Seminars explore ‘hot’ businesses, moneymaking tips

How businesses can make more money and the 10 hottest businesses of 2009 are among the free seminars during Rhode Island Salute to Small Business week, June 8-12, sponsored by the state office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
An awards luncheon to recognize the accomplishments of small-business owners, advocates and a journalist will be also be held on June 10 at noon at the Alpine Country Club in Cranston.
David Lucier, a certified public accountant and three-time winner of the SBA’s annual small-business advocate award, said he prepared a program to help small businesses make more money as part of his 25-year-old consultant business, Lucier CPA Inc. in Johnston. “How to Profit in Uncertain Times” is the title of his nine-step program.
The first step, he said, is to “take control of your cash.” Cash is “the lifeblood of a business and, if you run out of cash, you close your doors. You’re dead.”
Other steps Lucier will discuss include: be on top of credit given to customers; aggressively collect receivables; buy only what you need; produce accurate financial information; listen to employees, customers, competitors and other businesspeople; have a positive attitude; and develop new business. Questioned about the last point, Lucier said the current tough economy makes it an ideal time to capture more business from competitors who are hurting.
The hottest businesses right now are a reflection of current economic times, with an emphasis on enjoying and improving one’s own home. Home repairs and home maintenance top the list, according to Lucier. Other hot enterprises, Lucier said, include: coffee shops; pet grooming because “baby boomers are buying pets like crazy;” home renovation and remodeling; lawn and garden care.
Along with David Nash, president of Engage Marketing Inc. in Coventry and former president/CEO of Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, Lucier will present two sessions of “How to Run and Start a Small Business,” when he will discuss his nine-point program and the hottest 2009 businesses in detail. The sessions are June 8, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce in Lincoln and, on the same date, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the R.I. Economic Development Corporation headquarters in the American Locomotive Works development off Valley Street in Providence.
On June 11, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Lucier and John Polumbo, of Strategic Sales Group Inc. in Providence, will offer a workshop on business acceleration, which Lucier said would be an “advanced program” for those who already operate businesses and want to grow. The session will be held at the EDC.
Lucier has been a CPA and self-employed since 1982, with eight employees at his Johnston office. Business advice, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll are among the services his business offers. He specializes in working with small businesses with $2 million or less in annual revenue.
Other free seminars scheduled next week and the presenters include: “Branding Your Image,” Gil Lantini, Focus Business Solutions; “Exploring Entrepreneurship,” Carmen Diaz-Jusino of the Center for Women & Enterprise; “USPS Small Business Shipping,” Jane Larsen of the U.S. Postal Service; “I Run My Business on a Mac,” Jen Fischer and Patrick Connor of Apple; “Planting the Seeds for High Web Site Traffic,” Juan Gomez and Jeshua Zapata, Xzito Creative Solutions LLC; “How to Improve Your Credit Score,” Diane Santos, Money Management International.
More information on the seminars can be obtained by contacting the Rhode Island office of SBA at (401) 528-4561. The Salute to Small Business week is co-sponsored by the Joseph G.E. Knight SCORE Chapter 13, a local group of experienced and retired executives who counsel small business owners.
As for the awards luncheon, four of the nine Rhode Island winners captured New England honors in their categories: Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Robert Beadle, president, Northeast Public Relations Inc.; Small Business Exporter of the Year, Marcos Fountoulakis, president and CEO of DaMa Quality Jewelry Components; Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year, Charles F. Reade Jr., president, Reade Metals and Minerals Corp.; Women in Business Champion of the Year, Dorothy Reynolds, program manager, Rhode Island Procurement Technical Assistance Center.
Other state winners are: Small Business Person of the Year, Ann-Marie Harrington, president of Embolden Design in Pawtucket; SBA Rhode Island District Director Award, Clifton Boyle, retired vice president of academic affairs, Johnson & Wales University; Joseph G.E. Knight Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, Sean Solley and Katrin Boening-Solley, owners of Solley Design; Minority Small Business Champion of the Year, Ardena Lee-Fleming, regional director, Rhode Island Small Business Development Center; Small Business Journalist of the Year, Denise Perreault, Providence Business News. &#8226