overwhelming. If you’re prepared for emergencies, you’ll be in a better position to recover and continue operations when a disaster strikes. During National Preparedness Month, take the important steps to keep your small business, employees and family safe when a disaster strikes. 

Below, find several ways to prepare yourself:
  • Click the image at right to download our FREE COVID response and strategic planning guide. This guide, written for our small-business clients, helps you review your initial response to this constantly-changing disaster and helps you set concrete steps moving forward.
  • View our SBDC COVID response page for additional resources
  • View resources for other types of disaster preparedness from ready.gov
Looking for Small Business Statistics? 
updated data provides Wisconsin snapshot of health and economic activity
The SBA Office of Advocacy recently released the latest federal economic data into state-by-state snapshots of small business health and economic activity.  

This year’s profiles focus on state small business dynamics and employment. They answer questions like: 
  • How many small businesses are in my state? 
  • How many people do small businesses employ? 
  • How many jobs do they create? 
  • How many establishments opened and closed? 
  • What industries have the most small businesses?  
  • What demographic groups own the most small businesses? 
  • How much do small businesses export? 
Employee Motivation Doesn't Have to Cost Money
enhance your business' culture by ensuring these three elements
Self-determination theory lends credence to the idea that employees are able to maintain there own motivation when three key factors are present: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

  • Learn more about these three factors in this article
  • Want to build more leadership skills? Check out our upcoming SBDC courses on delegation, difficult conversations, and more
Upcoming SBDC Learning Opportunities
Launch into Leadership
September 29, 30 & October 1, 2021
Taking on new supervisory responsibilities is a great opportunity and challenge. Many in supervisory roles have learned either by trial and error or by following what was done by their predecessor. In most cases, this is not a very effective strategy. This virtual online series will start you in the right direction with fundamental leadership skills and ideas for how to continue your growth as a supervisor and leader.
Our Full SBDC Fall 2021 Class Calendar is Here!
We are excited to share our fall 2021 class calendar with you! Here is a sampling of a few of the courses coming up this semester:
Positive Power Plays: Skills for Conflict & Negotiation
October 15, 2021
All leaders experience conflict in one form or another, but viewing that experience from a different lens can help you turn conflict into collaborations and reach win-win resolutions. In this course, you will learn conflict styles, strategies for building trust, stages of conflict resolution and how to use them in any situation, emotion management, and more.
Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the UW-Madison SBDC office at sbdc@bus.wisc.edu or 608-263-2221 to request accommodations.

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.