Timely Topics

3 minute read 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. […]

3 minute read 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 […]

2 minute read “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 […]

2 minute read 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 […]

2 minute read COVID-19 is forcing small businesses to make high consequence decisions about the health and safety of their employees and customers while maintaining their long-term financial viability. Confidently managing cash flow and allocating grants and loan money seem impossible in an environment where factors change daily. However, VtSBDC advisor, Steve Densham affirms that risk-taking is crucial […]