Presented by Kim Ray, Business Analyst, Longwood SBDC

Entrepreneurship is the American Dream.  Unfortunately, of the 1 million businesses started each year, most of them eventually fail.  The reasons are as varied as the businesses themselves.  Proper planning and eliminating assumptions before opening your doors will drastically increase your chances of success.  If you are considering the possibility of starting a business, this introductory seminar will provide information that may help your business be among the 20 percent that survive and thrive. The seven steps to start a new business are:

The star attraction of the recent Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India was not an athlete or foreign dignitary, but the world's largest aerostat - created by our very own Lindstrand USA, located in South Boston. (photo gallery below)

The 80m by 40m and 12m high aerostat is a unique piece of technology that is mounted with cameras to provide a 360-degree viewing experience so every person in the stadium could view the entire effect of the aerostat and laser projections. Light fixtures with mirrors were attached to the underbelly of the balloon to emit a warm glow.

Do you own, or aspire to own, a small farm?  If so, one of the biggest obstacles can be diversifying your operations enough to spread the risk around.  To learn from farmers who have successfully diversified their operation, make plans to attend this Agriculture Diversification Field Day, sponsored by VA Tech's Small Farm Outreach & Technical Assistance Program.

The Field Day is July 13 from 10 am-12 noon in South Hill, and is free and open to the public.

The University of Virginia's Tayloe Murphy Center at the Darden School  has issued a Call for Entries for the Tayloe Murphy Resilience Awards Competition.  Applicants can include successful entrepreneurs in manufacturing, retail, service, and wholesale.

Qualifying applicants must demonstrate:

• 5 years of sustained growth across a number of metrics;
• Evidence of economic uplift in their local community;
• That they are operating in the most economically challenged communities within the Commonwealth of Virginia (go to www.resilienceawards.info to see if your community is eligible).

Winning firms will receive scholarship funding to a select Darden Executive Education Program along with networking opportunities and recognition.

Whether you own a small business or dream of doing so, these seminars are for you.

The Smart Start seminar covers areas like competition, customer service, and sources of financing whereas the Procurement Workshop covers strategies for success in selling to state and local government.