News/Small Business

In June, Alan Siege presented, Is Your Business a Brand? Learn How to Transform It Into One. In this workshop, participants learned what the branding process is, why it's important, and how you can re-brand your business so customers will better understand and appreciate what your business can do for them.

He also presented Show Me the Money - Are Your Financials Out of Control? In this workshop, students learned to use cash flow and budgeting to understand where your money is going using simple, yet effective spread sheets to plan for and forecast the future of your business.

In July, Alan will be the instructor for Writing Your Way to Success - How to Communicate Effectively in Business. For many people writing is just below public speaking in terms of the fear it generates, yet being able to communicate clearly and effectively is an absolutely essential skill. We will be discussing a few of the most important documents frequently utilized in business: e-mails, memos and reports.

Also in July, Alan will be the instructor for Evaluation - The Key To Success? How to Write a Business Plan and Evaluate Your Business. Most people think the only time to write a business plan is when you're applying for a loan. In this workshop, participants will learn why planning is needed to help you realize your business dream. You will learn about: · Setting benchmarks in key areas with which to evaluate one's progress · Using planning to increase revenue, improve facilities, or expanding personnel · Defining what the terms "success" means for you and your business, not business in general

Both of the workshops above are presented with the Brooklyn Business Outreach Center Network and are free.

In October, Alan will be the instructor for Creating the Business Plan and Business Strategy Creation, a one and two-day intensive respectively, at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

In November, he will be leading the one-day course, Finance and Accounting, also at New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

To learn more about any of the classes or workshops above, contact Alan Siege at 718-768-1672 or alan.siege@sbmc.biz

Winner of Pace University's Pitch Contest
In 2005, Alan Siege was awarded third prize at the 2nd Annual Pace University Business Pitch Contest. After making it past the first round, during which the 40 applicants were cut down to 12 finalists and 4 alternates, each contestant had three-minutes to “pitch” a new business idea before a panel of judges and an assembled audience.

Alan’s Business Idea is called Competitive Advantage: Stories With An Edge. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE uses the art of storytelling to teach entrepreneurs and teachers of entrepreneurship different business skills, models and approaches to solving different kinds of business problems. In creating stories based on the real-life experiences of business owners, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE will also provide role models and examples of “best practices” in a range of industries. By hearing how others have addressed significant business issues, the stories can also help listeners better define their values and principles.

The premise behind COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE is that, in spite of all the books, lectures, and articles crafted and designed to aid the entrepreneur, the power of the story to motivate, inspire and teach is second to none. Entrepreneurs and small business owners typically work alone or with very few people and, therefore, do not have access to people with whom they can learn alternative methods of solving a problem or get feedback on their business decisions. On a very different level, entrepreneurs and others need emotional space to help them re-picture their business lives.