All Entries in the "Small Business Development Center" Category

Small Business Exporter of the Year

“We have no limits to our world. We’re only limited by our imagination”
(L-R) President and COO, Richard Grundy; CFO, Anne Beaupre Sigourney; and
CEO and Founder, Michael Sigourney.

AVTECH Software, a private corporation founded in 1988 by Michael Sigourney, is a computer hardware and software developer and manufacturer. Since its founding AVTECH has continuously expanded their offerings, growing from a startup software developer to a small business with international reach.

Their progression was not immediate but gradual, taking the addition of key personnel and co-owners including CFO, Anne Sigourney and President and COO, Richard Grundy. Anne joined AVTECH in 1997, managing the accounting, administration and human resources departments while Richard came onboard in 2001, growing through engineering leadership roles and now overseeing day to day operations and executing the strategic growth plan.

With key personnel in place AVTECH worked to create a strong infrastructure, including the 2008 SBA loan funded purchase of its headquarters at Cutler Mill in Warren, RI. The facility continues to be a center of growth for AVTECH as well as the surrounding area which has seen significant investment
and improvement since that time.

In 2016, Grundy attended the SBA Emerging Leaders program, a seven month intensive entrepreneurship educating and training course focusing on financial literacy. Through this course Richard was introduced to the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP). The STEP program was created to increase the number of small businesses that export their product or service, as well as increasing the value of exports for those small businesses that already do.

AVTECH’s ownership team began meeting with STEP grantee, The Chafee Center for International Business at Bryant University. The Chafee Center helped educate AVTECH on exporting services and how to effectively reach and expand in different international markets. In turn, AVTECH began to accelerate the sales and marketing of their Room Alert® product line to businesses around the world. Room Alert® products monitor computer rooms, data centers and other facilities for conditions such as temperature, humidity, power, flood, water leakage, smoke and fire, air flow, room entry, motion, cameras and more.

Were thankful for the support and resources the SBA makes available to area businesses,” said  Grundy. “Through participation in the SBA Emerging Leaders program in 2016, we were introduced to the STEP program and the Chafee Center at Bryant University. The STEP program and the many other resources provided by the SBA and Chafee Center have been instrumental in our international growth over the past several years," he added. Over the next two years AVTECH participated in four STEP sponsored trade missions to Canada, UK, Israel, and Ireland – with another trip scheduled for April 2018 to Dubai. AVTECH’s exporting business has grown from approximately 23% of their revenue prior to 2016 to over 30% in 2017, with forecasts projecting over 40% by 2020.

Our strong network of international resellers have helped Room Alert protect businesses around the globe from downtime and damage caused by extreme environment conditions,” said Sigourney. “Working with the STEP program and participating in state sponsored trade missions have made these global markets more accessible than ever before. We’re proud to manufacture Room Alertin the USA and appreciate the resources the SBA provides that have helped us reach customers now in 186 of 196 countries,” he noted.

For their accomplishments in expanding the global economy, the U.S. Small Business Administration is proud to recognize Michael Sigourney, CEO; Anne Sigourney, CFO; and Richard Grundy, President and COO of AVTECH Software, as the 2018 Rhode Island Small Business Exporter of the Year.

District Director Award

“It’s all about the journey…and I know you’ll have an amazing one” On January 22, 2018, Rhode Island lost a trailblazing leader in the small business community, and, to all who knew her, a friend. Cheryl Watkins Snead left an indelible mark on everything she touched, truly embodying the age-old adage of “leaving it better than you found it.” Whether it was the
company she founded and grew to a national supply-chain powerhouse, her advocating for countless young people, women, and people of color, or her unwavering support for small business; Cheryl made them better.

Born in New Jersey, Cheryl began her path towards entrepreneurship through education.
Crafting her skillset at UMass Amherst where she was the first African-American woman to graduate with a B.A. in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation, she dove into the workforce perfecting her craft for General Electric while gaining a keen understanding of management. While working Snead never gave up on her continued education, a trait that would repeat throughout her life. Cheryl would go on to earn her M.B.A. from Purdue University and with her technical prowess and strengthen understanding of business, branched off on her own founding Banneker Industries. Cheryl understood that business, much like life, has opportunities and obstacles, ebbs and flows, positives and negatives. In an ever expanding technological world that demands minute-by- minute updates, we sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees. What Cheryl understood more than most was that the journey is as important, if not more so than destination.

In October of 2017, Cheryl spoke at a “TEDx talk” in Providence where she addressed her
career, management, and leadership style. During her presentation Snead had this to say, “I do want to be remembered, when my career is over, when my life’s journey is over, that I managed with enthusiasm, I lead with passion, and I would add four words to it – as a servant leader.” Those close to her would say she achieved what she set out to do, “Cheryl was a leader, business giant, entrepreneur but more importantly a friend,” said SBA District Director, Mark S. Hayward, “She received many awards during her short life, which proved that she was a very special person, but most importantly she gave to people much more than she received. She taught us all to live each day with enthusiasm and determination not knowing which day will be your last. Her infectious smile provided us with inspiration to achieve, and her supporting words with the confidence to continue the journey,” he reflected.
We hope, by giving this award and publishing this article, to continue to shine a light on who
this amazing woman was, the countless lives she touched, and the incredible admiration we here at the Rhode Island District Office of the Small Business Administration have for her. We also understand that our words will never do justice to who she was, so we will close with Cheryl’s own words of wisdom. “So as I conclude, and you think about everything I shared with you, it’s really not been about the destination at all. In fact, having your plan is important but be flexible and agile for the changes in life that are going to come. When you lead, lead with passion and when you’re serving others you have no idea where that’s going to take you. And finally, when you do run into obstacles and challenges – ‘cause we will, that’s life – you now have a tool in your toolbox, a process to achieve it, to overcome it. I hope now you know a little bit about me but more importantly a little more about you. You know what
your past is, you’re in your present, now look at your future – not just your destination- but it’s all about the journey…and I know you’ll have an amazing one.”

For her lifelong commitment to bettering the small business community, her steadfast
dedication to the growth of opportunities for women, young people, and minorities within that community, and her entrepreneurial excellence, the U.S. Small Business Administration is proud to posthumously recognize Cheryl Watkins Snead, Founder and CEO of Banneker Industries with the 2018 Rhode Island SBA District Director Award.

Monthly Learning Tips from Rhode Island Small Business Owners: Lifelong Learning

Ronald G. Shapiro, PhD

This month’s learning tips come from Bob Salvas, a lifelong Rhode Islander, certified SCORE counselor, Seminar Coordinator for the Rhode Island chapter of SCORE, independent marketing consultant at Bob Salvas Consulting and owner of 4 th Monday Networking. Bob’s marketing career spans 30 years, initially as a marketing team member for the United States Post Office and more recently as an independent consultant helping small to medium sized businesses with their marketing initiatives.
Through his tenure in the profession Bob has observed a major change in the ways to most effectively market a business. At one time a business needed to simply provide information to customers. The customers would notice the information and call the business for more information. Today there is so much information out there that a business needs to focus on unique ways to communicate while also providing evidence that the business is credible. In Bob’s opinion, this can best be accomplished
through networking, email, direct (paper) mail, and social media. The most effective of these communications include testimonials supported by word-of- mouth recommendations from satisfied customers and others. Additionally, utilizing a novel way to communicate, such as hand writing direct mail, can’t hurt.

As a SCORE (an independent agency, originally established as the Service Corp of Retired Executives by the US Government Small Business Administration in the 1960s) volunteer Bob is dedicated to providing learning opportunities for business people because being a dedicated lifelong learner is absolutely critical for today’s successful business professional. All SCORE volunteers share Bob’s passion for learning and have been highly successful business owners or corporate executives. There are about 30 SCORE volunteers in Rhode Island. Some are currently active in their businesses. Others have retired. The volunteers offer seminars and 1:1 counseling at libraries, Chambers of Commerce offices and other public locations throughout the state. While most of the seminars focus on marketing, financials and productivity, SCORE aims to satisfy all business owner needs with unique seminars, bringing in outside experts and generally doing what is necessary to help business owners to be successful. The seminars and counseling are all free and highly recommended for business professionals. Bob recommends that
all small business owners:

 Utilize the free consulting, seminars and webinars offered by Rhode Island SCORE. To start go to the website for information and to register for opportunities: https://ri.score.org.
 Become familiar with the US Government Small Business Administration website (https://www.sba.gov), the services they offer, and the links to services offered by numerous other organizations.
 Include Face-2- Face networking as a significant part of their business marketing plan. Bob emphasizes that successful networking focuses on relationship building rather than making a quick sale. He emphasizes the importance in building both deep relationships, by getting to know selected people really well by attending some events very regularly and by broadening the scope of people one knows through attending new events as well. Bob states that you cannot build your business while hiding in the office.

Please contact Bob at 401.359.1602 or by email at Bob @BobSalvas.com for any questions you may have about marketing or SCORE. He considers it a privilege to help the small business professional to become more successful.

I would like to thank Industrial Consultant Dr. Margarita Posada Cossuto for helpful comments.

A Marketer’s Guide to Instagram Stories for Business

Since its launch in 2016, Instagram Stories has connected millions of users to the brands they love and follow in eye-catching and finger-tapping ways.

Instagram Stories, a feature of the Instagram platform, boasts more than 300 million active accounts. Instagram Stories put videos and photos that disappear after 24 hours in front of your target audience, and are a powerful business tool to engage with your fans and nurture lasting brand-consumer relationships. Here’s how you can best leverage Instagram Stories for your brand.

Popularity of Instagram Stories for Business

Instagram said 1 in 3 of its most-viewed Instagram Stories are from businesses. Brands are constantly updating their Instagram Stories with short videos, behind-the-scenes pictures, and more.

Instagram Stories showcase the voice and personality of brands in quick bursts, holding the attention of busy mobile phone users who are regularly scrolling through content and consuming mobile videos.

According to an Instagram study from 2017, the time users spent watching Instagram videos was up more than 80 percent compared to the previous year. Additionally, 60 percent of the platform’s users said they viewed more mobile videos on Instagram than in the previous two years.

How to Use Instagram Stories for Business

After opening the Instagram app that contains your business profile, users can either swipe to the right or click on the camera icon located on the top left of the screen to see options for Instagram Stories formats.

For brands who want to buy ads, there are three ways advertisers can create ads in Instagram Stories:

• Ads Create Tool
• Power Editor
• API

For more information on using these tools and the design requirements for Instagram Storiesphotos and videos–including aspect ratio, resolution, and length–go to Facebook Blueprint.

When stories are updated, a ring appears around the profile picture to notify users of new content.

Brands often take advantage of the Stories Highlights feature to display stories at the top of their profiles. This helps categorize products or services together so consumers can quickly find content they’re interested in.

For example, Target’s Instagram account groups together seasonal items with its Spring Break and Easter stories. This also allows brands to organize and track the progress of their marketing campaigns.

After posting a story, you can see view counts and other relevant key performance metrics via Instagram Stories analytics. See how Simply Measured and Sprout Social allow you track, analyze, and benchmark your most important Instagram data.

As for the ring that appears around profile images, this highlights when users search for accounts or hashtags using brand names. You can see that, when typing in “Starbucks” in the Instagram app, Starbucks Turkey has recently updated its Stories content because the ring draws users’ eyes to this account.

Users can interact with stories by messaging brands directly, sharing stories with their followers, or tapping on the screen to fast-forward content.

Instagram Stories Options for Content

Since its launch, Instagram Stories has added new features that make interacting and communicating with followers more fun and cost-effective. These features prove you don’t need a big ad budget or dozens of staff on a sound stage to create viral content.

This gives even the smallest businesses the ability to get a ton of views when armed with creativity and a smartphone. There are several ways to engage with users using Instagram Stories for business, including:

• Type. Choose between different fonts to create text-only posts or add text to photos for captions or hashtags.
• Live. Stream live video to your followers that will disappear from your feed in 24 hours. Or, if you want to replay or share videos for later, click Save after ending the video stream.
• Boomerang. Record video that plays forward and then backward in a loop, similar to GIFs.

The other Instagram Stories options to explore are:

• Normal
• Superzoom
• Rewind
• Hands-Free
• Stop-Motion

All of these options allow you personalize your content to fit into users’ feeds more organically. Plenty of users see these in action, and if your brand wants to get creative, you could use this to blend into a feed.

Display Full-Screen Ads

Instagram recently announced that it will support Instagram Stories ads in full-screen format. This allows businesses to go into Ads Manager and upload a photo or video on Instagram Stories. The ad will take up more screen space on cell phones, making more of an impression for mobile device users who are constantly scrolling through content.

Mobile-friendly features like full-screen Instagram Stories ads allow brands to take advantage of the growth of on-the-go social media users. With ads in full-screen format, businesses also have the option to include links that users can view by swiping up on their phones.

Play Video Stories

Videos on Instagram are versatile and can display short ads, customer testimonials, how-tos and tips, and other visuals. There are numerous ways to use videos of different lengths to highlight your brand, but videos that work with Stories are capped at 15 seconds.

When brands use Ads Manager to upload full-screen Instagram Stories video ads, they have 15 seconds or less to capture the attention of their followers. Add music or audio to the video to make more of an impact.

You can also share video ads on your Instagram profile that are in landscape or square format, and up to 60 seconds in length.

Stream Live Videos

Unlike videos uploaded to Ads Manager for Stories, live videos are not limited to a max of 15 seconds, allowing brands to stream product demonstrations, tutorials, Q&A sessions, and other long-form content.

Make a Stronger Call-to-Action

With the new ways brands are using Instagram Stories, they have to adapt their overall messaging to suit their audience, including their call-to-action. Since Instagram Stories caters to the mobile user crowd, there are CTAs that are made specifically for these devices to entice followers and hold their attention.

Calls-to-Action options for Instagram Stories ads include:

• Apply Now
• Book Now
• Buy Now
• Buy Tickets
• Contact Us
• Download
• Shop Now
• Watch More

You can include CTAs within the text of the video itself, including:

• Swipe Up. Use the call-to-action “Swipe Up” to let users know there is a link to learn more about products or services.
• Tap. Say “Tap” so users can tap the screen to speed up the story and get to the content they really want.
• Share. Tell users to share the story by tapping on the paper airplane icon on the bottom right of the screen.

Ikea’s Instagram account encourages users to tap the screen to view images related to seasonal content. Mobile-driven calls-to-action bring to mind the more interactive features of Instagram, giving users reason to act now rather than later.

Another example of a brand employing creative Instagram Stories is J.Crew, which uses calls-to-action to convey a sense of urgency with its ads for “limited-time-only” sales, and they curate feedback from customers based on their own playful prompts.

Share Fan Photos & Videos

Starbucks frequently uses Instagram Stories to share follower images of its Instagram-worthy drinks.

Show your followers that you’re listening by sharing the photos tagged with or depicting your brand. Including follower photos in your feed or ads could encourage more followers to engage with you through likes and comments, or to share their own images.

If your brand works with influencers, ask these partners to record videos featuring or mentioning your brand in their Instagram Stories. These influencer videos can show the influencer using a product or service and giving a review. You can also highlight your brand’s relationship with influencers by interviewing the influencer on your brand’s Instagram Stories.

Instagram Stories & Analytics

With videos and photos widely viewed and shared on Instagram Stories for business every day, brands need to pinpoint which posts are actually success stories. Instagram has built-in analytics tools to get more insight on the number of impressions, reach, views, and other metrics connected to your posts.

Using analytics is crucial to understanding which posts are popular among your followers, how your audience is most likely to engage with your photos and videos, and if you are achieving your desired return on investment.

Whether it is for a single post or an entire marketing campaign, knowing the numbers behind engagement will help create more content with effective branding.

Cosmetics company CoverGirl used Instagram and Facebook to rebrand its image and tagline, reaching more than 30.1 million people combined on these platforms, according to Instagram’s Success Stories. CoverGirl found that it had five times higher message association compared with industry norms, and had 15 million video views.

The company created video ads for their target audiences, such as Hispanic and African-American women. This campaign includes a 15-second full-screen video ad in Instagram Stories that features a diverse group of women.