BusinessUSA: Summer School

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.  07/29/2015 Just because it's hot doesn't mean it's time to put down the books! Check out these online courses and make the most of the dog days of summer, from learning about content marketing to writing an export plan. Let's get cracking, shall we? Transition to Being a Content-First Business Is your business model working for you, or do you need to make a change? Being a content-first business means that you first build your brand and your audience – then come up with products to sell. If done correctly, according to proponents, it provides a better understanding of what products make the most sense for your business. Your assignment: Attend this SCORE-sponsored webinar scheduled for July 30 on what it takes to build a "content-first" business.   Write an Export Plan So, you think you want to begin exporting, but you're not sure where to begin? Writing a solid export plan can help you anticipate future goals, assemble facts, identify potential challenges and create an action statement. It also includes timetables and milestones to gauge success. Your assignment: Check out the U.S. Commercial Service's guide to what goes into a good export plan, which includes a list of resources that can help. This online webinar on creating a plan is a big help, too. Get to Know Your Customers Better Do you really know your customer base, or are you merely guessing? Knowing your customer demographics and what they want is critical to growing a business and increasing sales. Your assignment: Watch this Small Business Administration (SBA) webinar on building better customer relationships. Sell to the Government Okay, so you're a vendor with great products and services, and you'd like to sell to the federal government, which awards millions in contracts every year. Now what?  The General Services Administration (GSA), the contracting arm of the government, has a huge range of resources to help you get started. Your assignment: Watch the GSA's six webinars on doing business with the federal government, from partnering options to understanding what drives GSA procurement decisions. Looking for more? Be sure and check out the SBA's video.  Learn from Gert Lots of people know about Columbia Sportswear Company and the commercials that made its former president, the uber-gruff (in her TV spots, anyway) Gert Boyle, famous. But few know about Columbia's remarkable small-business-to-giant-killer story, or that Gert's favorite saying is, "early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise." Your assignment: Learn more about Gert in this short video, just one part of BusinessUSA's extensive library of online videos and instructional tools. BUSINESS.USA.GOV IS AN OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.   Stay Connected:     Unsubscribe, update your subscriptions, or modify your password or email address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please contact subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by Business.USA.gov. This email was sent to publisher.au.ceomr@blogger.com from: BusinessUSA • 1401 Constitution Ave NW • Washington DC 20230 •