The Monroe County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is pleased to bring a valuable small business resource to Southwest Illinois. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will present a seminar on customer discovery and the competitive advantage from 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, March 13.
Local business owners and entrepreneurs are invited to attend the seminar at the Harvest Market, 125 N. Rapp Avenue, Columbia, Ill. 62236. Registration, including a $5 fee, may be made at www.ilsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/30839.
SBDC Director Jo Ann Di Maggio May will present on the following topics:
- Customer Discovery
- Why you should consider developing a target market
- Test Marketing
- Ways to identify your market (demographics, geographies, etc.)
- Competitive Advantage
- Creating the “Secret Sauce”
- Determine what sets you apart
- What’s your niche?
“This is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs and business owners to discover the valuable business resources that the SBDC has to offer,” said Di Maggio May. “We truly appreciate Robin and Emma Starkey of Harvest Market, and Edie Koch from the MCEDC for serving as our organizers. It truly takes a team effort to help small businesses survive and thrive.”
“Supporting start-ups is one of the best ways for us to jumpstart new business investment and create jobs,” added MCEDC Executive Director Edie Koch. “We encourage anyone, who has developed a great business idea and is ready to take it to the next level, to attend.”
The SBDC for the Metro East assists entrepreneurs as well as existing business owners operating in the nine-county Metro East region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph. It enhances the region’s economic interests by providing one-stop assistance to individuals by means of counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures and existing small businesses.
SBDC’s in Illinois are funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement among the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as a service to the community. To learn how these no- cost services may help your business venture, contact the Metro East SBDC at (618) 650-2929 or sbdcedw@gmail.com.
MCEDC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to encourage, promote and assist economic development in the region. MCEDC’s investor/membership is made up of business and government leaders dedicated to growing a more diversified local economy, a broader tax base and an enhanced quality of life for the region.