REAP WBC laptops have been making the rounds in Southeast Nebraska. A QuickBooks session was held in Falls City in collaboration with the Five Rivers RC&D in July. Sessions were held in Hebron with the Thayer County Economic Development Alliance in September. More sessions are planned in Fillmore, Antelope, Holt, Cherry, Platte and Valley counties in the months to come.

Participants work on REAP WBC laptops during a training in Falls City, Nebraska. It was a QuickBooks session to help give business owners the ability to harness the powerful finance tool.

A Business Plan Basics Course was held in Valentine during July-August with the Valentine Cherry County Economic Development Corporation. Eight participants learned new information, shared experiences and networked during the five sessions. All believed they had benefitted from the time whether they were considering a business or had an existing business.

A course was also held in Neligh in September-October in collaboration with the Antelope County Resource Center. Nine businesses with 12 participants attended these sessions. Business stages ranged from contemplating a business, business start-ups to existing businesses. The participants shared and networked while working through the components of a business plan.

Roundtable Groups Learn from Each Other
The Merrick County Roundtable group met in July, and attendees updated the group on their business activity. Members discussed Closing the Big Deal, an article by Neil Patel. They discovered it’s important to 1) Create a bond with your potential customers. 2) Be logical; ask why it will benefit them to do business with you. 3) Change their mood, not their mind. Even though logic is important, many people are motivated by emotional triggers. 4) Create a sense of urgency. If it’s missing, turn the tables and leverage the desire to act now.

At the group’s September meeting, members discussed business progress and learned about Google Search Tips. These included using double quotes “” to search for exact words or phrases, using the “-” symbol to exclude certain words from the search, and using options such as site-specific searches, searching for similar words/synonyms, and several other useful ways to refine a search.

At the August Columbus REAP Roundtable meeting, member business owner Mickey Leptak presented useful information on Naming and Branding Your Business. Considerations in naming included positive descriptions of your business, having a strong visual element, ensuring it is not already in use, asking if you could expand without changing the name, and keeping it simple and short but not too common.

Branding is the process of giving your company a unique identity through use of your name, tag line, signature colors and identifiable logo. The goal is to make your business memorable and create a positive and lasting engagement with customers. The combination of the business name, tag line, color and logo work together and support each other as advertisements.

In September, the group met at member business Red Apple Scrapbook & Ceramic Gallery. Owner Doris Lux gave a tour of her business. She stressed the importance of seeking customer feedback about their experiences with one’s business. The customer experience impacts the credibility and professionalism of your business’ image and identity. It can be the factor that separates you from your competition.

For more information on the REAP WBC, contact Monica Braun at monicab@cfra.org or 402.643.2673.