Why Planning is Important

One of the things my husband and I talk with his youngest daughter about is financial planning.  We try to casually slip the topic in from time to time.  The other day she really surprised us and said “I want to take some time and talk with the two of you about this soon.”  Wow, this twenty something really wants to talk about the long term? Fantastic! We have tried to talk with her about starting to plan NOW instead of waiting.

Maybe all those conversations were not in vain.  So many people wait until it’s too late to put a plan in place.  We talk with so many people who are close to middle age or older who laugh and say “I’ll have to work until I die.”  How sad, I find that.  Not making any plans or not looking to get help with your financial planning can be two big mistakes. 

As a business owner they say those who fail are the ones you have failed to plan.  This is true in business and in our financial futures.  If you aren’t talking with someone about how to shape your future how do you know what it’s going to look like? 

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Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter

Why Telling People Your Story is Important

One thing I have learned recently is that we haven’t done a good job of telling the story of BizWorks to the county leaders.   I made the assumptions (incorrectly) that since we had been around for so long that county leaders knew who we were and what we have done for economic development in this county.  I was wrong. 

We have recently gone on a campaign to correct this but I wish we had done it so much sooner.  Telling people who we are and what we are doing isn’t bragging- it’s letting people know your worth.  How many people do you see often that you assume they know what you do and how you are doing?  Probably a lot.  But you don’t think to tell them periodically what you do and how you do it.

This may be something that causes you to lose business.  Make sure people know who you are and what you do- so that if and when they need your service you are the first one they think to call. 

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Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter

A Day in the Life of BizWorks

So what’s it like to run a nonprofit incubator?  Well…. It’s usually a different thing every day.  Some days we do the work of reporting to our grant source.   Sometimes it’s a board meeting talking about our future, thinking strategically and figuring out what’s next.

Other days it’s working with entrepreneurs who walk through the door and need our help.  One thing that is always happening here, we work with our BizWorks’ entrepreneurs! It could be celebrating the good stuff, listening while they vent, talking over employee hiring, finding additional resources or looking at their business strategically to see what’s next. 

Whatever the day brings the staff here is never bored.  There are networking meetings or training sessions on how to run a business.  But what we do every day is talk about running that business and the best ways to do that. We are always looking at ways to help each business grow and hire more employees, which for the bottom line of Chesterfield County is a good thing.

Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter

Warren Buffet, My On-Going Love Affair

If you have read very many of my blogs you know I love me some Warren Buffett!  Here is a recent quote from Fortune Magazine on his diet.  ”Asked to explain the high-sugar, high-salt diet that has somehow enabled him to remain seemingly healthy, Buffett replies: ‘I checked the actuarial tables, and the lowest death rate is among six-year-olds. So I decided to eat like a six-year-old.’ The octogenarian adds, ‘It’s the safest course I can take.”

Mr. Buffett states that he drinks five Cokes a day (yes he owns $16 billion in Coke stocks) and eats UTZ brand potato stix (yes he spoke with that company about buying it) or chocolate chip ice cream for breakfast. Ya gotta love it! Every day a new study comes out telling us that this is healthy and this is not but then six months later another study comes out and reverses those statements.

The thing I love about Mr. Buffett is he is who he is! How many billionaires would admit to eating potato stix?    He has stayed the course in so many things and I guess his diet is one more thing- if it’s working- and it obviously has to this point- why change?

And what girl doesn’t love a man who would eat chocolate ices cream for breakfast!

Suzanne Cormier

Executive Director

BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)

Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and

Twitter @BizWorksCenter