Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Opening a fashion-oriented retail store takes more than goodtaste and a sense of style. To help new and would-be fashionretailers get over the hurdles, the Dallas Market Center hascreated a "university" offering a series of seminars aswell as a traveling educational program.
The start-up seminars, usually held the first Monday of themonth at the Dallas Market Center, give participants a two-hourcrash course on what it takes to launch a successful retail store.Subjects include market feasibility, cash flow, location andbusiness financing.
The mobile programs are half-day workshops for retailers alreadyin business and cover topics such as how to stay competitive,customer service, marketing and financial management. The DallasMarket Center plans to take the workshops on the road in 1998 tosome 15 U.S. cities. For more information, call (800) 325-6587.
NATIONAL:
Midrange Financing Offered
In an attempt to fill the funding gap that exists betweenlow-level seed money and high-level venture capital, the U.S.Investor Network Inc. has created a pilot project that linksinvestors and BIZ Experiencess via the Internet and CD-ROM.
The project targets BIZ Experiencess who have one to 100 employeesand are seeking $25,000 to $2 million. Business owners can listinformation about their firms on the Investor Network's homepage for six months for $25. The information can be accessed byaccredited investors, who will see data on a company'sspecialty, the past year's revenues and profits, how muchcapital the BIZ Experiences is trying to raise, and a 10-linedescription of the company.
BIZ Experiencess also have the option of producing a multimediapresentation on CD-ROM about their company and the potentialinvestment. Investors who contact the Investor Network seeking moreinformation on a business get a copy of the CD-ROM. BIZ Experiencesscan use a kit the organization provides to produce the CD-ROMs orcan pay the network to do it.
For those who don't want to create a CD-ROM presentation,the Investor Network will simply put interested investors in touchwith the BIZ Experiences.
For more information, contact U.S. Investor Network founderPeter Bechtel at (919) 783-0614.
ARIZONA:
Kit Smooths Road To Owning A Restaurant
Almost everything you ever wanted to know about opening arestaurant in Arizona but were afraid to ask is available in a kitcreated by the Arizona Restaurant Association.
The Mentor Kit informs would-be food-service vendors aboutstate, federal and local regulations and laws, as well as some ofthe common pitfalls encountered when opening such a business. Theassociation also holds a series of seminars that expand oninformation found in the kit. For details, call (800) 888-0701.
CONNECTICUT:
Center Boots Up Global Database
The Connecticut Small Business Development Center (SBDC) putsthe whole world in your hands with the International Trade DataNetwork.
The free service provides access to a computer database ofreports on countries, industries and markets around the globe, aswell as a directory of contacts, publications, domestic tradingcompanies and more.
A "miscellaneous" category features currency exchangerates, statistics and demographics, and even forms a business ownermight need to fill out. There is also an "opportunities"section that lists leads for companies and contacts in variouscountries who are looking for specific American-made products.
The database, updated daily, is accessible through theSBDC's offices as well as the University of Connecticutlibraries in Storrs and Hartford. Call (860) 241-4985 to sign upfor a free training session.
Contact Sources
Arizona Restaurant Association, 2701 N. 16th St., #221,Phoenix, AZ 85006;
Connecticut Small Business Development Center, Universityof Connecticut, 1800 Asylum Rd., West Hartford, CT 06117;
Dallas Market Center, 2100 Stemmons Fwy., 5th Fl.,Dallas, TX 75207, "arel="nofollow" href="mailto:dmc@dallasmarketcenter.com">dmc@dallasmarketcenter.com
North Carolina Investor Network, P.O. Box 20161, Raleigh,NC 27619-0161, http://ncin.i40.com/ncin
