Entrepreneurship education plays a key role in empowering the next generation of business leaders. The Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) has worked to develop business skills in students through a variety of educational programs and initiatives over the past twelve years. During these events, students participate in hands-on activities that foster creativity and problem-solving. […]
The Entrepreneurial Skills Matrix is an excellent tool for self-reflection. After completing this exercise, carefully analyze the results and set goals for yourself and your business. Think about the types of businesses or industries that would benefit from your current skills. Is your business included? Would your business struggle because of the skills you lack? […]
By Amanda Kuhnert In the spring of 2021, Seth Barrows plans to retire from the military after 27 years of service. More than likely, he’ll celebrate his retirement with a pint of his own beer and then get back to work. Barrows’s second career as a brewmaster and entrepreneur has already begun. His new business, […]
RANDOLPH CENTER, Vt. (Nov. 5, 2020) – Research shows that organizations need leaders who are creative thinkers eager to thrive in a climate that fosters innovation. To meet those needs, Vermont Technical College (VTC), Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) and the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (VtVLC) will introduce the course “Creativity & Innovation” for […]
For more than a decade, VtSBDC has actively supported veterans and service-connected Vermonters. VtSBDC works with service members as well as their families and business partners to prepare the business to be as healthy as possible going into a deployment, mitigating the threats of closure or severe stress. VtSBDC advisors also assist the person who […]
In the last seven months, I’ve attended over 230 Zoom meetings with local partners, board members, and national stakeholders, and facilitated an additional 80 meetings with the entire VtSBDC team. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:30AM, we all refilled our coffee mugs and gathered to discuss how much had happened in just the last […]
RANDOLPH CENTER, VT (Oct. 21, 2020) — State Director, Linda Rossi, announced that Debra Boudrieau has been selected as the 2020 State Star of the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC). The award, bestowed annually, celebrates a member of the organization’s team for exceptional commitment to small business success. “Due to COVID-19 we have to […]
“My friends call me ‘the chameleon,’” said Marina McCoy, Vermont’s 2020 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Since the beginning of the year, her company, Waste Free Earth, has responded to significant changes in client needs due to COVID-19. Where before, McCoy’s services focused on big event waste elimination, now they focus on remote flat-rate, team-based […]
COVID-19 has forced a conversation about what type of work is “essential” and how to value it respectively. Often excluded from the discussion are local artisans and food producers who remain underutilized in local economic systems. Farmers markets, which have had to adapt to new social distancing and selling regulations, have been gaining traction as […]
Chester boutique consolidates and expands during Covid-19 crisis By Amanda Kuhnert “Covid-19 made us re-evaluate what was important to us and what we really wanted to be doing,” said Jessie Alon, co-owner of DaVallia Gallery & Boutique in Chester, Vt. Before the pandemic, Jessie and her husband Michael were operating two business locations—an art gallery […]
