CVG Workshop for Entrepreneurs

This Wednesday, the Connecticut Venture Group is giving a workshop for entrepreneurs in Stamford, CT, to help them with business planning and with finding capital. The next day, there's one in Hartford on resources available through UCONN. Worth attending, if you're in the area:
http://www.cvg.org/

Upcoming Events: Entrepreneurs Association Workshop: Developing Your Business Plan: What You Need to Know When: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 Time: Noon - 2:00 pm Where: University of Connecticut Stamford Campus, Stamford CT Directions and Parking Charge: $20. For Entrepreneurs Only Other Info: Lunch will be available Registration: Click here to Register More Information: Click here Accessing UConn's Resources to Develop and Expand Your Business When: Thursday, October 1, 2009 Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm Where: UConn Graduate Business Learning Center 100 Constitution Plaza Hartford, CT Directions Charge: No cost. Registration is required as seating is limited. Registration: Click here to Register More Information: Click here

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Tip of the Week: "Freemiums" As a Business Model

Choosing a business model that will generate revenue is important in the online and off-line worlds, especially in a recession, when investors and creditors are particularly jittery.

One revenue-generating model that has worked very well entails the concept of a "Freemium." A freemium model starts with giving away free stuff or free access to build a loyal customer base and then charging for deeper access or merchandise. Author Chris Anderson discussed this idea at Advertising Week at the Mixx Conference. His comments were captured and posted by Ad Age in this online video.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1370868150/bctid41947335001

Chris notes that Club Penguin and the online Wall Street Journal both use the freemium model to lure customers to start opening their wallets to buy premium content or merchandise.

Think about your business model. Can you think of creative ways to generate revenue from a loyal customer base?

For more on developing a business plan, visit:
www.upstartbusinessplanning.com

Health Care Bill Will Cripple Business Owners

The proposed health care reform bill will seriously harm entrepreneurs, freelancers, business owners, starving artists and part-time workers. We need a plan that lets people self-insure for the small stuff but protects us from catastrophic health care costs -- in other words, a high deductible plan. That is the only plan that is reasonable for people who can barely afford insurance now. It also makes people think twice before approving lots of tests or running to the doctor for the sniffles. It puts control in the hands of the consumer. But the current plan outlaws high deductible plans. This is crazy.

In states like NY where high deductible plans are outlawed, insurance for a part-time worker or freelance individual is $1,000 per month. In states like CT where they are allowed, the cost is $100 per month. For my daughter who is a nursery school teacher, even $100 per month is hard. She lives in MA, where her premiums are 40% higher than CT and are rising at 16% annually, even with a high deductible plan. (So much for Massachusetts's claim that costs are under control there. And, no, she cannot get subsidized insurance from the state. They turned her down on a bureaucratic technicality.) She can barely make ends meet. This is not right.

The new bill is misguided. It will have highly detrimental, unintended consequences that are far reaching across the economy as it puts health insurance further out of reach for those not employed in a corporation or government system. And it will make people even more insulated from the true costs of medical care. This will not help get costs under control.