RESOURCES

Additional resources available include:

· On-The-Job Training (OJT) program which helps off-set the costs of training a new employee and is available for eligible job seekers and employers.

· Rapid Response assistance for businesses and employees prior to a layoff or closure which makes affected employees aware of job search services/assistance before their dislocation. This program can be offered onsite at times convenient for the employer and the impacted employees.

· Incumbent Worker Training (IWT)is employer-sponsored program made available through OhioMeansJobs Stark and Tuscarawas Counties that provides grant funding to assist eligible businesses (with a primary emphasis on manufacturing and healthcare industries) offset the cost of training their existing (incumbent) workers, with the intent to create a stronger workforce for workers and employers with the opportunity to build and maintain a quality workforce and avert layoffs.

By guest columnist JoAnn Breedlove Executive Director, Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board

· Business Resource Network (BRN) helps regional businesses thrive, grow, and create jobs by bringing a strategic and collaborative approach to solving their problems and expanding their opportunities. The program is designed to learn more about a business’s needs and opportunities and offer many resources (40+ partners) through a single point of contact, to help streamline and communicate offerings and assistance to the business. Learn more about the Business Resource Network at www.thebrn.net.

To learn more about the variety of services available to employers, please contact our office at 330-433-9675 or go to our website at www.omjwork.com.

Starting your own business can be one of your life’s most satisfying undertakings. The benefits are many and include calling your own shots about what to do, when to do it and how to do it.

That said, there are a number of things to keep in mind - challenges, requirements, snags - as you ready a business for the launch pad.

Topping the list is a strategic business plan. Investing the time to build a plan confers key benefits. It sharpens your focus. It fuels creative thinking. It gives you a tool. And if you foresee needing capital and seeking a loan, you are much more likely to secure it if you approach a lending officer with a business plan.

As part of that plan, create two lists: Fixed Costs (those that will recur regularly such as rent, utilities and insurance premiums) and Variable Costs (those that won’t recur regularly such as a printer). That list will put you in a stronger position to create your first budget.

Website

Gone are the days when you could be taken seriously as a business without a website. The good news is creating a business website is more affordable and easier than ever, with hosting costs generally under $10/ month and domain names (URLs) generally costing around $20/year. This assumes you can DIY something respectable. If not, you’ll have to hire a web designer, which can easily cost several hundred dollars upfront and a monthly maintenance fee.

Marketing

You’re in business to generate sales. And to generate sales, you need to get in front of prospects and turn those prospects into paying customers or clients. This requires a marketing plan which should be central to your business plan. Creating objectives and strategies, identifying audiences and their expectations, crafting a package of messages and selecting the most effective tactics are key plan elements.