Did you know that Valley CDC has a list of local and web resources available to anyone at their website? What started off as a short list of organizations and individuals who help new or existing businesses through their growing pains has grown into a veritable database of knowledge!

Entries include, market research sources/libraries/books, revenue requirements, local networks, other business counseling & technical service centers, financing sources, artist specific resources and links to free productivity software for your computer. You can also find the beginnings of a directory of local businesses who provide small businesses with services they need - accounting, marketing, graphic design, legal services - often times at a discount for start-up companies!

Note: Valley CDC provides this directory in the same way the Yellow Pages offers directory services, except we do not charge an advertising fee. We do not promote or recommend these providers over others you may find in the marketplace. This directory is a courtesy to those businesses interested in patronizing other local businesses and organizations.

Find the list at www.valleycdc.com/vcdc_biz_resource_list.pdf

If you are a interested in having your business or organization added to this ever-growing list, contact Stacy Kontrabecki at (413) 529-0420 to introduce yourself.

Every good marketer knows the value of a well thought out newsletter for their business: keeping your customers and leads apprised of developments in your industry, sharing company news, featuring client businesses or customer testimonials, teaching your contacts how to do something, and growing your community. To be an effective marketing tool that is read time and again, your newsletter must offer valuable insight to the reader beyond mere programmatic discourse and unabashed sales.

After many months of planning and multiple revisions to their business and marketing plans, sisters Rachel (left) & Jill (right) Tarr opened Back On The Rack, an upscale used clothing and accessory store for men and women in Easthampton Center.

"The CDC was invaluable to the startup of Back on the Rack. In the very early stages of development, Gene and Stacy helped us figure out what our financial needs would be, formulate a business plan, and decide whether that plan was realistic and feasible."

You've received them, and read them, so you know they work. Beautiful email-delivered newsletters and promotions with colors and pictures and hotlinks to websites. It doesn't take a computer programmer to generate professional e-communications; just a half hour and some copy and you're publishing like the pros!

There are three ways people are managing their email lists these days: Web-based list servers, website databases installed on the company website, and local email client address books like those found in Thunderbird, Outlook Express and Eudora.

Local management of email addresses have limitations, as you've probably found out. Many servers do not let you send messages with more than a couple dozen recipients 1.) because it costs them money/bandwidth and 2.) black-lists the server as an originator of spam, which your message becomes, de-facto, above a certain number of recipients. Even if you're lucky enough to find a server that does not institute caps on the number of recipients, you still risk the likelihood that your message will be rejected by your recipients server as spam and never reach your reader.

Now there is a single calendar that entrepreneurs can visit to see a composite calendar listing of local entrepreneurial training workshops taught in Western MA by a full spectrum of organizations.

Classes and trainings are being added daily and to-date include offerings through: Valley CDC, Franklin County CDC, Hilltown CDC, Western New England College Law and Business Center for Advancing Entrepreneurship and the Western MA Small Business Development Center (SBDC), among others.

If you have a free Google Calendar account, you can add events of interest from the Western MA Business Development Training Calendar to your personal calendar with a click of a button. Access driving directions to your class. Link to the sponsoring organization's website and contact information! What could be easier!

If you are interested in including your organization's public entrepreneurial workshops on this calendar, contact Stacy Kontrabecki at (413) 529-0420.

Keep an eye out for Valley CDC's spring workshops which may include: Excel, Quickbooks, Guerilla Marketing & Optimizing Personal Credit Scores.

Also, Valley CDC is polling local businesses to learn what training needs you have as entrepreneurs. Please take our survey to let us know what classes you'd like to see happening!

Valley Community Development Corporation is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization funded by grants and through membership donations from community members such as yourself.

Please join us in making the Pioneer Valley an economically vibrant place to do business!