Marlene Titus of the Miller Center for Small Business at Carroll Community College and Matt Day of the Business Training Group at Carroll Community College explained some exciting programs that can help business owners and entrepreneurs. First, Marlene explains the services provided by the Miller Center for Small Business. Basically, they provide courses, resource center, marketing data base, etc. for new business owners and those trying to grow their own business. Most of the courses are taught by other business owners or retired business owners. They offer advice and guidance on how to successfully run a business. They hold events for networking and creating opportunities within the business communities.

 Guidance on funding is also a great resource that Miller Center for Small Business can provide. There IS funding available, its limited, but its out there. There are also tips on how to apply correctly for a business loan, despite the difficulties right now, there are correct and incorrect ways to approach the loan process.

 Mall explains the Pathways to Cyber Security Careers program, a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Labor that provides cyber security training to local businesses. There are also marketing training classes to guide users to properly guide social media and technology.

We also wanted to touch on all of new technology for the technologically challenged out there. There are a lot of great tools to use to stay connected to friends, family & your community: cell phones, social media, email, etc. But, there are many rules that you should follow to stay safe. Also, to avoid being a public nuisance.

 Technology Tips 101

1. When your on the cell phone or texting, the world does not go away. Pay attention to your surroundings and when using a phone is appropriate.
2. On Facebook, don’t advertise where you ARE.
3. When you are talking on a cell phone, you don’t have to talk 10 times louder
4. If an email thread or texting conversation is getting fiery, pick-up the phone and speaks to the person. This can avoid misinterpretation.
5. You don’t have to tweet about everything. Great sign to remember: “In case of a fire, exit building BEFORE tweeting about it”
6. If it has to do with computers, when in doubt, ask a 12 year old.

We had a great LIVE show on-location at Maggie’s in Westminster! We wanted to address all the uncertainties in the economy and also answer any questions that may be out there concerning the current market. Our first guest to join us was Kevin McIntyre, Economic Professor at McDaniel College. Kevin joined us on the show last year and made a prediction about what the state of the economy would be like this year. His prediction – it will be BAD. He was right. 

Going forward, he is slightly more optimistic about 2012, because of the new election. It will relieve some uncertainty and will unveil decisions that will be made to move forward. The federal deficits have been revealed and hopefully, there will be actions made.

One of the biggest negative impacts is the job market. Unless the government is creating an environment that businesses can be successful, businesses won’t be able to grow, expand and increase positions.  These types of uncertainties are what keep businesses (and the economy) in jeopardy. Also,

despite a few positive things going on, such as low interest rates and the decrease in housing pricing, the uncertainty that lingers has not helped sustain the real-estate market.

Our next guests was Delegate Justin Ready, serving district 5A which includes, Westminster, Manchester, Finksburg, Hampstead & Silver Run. Delegate Ready explained that issues such as re-districting and tax increases that may directly affect our area. He and his colleagues are fighting to  keep tax payers and business owners as a priority. He also is fighting to keep unemployment rates in check to help business owners.  

He, with the support of the community and followers, was able to petition over 100,000 votes to help fight the legalization of in state tuition for illegal immigrants. The bill will be on the ballad for voters to vote for the bill. Delegate Justin Ready is confident that we can stop the bill because our budget simply cannot handle the magnitude of costs this will create. Ready believes that we need more business owners or people with experience working in a small business or running a small business in office that will fully understand the way to help/hurt business owners.  Go to www.justinready.com for more information about your representative in the House of Representatives!

Maggie’s owner, Jim Brewer joined us for the last segment to explain how stressful for small business owners to think about taking care of employees in such a low economy right now. Generating business doesn’t just affect him , but the other 60 employees that he has. By developing monthly specials and events, he can bring in diners in affordable ways for both the customers and the restaurant.  Steve explained how important it is to spend local. Visit locally owned and operated businesses to keep Carroll County thriving!

April 13^th, 2011

Segment I Guest: Brent Whalen, MetLife Home Loans

Segment II Topic: How To Get a REAL Education/By The Numbers/6 Things You Are Paying Too Much For

Brent Whalen, a mortgage broker at MetLife joined us to discuss the housing market and some of the good and bad news about the current market. Starting with the good news, rates are low, pricing is low and there are a lot of benefits for first time home buyers. Foreclosures are making amazing sales available. As for sellers at the moment, it is possible to sell, but you have to price it accordingly. It’s a buyer’s market right now. You may not be able to sell your house for what you purchased it for, or even  close. Over the horizon, Brent explained that his expectations are low. A lot of economists are predicting 2011 could be the worst year in the real estate world. Foreclosures are flooding the market and HUD is sitting on a large quantity of homes. Large inventory will drive pricing down, which does not help anyone that needs to refinance or sell their home. In the early 2000’s house prices were accumulating value and going up. But lenders created unique loans to help buyers obtain these homes. They gave ANYONE loans and it got a lot of people in trouble. Lenders gave irresponsibly and buyers were buying out of their comfort zone, which created the situation we are in now. The housing industry is a huge chunk of the economy, when the economy is up, the housing market is up, for a while it was actually booming! But then the economy tanked and the loose lending caught up because many homeowners could not afford their homes and the market spiraled downwards.

 Even though there are many people that diligently pay their mortgages, they are still affected by the current state of the market. Many homeowners cannot refinance or take out equity because the value of their home has dropped drastically. We asked Jay about his opinion on when is best time to look into refinancing. He explained that refinancing is only worth it if you can recoup the finance charges in the first 13-15 months. It is also not worth refinancing if you are not going to be staying in the home for a long duration of time. It is best to look into refinancing when you can lower your interest and you are interested in improving your home.

Brent shared the areas in the US that are facing the worst of these times. Over 1.2 million homes will be reposed this year in the United States; over half will be in the states of California, Florida, Arizona, Illinois and Michigan. However, the worst is Nevada. One in eleven homes will be faced with foreclosure in the state of Nevada. Locally, Carroll County, overall, is starting to level off. There are definitely more homes for sale than buyers in the area. Homes are slowly, but steadily selling. 

How to Get a REAL Education

We discussed a great column that creator of Dilbert, Scott Adams wrote in the Wall Street Journal titled,  “How To Get a Real Education”. He explained that great leaders may not always be the best “workers”. You have to learn what you are good at and what your strengths are overall. Particularly, students who aren’t “A” students may find their niche in more of an entrepreneur route.  Also, he suggests to “combine skills” and learn how to make yourself valuable. It is not always easy to find one world-class skill, but you can learn to do several things well and mold them together to create success. He also wrote about how to “fail forward”. It is sometimes important to take risks to learn what you can and cannot do, but the trick is to get paid while you are doing it. Either by monetarily or lessons learned. Then if you fail, you can use the experience and gain skills that WILL be useful. Scott Adams feels “students should be taught that failure is a process, not an obstacle”. You should also “find action”. Whatever you are seeking or interested in perusing, go to where the action is! You can learn the most by being there, distance is your enemy, according to Adams. To succeed you must act on something, work to “attract luck” by seeking and working towards your goals. You won’t get lucky without looking. Another important step is to “conquer fear” in the process. If you struggle with speaking in public, work at getting over your fear by challenging yourself to giving a speech, at first, make it about something you love and work from there. People can be trained to replace fear with enthusiasm. Simplicity makes ideas powerful and easy to follow, so “write simply”. Learn how to express yourself in ways that can appeal to others. Lastly, you should “learn persuasion” in all its forms including, psychology, sales, marketing, negotiating, and even design.  Scott Adams made his the Dilbert comic strips very successful, but Scott Adams wasn’t necessarily the best writer or artist, but he knew how to appeal to his audience and use his strengths to his advantage.

By the Numbers (April 11, 2011):

Almost a Trillion Increase: The total market capitalization of the US stock market was $16.4 trillion as of 3/3/11, a $900 billion increase from its value on 12/31/10 of $15.5 trillion

Has Happened Before: The US government has been forced to shut down 17 times in our nation’s history (due to Congressional stalemates over budgetary issues) before the current 2011.

More Cash, Less Credit: The current amount of indebtedness in the USA is 5.1% less than in 2009. This includes credit card debt, auto loans and borrowing (excluding home mortgages and home equity loans)

Show Me The Money: The combined payroll of the 5 major league baseball teams with the smallest 2011 grand opening day payrolls is $217 million. The 5 teams are Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Cleveland. The New York Yankees have an opening day payroll of $203 million this year, the largest in the MLB.

6 Things You’re Paying Too Much For

1. Bottled Water (tap is cleaner and tested more often)
2. Books & Magazines (wait for discounts, libraries, or don’t buy brand new)
3. Long Distance Charges (most cell phone packages no longer have long distance charges)
4. Bank Fees (shop around)
5. Packaging (buy generic, don’t pay for the name)
6. Insurance (find appropriate pricing and coverage)

March 23, 2011

Segment I Guest: Jimmy Schumacher, National Guard Recruiter and Army Veteran

Segment II Topic: Lessons Learned by the Actions of the Baby Boomers

We welcomed Jimmy Schumacher to the show! He is currently a National Guard Recruiter in Westminster, MD. He discussed the great benefits and opportunities that the National Guard offers, even if someone has no prior military experience. The National Guard is different than the Reserves because it is not attached to a specific branch of the military (Army Reserves, Navy Reserves, etc.). The National Guard is a state entry. Soldiers of the National Guard serve their home state and can be called to action by the State Governor or US President.

Sgt. Schumacher is a recruiter out of the Henry C. Evans Armory in Westminster. He was born and raised in Carroll County and is on a mission to better the lives of others in his community. There are many different types of people that can benefit from the National Guard. Many of his recruitments are fresh out of high school and looking for ways to attend school and create a job path. But some are in their mid 20’s or 30’s, with Master’s Degrees looking for new training and job skills. Age 35 is the maximum age that you can join the National Guard, the youngest is age 17, with parental consent. Once an individual is 18 years of age, he or she can join on their own.

To join the National Guard, you have to be prepared mentally and physically. You will attend the standard 9 week basic training. You will also have a job pick to chose an area of focus. There are many different jobs and skills that you can acquire. There are Military Police positions, Intelligence and career training for the workforce. The level of training that is available can earn high positions in various types of careers.

A detailed screening is done in order to enlist to make sure the candidate can succeed. A medical screening is done and certain condition can prevent you from eligibility, such as, asthma, serious previous injuries and other health issues. There is also a moral screening. The National Guard does not require a completely clean record, but no felonies are permitted and several types of misdemeanors will disqualify an offender from eligibility. There is also a written test that is administered to test mental capacity and comprehension.

Some of the major benefits of joining the National Guard are the many educational opportunities available. Members of the National Guard automatically receive 50% off tuition costs to State colleges and some private colleges. In addition, the Montgomery Bill kicks in $250+ per credit hour and other assistance, typically a National Guard soldier pays nothing for college. With the monthly drill pay, soldiers are basically paid to attend school while earning their degrees. 

Many parent and National Guard hopefuls have the same question. Will I, or my child, be deployed overseas? The answer is uncertain. Many times, the National Guard stays based in your state and/or country. But if your unit is called to action, there is always a possibility of deployment. The skills and training received will extensively prepare a National Guard soldier for this possibility.

Jimmy Schumacher is not only a National Guard recruiter, but he is also a decorated war veteran. After all the important information that he shared about the Guard, we wanted to hear about his experiences in the military. He explained that he started as an active duty Army soldier. After a not-so-impressive high school career, he did various jobs to earn a living. But at age 21, he decided he wanted to do more with his life. Jimmy explained that enlisting was the best thing he has ever done for himself. Not only has he received top-notch education and training, he has acquired 4 military specialty, Top-Secret Security Clearance, several prestigious recognitions and is currently working on his Master’s Degree, at no cost to him. He also explained how the Army allowed him to see the world. He had a tour in Korea, which is where he met his wife of 10 years. The beginning of his Army career took place in a fairly peaceful time in the world. After completing his Army requirements, he joined the National Guard. After the attacks on 9/11, he was deployed to various places in Iraq & Afghanistan for a year. On an anit-terrorism mission, he and his fellow soldiers captured terrorists that and detain in a jail in Baghdad. He explained that some of the terrorists complied when captured, but others were extremely dangerous and their mission was to kill you on the spot.

Sgt. Schumacher explained that although it can be a very scary and dangerous experience, he made many great lifelong friendships and has accomplished a lot because of his decision to enlist. There are a lot of great soldiers and Jimmy feels like the US should be proud of the men that they have protecting us.

Lessons Learned by Actions of the Baby Boomers

1. The stock market always fluctuates, there is nothing that is a guarnatee
2. Your home equity is NOT a personal ATM
3. Youth doesn’t last, but old age is manageable. Move more and eat less!
4. Live within your means. Establishing substantial savings and solidifying a financial portfolio is crucial