Company Profile: OneUnited Bank

Starting almost 50 years ago as Unity Bank & Trust in Boston, MA, One United Bank has grown into being the first Black-owned Internet bank. With locations in Los Angeles, Miami, and Boston, OneUnited has solidified it's position as being a bank that supports economic development in urban communities. According to the website, the bank plans on doing this by:

• Offering affordable financial services to all.
• Providing customers w/ superb state-of-the-art technology
• Maintaining excellent financial performance
• Garnering the spending power of the Black community and re-channeling it back to the community.

Fully insured by the FDIC, OneUnited Bank has over a half a billion in assets and has a satisfactory CAEL rating ( Capital, Asset quality, Earnings and Liquidity). OneUnited has also been recognized with the U.S. Department of Treasury for outstanding lending practices in community development.

Please check out their website at www.oneunited.com

Small Business Summit

Microsoft's Small Business Center is hosting a Small Business Summit this week from March 19-23. Each day a new topic will be discussed via live podcast from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. Pacific Time. If you are like most other small business owners you probably won't be able to view the live podcasts. However, don't despair! Microsoft has all the podcasts available for you to view on-demand 72 hours after the live broadcast.

Some of the past broadcasts included, Small Biz Success Stories, The Art of Innovation, 4 Ways to Avoid a Lawsuit, Building Customer Trust, Buzz Marketing and Finding New Customers.

If you would like to attend of the live broadcasts or are interested in viewing them later please click on this link: Microsoft Small Business Center
Enter your zip code and you will be taken to a list of all the broadcasts.

Marketing to a growing Hispanic population

By 2010, gross revenue advertising targeted to the Hispanic community will reach $5.5 billion, according to Kagan Research. While marketing to a primarily Hispanic audience is a lot like marketing to other audiences, there are some fundamental differences in how to successfully market to them. Below are four ways to market authentically without being offensive.

• Know your market. Marketing to first-generation Hispanics is very different than marketing to second (and beyond) generations. These second, third, and fourth generations live a mostly Hispanic lifestyle, but also speak English.

• Be aware of cultural nuances. Learn that Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and other Latin American cultures are all very different and do not all share the same customs or beliefs.

• Be sincere. If you are trying to market to the Hispanic community to make a quick buck, you are in the wrong industry. Show your audience that you sincerely care about their needs. Believe me, they will notice.

• Follow up. Take time to develop your product. Successful marketing takes time and patience, don’t expect to receive instant results.

Source

More Women in Poorer Nations Becoming Entrepreneurs

According to a new survey, women who live in low-mid income nations are found to be more than twice as likely to be entrepreneurs or involved in the early stages of business start-ups. The study conducted by Babson College and the London Business School found that 22.5 percent of all entrepreneurs in the Philippines are headed by women who are/were heavily involved in the early stages of the business, for Russia that number jumps up to 39.9 percent. Wealthier nations such as Sweden or Belgium, the numbers are at a paltry 2.3 and 1 percent, respectively. Women living in wealthier nations are also more than likely to have benefited from higher education and better income. While these options may not be available to women living in poorer nations, networking opportunities, access to social capital and other resources have driven more of these women to start their own businesses.

Source

My very first day!

Good Day!
This is my very first day of blogging and I am happy to be here. I am a Commercial Freelance Writer and I decided to create The Small Business Weekly to assist small and minority business owners with tools to help them succeed. The Small Business Weekly will be updated on a weekly basis (at least at first) that will feature news articles, polls and other links that I will incorporate into my posts. Have a good day and enjoy!

P.S. You can also visit my website at www.thecurvedpen.com.