Looking for companies or organizations who want a free business plan written or updated?

August 29, 2013 by Scott Testa 8 Comments

Business Plan in a Day book (Photo credit: Raymond Yee)

Looking for companies or organizations who want a free

business plan written or updated?. .

Entrepreneur course by students. . – email me stesta97@gmail.com

I am also looking for Entrepreneur or Business related speakers who want free publicity.

You must come to Philadelphia to present and work with students. . no teleconferencing or Skype

Business Plan Basics: How to Make a Business Plan (staples.com)
A Checklist for Effective Business Plan Presentation Design (staples.com)
Three Signs of a Healthy Business Plan (epicafinance.com)
Flush out your business plan ideas with Elevatr (idownloadblog.com)
Misconceptions About Business Plans – part 1 (highthechbusinessplan.wordpress.com)
The 8 Things to Look for in a Business Plan (temmylinny.wordpress.com)

Filed Under: public relations Tagged With: Add new tag, Business, Business model, Business plan, Business Services, California, Communications, Company, consulting, Entrepreneur, Executive summary, Human Rights Campaign, Internet Marketing, marketing, Marketing and Advertising, Marketing Services, Master of Business Administration, Philadelphia, Philly, Public Speaking, Skype, Small business, Speakers Bureaus, student, twitter, Undergraduate education, United States, Venture capital, video

Quoted – National initial jobless claims fall for second straight week; Illinois’ claims rise

June 7, 2010 by Scott Testa 10 Comments

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The number of Americans filing initial claims for unemployment benefits last week fell 10,000 from the week prior, its second straight week of decline, as the economy continues its flirtation with expansion. Initial jobless claims for Illinois increased, however, as the state’s employment picture remained dreary.

The advanced seasonally adjusted amount of initial jobless claims was 453,000 for the week ended May 29, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday, down 10,000 from the previous week’s revised figure. That was slightly lower than economists surveyed by Bloomberg LP were expecting.

“This is going to be a long-term trend,” stressed Scott Testa, professor of business administration at Cabrini College in Philadelphia. Testa was hesitant to draw positive conclusions from this week’s report, suggesting employers are unlikely to boost their hiring until 2011. “Very little hiring gets done during the summer,” he said, though he expects a hiring “uptick” in January and February.

The residential real estate market is still hurting, Testa said, and housing “touches a lot of points in the economy,” since it is indicative of consumer confidence and spending.

Yet, the retail industry is showing some positive signs, Testa said. “The real litmus test is going to be the holiday season shopping,” he said.

Quarterly data on jobless claims is a stronger indication of the employment outlook, Testa asserted, because weekly numbers are constantly being revised.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=166271

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Filed Under: economy Tagged With: Add new tag, Bloomberg LP, Cabrini College, Jobless claims, Real estate, Retailing, Unemployment benefits, United States, United States Department of Labor

Quoted – A good fit in the market is key for clothes sellers

June 4, 2010 by Scott Testa 5 Comments

: Image via Wikipedia

What odds for survival would you have given the men’s store Mortar when it opened in March?

The store sells denim jeans from $189 to $330. Shirts are $100 to $220. The designer boutique is not on Post Oak Boulevard — it is in Montrose. And while the economy is picking up, the apparel retail industry is far from booming.

But for co-owners Iris Siff and Sacha Nelson, it’s a fine time to be in retail. They have already made plans to move their less than 3-month-old store at 1844 Westheimer to a nearby space almost three times the size.

If their initial solid business is an indication, the owners found a winning formula by focusing on upscale contemporary casual attire — they don’t sell suits — for men in their 30s and 40s while offering the same level of service one finds at a high-end store selling business clothes. Most of their lines are exclusives from emerging designers.

For a concept like Mortar to work, it does not have to reach large numbers of men, but it does need to convince its targeted shopper that what it offers is unique and relevant to his lifestyle, said Scott Testa, professor of business at Cabrini College near Philadelphia.

“If you can identify a really specific segment of the market and understand it and gain traction through word of mouth, you can explode,” Testa said. “As the saying goes, ‘There’s riches in niches.’”

For such businesses “there’s less price pressure because they’re looked upon as having things that are unique,” he said.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7027714.html

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Filed Under: retail Tagged With: Add new tag, Business, Cabrini College, Clothing, Jeans, Philadelphia, Professor, Retailing, Shopping

Quoted – Leading indicators drop, experts still expect “sluggish” economic growth

June 3, 2010 by Scott Testa 10 Comments

: Image by Colin Gregory Palmer via Flickr

The Conference Board reported Thursday the Leading Economic Index fell 0.1 percent in April, the first drop in a year, after a 1.3 percent gain in March and a 0.4 rise in February. Nevertheless, economists still expect slow but steady economic growth in the months to come.

April’s dip is a sharp contrast with the year-earlier month, when the index rose 1 percent following consecutive decreases in the previous six months.

The Conference Board is a business-supported research organization. Its Leading Economic Index, composed of 10 economic indicators, is designed to predict economic activity. Typically, three consecutive LEI changes in the same direction usually reflect a turning point in the economy.

“I think we’re starting to make some headway,” said Scott Testa, an economics professor at Cabrini College in Philadelphia. “It’s going to be a steady slow climb. We’re not going to see anything dramatic, however, until fall, or maybe until 2011.”

The most influential lagging indicator is the unemployment rate, Testa said, which is “probably what the Fed looks at most for the inflation rate.” He continued, “When the Fed sees momentum, it’s going to start looking at raising interest rates again.”

Testa has a hunch that consumers will see inflation occur in oil and energy. “Energy has been kept in check two to three months, but the summer driving season combined with the Gulf situation is going to cause a small blip in prices and have long term affects on the price of food.”
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=164935

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Filed Under: economy Tagged With: Add new tag, Cabrini College, Conference Board, Economics, Inflation, Interest rate, Philadelphia, Scott Testa, Social Sciences

Quoted – Fast Food Keeps Pushing Value Envelope

June 2, 2010 by Scott Testa 12 Comments

Taking the value menu down yet one more rung, Taco Bell has introduced a $2.00 combo meal featuring a taco or burrito, medium soft drink and a bag of Doritos. The move is seen as a direct strike at popular dollar menus at McDonald’s and other hamburger chains, where three items cost $3.

Commercials that began running Sunday even poke fun at the dollar menu. Taco Bell workers and customers are seen pondering how the chain can sell three items for $2, and assume one of the items must be “free.” The actors then argue about which item the freebie is.

Speaking to Walletpop.com, Scott Testa, professor of business administration at Cabrini College, said fast food chains are using these deals as loss leaders and hoping consumers stock up on fuller-margin items.

“They get you in with the $2 promotion and while people are there they hope they will spend money on other areas such as some extra guacamole and up-sell them on those products,” he said.

http://www.retailwire.com/news/article.cfm/14514

Filed Under: retail Tagged With: Add new tag, Burrito, Business, Fast food, Hospitality, McDonald, Restaurant Chains, Taco Bell, Value menu