Grabbing the Attention of Entrepreneurs

We’ve entered the era of Me Inc. One of the bright spots in the troubled economy of the last few years has been the creation of small businesses – more than 565,000 in 2010, according to the Kauffmann Foundation.

Public libraries offer a wealth of information for entrepreneurs and new small businesses. But how many new business owners are aware of what we offer? It’s up to us to get the word out.

The New Jersey State Library created NJ Grows Biz@yourlibrary to help public libraries make local entrepreneurs aware of the resources available to them, including access to market research reports, company databases, and small business education.

Here are some tips for marketing NJGrowsBiz and your library resources for entrepreneurs:

• NJGrowsBiz is active on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, curating content that startups and entrepreneurs will find useful. Share and retweet the posts with your fans and followers.
• Host an Entrepreneurs Night. Invite local small business owners and entrepreneurs for an open house, and give them a tour of the resources available.
• Visit or speak at local business networking meetings. Local Chambers of Commerce usually hold monthly meetings, and Toastmasters, BNI and LeTip meet weekly. Also, find out if there are any business-focused Meet Up groups convening in your area.
• Share a success story with the local press. Have you helped an entrepreneur expand his or her business? Local media is often interested in how local business owners became successful. A good news story will not only help you promote your services, but it will help the entrepreneur increase their business.

AND DON’T FORGET…Be sure to register for Norma Blake’s podcast on Feb. 14 at 10 a.m., which will focus on the services that New Jersey libraries are offering to businesses and entrepreneurs. The conversation will center on how libraries can help entrepreneur with specialized databases, and why it’s important to let your community know about the business resources you have available. Norma will be joined by Jennifer Podolsky, NJSL's Business Outreach Specialist, and Karen Parry, Manager of Information Services at East Brunswick Public Library. We look forward to having you join!