The Matching Grant Program is the second tier of a two-part Regional Awards and Matching Grant Program, supported by Governor Blanco and the state Legislature.

Matching Grant applications demonstrating the use or development of new or innovative programs for the marketing and promotion of business and industrial development shall be given a preference in determining suitability for the Matching Grant. Examples of eligible projects include research studies, inclusion in targeted databases, direct mail or other printed materials, trade show participation costs, presentations, advertising, public relations and website design.

For details on eligibility, maximum available funding and an online application, click here or contact Shawn Welcome at 225-342-5379.

To enter, Louisiana small business owners should visit LouisianaForward.com and share how their company is moving Louisiana forward in 50 words or less. Entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. CST, Monday, March 19, 2007.

LED is presenting the giveaway as part of its statewide campaign, Laissez le Business Rouler. "Louisiana's small businesses are the backbone of our economy and form a cultural network in many neighborhoods. Our intention is to highlight how their success is moving Louisiana forward," said Michael J. Olivier, secretary of LED. "One lucky business will gain exposure to hundreds of thousands of Tiger football fans that a small business couldn't otherwise afford."

The winning Louisiana business will receive the following sponsorship package:

· -One permanent 6' x 6' sign in the south concourse of Tiger Stadium

· -Six month presence on LSUsports.net, the official website of LSU Athletics

· -One half-page four color print ad in the LSU Fan Guide and Football Game Day publications

The winner will be announced at the Governor's Conference on Economic Development in April and possibly featured in future LED marketing efforts.
To enter, visit LouisianaForward.com

I have also been in touch with a German producer regarding a television show that will either be shot in La. or Canada, strictly because of the tax credits offered by both. A Canadian producer with his financing out of Texas wants to shoot a movie in La. because of the tax credits, but may be forced to shoot in Texas where his investor lives. Both companies are planning trips to La. to view locations based on the photos they reviewed on the La. Capital Area Film Commission Locations Manager Web site.

Emerald Bayou Studios continues to make progress on their project at the old cotton oil mill having submitted their application to the state film office for approval for infrastructure tax credits.

The Workshops start at 8:30 am and conclude at 4:00 pm Seating is limited to the first 80 - 100 registrants. To register for this FREE workshop, send an Email to Rebecca.Tedford@la.gov, call her at (225) 342-7412, or visit our website at http://www.doa.louisiana.gov/cdbg/SGMScalendar.htm. Please include the name of attendee, organization name, contact phone number and return Email address.

The Introduction to Grant Writing Workshop shows how to:

· -Review your group's funding needs
· -Register to apply for federal grant funds
· -Locate funding sources
· -Understand how grant funding works
· -Organize and write your grant application  

It is SGMS' goal to help Louisiana groups do well in the grants' arena.   Following is the schedule of remaining workshops:

Baton Rouge Regional Workshop - February 13, 2007
Lake Charles Regional Workshop - March 21, 2007
Lafayette Regional Workshop - March 28, 2007
Alexandria Regional Workshop - April 17, 2007

All participants will receive certification in professional grant writing from the Institute. For more information call (888) 824 - 4424 or visit The Grant Institute website at www.thegrantinstitute.com

Please find the program description below:

THE GRANT INSTITUTE

GRANTS 101:

Professional Grant Proposal Writing Workshop to be held at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Lafayette, Louisiana

February 21 - 23, 2007

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The Grant Institute's Grants 101 Course is an intensive and detailed introduction to the process, structure, and skill of professional proposal writing. This course is characterized by its ability to act as a thorough overview, introduction, and refresher at the same time.
In this course, participants will learn the entire proposal writing process and complete the course with a solid understanding of not only the ideal proposal structure, but a holistic understanding of the essential factors, which determine whether or not a program gets funded. Through the completion of interactive exercises and activities, participants will complement expert lectures by putting proven techniques into practice. This course is designed for both the beginner looking for a thorough introduction and the intermediate looking for a refresher course that will strengthen their grant acquisition skills. This class, simply put, is designed to get results by creating professional grant proposal writers.

Participants will become competent program planning and proposal writing professionals after successful completion of the Grants 101 course. In three active and informative days, students will be exposed to the art of successful grant writing practices, and led on a journey that ends with a masterful grant proposal.

Grants 101 consists of three (3) courses that will be completed during the three-day workshop.

FUNDAMENTALS OF PROGRAM PLANNING

This course is centered on the belief that "it's all about the program."
This intensive course will teach professional program development essentials and program evaluation. While most grant writing "workshops" treat program development and evaluation as separate from the writing of a proposal, this class will teach students the relationship between overall program planning and grant writing.

PROFESSIONAL GRANT WRITING

Designed for both the novice and experienced grant writer, this course will make each student an overall proposal writing specialist. In addition to teaching the basic components of a grant proposal, successful approaches, and the do's and don'ts of grant writing, this course is infused with expert principles that will lead to a mastery of the process. Strategy resides at the forefront of this course's intent to illustrate grant writing as an integrated, multidimensional, and dynamic endeavor. Each student will learn to stop writing the grant and to start writing the story. Ultimately, this class will illustrate how each component of the grant proposal represents an opportunity to use proven techniques for generating support.

GRANT RESEARCH

At its foundation, this course will address the basics of foundation, corporation, and government grant research. However, this course will teach a strategic funding research approach that encourages students to see research not as something they do before they write a proposal, but as an integrated part of the grant seeking process. Students will be exposed to online and database research tools, as well as publications and directories that contain information about foundation, corporation, and government grant opportunities. Focusing on funding sources and basic social science research, this course teaches students how to use research as part of a strategic grant acquisition effort.

REGISTRATION

$597.00 tuition includes all materials and certificates.

Each student will receive:

* The Grant Institute Certificate in Professional Grant writing

* The Grant Institute's Guide to Successful Grant Writing

* The Grant Institute Grant Writer's Workbook with sample proposals,
forms, and outlines

In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, we have assisted hundreds of displaced citizens in finding housing in USDA Rural Development-financed multi-family housing complexes. We are also working with homeowners in your communities who may have incurred damage to their homes as a result of Hurricane Katrina. In addition, we are working with rural water and waste systems to assess their needs- and local governments to determine the status of essential community facilities, such as hospitals, fire stations, police stations, etc.

We realize recovery from a disaster of this magnitude will take a long time, and we will work closely with you and your community to do everything in our power to help your residents regain the quality of life they once enjoyed.
 
In an effort to ensure recovery happens as soon as possible, USDA Rural Development has implemented many loan program waivers to help our communities and borrowers through this crisis.  A list of these waivers is attached for your information.
 
If you or your constituents need assistance or have questions regarding the attached loan servicing policies, please contact your local USDA Rural Development office.  Contact information is attached.
 
Our thoughts are with you as you move forward through this crisis.  Please do not hesitate to call us if you need assistance.  

USDA Rural Development Information.pdf

MICHAEL B. TAYLOR
State Director
USDA Rural Development

Randall Arendt’s website is: www.greenerprospects.com The workshop will be held at Hemingbough, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2007 from 4:00 - 9:00 in the evening. A light dinner will be included in the $15 ticket.

Input from parishioners is very important.  Now is the time to make your plans to be there.  Make reservations by calling Rolanda Robinson at the CDF office:  635-6767.  Your check secures your place at the conference.  Make checks payable to Plan West Feliciana.

Join us as we discuss:
• Existing business continuity plans and procedures
• Business risk and impact of potential emergencies
• Planning emergency preparedness and response
• How to develop business unit management plans and procedures
• Implementation of your disaster recovery plan through detailed testing and employee training

Knowledge is your best defense!

Seating will be limited to the first 250 registrants, so register today! If you are unable to attend please forward this invitation to a colleague that can benefit.

 
WHEN
Friday, May 4, 2007  8:30 AM  - 2:30 PM

Central Time Zone

 
WHERE
TBA

New Orleans,  LA 

FEE
Event Registration 
Registration Fee
$150.00 for a limited time

( $195.00 original price)

This month I'm highlighting some email marketing best practices—a.k.a. resolutions—to help you get started. You might be implementing some, but not all of them. I encourage you to pick at least one that you aren't doing and hold steadfastly to it this year. By doing so, you will find that email marketing can make even more of a positive impact on your business or organization than it has so far.

1. I'm going to grow my list at every turn—Everyday there are opportunities to add someone to your email list. Train yourself and those who work with you to take advantage of every opportunity to grow your list. If you haven't added a sign-up box to your website, now is the time! If you have a store front, make sure to keep your email book out on the counter and ask every customer to sign it. How about setting a goal to grow your list by a certain percentage this year? If you put your mind to it, I bet you can do it.

2. I'm going to spend a little more time on my emails—If you want your emails to be valued by those on your list, you have to put some of your valuable time into them. Are you giving yourself enough time to think about what you are trying to accomplish? Are you giving your best effort to creating content that is interesting and useful to your list members? Do you have some great ideas for email promotions that you haven't put to work yet? Let this year be the year. The little bit of extra time and energy you spend on creating your emails can get a big return!

3. I'm going to keep a clean list—Doesn't it feel great to sleep in clean sheets, eat in a clean kitchen, or put on a clean shirt? We love when things are clean, but it takes some work to get them that way. It's the same with your email list. It might take a little bit of work to get rid of old emails and hunt down the issues of those being blocked, but it's worth it. And once you've spent the time to do a deep cleaning, the upkeep is easy. Make it your goal to give a little bit of time to list cleaning each month so you can get that good feeling that comes from having a sparkling list made up of people who want to hear from you.

4. I'm going to test, test, test—If you read Hints & Tips, you know that we are big fans of testing. It is the best way to determine what you can do to get optimal results from your audience. By testing, you can learn what day and time-of-day to send, what subject lines get the most opens, and what topics, promotions, offers, and calls-to-action get the best responses. Your open and click-through rates will give you the answers. By testing and using your findings you'll be better equipped to create highly-effective emails. Make sure to take good notes!

5. I'm going to segment my list (or further segment it)—Dividing your list into categories based on interests, shopping habits, geographical locations, or any other criteria you choose is an excellent goal for this year. Targeted marketing can make a huge difference in the responses you get from your emails. If you can communicate with your contacts about something that you know is of interest to them, you have a much better chance of getting them to open the email, read it, and, best of all, act on it. I can't write it enough-the more targeted the message, the better the response.

One method for a small business with specific products that are comparable to other products in the market is a cost-plus pricing method where the firm determines its costs and then adds onto that cost some level of profit it determines to be appropriate. This method can be difficult to implement effectively. The method requires that the small business initially determine what the total cost is for a particular product (this is the product breakeven point after which the firm makes a profit on that product). This breakeven point is referred to as your pricing floor since you will not typically want to price a product at a loss. In calculating the floor cost of the product, estimated cost of marketing and an administrative overhead allocation will need to be included. The estimated marketing cost might change as the marketing plan develops. As a result, the small businessperson would need to go through the pricing process several times as the marketing plan is refined.

Occasionally, the small business owner might choose to have a product that is referred to a loss leader. In other words, the business may sell something at a non-operating loss to patronize the business. The small business owner should not employ loss leaders until the business has developed some substantial momentum. The small business owner needs to get the firm on solid ground before employing tactics that take considerable skill and have high risk associated with them.

In determining the cost of the good, the small business owner should avoid the time consuming nature of making detailed calculations for every product, especially if the business has a wide product selection. Instead, the small business owner should place products in reasonable categories that balance the need for detailed pricing as compared to managing an ever expanding database of information. For example, if Office Lots has two desk chairs that differ only in the shape of the back of the chair, there may technically be a one to five dollar difference in the price of the products if they were bought new. But Office Lots has limited personnel and the need to manage a database of hundreds of products may be too demanding on the firm's time. On the other hand, major airlines have the slack resources and the technological ability to manage a system where every person on the plane may pay a different price depending on when the ticket was purchased, predicted occupancy of the place, and actual filled capacity at the time of the purchase. A small businessperson generally will not have that level of sophistication, nor is it necessary for an effective pricing policy. Therefore, the focus should be on having a data system that generates information that is useful and manageable.

The cost information is the foundation to determine cost-plus pricing; the small businessperson adds the desired percentage profit to the cost. Small business can seek a profit of 10, 15, 20, 25, or even 100 percent or more to add to the cost. Part of the desired profit margin will be determined by how competitors price their products. There will be a comparison effect as consumers evaluate different firms' products and make decisions based on an internal cost/benefit calculation. For example, prices at a small retail clothing store might be higher than at a large mall store, but consumers might consider the personalized service to be worth that premium. Alternatively, a business might be able to charge a premium if it has an image that consumers believe to be valuable. However, if another similar clothing store opens down the street and has similar clothing lines but priced about 15 percent less, then the higher-priced business will probably have some difficulty. Significant deviation between a business's pricing and that of its competitors will have to be justified internally and will have to have merit with customers. The small businessperson needs to keep abreast of the competition and their pricing to be able to make such judgments.

Pricing a service is a bit more complex than pricing a product. A product has a potential price floor based on costs, whereas offering a service such as counseling, financial advising, or interior decorating has only time as the base operational cost. There will still be overhead expense (rent, utilities, etc.); however, the principal value inputs are the small businessperson's education and experience, which are difficult to establish a cost. In the case of services, entrepreneurs are encouraged to closely examine the competitors' pricing. These prices can be critical information in determining how to value a service.

The small businessperson providing a service should also recognize that pricing is a valuable tool to balance customer flow with the available time. Some price-sensitive customers will make decisions based solely upon price; therefore, as the price goes down, customer flow goes up, and vice versa. After being in business for a while, a small businessperson may find the business has too many low-margin customers and cannot provide customers the level of service they would like. As the customer base increases, a business often needs to raise its prices to limit the customers coming in to a level that can be adequately serviced and that generates profits.

In establishing the pricing, the small businessperson should remember several caveats. Typically, a small business starting out will need to offer an even greater value for the money charged in order to build a customer base. Once the business has developed a positive reputation, the value offered to the customer can be changed to provide a bit more financial benefit to the company. Recall that individual consumers are generally unwilling to change suppliers of their goods and services. As the business grows, the small businessperson can shift from a cost-plus type of pricing to one that is based more upon what market will allow.

A second caveat applies to the actual price charged. Small increments of money should be avoided regardless of the exact percentage of margin desired. Thus, rather than charge $1.01 for a low-cost item, $0.99 would be a more attractive pricing. The two cents difference makes a reasonably large difference in appeal to customers. Similarly, when prices are over $1,000 the small businessperson should avoid using cents in the price.

Finally, the small business owner will have to determine if a quantity discount should be offered. Much of this decision is based on the nature of the business. For example, a retailer typically does not sell in large enough quantity to be concerned with such issues. However, Office Lots found such pricing to be beneficial to help build strong relationships with key wholesalers who bought large quantities of furniture.

Charles E. Bamford and Garry D. Bruton. Small Business Management: A Framework for Success. South-Western, Thomson Corporation. 2006. Pages 215 & 216.