BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA- Brevard Workforce, the area authority on workforce development, announced new center hours to begin July 1, 2013. The change comes on the heels of the state’s 21% funding cut to the workforce board for the program year 2013-2014. Budget cuts are a reality all the 24 Florida workforce boards are experiencing.

In response to these budget cuts, Brevard Workforce leadership created an innovative solution that will yield cost savings while intensifying critical business and employment services that keep Brevard Workforce effective.

The three Career Centers and workforce offices, in Titusville, Rockledge and Palm Bay, will be open to the public, Monday through Thursday from 9:00am until 6:30pm and will be closed on Fridays.  This schedule change is a pilot program that Brevard Workforce will implement on July 1, 2013.

“The adjusted hours are expected to result in improved staff work flow. This will allow Brevard Workforce to increase its focus on recruiting qualified talent for businesses,” explained Brevard Workforce president Lisa Rice. “For job seekers, the new evening hours will be a help to those with small children or caregiver responsibilities and to those who can best visit a Career Center after normal business hours,” Rice added.

The change in schedule will be monitored closely for cost savings and expected improvements including an increase in qualified candidate referrals and job placement rates.

PROFILE:  Steffani Burd, PH.d., ANSEC Group

After receiving her doctorate degree in Applied Statistical Analysis from Columbia University, Dr. Steffani Burd spent the next 15 years working in the fields of management consulting and information security. Suddenly, due to the acquisition of her employer by another company, Dr. Burd and her colleagues found themselves unemployed. “I did not know what I was going to do next but I knew that I couldn’t afford to stay stuck in that predicament. I needed to earn money.” With encouragement and support of the Brevard Workforce BizLaunch program, SCORE, and SBDC at Brevard Community College, she has pushed herself and learned from the opportunities. “Having the support of a coach or motivated partner has helped me to keep from ‘getting stuck’.”

Dr. Burd learned about Brevard Workforce and the BizLaunch program through networking and research. “It’s ironic that I can’t precisely recall how I found out about Brevard Workforce and BizLaunch, since they are now my key sources of knowledge and motivation!”

Dr. Steffani Burd says that BizLaunch has helped her to engage in genuine self-reflection. In doing so, she has identified specific points that have made a considerable impact on how she is moving forward in her business. Dr. Burd carefully considered her entire career background, not just what she did in her last position. This helped her to recognize two important points. First, that she enjoys research and second, that “doing the right thing” is very important to her. Steffani discovered that when working with customers in information technology security her primary consideration was helping clients to strengthen their business rather than merely addressing compliance issues.

Dr. Burd has been able to identify her strengths as well as areas requiring some development. She knew that in those areas of weakness, she would either have to fix them or find a partnership to overcome those barriers. In Steffani’s case she excelled at analysis and research but lacked the sales and small business operational skills necessary to succeed. Dr. Burd found creative partners whose strengths were those skills she lacked and her business is beginning to swell.

After attending BizLaunch for seven months, Dr. Steffani Burd has recognized four specific contributions it has made for her:

• BizLaunch has fundamentally changed her mindset – particularly from being “owned by an employer” to “owning herself and her own career”.

• The diversity of speakers’ topics each week has contributed to her ability to view business matters from multiple perspectives, further enhancing her mindset and business acumen.

• Utilizing the available resources such as participation in Start Up Quest, taking classes offered by Brevard Workforce, FIT’s Women’s Business Center, and BCC’s Small Business Development Center have all improved those areas where she needed development.

• Finally, Dr. Burd says that the sense of community in BizLaunch has also contributed to her success. “I know that I’m not alone on this journey. I know that I can call on the staff at Brevard Workforce or even fellow BizLaunch colleagues,” said Dr. Burd.

When asked what advice she would offer others interested in starting their own business, Dr. Steffani Burd shared, “Keep the risk small and see if it works. If it does, do it again. If not, pivot. Then do it again, and again until you succeed.”

Take your first steps today.

From Cathy Musselman, Entrepreneurial Coach

Market research is necessary in understanding who your customers and competition are. Market research can also identify trends that affect sales and profitability. Successful market research takes planning and strategy. As you conduct your market research here are a few common mistakes to avoid.

Not identifying what your product/service is. Before you can conduct your market research, be sure you have identified exactly what your product/service is. Make it simple at first. Yes, your product/service may have multiple offerings to multiple markets, but focus on the one with the most “Wow” and “Need” in today’s market. What is your product/service going to provide for the customer that improves their life or business, in other words, fixes their pain.

Not knowing what you are looking for. Take the time to define who your customers are. It is NOT EVERYBODY. Thinking too broad, you will run into the problem of not reaching your target market. You will waste time and money chasing after too many markets. Consider “What customer would benefit the most from my product/service?” Also “How much would my customer be willing to spend on my product/service?”

Overspending. Performing market research does not require a huge budget. Don’t be one of those business owners who gets convinced that they need to pay big bucks on the first market research firm that promises to give you data that you can find on your own or that a smaller firm can do just as well for less.

Not thoroughly researching the competition. The more you know about your competition, the better. Gather as much information as you can. Find out how they are conducting business, their pricing strategy, their marketing, and their strengths and weaknesses. This will give you the information you need to be on the competitive edge. Not fully understanding your competition is a sure way to fail in business.

Poor choice of reference materials. Today we have the powerful use of the Internet to gather market information. However, you must consider the source of the information. There are sites containing old data or biased material. Be sure the information source is reliable. Industry related trade associations are a good source for information. Joining a trade association in your field of business is money well spent. They can provide up to date data to help you with your market research.

Not researching price information. During your market research, be sure to ask your customers what they would expect to pay for your product/service. Look at what your competition is charging. Selling cheap is not necessarily the way to go, but if your customer is going to pay more, identify why they should pay more for your product/service. Identify the customer’s “Return on Investment” – what do they get from purchasing your product/service that makes your product/service a better purchase.

Conducting Market Research only once at the start of your business. Market research should be conducted periodically throughout the life of your business. You should be kept abreast to market trends – what is selling and not selling in your market – what is happening in the economy that may affect your business. By keeping up with your market research, you can prevent major business issues and be able to make those changes quickly and remain profitable.

Patrick Higgs is the CEO of Education Solutions International, LLC and has been in the employment and training business since 1979. In his early career, he was an Air Force Management Analysis officer focused on organizational efficiency. After leaving the Air Force he worked as a business development officer for a bank, and by 1979 decided to enter the employment and training field as a contractor to workforce agencies. As a junior partner in a newly developed firm he designed over 20 separate training programs that were highly sought after by agencies all across the country. He sold his interest in that company to start his own business with his wife Nancy and two other partners in 1980. Through Pat’s three successful business startups in the period of 1979 through 2006, he eventually grew those employment and training businesses to over $16 million in revenues, with a staff of over 200. He sold the company in 2006, transitioned work with the new owners through 2008 and has focused on select workforce development training since then, dealing with clients, businesses and agencies to improve workforce efficiencies.

Some of the most significant recognition received by Pat’s companies over the years have been:

* Selected to the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Small Business List in the US in 1987

* Recognized by the Rhode Island State Legislature for outstanding service

* Recognized by General Colin Powell for contribution to America’s youth

* Selected in 2002 by the ESGR (Employer Service of the Guard and Reserves) as the Florida employer that most supported the Guard and Reserves

* Awarded the 2009 “Whatever It Takes Award” by the Brevard Family Partnership

PROFILE: Robert Pinckley, Entrepreneur 

After having a comfortable and long, 30 year career as a journeyman electrician, Robert (Bob) Pinckley found himself unhappy in his work.  He was working out-of-town in Boynton Beach Monday through Friday, coming home only on the weekends.  This wasn’t how Bob wanted to spend his time; his wife also wasn’t fond of it!

For 10 years Bob had thought about being a small business owner, of being his own boss.  So, in August 2012, Bob did what few of us would ever consider – Bob quit that job!  Now wasn’t the time for Bob to rest on his laurels.  He began to attend BizLaunch at Brevard Workforce learning what he needed to do to be a successful entrepreneur.  In September, he attended “E101-The Entrepreneur’s Workshop” an intensive, day-long workshop designed as an interactive discussion on business brainstorming with a focus to keep you moving toward your business goals.  And he continued doing his market research.

In November 2012, B.O.B.S. Buckets of Brevard Service was officially organized and made its first dollar.  The first couple of months were slow but now his business is beginning to ‘take off’.  Bob had borrowed some start-up money from a 401k and is not yet taking a salary but is paying back that loan.  But he says, “the business is successful.  I’m paying my bills.”  He has had to test the waters with regard to marketing and has already found some things that work and others that do not.  Buckets of Brevard Services has a website and a page on Facebook but Bob admits that “word of mouth has been my best marketing”.

Bob Pinckley credits his early success with knowing his strengths and weaknesses.  “You have to look for your weaknesses.  Your strengths will be apparent but your weaknesses you’ll have to look closely at yourself to discover those.  Don’t be prideful.  Surround yourself with the right people.”  Bob is very happy now and says that he wouldn’t trade this for anything.

For more information call 321-289-6347.

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From Author Alina Dizik of Entrepreneur.com

The better you understand your customer, the faster your business will grow. But new ventures often struggle to define their target market and set their sights too broadly.

“We often overestimate the market size, and in many cases there may not be one at all,” says Robert Hisrich, director of the Walker Center for Global Entrepreneurship at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz.

Here are 10 questions that can help you determine whether you have a target market and what it is:

Who would pay for my product or service?
First, try to understand the problem that your product or service can solve, says Greg Habstritt, founder of SimpleWealth.com, an Alberta, Canada-based advice website for small-business owners. Then, use that information to help determine who would be willing to pay for a solution. “Not only do [your potential customers] need to have the problem, but they need to be aware they have the problem,” Habstritt says. He recommends using Google’s keyword tool to see how many people are searching for words related to your business idea.

Who has already bought from me?
To refine both your target marketing and your pricing strategy, see who has already bought your product or service, says Amos Adler, president of Memotext, a medication compliance app maker in Bethesda, Md. You can gain valuable insights by releasing the product in a test phase and letting potential consumers speak with their wallets.

Am I overestimating my reach?
It’s easy to assume that most people will need your service or product. But rather than make assumptions, reach out to groups of potential customers to get a more realistic picture of your audience and narrow your marketing efforts. You can conduct surveys, do man-on-the-street type interviews in stores, or organize small focus groups. “We get so passionate about the idea and how good it is that we overestimate the market size,” Hisrich says.

What does my network think?
As you try to understand your target market, it may be challenging — and expensive — to seek feedback from potential consumers through surveys, focus groups and other means. But you can tap into your social networks to get free feedback. Many people in your extended network will likely be willing to take the time to give you opinions and advice, says Bryan Darr, founder of Mosaik Solutions, a data analytics company in Memphis, Tenn.

Am I making assumptions based on my personal knowledge and experience?
Your own personal experience and knowledge can make you believe that you understand your target market even before you conduct any research, Habstritt says. For example, if you’re a fitness buff and want to start a business related to personal health, you may assume you know your customer. “Don’t assume that you can think like your target market,” Habstritt says. “You have to ask them and talk to them to really understand them.”

What’s my revenue model?
Figuring out how you’ll reap revenue can help you find your target market, Hisrich says. Social ventures can be particularly tricky, he says, because without a specific plan for getting revenue it’s easy to overestimate the size of the customer base. But if you’re revenue model is simply selling a product online, it can be easier to figure out a target customer.

How will I sell my product or service?
Your retailing strategy can help determine your target market, Hisrich says. Will you have a store, a website or both? Will you be marketing only in your home country or globally? For example, an online-only business may have a younger customer than one with stores. A brick-and-mortar business may narrow your target market to people in the neighborhood.

How did my competitors get started?
Evaluating the competition’s marketing strategy can help you define your own target customer, says Darr. But of course, don’t simply copy the marketing approach of your biggest competitors once you define your target consumers. “You must have a way of differentiating what you are doing from what the other guys offer,” he says.

How will I find my customers?
As you start defining your target customers, try to determine whether you can efficiently market to them. You’ll need to do some market research and study your target audience’s demographic, geographic and purchasing patterns. If you’re selling from a storefront, you need to know how many people in your target market live nearby. If you’re selling from a website, you need to learn about your prospective customers’ online behavior. Understanding how to locate your customers early on can help you establish a game plan once you start building a marketing strategy, Hisrich says.

Is there room to expand my target market?
Be prepared to redefine your target market or to expand it over time, Darr says. For example, figuring out whether you’re targeting a domestic consumer or customers throughout the world can be a good start. As the power of mobile mapping has grown in the last decade, he’s seen the number of target markets grow at his own firm. In the beginning, Mosaik dealt mostly with wireless operators, but now he also counts cable providers and broadcasters as clients, Darr says.

In a time when so many people are out of work, finding and landing a job can be a daunting task.  You might ask yourself: Where do I look?,   What do I say?, or  Where did I go wrong?  Advice comes in all shapes and sizes and from all different angles.  Think of the time you could save and the changes you could make, if you could get honest feedback from the people that didn’t hire you.  The people that chose someone else instead of you could be holding the key to helping you land that next job or enhancing your career.

Brevard Workforce, the area authority on workforce development, has a mission to “facilitate and be the catalyst for workforce development services that are responsive to the employment needs of Brevard County”.  As a catalyst for workforce development, Brevard Workforce plays a critical role in economic development and is focused on bringing best practices to the businesses and residents of Brevard.  Businesses have a better chance of finding the best people when the best people are equipped with the right strategies for being noticed.

Brevard Workforce understands that jobseekers are challenged by finding out how and where employers are looking for their next employees.  Recent trends are pointing to the increased use of social media tools and noticing a shift in employers beginning to think like recruiters.   In the fall of 2012, Brevard Workforce connected with and arranged for national recruiter and author, Abby Kohut to visit the jobseekers of Brevard County.  After not hiring more than one million people during the course of her career, Abby Kohut made the decision to tell America why they weren’t hired, or even noticed.

Abby Kohut, known to her followers as Absolutely Abby for always telling the “absolute truth”, has been a recruiter for more than 15 years   Abby tells her audiences that over the course of her career she has hired or helped hire more than 10,000 people, but it was the ones that she couldn’t help that left her wanting to make a difference.  Today, her personal mission is to offer help and educate the public with “insider” tips to getting noticed in today’s job market and has embarked on an 18-month, cross-country mission to help one million jobseekers.

In December and February, Abby’s team joined forces with Brevard Workforce, and after performing several workshops at the Brevard Workforce Career Centers and area churches, her waves of hope and help are being felt.  During both visits, Abby presented jobseeker tips and advice, focusing on resume help and how to use the fast-growing social medial tool, LinkedIn, to get noticed by recruiters and employers.  Abby explained that social media is quickly becoming a tool that jobseekers need to be using for their job search in this shifting economy.

“We really didn’t know what to expect introducing this topic that hinged on the use of LinkedIn,” said Joyce Young, Community Resource Specialist of Brevard Workforce.  “It is a new social media tool to many of us.  Abby was clear and informative and exceeded our expectations and, I know she changed lives.  She has a down-to-earth, no nonsense attitude and really connected with her audiences.”

In addition to bringing speakers like Abby Kohut to the area, Brevard Workforce’s Community Resources program offers a variety of free community-based information and learning sessions each week.  With the help of community partners and various subject matter experts, classes offered range from resume and interview assistance to setting up social media profiles to launching businesses.  Last year, there were 147 community-based learning sessions offered, reaching 1600 participants.   A variety of class titles included:  “Navigating Your Health Insurance Options”, “3 Keys to Successful Saving”, “Foreclosure Avoidance Strategies” and “The Mature Worker in Today’s Job Market.”

The Community Resources program extends beyond jobseeker services found in the three Brevard Workforce Career Centers.   With support from the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Brevard Workforce launched “Faith In The Future” – an innovative partnership with local faith-based organizations to assist individuals in job loss and recovery.  As an option to jobseekers, career support, similar to that which is offered in the career centers, is available through the help of faith-based organizations offering a more familiar setting for jobseekers to network and learn.  To date, Brevard Workforce has been able to partner with more than 20 faith-based organizations to facilitate career guidance and training as well as addressing the emotional and psychological aspects of unemployment.

BizLaunch is another noteworthy Brevard Workforce program designed for entrepreneurs, meeting weekly for networking, support and skill-building for those considering starting or growing their business.  To date, 82 businesses have been launched by Brevard Workforce since the program began in July 2011 creating more than 100 additional jobs in Brevard County.

Brevard Workforce is dedicated to helping jobseekers by offering relevant educational opportunities and resources.  With the help of speakers like Abby Kohut and programs like the Faith in the Future job club initiative, Brevard Workforce is proving to be up to the challenge of equipping jobseekers with the knowledge they need to tackle employment challenges and move forward with their futures.

“Brevard Workforce works to support the future of Brevard County and its residents each day and would be doing the community a disservice if it didn’t keep its focus on the future,” stated President of Brevard Workforce, Lisa Rice.  “Speakers like Absolutely Abby and the many programs offered in the Career Centers are considered and created with the future of Brevard in mind.”

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA- Brevard Workforce, the area authority on workforce development, hosted two information sharing events on February 26 and 28. Those eligible to receive assistance through the National Emergency Grant (NEG) were invited to hear valuable insights from local employers and aerospace peers who have benefited from the Brevard Workforce NEG program.

More than thirty-five NEG eligible jobseekers attended the events, which focused on urging participants to “Jumpstart” their career through the help of Brevard Workforce.  In addition to learning about the services available through the local workforce agency, participants gained valuable insights from local leaders, Ben Yeargin, Corporate Recruiter of Craig Technologies and Thomas Bliss, HR Mangager of Craig Technologies, a nationwide technology firm that delivers award-winning engineering and technical solutions.  Yeargin and Bliss discussed their selection process which is based on hiring individuals who best match their company’s culture. Craig Technologies is one of several firms willing to provide skills training for the right candidates.

With only three months remaining before the ending of the  NEG grant, eligible  job seekers are urged to contact Brevard Workforce and take advantage of the enhanced career services available. The NEG program was created for aerospace workers who were affected by the shuttle retirement to transition into a new career. Services include: résumé support, workshops, career planning, skills re-training, on-the-job training opportunities, entrepreneurial support and more.

“Those who have been laid off from employment related to NASA program realignment or those who are still employed and are anticipating a layoff prior to June 14, 2013, should contact Brevard Workforce to receive assistance now,” stated Lisa Rice, president of Brevard Workforce. “Do not wait for your severance or reemployment assistance to run out.”

Jumpstart your career today. 

Contact a staffing specialist at: AerospaceNEG@BrevardWorkforce.com

or call 321-394-0637

or visit: www.brevardworkforce.com/GoNEG

About Brevard Workforce

Brevard Workforce  is a regional public/private partnership under Workforce Florida, Inc.  Workforce Boards create local workforce development systems through career centers that combine multiple federal, state, and local program funds, providing comprehensive services, labor market information and access to resources for businesses and job seekers.

Visit www.brevardworkforce.com or call 504-7600 toll-free in Brevard for more information about the free services and resources available at Brevard Workforce.

Programs funded through Brevard Workforce are equal opportunity programs with auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

PROFILE: Hamilton Sirls, Entrepreneur

When asked what your passion is, Hamilton Sirls, a Biz Launch participant states with a smile, Sailing! Hamilton worked in logistics at United Space Alliance and was laid off from his position in July, 2012. After hearing about Brevard Workforce and the National Emergency Grant program, Hamilton contacted Brevard Workforce and registered to attend the Aerospace Workforce Transition orientation. He was then assigned to a staffing specialist, Cathy Musselman and after his discussion with her, decided that he wanted to pursue his Marine Captain’s License and start his own boat charter business.

Hamilton searched for courses and located one in Titusville, Kennedy Pointe Marine and received financial support through the NEG grant to help him with the cost of the program. Once he received his certification and applied for his Captain’s license through the US Coast Guard, Hamilton was on his way to being a business owner and a licenses Marine Captain.

Hamilton already owned his own sail boat, the “Adios”, a Ericson 34 foot sloop rigged sailing yacht that he docks in Titusville. Now with his Captain’s license, Hamilton and his first mate, Sandra, needed to learn all the other things you need to know about running a business and began attending Biz Launch. Captain Hamilton has developed a marketing  brochure and signage on his boat to gain customers and is working on his website and other avenues to market his business.

Brevard Yacht Charters offers various types of cruises along the Indian River out of the Titusville Municipal Marina. From sunset cruises and chartered excursions, Adios and its crew offers a relaxed time on the water. For more information call 321-544-9150.

From Author Patrick Mcfadden of Indispensable Marketing

There’s one thing for sure about every VC (Venture Capitalist) and that is “If they invest in you, they will like their money back!” Recently, I was listening to a VC talk about the importance of entrepreneurs marketing (communicating) value, to get not only his time, consideration and capital but other VC’s as well. Basically to secure an investment. Well, I came away with three marketing actions you can take now to secure venture capital as an entrepreneur:

1. Communicate in 90 seconds or less.
The entrepreneurs who secure capital investments have the ability to communicate their vision in 90 seconds or less. Remember, marketing is about communicating value. You’ve got to be able to get up in front of a room, explain your idea and vision for how you’re going to make money for shareholders in 90 seconds or less. You have to communicate your vision and articulate it in a way that everybody can understand, and if you can’t do that you better start practicing in front of a mirror, and/or get some professional coaching because it really matters a lot.

2. Spend 5 minutes on why you can execute the business plan.
There’s a huge gap between someone with a great business idea and someone with the ability to execute. This is the reason some VC’s who partner with entrepreneurs like to take control of the company, so if that person can’t execute they then can fire that person.

3. Showcase Leadership.
This is actually achieved by taking the first two actions above and as my mentor Zig Ziglar would say, “those who never take step number one, never take step number two”, but in this case “those who can’t take action number one and action number two, never showcase number three.”