Investomers: What are they and how they could help your business

As any seasoned entrepreneur can tell you, investment can either help or hurt a company, depending on how it’s handled. That doesn’t change when investment comes from a customer, but the opportunities and risks tend to be a little different. For starters, customer investors tend to be more engaged, according to Isoft Data Systems CEO [...]

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Adam Switzer of Calamus Outfitters

It all started when Adam Switzer wanted to move back to the family ranch near Burwell, NE. The ranch had supported several families in the 90′s but now could barely support one. In order to make the move possible it meant having to innovate on the business model. Ranching had been the staple of the [...]

Taking your recipe from product to profit has never been easier

[This is part of a series of articles over the next month to focus on one of Nebraska's key entrepreneurial areas: the food industry. Check back frequently as we explore local food producers, restaurants, and the growers .] With farmers’ markets blooming and themes of “Go Local” sweeping grocery stores, it is prime time for [...]

Opportunity assesment and evaluating a deal with John Moorhead

John Moorhead of Free Air Collective and Fiserv talks about the lessons he has learned in opportunity assessment through the 3 startups he’s been a part of.  The Startup Lessons event was put on by the Lincoln Young Professional Group on March 8th, 2011.  “Equity vs Cash”, what is your contribution, does it interest you…these [...]

$5,000 Awarded to Students with Big Ideas

Students representing Nebraska high schools, area colleges and universities had three minutes to pitch their idea for a new business. The second annual 3-2-1 Quick Pitch Competition was held on Wednesday at Memorial Stadium in the Club Level Concourse. “This year we had over 50 competitors from all over Nebraska.  We’ve had a good diversity of [...]

CCC workshops prepare entrepreneurs for real world challenges

Taking a class on how to successfully start a business won’t always yield all the answers to questions startup companies face. However, when those classes are combined with speakers and mentors with first-hand knowledge of all the intricacies of the business world, it’s easier to walk away with something more than just an idea for a [...]

NU Tech connects innovators to researchers, promotes development

For NUtech Ventures (pronounced “new tech” as in new technologies), success means creating new companies and jobs to spur economic development in Nebraska. NUtech’s team is composed of innovation “matchmakers” whose job it is to connect entrepreneurs with the ideas and resources they need to create viable startups. NUtech is a non-profit organization affiliated with [...]

Basics to financing your small business with SBA loans and grants

This guest post was contributed by Todd Furasek, Vice President, Commercial Loans at Union Bank & Trust Company. It is very important that someone interested in owning a small business finds a business related to something he or she enjoys. A small business is a ton of work and if you don’t enjoy what you are doing, [...]

Northeast Nebraska economic development focuses on local growth

For nearly a decade, the Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council has provided small business consulting services for the nearly 50,000 residents in Madison, Pierce and Stanton counties in northeast Nebraska. David Simonsen, executive director for the Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council, said those in these three counties don’t have to travel all the way to [...]

Marketing can make difference between success and failure

Entrepreneurs typically have little or no guidance when it comes to marketing to the proper buyer. And without the proper guidance, marketing can be expensive. Without successful marketing, a business cannot grow. In the small town of Holbrook, Neb., a company is helping all kinds startups with the challenges of marketing, one of the hardest [...]

SCORE experts can help your startup or existing small business

The seed for Chris Miller’s startup business was planted by his own need for clean, affordable housing – and preferably with opportunities for a social life – when he was a senior at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Four years later, he and Cole Stunkard operate Delta Real Estate Portfolio – an Omaha-based property [...]

UNK provides research exclusive for rural entrepreneurs

Finding the right market for a new business is complex and paying professionals for research and surveys to find that right market can cost more than the small business owner can afford. Oftentimes these surveys aren’t focused on the consumer. However, the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Center for Rural Research and Development is an [...]

Small companies find ways to compete, keep business

Being able to bring in revenue is challenging when there are larger businesses or massive corporations selling the same product just blocks away.  Entrepreneurs can find it tough to compete and as a result, many ideas for small businesses often never reach the drawing board.  Entrepreneurs also face the challenge of keeping shoppers or customers [...]

NxBizSuccess reaching out to entrepreneurs via portal, podcasts

As social media becomes more prevalent and newer, bolder ways of distributing facts, figures and fictions enter the picture, it seems the paradigm for acquiring and analyzing information shifts on a near daily basis.  Although this means more people are able to actively search out the information they seek (we live in a world where “Google” has [...]

NebraskaEDGE bundles networking, education and growth into single package

While it’s relatively easy to set up a learning environment (often as simple as putting a teacher and at least one interested pupil in the same room), sustaining that educational ambiance proves a much more involved task. While traveling lecturers and keynote conference speakers undoubtedly impart some lasting knowledge to those who hear them, at least a portion of [...]

ABC News features Nebraska Entrepreneur resource GROW Nebraska

ABC’s News Article “Rural Enterprise on the Rise” highlights GROW Nebraska and how beneficial membership can be for small businesses within the state. The article also showcases Katrina Frey of Heavenly Creations and John Marquis of Ogallala Bay Rum as each explains how GROW has helped take their business to the next level. Check out [...]

Advice for Nebraskan family businesses successful at UNL

As the Baby Boom generation continues retiring from years of working, their predecessors are beginning to fill the gaps left behind. Those inheriting a business may not know to effectively keep their family business moving forward after the previous generation. Dave Specht took on the challenge of providing consultation and guidance for family businesses.  His [...]

CropMetrics provides exclusive services for area farms

Expansive fields of crops are common sites in Nebraska. Behind every field there’s a specific science that focuses on the best way to plant, irrigate and harvest these crops.  Many farmers don’t have the proper equipment to yield the best results. This is where Nick Emanuel and CropMetrics come in. Emanuel, a native of North [...]

Omaha Chamber of Commerce builds connections for starting businesses

Starting a business in Omaha or Lincoln seems like a challenging task when there are numerous national chain stores to compete against.  Many entrepreneurs have a difficult time finding the right resources to establish themselves in a tough market. For some, a chamber of commerce may be the right avenue toward success. Local chambers of [...]

Caleb Pollard and the Impact Entrepreneurship Has On Economic Development

There are many ways for communities to pursue economic development, but entrepreneurship pure and simple, has been the driving force behind growth in Valley County.  Caleb Pollard, Executive Director of Valley County Economic Development, goes through the results they’ve seen and the impact it has had on the community. Caleb Pollard – Valley County Economic [...]

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