This upcoming Monday, November 15, 2010 a very special guest will be visiting Sacramento State for Global Entrepreneurship Week, Sacramento. The Co-Founder of Sacramento Press Ben Ilfeld! If you don’t know much about Mr. Ilfeld or you’ve always wanted to know how Sacramento Press got started maybe you should come? It’s free and open to all! A little bit of Mr. Ben Ilfeld’s biography, Ben Ilfeld co-founded Sacramento Press and formed a hyperlocal media coalition called Sacramento Local Online Advertising Network. Ben focuses on operations and sets the vision and operational processes for the online media outlet. Ben defines the business and technology road map for the organization and w

Nationally recognized marketing innovation expert Elaine Starling announces a provocative recovery strategy for small businesses. “Marketing is at the core of all successful business,” Starling said. “If your marketing isn’t working for you, it’s working against you – watering the wrong plants grows the wrong crop.” Starling is offering free marketing training videos to share her award-winning strategies with small businesses everywhere, available at MillionairesMarketingMatrix.com Starling was motivated by a meeting with the California small business advocate Marty Keller, who shared that the 3.2 million small businesses in California generate 99.2 percent of all new jobs and 70 percen

The year was 1985, the first version of Windows was released, “We are the World” was a pop sensation, the average home cost was $89,330, a gallon of gas cost $1.09, and legwarmers and stonewash jeans were all the rage. And, in Sacramento, a young man named Dale Carlsen opened the first Sleep Train Mattress Center, now the number one bedding specialist on the west coast and number four nationwide. Beginning his career as a salesperson for local mattress manufacturer Lady Americana, Carlsen’s experience inspired him to forego a traditional job path to pursue entrepreneurship and found Sleep Train, the top locally-owned retailer of quality sleep products that emphasizes superior customer ser

Kevin Surace, Inc. Magazine’s 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year and CEO of Serious Materials, has been selected to give the keynote address at the Roseville Chamber of Commerce’s annual business event, Roseville 2010. A noted speaker and writer on climate change and the built environment, Surace’s innovative and dynamic management style has help to turn around more than one crippled company. He will share his vision on what it takes to build a great company at Roseville 2010, Thursday, May 13 at Hewlett-Packard in Roseville. The event, which will run from 11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., will also feature a Regional CEO Panel, breakout sessions, a bus tour of South Placer County’s key developments, th

There is more to Sacramento than clean tech and government—we have an impressive number of medical device companies in our region. SARTA, the Sacramento region's technology business accelerator, is hosting the first Sacramento Med Tech Showcase at Sacramento State on Tuesday to spotlight the medical technology industry --one of the few growing, high-value industries in the region. The event will feature companies that are positively contributing to the ongoing economic development and job growth in the Sacramento area. With over 50 organizations exhibiting at the event, most of them involved in the research, development and/or manufacturer of medical technology, this is an unprecedented o

There is no doubt that businesses in general have suffered through our ever-changing economy. Businesses on multiple levels have had to make sacrifices; downsizing, cutting salaries, furloughing, laying off, and certainly cutting expenses.Small business, especially in Sacramento, is no exception. One expense that seems to be a commonality, is the Company Holiday Party. Historically, no matter how large or small an office or business is, company's have celebrated the holidays and their accomplishments with their partners, employees, and sometimes, vendors and customers. It is a time when people put work aside, and come together over food, drinks, entertainment and memories that often survi

Global Entrepreneurship Week debuted in Sacramento on Monday. Former Kings player Bobby Jackson was among nearly 50 entrepreneurs at ARCO Arena for "Mentoring Equals Millions," featuring a panel of owners of multimillion-dollar businesses each telling how a mentor helped him reach success. After the event, speakers and GEW organizers gathered at Capsity Offices, 2957 3rd Ave., for a networking lunch. GEW will feature 10 more speakers in Sacramento throughout the week, said Ricardo Robles, Capsity Offices co-founder, and regional coordinator for GEW. Robles also mentioned that more than 87 countries around the world will participate in the event, which was begun last year by the Ewing Mar

Today, 30% of the US job market, about 42 million workers, are independent contractors, temporary staffers, or self employed, according to the July 2009 issue of Money Magazine. No longer just the realm of creative professionals like writers and artists, freelancing is spreading to accounting, engineering, health care, law and sales. “Now’s the time to think and act entrepreneurially when it comes to your career.” (Money 59) And in Sacramento, as teachers, state workers, and others, face layoffs and furloughs, they have both the time and the inclination to turn towards this professional avenue. Perhaps you have started researching freelance or self-employment options? Maybe you saw the

The Sacramento Clean Tech Showcase keynote speaker Daniel Sperling is an internationally-renowned expert on transportation, energy and sustainability issues. In December he co-authored the book Two Billion Cars which projects that within 20 years the number of motor vehicles on the planet will double from its current total of one billion due primarily to growth in India and China. Sperling is a Professor of Engineering and Environmental Science & Policy at the University of California, Davis, and Founding Director of the university's Institute of Transportation Studies. He also serves on the California Air Resources Board, chairs the Future of Mobility Council of the Davos World Economic

California's unemployment rate is now the highest it's been in nearly 70 years. While some are still struggling to find a new job as an employee, there are those with the entrepreneurial spirit who have decided to create their own job by becoming a business owner - an entrepreneur. This is a growing trend here in Sacramento. A rapidly growing industry is that of virtual assistants, also know as VAs. Though small business owners cut back on expenses and lay off employees, they still need have a need for certain tasks to be done - such as bookkeeping, phone calls, document creation and other administrative tasks. Instead of hiring a full-time or even part-time employee, they have chosen to

They call him the Ice Cream Dude. And when people stop 24-year-old Cody Hale on the street, it's just as much because of his car as it is to buy a Watermelon Bomb Pop, Cry Baby Italian Ice or a Bubble Gum Snow Cone. That's just what the former construction worker from Rio Linda hoped for when he took a gamble with his last $500 and built a rad ice cream wagon that'd be at home at any California beach. Lucky for him, he had an 1965 Volkswagen Beetle sitting in the garage and a dad who helped him restore and modify the car. Just two weeks into his new profession, he thinks he's found a recession-proof job he can still do despite a recent injury. "I make more money driving an ice cream tr

Many small business owners are succumbing to fear due to the economy and worry whether they will succeed. Business owners are finding it more challenging to be optimistic and excited about the future of their businesses. However, two Sacramento area business owners are teaching that now is the time to be excited about doing business and they are teaching how business owners can be excited about doing business - despite hard economic times. Jerry Kennedy, owner of Inside Out Business Solutions, and Joel D Canfield, author, award-winning speaker and co-founder of the Northern California Association of Entrepreneurs, conduct interactive business workshops where attendees learn why now is the

Are you laid off? Are you in a dead end job? Is it time to put your passion to work? If you answered yes to any of these questions, maybe it’s time for you to become an entrepreneur and start your own business. But do you have what it takes? Entrepreneur and “mergeronomist” Larry Mandelberg joins me for an insightful conversation Sunday night on “Good Work NOW!” on Channel 17 at 7:30 PM. Larry says that an entrepreneur is “someone that sees something that others don’t - they bring new ideas to old ideas and create something that hasn’t existed before”. He adds that successful entrepreneurs are “curious and always learning” and “have a high tolerance for risk”.  One point that he made du

Midtown Sacramento often conjures the images of nighttime culture, good restaurants, and boutique businesses setting new trends. But what happens when your Midtown business is failing, especially in this economy? And what if you're just starting your business, or haven't yet started an office location yourself? A visit to Capsity Offices might be the answer for those who need to be "refueled" by working in a fun and comfortable, yet professional environment. Sac Press talked to Capsity co-founder Ricardo Robles about his business, which rents out a lively and positive location at 2123 P Street, for the community, businesses or anything else. Capsity Offices also offers mailing address s