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A small business focus – Your Biz, Your Town

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By being a small business, I automatically am a supporter of small businesses. Serving small businesses is one of the biggest reasons 834 was founded. There is no reason a small business should not receive the same great service as every other company.

With Shelley’s support, I decided to have guests on that would be chock full of tips for businesses, whether you are just starting out or wanting to increase your businesses efficiency.

I have known Chris Mitchell, of Dickinson Wright for a long time, since my days at the West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative and he is a great lawyer that is incredibly knowledgeable in the areas of patent, trademark and copyright procurement and litigation. I am excited to be able to pick his brain today about setting up the proper legal foundation for your business.

When you are starting your business having to think about filing, trademarks and other legal ‘things’ can be overwhelming. Chris will give listeners some tips and ideas on how to make this part of your business less painful.

I am also excited to have Pranay Rajgarhia, founder of Solid Design Simple Solution, a business process improvement company that assists organizations in improving their processes to achieve maximum efficiency and save money.

Pranay wrote a great white paper on why businesses are not more efficient, download it here.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18184361581395721
The way you show up at work shapes how people remember you. Last month, alyshiahull joined bodespeaks on Happy Hour Hustle to talk about what workplace authenticity really means. Alyshia is a New York-based freelance journalist who writes for Business Insider, Fast Company, USA Today, Inc., and Entrepreneur. If you are ready to bring your authentic self to work, episode #134 is for you. Listen to Happy Hour Hustle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Youtube. Link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18099893149922914
The power of the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship, in a graduate's own words: "Growth is never accidental, it comes from being willing to learn, adapt, and embrace change. After nine months of dedication, reflection, and business development, I proudly graduated from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship (WEF) during the Small Business Association of Michigan Annual Meeting. Throughout the program, I challenged myself to evaluate every aspect of my business, celebrating what was working while identifying opportunities for growth and improvement. The journey was made even more meaningful through the support of an incredible cohort of women entrepreneurs, the guidance of mentor Gina Jacquart Thorsen, and the leadership of bodespeaks and her team. A sincere thank you to smallbusinessassocofmichigan for investing in second-stage women business owners and creating opportunities that empower entrepreneurs to build stronger, more sustainable businesses." — Mary A. Barton, President and CEO of Equitable Accounting Solutions and proud WEF graduate. Applications for the next cohort are now open. Link in comments.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 17903563788460776
"Out of failure comes growth – you have to see it as an opportunity." bodespeaks joined cuzzinjustin on the strictlyfromnowhere Podcast for an honest conversation about entrepreneurship, embracing your superpowers, and building a personal brand that's actually yours, the wins, the setbacks, and everything in between. And naturally, dropped an f-bomb or two along the way. You don't want to miss it. Full episode in the comments 👇

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18141485725556889
AI doesn't treat every source equally; it trusts what's credible, cited, and current, like news coverage. Showing up in the right places isn't just good PR. It's how the robots (and the humans) get you right. Read the full blog at the link in bio.

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18054365240537765
"If you don't get up and grind every day, the needle isn't gonna move." We sat down with brandonmccraney, founder and Master Blender behind olderaleighdistillery in Zebulon, North Carolina. Brandon spent fifteen years just thinking about whiskey before he finally opened his doors, and even then it took four more years, a dozen rejections, construction delays, and a global pandemic to get there. Two years later, Olde Raleigh had already won Best Micro Distillery in the US. Check out the latest episode of Happy Hour Hustle, where Brandon shares what it actually took to grow a business through COVID, the military discipline that kept him going when everything else said quit, and how working with people turned out to be the hardest part of the job. Listen to Happy Hour Hustle on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and watch the whole episode on Youtube. Link in bio.

It`s 9 months that is impossible to sum up in a video - but here`s just a taste.

This Women`s Entrepreneurial Fellowship is resources, mentorship, and connections that you can`t build anywhere else. We`re so exicted for what the next cohort will bring.

Apply now at the link in bio.
smallbusinessassocofmichigan

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Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 17895511302506558
It's 9 months that is impossible to sum up in a video - but here's just a taste. This Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship is resources, mentorship, and connections that you can't build anywhere else. We're so exicted for what the next cohort will bring. Apply now at the link in bio. smallbusinessassocofmichigan