C-leveled Blog

Training for Early Stage Entrepreneurs

Community_Manager — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:41:47 +0000

C-leveled is a proud partner of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s FastTrac NewVenture course. The program offers support for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs through customized business training, take-home course materials and unlimited documents for life. Join us for the next session, facilitated by C-leveled’s Denise DeSimone.

Date: Tuesdays – April 17, April 24, May 1 and May 8
Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location: Pittsburgh Technology Council
Price: $600 per person
RSVP: Maria Graziani or 412-980-8875.

For more information download the FastTrac NewVenture PDF or visit our business training page. All attendees receive access to four full-day working sessions totaling 32 hours of training as well as numerous resources to assist with growing your small business.

For Love or Money?

Community_Manager — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:14:14 +0000

There are plenty of reasons why people decide to start businesses. Entrepreneurs are driven by things like the need for independence, innovation, money and technology disruption. The article The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma: For Love Or Money? on OpenForum provides an interesting look at why individuals decide to launch businesses. We think having a passion for your business ideas and being motivated by a desire for profit are both critical to success.

Resources for Setting Up Payroll

Community_Manager — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:33:15 +0000

Your startup is expanding and hiring the first set of full-time employees. Now is the time to build the infrastructure to support payroll and taxes. But where do you start? Check out these 10 Steps to Setting Up a Payroll System written by the U.S. Small Business Administration . Then consider adding C-leveled’s Performance Package which provides access to our knowledge center with more than a hundred sample documents and templates to help as your small business grows including the Payroll Budget Estimate Worksheet, Employee Salary Worksheet and Expense Report Templates.

Great Examples of Branding Projects

Community_Manager — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:56:50 +0000

Ready to brand your new company or re-brand an existing one? I recently found an article on one of Fast Company’s websites, Co.DESIGN, featuring interesting projects ranging from the Canadian Olympic Team to TBS to The National – Bar & Dining Rooms. Check out all of the great examples in the article Our 11 Favorite Branding Projects of 2011.

What’s Next for Email Marketing?

Community_Manager — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:23:27 +0000

We’ve seen an increased focus on using social media for marketing over the past few years. While these platforms are definitely helpful new channels to reach your audience they aren’t a replacement for your proven means of marketing. One of existing (and tested) resources, email marketing, still appears to be going strong. Industry leaders share their thoughts in this article by AWeber Communications on Email Marketing – What to Watch for in 2012.

Selecting the Right Business Mentor

Community_Manager — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:02:15 +0000

Working with mentors can be extremely helpful as you begin to build your business. Not only can their past experiences can help guide you to future success. But they can also introduce you to new contacts and provide expertise that you may not yet have in-house. The article Tips for Finding and Working with a Business Mentor by the Small Business Association has some great suggestions to get you started with the process.

Must-Haves For Your Website

Community_Manager — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:57:14 +0000

If you are getting ready to build a new website or re-launch an existing one there are a few design elements you will want to consider. OpenForum highlights some of these important features in their article, 7 Must-Have B2B Web Design Elements for 2012. implementing a few of these suggestions should improve usability of your site, help communicate your value to customers and increase the conversion rate of prospects to new customers.

Product Marketing Metrics for Startups

Community_Manager — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:01:00 +0000

Recently viewed one of Dave McClure’s older presentations. Its definitely worth taking a look at as it does a good job of outlining important metrics for marketing and customer acquisition. Check out the SlideShare presentation – Startup Metrics for Product Marketing and Product Management. Then you can view all of his presentations and blog post at 500 Startups.

Are Google Apps for You?

Community_Manager — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:26:05 +0000

As you get your small business launched there are plenty of software options out there to assist with word processing, spreadsheets and presentations. If you’re considering using Google Apps as a way to save money for your business check out this article by Comparz reviewing the Pros and Cons of Google Apps.

Stand Out in Search Results

Community_Manager — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:17:21 +0000

Large or established companies aren’t the only ones being found in search results. Plenty of startups and small businesses are drawing attention from online searchers. BostInno highlights a few quick and easy ways to make your company stand out in search results in their article, Online Searchers Want More From Small Businesses.