This column is sponsored by BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
By Tara Palacios
Where did the summer go? It seems like only yesterday we were welcoming summer, and now retailers are offering school supplies and tax breaks to the kids.
August has arrived! Hopefully, you had the opportunity to revisit your business strategy and take some time to exhale because this fall, my prediction is there will be no rest for weary entrepreneurs.
BizLaunch has experienced some positive changes this summer. Thanks to the Arlington County Board we have added an additional position to serve more small businesses in Arlington. We are pleased to announce we will be having a new BizLaunch Small Business Manager beginning this September.
Stay tuned! The manager will be responsible for creative programming with Amazon as well as coordinating events and outreach initiatives.
We are also pleased to announce a wide roster of innovative programming to meet the needs of our fast-paced entrepreneurs. We have invited several expert speakers who will address topics on marketing, networking and strategic planning.
Our extremely popular Brunch and Business series is back for the fall, and on October 23, will address how to recover from disasters that impact your business such as flooding or other acts of nature which could negatively impact your business. This is in direct response to the summer floods which impacted many of our favorite local businesses.
This fall, we will continue our steadfast collaboration with Arlington Public Library by offering the wealth of free (yes, FREE… did I say FREE?!) business resources to the small business community. Entrepreneurs can also benefit from meeting one-on-one with the Libraryʼs Business and Nonprofit Librarian, Alexandra Schultz. Alexandra and I will be offering walk-in business clinics this fall where we can meet one-on-one to help with resources and strategies for our local businesses. We are extremely proud of the Libraryʼs resources.
Last but not least donʼt forget to set up your complimentary mentorship appointment today with SCORE or BizLaunch. We can help you explore new ideas or improve upon an existing strategy. Mentorship and counseling is also absolutely FREE.
We tend to book up quickly during the fall season so if you are interested in coming in we recommend you call our office (703) 228-0808) asap or click here to schedule a meeting today.
We hope to see you at BizLaunch soon!