Blog

The January Small Business Roundtable discussion topic was advertised as “Ideas for a Healthier, Happier Workplace”. While several concepts were raised, most of the discussion centered on reducing stress. Small business owners wear so many different hats and are pulled in so many directions that the concept of “stress-free productivity” may seem unreachable. Pulling back… Read more »

This post first appeared in the Alexandria Times on January 29, 2016. You may have read recent articles about store closings at the start of the new year. Several of the notable closings were due to retirements, and we should celebrate their long and successful runs. However, as a city, we have several resources available… Read more »

For the past three years, we have heard much about the impacts of Federal sequestration on the Washington, DC economy. As a region that can attribute much of its historic growth to the Federal government, it is no surprise that many have said that our region is at a crossroads. In 2015, we ranked last… Read more »

As a small business owner, you have already figured out who is your “perfect customer”. Your next challenge is to determine how to communicate with that customer in the most efficient and productive manner possible. The efficiency part of that determination is very important both from your point of view and that of your customer…. Read more »

As we begin 2016, many small business owners start gathering the necessary documents for filing their 2015 taxes. Small businesses who have employees or independent contractors are required to distribute tax forms (W-2 for employees, 1099 for contractors) by the end of January.  If in the past you have been getting your blank forms from… Read more »

On November 20th, the SBDC had its second annual Holiday Kickoff event. We conceived this event in 2014 in order to give all of our different stakeholders an opportunity to come together to mingle, share experiences, and celebrate their successes. We wanted to have the chance to acknowledge our clients, who are such a vital… Read more »

Over the next several months, Gloria Flanagan, our Assistant Director, will be writing several posts based on information that she learned at the America’s SBDC Conference in September of this year. This is the second post in this series. In a previous blogpost, we discussed identifying your “perfect” or typical customer as the first step in… Read more »

Earlier this month, the Alexandria SBDC hosted a roundtable on the impact that your physical space has on your productivity. The discussion included ideas on where people work and the benefits and downsides to different types of physical space. In this video, Ray Sidney-Smith of W3 Consulting and Gloria Flanagan, Assistant Director of the Alexandria… Read more »

This week’s post was written by Patra Frame of Strategies for Human Resources. Patra is a US Air Force veteran, and we thank her for her service to our country and for the work that she does for the SBDC in assisting clients with their HR needs. In this area there are many official and… Read more »

Over the years, we have recommended resources that Alexandria small business owners can access to become more productive, make contacts or solve problems. We believe it is important to focus on one of those resources this month — the Small Business and Residential Facilitation Office of the City’s Permit Center. Alexandria city government recognizes that obtaining… Read more »