Mason SBDC Quarterly Newsletter - Fall 2024

• Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - https://www.vahcc.com/hispanic-heritage-month
• Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - https://www.gwhcc.org/hispanic-heritage-celebration.html

Mason SBDC continues to support the Hispanic and Latino business community with counseling services and training. SBDC counselors fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese have assist clients in various stages of their business with tailored guidance and subject-matter expertise. In 2024, thus far, 218+ clients from the community have received counseling and 112+ have participated in business trainings by the center.

Shared this Issue:

• Client Showcase, Center Highlights, Upcoming Trainings and Testimonial
• See this newsletter in Spanish - Haga clic para ver este boletín en español

Client Showcase

Nordic Knot

Profile by Virginia SBDC

“The SBDC was very supportive of our journey to expand,” Melissa concludes. “You wear a lot of hats as a small business owner, but you don’t always know all you need to run a business. It’s good to have SBDC resources available to help you learn.”

Read full spotlight piece here: https://www.virginiasbdc.org/nordic-knot/

Center Highlights

Mason SBDC Director voted Virginia SBDC State Star!

Director Timm Johnson is this year's 2024 Virginia SBDC State Star! The 2024 State Stars, chosen by their SBDC networks, are among the best of the best — those who demonstrate exemplary performance, make significant contributions to their networks, and are deeply committed to the success of America’s small businesses.

This Year Mason SBDC is thrilled that Timm Johnson has received this well-deserved recognition for his hard work. Timm's tireless efforts brought about significant changes and expansion of service provisions within the region.

Timm's expertise and work played a critical role in assisting businesses and the network with vital access to capital, financial guidance, strategies, and resources. He remains deeply committed to lifelong learning, the success of small businesses and the SBDC team as he continues supporting the small business community. Congratulations Timm, we are proud of you!

A reception to felicitate the State Star winners was held on September 10, 2024 at the Annual America's SBDC Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. See this year's winners here.

Vijay Vaswani (Director, Regional Partnerships) presents at the 2024 Annual Americas SBDC Conference

The much-awaited 2024 Annual National SBDC Conference took place from Sep 9th -12th, 2024 at Atlanta, GA. This year, the Virginia SBDC team had a great time participating and presenting sessions at the conference. The State network led 6+ workshops and/or presentations on AI, International Business, Networking and more at the Conference, which was attended by approximately 1300 SBDC members from around the country! The Conference is a terrific opportunity for the SBDC network to gain new insights, connect with industry leaders, and to explore the the latest tools to help small businesses.

On Day 3 of the Conference, Mason SBDC Director for Regional Partnerships, Vijay Vaswani presented the session, 'The Art of Networking: Building Business Success through Connecting.' In addition, Vijay led a forum, 'America's SBDC Millennial and Youth Entrepreneurship Interest Section' and co-hosted the '40 Under 40 ceremony' at the Conference with Thryv and with NY SBDC State Director Sonya Smith.

SBDC Team provide coaching to 2024 Accelerate Business Series Pitch Presenters



Earlier this year (March 2024), George Mason University and Fairfax County announced a partnership launching the 2024 Accelerate Business Series that brings together entrepreneurs and investors for curated pitch opportunities to support the growth of local entrepreneurial network. At each event, 5 companies seeking seed capital are given the opportunity to make presentations of their business propositions to a group of investors. Mason SBDC Director Timm Johnson, Senior Counselors George Siragusa and Subodh Nayar guide the the selected companies on their propositions and prepare them for the presentations for each pitch event.

Lunch and Learn sessions at Office Evolution Herndon

The Mason SBDC held two Lunch and Learn workshops in June and July. The well-attended workshop presentations were on the subjects of Branding, and Government Contractor funding respectively. Over 30 attendees were at both the events. The June workshop was presented by Vijay Vaswani, Director of Regional Partnerships providing attendees with practical tips on branding best practices.

The July 30 event was presented by guest speakers from M&T Bank - Dee Kakar (Senior VP) and Daniela Gregoire (VP, Senior Relationship Manager, M&T Bank). The workshop gave attendees an in-depth look at the bank's perspective, the processes, pitfalls, and what the bank would like to see from a borrower. Interested in our Herndon events? Take a look at the next in-person series here

Upcoming Trainings (No cost to attend; Registration Required)

Client Testimonial

"Elis Devlin made excellent recommendations on how to improve the visibility of my business and attract more customers. Within days of implementing these recommendations, I started receiving more inquiries from potential customers. Elis is very easy to work with, very knowledgeable, and professional."

Katerina Dabolt PT, Owner

In-Home Physical Therapy and Wellness, LLC - https://www.in-homeptandwellness.com/

Mason SBDC services are provided at no cost, thanks to the support and funding provided by our Sponsors and Partners below

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and George Mason University. All Opinions, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.