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Technical Assistance (TA)

Cascadia has three full time Business Consultants on staff. Henry Burton works with borrowers in Washington, Ellen Homan works exclusively with Child Care providers in Washington and Michael Harris works with borrowers in the Portland, Oregon area. Our lenders also provide TA as part of their lending activities.

Once you are a borrower, a consultant is available to meet with you and assist with marketing, bookkeeping and management issues. At the request of a lender, a consultant will work with a prospective borrower to pull together all the information needed to apply for a loan. Contact one of our lenders about the availability of technical assistance.

Many of our Washington borrowers recieve monthly postcards with business tips on marketing and finance. Below is the most current card followed by a list of previous cards. Contact Henry Burton if you would like a copy of one of these cards.

Business Tip #13. . . . Business Planning
January is a good time to review the previous years results, set goals, and make plans for the coming year. Successful businesses have a clear vision of where they are going and have a clear, written plan for how to achieve that vision. Here are the steps to take in your planning process:
wWhat do you do? - Write down clearly and concisely what services or products you offer and to whom. This is the place to assess your market and your customer's needs.
wWhy do you do it? - What is your vision for your business? What is the image of your business that you want your customers to have in their mind? Write this down and make sure you and your employees understand it and live by it.
wWhat do you want to achieve? - Write down your specific one-year and five-year goals for your business, which could include sales, gross profit, net profit, and number of new customers. Be bold. Challenge yourself, your employees, and your business.
wHow are you going to get there? - This is where your plan will succeed or fail. For each goal, write down a detailed action plan listing specific tasks, the people responsible for doing the tasks, the dates they will be completed and the costs involved. Be sure to delegate some tasks so that you don't feel overwhelmed.
wHow will you measure your progress? - The most important part is to review the action plan at least once a month if not daily or weekly. Post copies of all the documents by your desk and around the office so that you will see them every day. Planning takes time, but the end result will help your business be more successful.

Previous Tip Cards-Reprints Available:

• Business Tip #1..The effects of marketing happen over the long term
• Business Tip #2..Cash is King
• Business Tip #3..Professional Advisors
• Business Tip #4..Familiarity Breeds Business
• Business Tip #5..Never run Out of Cash
• Business Tip #6..Press Releases
• Business Tip #7..Pricing
• Business Tip #8..Record Keeping
• Business Tip #9..Advertising
• Business Tip #10..Credit Card Debt
• Business Tip #11..Managing Your Website
• Business Tip #12..Marketing Basics

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1901 NW Market Street, Seattle, Washington 98107
Phone (206) 447-9226 w Facsimile (206) 682-4804

© Copyright 2001 Cascadia Revolving Fund
Last updated January, 2003