Venture Access, Inc.

Come join the SBA Baltimore District Office as they invite all small business owners in Harford, Howard, and Cecil County to join them for their Resource Day to showcase programs and services that can help with the development and growth of your small business!

Congratulations to June's Thai Kitchen on their grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony this afternoon! Not even hail can stop this fantastic new food truck!

June's Thai Kitchen Food Truck is the first Thai food truck in Harford County serving Thai food at events all over the County. Her purpose is to improve the happiness and comfort of her customers and the community.

June's Thai Kitchen Food Truck is owned by Suntharee June Chyou, who grew up in a small village northeast of Thailand. June graduated from a culinary arts and management university in Bangkok before she met her husband in Germany and immigrated to the United States. June has 10 years' experience of cooking Thai cuisine with a keen interest in the food industry. After numerous years of preparation, June's dream of owning a food truck has been realized and now finally come to fruition! Congratulations June and June's Thai Kitchen!

The Shore Hatchery business pitch competition is again accepting applications now through March 25th. The competition will be held on Friday, April 26th.
Held twice a year, the competition distributes $200,000 in cash awards annually to Mid-Atlantic startups.
More information is available online at: https://www.salisbury.edu/academic-offices/business/shore-hatchery/
If you know of any startups that could use early-stage seed money, please forward this information along or have them reach out to me.

Join Venture Access & the Harford County Chamber of Commerce for a free webinar on digital marketing for small businesses, all on a $0 budget! Natalie Pixley, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Harford County Chamber of Commerce, will be sharing best practices, tricks of the trade, and resources that you can use for free to effectively market your small business. Drawing on her several years in small business and nonprofit marketing, as well as her experience as a small business owner, Natalie will share her advice in this interactive webinar! You may have heard Natalie's presentation at the 2024 Minority & Small Business Resource Fair! This virtual presentation will recap what she shared at that event as well as go into more detail, share more resources, and include Q&A!
Register Here! https://business.harfordchamber.org/events/details/digital-marketing-on-a-0-budget-14992

We are thrilled to share some exciting news for small businesses owned by veterans and military spouses. Hiring Our Heroes is proud to launch the 2024 Heroes Small Business Grant Program, a new initiative funded by the FedEx Founder’s Fund, part of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. This spring, we will be awarding five one-time grants of $10,000 each to eligible applicants to showcase their impact and contributions to local communities and America’s economic growth.

Award program applications must be submitted by February 29, 2024.

Applicants must be a legal resident of and currently reside in the contiguous 48 states, Alaska and/or Hawaii.
Eligible small businesses must be a for-profit business owned by a veteran or military spouse (at least 51% or more ownership) with 3 to 20 employees to include yourself, all full or part-time employees, and independent (1099) contractors.
Eligible small businesses cannot exceed more than $5 million in annual revenue and must be located in an economically vulnerable community or can otherwise demonstrate financial need.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to apply now!

https://www.hiringourheroes.org/small-business-grant/?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jobseeker&utm_term=Small+Business+FedEx+Grant+Invitation+1&utm_content=2/21/2024

What a day! Thank you so much to everyone that came out to the 2024 Minority & Small Business Resource Fair! We hope you learned a lot, made great new connections, and came away with motivation and inspiration to take your business to the next level!

Thank you to our partners: Harford County Chamber of Commerce, Harford County Government Office of Economic Development, and Harford County Caucus of African-American Leaders! Thank you to our sponsors: APGFCU, Harford County Public Library, Workperx Employee Insurance, and Wellpoint and a big thank you to all of the incredible vendors and speakers as well as to the APG Federal Credit Union Arena for hosting us!

Not able to attend this year? Don't worry! Reach out to us at https://www.ventureaccess.org/contact and we will send you the recap of the event and more information on how we can help you formulate, launch, and grow your small business!

Check out the amazing photos of the event here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.907603584698064&type=3 Photos courtesy of Harford Haven Studio and Harford County Chamber of Commerce.

Still looking for a reason to come out to the Minority & Small Business Resource Fair? How about this – all attendees will be entered into a raffle to win a $250 Visa Gift Card to be used for expenses for your small business, courtesy of APG Federal Credit Union! No need to enter, just register and attend the fair and you will be entered to win! (Must be present to win, the raffle drawing will be held after the Keynote presentation at 11:45am)

Register for free here: https://business.harfordchamber.org/events/details/minority-small-business-resource-fair-presented-by-apg-federal-credit-union-13657

We hope to see you next week at the Minority & Small Business Resource Fair! Hurry! This Wednesday, February 7th, is the LAST DAY to register as a vendor or sponsor for this event! Secure your spot here: https://business.harfordchamber.org/events/details/minority-small-business-resource-fair-presented-by-apg-federal-credit-union-13657

Join Venture Access, Inc., powered by the Harford County Chamber of Commerce, Harford County Office of Economic Development, and partners, for the Minority & Small Business Resource Fair on February 15 from 8am - 12:30pm at APG Federal Credit Union Arena.

Come learn about all of the great resources that Harford County has to offer small business owners! Explore dozens of resources and meet resource partners that can help you navigate all areas of business.

Tickets to attend are free! Vendor tables and event sponsorships are also available through the registration link.

https://business.harfordchamber.org/events/details/minority-small-business-resource-fair-presented-by-apg-federal-credit-union-13657

As of January 1st, 2024, most businesses need to report information about their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). All businesses registered after January 1 will have 90 days to file this information. Businesses registered prior to January 1 have until January 2025 to file. This applies to most businesses in the US! Learn more at https://www.fincen.gov/boi and be sure to work with your lawyer and accountant to file correctly.

Please join us for the Minority & Small Business Resource Fair! Whether you have been in business for years or you have a great ideas for a business and you want to get started, you will walk away from this event with better knowledge and relationships to take your business to the next level!

Register here: https://business.harfordchamber.org/events/details/minority-small-business-resource-fair-presented-by-apg-federal-credit-union-13657

Last year we highlighted Laila's Gift in our Commerce Connection newsletter and we are very excited to share that they are cutting the ribbon tomorrow on a brand new celebration and advocacy center right here in Harford County!

The Celebration and Advocacy Center is a first of its kind, run by Laila's Gift, a nonprofit providing free celebrations for special needs children - whether it's a birthday or another milestone.

You can read our feature of Laila's Gift here and please join us in congratulating them in the comments!https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6256e743b7ea0a3777cb29d0/t/63750bc3169956309d220f77/1668615108694/Commerce+Connection+November+2022+Issue+17+%281%29.pdf

You can hear more about Laila's Gift from founder Shari Bailey as she shares her journey of entrepreneurship at our Minority & Small Business Resource Fair on February 15th! Attendance is free for all entrepreneurs and small business owners; we hope to see you there! https://business.harfordchamber.org/events/details/minority-small-business-resource-fair-presented-by-apg-federal-credit-union-13657

The Maryland SBDC Northern Region, in partnership with U.S. Small Business Administration and Harford County Government Office of Economic Development, is introducing Growth Mode, a 5-week workshop to help elevate your business! This workshop will walk you through strategies and tools for increasing profit margins and overall business sustainability! Contact Darren Payton at [email protected] for more information!

Attention military spouses! Are you thinking about starting a business? Do you have an idea, but you are not sure where to start? Project Opportunity is holding a military spouse entrepreneurial training this Spring! Learn more and register here: https://www.project-opportunity.com/spouse-entrepreneurship-course/

America's entrepreneurs innovate, create jobs, and power our economy! Learn about resources to help entrepreneurs start and grow resilient businesses: https://www.sba.gov/

Did you know that 55% of customers will read at least 4 reviews of a business before they make a purchase from them? Learn how to increase rapport with your customers and gain positive reviews in this article: https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/customers/how-to-get-to-know-your-customers?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MO_Newsletter&utm_term=2023-06-26+MO+Newsletter&utm_content=6/26/2023

Struggling to create a content strategy to market your small business on social media? Check out these steps for creating and executing a social media content strategy: https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/marketing/how-to-create-content-plans-for-your-business?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MO_Newsletter&utm_term=2023-06-26+MO+Newsletter&utm_content=6/26/2023

Owning a small business is a lot of hard work and many business owners and their employees can burn out over time. Learn what signs to look for and how to combat burnout in this article: https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/human-resources/recognizing-burnout-culture-at-your-business?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MO_Newsletter&utm_term=2023-06-26+MO+Newsletter&utm_content=6/26/2023

The number one question our staff receives? Where can I find grant funding for my small business!

Check out this list of organizations offering grant funding to small businesses: https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/business-financing/small-business-grants-and-programs

Remember that grants often have an application time limit and open on a rotating basis, so check back often for new opportunities!

Join us for our June Symposium: Business Plan Basics, featuring a panel of experts from various fields of business! Learn why a business plan is important to starting your business, earning funding, securing a retail space, continued business growth, and so much more! It is free to attend! Register here: https://app.glueup.com/event/business-plan-basics-78880/

Baltimore Community Lending, Harford County Government, U.S. Small Business Administration, Town of Bel Air Economic Development Department, Maryland SBDC Northern Region

Want to learn how to manage work and life tasks more effectively using Google tools like Gmail, Drive and more? This workshop is for you! Join this great group of Chambers and business organizations for a Grow with Google free workshop! Register here: https://www.ventureaccess.org/events-list/digital-skills-for-everyday-tasks

Trying to apply for grants but keep missing the mark? Implement this 4 stage process to make your grant application stand out!

https://app.helloalice.com/programs/build-a-grants-strategy?utm_source=Newsletter_Inclusions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Program_Build_Grants_Strategy

Applications for America's Top Small Business Grant are now open! This grant honors the achievements of small businesses and highlights their contributions to America’s economic growth. The award winner receives $25,000 and follow up winners earn other prizes. Learn more and apply here: https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/americas-top-small-business/americas-top-small-business-guide?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MO_Newsletter&utm_term=2023-05-10+MO+Newsletter&utm_content=5/10/2023

Check out this grant opportunity from TGC Collective! This grant offers $1,000 to a new or aspiring entrepreneur looking to start a business or who has been in business for less than 2 years. Applications are due May 31, apply here: https://www.tgccollective.org/fundthefutureapply

"Deinfluencing" is on the rise as more customers look for honesty and authenticity on social media. Here are the top social media tips for engaging customers online: www.ventureaccess.org/resources

We're looking for America's Top Small Business! Our awards program with CO- by U.S. Chamber of Commerce celebrates America’s small business owners who are making a meaningful contribution to the economy and job creation – and who embody the spirit of innovation, entrepreneurship, and initiative.

Apply today! https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/americas-top-small-business

Need to boost your small business's online presence? Check out this great workshop with Grow with Google and local Chambers of Commerce to learn the basics of Google search, maps, and maintaining your business profile! It is free to attend! Register here: https://www.ventureaccess.org/events-list
Harford County Chamber of Commerce

Happy National Small Business Week! Small business is the backbone of the American economy as we work hard to help entrepreneurs along every step of their journey. Learn more on our website www.ventureaccess.org.

Check out this grant opportunity for small businesses! https://www.ventureaccess.org/resources

Need some help applying for your first small business loan? Learn what you will need and some common pitfalls to avoid here: https://www.ventureaccess.org/resources