GROW News
December 9, 2009
Holiday Season is Upon Us
GROW Nebraska online sales are up over 25% from last year. Just this past week, we sold over $1,500 worth of items - that's nearly $189 per day. If you do not have your products on the GROW Nebraska eCommerce site, please fill out the online form to be included
here. To see if your products are online, visit
this link and look for your company name.
If you recently sent in items, we will get them up in the next week, so they may not be available online yet. If you have any questions about the GROW Nebraska eCommerce site, please contact us at
info@grownebraska.org.
Who Sold Online This Week?
GROW Nebraska is now highlighting what sold online for the week. If your item sells the most for the week, it will be the featured picture for this section of the weekly update!
This WEEK over $1,500 worth of products were sold! Notice that several items sold multiple times. How can you improve your picture and description to help you sell more products?
If you don't see your products on your list, consider updating your photography or your description to help entice more buyers. For your convenience, we have linked each product to their listing on the eCommerce or eBay sites so you can see what that member has done to help sell their product.
We encourage you to look at the photography and descriptions for each of these items to see how you can make improvements to your listing. Remember, you know more about your business and product than we do, so we really need your help to make your listing the best it can be! To easily find your products on the eCommerce store please
click here.
If you would like to make edits to your listing, please e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org.
December 2 - December 9
Lincoln Holiday Store will close January 8, 2010
Thank you to all the members who participated in the 2009 Lincoln Holiday Store. The sales have been very good and we are going to try something new this year and keep the store open until January 8, 2010.
Product and display pick up will take place January 9 through 12th. Pick up times will be announced in the near future.
We would like to offer 10% off all items in the store from Dec 15 - Jan 8. Please
click here to let us know if you are willing or not willing to allow 10% off your items from December 26, 2009 to January 8, 2010. If you have any question, please contact
info@grownebraska.org or call 888-476-9632.
Do You Want to Sample?
Now is a great time to get out and sample your product! How do you go about it?
- Contact the store manager. In Kearney beth@grownebraska.org, Grand Island cheryl@grownebraska.org and in Lincoln Ima Gene at imason@windstream.net.
- Check out the Calendar of Events to see who is sampling!
It is that easy! If you have any other questions contact
info@grownebraska.org. We hope you all get a chance to get out and sample your product or get to the store to taste and see the great things available!
Rural Nebraska Business Development Webinar
The Nebraska Cooperative Development Center is hosting a business development webinar on December 15th from 2:00-3:30 p.m. We hope you can join us!! Directions on how to access the program are posted at the bottom of this email. Please feel free to share this with others who might have an interest! I apologize in advance for any cross postings!
David Aiken, J.D. is a faculty member in the UNL Department of Agricultural Economics. Dave will explain the various legal entities available for Nebraska entrepreneurs and business owners as they organize their business. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, C and S corporations, limited liability companies, cooperatives and the new limited cooperative association all have attributes that may or may not fit a new business. Learn how the right entity choice can help protect your clients from unintended consequences.
Jim Crandall, Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, cooperative business development specialist, will share how the business model involving multiple owners (cooperatives, limited liability companies, limited cooperative associations, associations), can be an effective tool for business creation or as a part of a succession plan for an existing business. A multiple owner business can bring the talents and resources of many together to build a strong business. Learn how to help create a mutually owned business.
Elaine Cranford, Nebraska Cooperative Development Center, cooperative business development specialist, will highlight some examples of “cooperatively owned” business that have been created here in rural Nebraska, as well as some examples from other states. Cooperatively owned business are all around you! See some examples that might apply to your area.
Marilyn Schlake, Associate Director of the Nebraska EDGE program, will highlight a new development tool that will be helpful to your business clients. NxBizSuccess is a new online resource that has tons of development tools for you and your clients! NxBizSuccess was launched at the beginning of November, and if you haven’t had a chance to see what’s available, this introduction will get you started!!
Topic(s): Rural Nebraska Business Development Webinar
Date: Dec. 15, 2009
Time: 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. CT
Adobe Connect Web Session
This Web Seminar will also be taped and archived on the web if you are not available for the live presentation.
Adobe Connect does not require pre-registration for those who wish to attend the session. To participate in the Adobe Connect session you will need to have a computer with Internet access. At the meeting time, simply click on the following link or copy and paste it into your browser to enter the meeting:
http://breeze.unl.edu/rural/
When you go to that URL you will find yourself at a login page. Simply click on “Click to Enter” under the “Enter as a guest” heading. You will then be prompted for your name. Enter your name and click “Enter” to enter the meeting space.
Audio will come through your computer speakers. If you have questions during the session enter it in the "Chat box"
Anytime before the meeting you can visit the following URL to confirm your ability to connect to the Adobe Connect server:
Click Here
Technical problem: 402-472-3035
Television Advertising Opportunity
GROW Nebraska has an opening in the NTV television advertising opportunity.
- The GROW Nebraska group of businesses will be exclusive sponsors of the "Made in Nebraska" element of the NTV's Good Life program.
- Schedule:
- Afternoon/Evening Rotation - 4pm to 11pm - 2 times
- Morning News - 5am to 7am - 2 times
- Good Life - 10am to 11am - 4 times
- 5pm News - 5-5:30pm - 1 time
- Good Morning America - 7 - 8am (Sat/Sun) - 2 times
- Early News - 5:30-6am (Sun) - 1 time
- What's in it for me?
- Share a :30 announcement with 4 other GROW Nebraska members.
- 12 shared announcements per month.
- Just $100 per month per business - 1 year commitment.
- Total number of sponsors limited to time available.
Marketing Opportunity at Cattlemen's Classic
The Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic has inquired about GROW Nebraska having a store at their event. The Cattlemen’s Classic is willing to provide fencing similar to the state fair so the store would a similar look. The dates of the Cattlemen’s Classic in Kearney, NE are February 16-21, 2010. The event is held at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds. GROW Nebraska needs to know if our membership is interested in participating in this type of event. Please
click here to let us know if you would be interested in this opportunity.
Renewals Complete
All renewals have now been sent for 2010 membership. The deadline to be in the 2010-2011 GROW Book is to
renew and pay by February 1, 2010. Our designer will be taking a leave of absence in March, so
NO exceptions will be made to this deadline to ensure that the GROW Book is printed in a timely manner. Remember, if you joined after September 2009 you do not need to renew. If you have any questions or concerns, or did not receive a renewal, please contact us at 888.476.9632 or e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org.
Quick GROW Loan
GROW Members ... did you know that your business can receive up to $5,000 at 5.25% to assist with marketing, capital improvements and supplies? If you are interested in finding out more information about the Direct or Quick GROW Loan program, please e-mail
info@grownebraska.org or call 888-476-9632.
Member News
Congrats to Burchell's White Farmhouse Inn for being featured by NTV. You can view the video
here.
Marketing Workshops
Twitter Tense? Facebook Frets? Utterli Uneasy? Social Media Stressing You Out? We Can Help!
GROW Nebraska has teamed up with the University of Nebraska Extension Specialists to help you reduce your anxiety in keeping up with the social media marketing craze.
Social media marketing is essential to increasing brand awareness and expanding your online business presence. However, if you don’t understand how it works, thinking about posting tweets, updating your Facebook page and incorporating your blog into the media mix seems overwhelming.
Not only will we teach you how to save time by being more efficient when using social media, but we are bringing the "Get Social Sessions" to you. Spots are filling quickly! Price is $10/person. If you have questions, call us at 888.GROW.NEB or e-mail us at
info@grownebraska.org. If you are interested in attending one of these workshops, please sign up
HERE.
- January 26 - North Platte - 3-6 at West Central Research and Extension Center
- January 27 - Chadron – 3-6 at Chadron State College Student Center
- January 28 - Scottsbluff - 8:30-11:30 at UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center
- January 28 - Sidney- 4-7 at Western Nebraska Community College - Room 112 (NOTE: Date and Time have changed)
