About Us
What We Do
We offer resources for small businesses, especially those in low-to-moderate-income areas in Boston.
Running a small business is very similar to running a long marathon at a fast pace: you've got an overwhelming number of tasks to do every day, week, and month, usually not all the resources you need, and when a problem pops up, you don't have much time (if any) plan out your strategy or to evaluate and call references on consultants or services that seem promising. We understand this, and we understand the immense value of finding resources that can deliver, that are reliable, and that are efficient.
We keep up to date on who and what is effective, reliable, and efficient, what's affordable, what's cost-effective, and how various tools/services/products apply to different kinds of businesses in different kinds of situations. We work hands-on with small businesses in Boston every year, learning more and more about what works for each business!!
Sometimes it's best to hire someone that knows what they're doing - Sometimes its best to do it yourself - And Sometimes it's best to combine the two to get the job done right and achieve your objective without wasting time or money.
We're here to help you and your business. We want to see businesses succeed and improve life in our communities.
We're here to help you find what you need, stay in control, grow as you are able, and achieve your goals.
Tips, Case Studies, Tutorials
This website is chock full of links to some of the best articles, tutorials, apps, and websites on how to market your products and services.
Courses
Web Marketing for Small Business - for beginning computer and internet users - FREE
Web Marketing for Small Business - for competent computer and internet users - FREE
Monthly Drop-In Open Workshops - FREE STARTING JANUARY 2016 - 3RD WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
Advanced Web Marketing for Small Business - COMING IN 2017
Web Marketing for Small Business is an 8-week course for small business owners offered by Community Collaborative Consulting in collaboration with Tech Goes Home and Dorchester Bay EDC. Meeting once a week for two hours (usually Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm) small business owners improve their marketing operations by having dedicated time to work on their marketing operations with the assistance of learning resources and one-on-one coaching from instructors.
Coaching
When you need to figure out a sound solution to a problem (i.e. cashflow is ending up in the negative too often) or a solution to take advantage of an opportunity (i.e. you figured out a great way to reach people via a new facebook strategy but you don't have the time to do it), sometimes it helps to simply talk through it with someone experienced and aware of different resources and strategies available. SmallBizHelper is happy to offer two one-hour sessions for free and additional hours for a fee. With over three years of experience helping a wide variety of over 50 small businesses acquire technology and marketing and solve key issues, we can provide insights, strategies and suggestions based on our hands-on experience with businesses in Boston. We've worked with food vendors, wholesalers, hair salons, barbers, restaurants, cleaning services, pet stores, artists, clothing and jewelry designers, technical contractors, and many other types of businesses.
Resources
Lending
- small non-profit lenders and grant-makers
- credit unions
- community banks
- commercial banks
Crowdsourcing and Investors
Local Business Incubator Programs and Accelerator Programs
Expert Programs in Business Coaching and Consulting
Low-Cost Online Resources and Tools
Alerts About Local Workshops, Seminars, Courses, and MeetUps
Recommendations for Consultants
Since 2012, we've been evaluating, hiring and recommending consultants in marketing, social media, website development, website management, operations, and finance. Some of them we've hired for ourselves, some we have recommended to small businesses and non-profits. We only recommend consultants whose work we have observed and find to be reliable, professional, affordable, and committed to a client's entire business health.
Who We Are
SmallBizHelper.org is a resource for small businesses provided by Community Collaborative Consulting, a small consulting firm owned by Adam Gibbons and based in Dorchester, MA. SmallBizHelper.org aims to provide high quality resources to small business owners and their employees to enable them to develop a) solid business planning, b) state-of-the-art marketing, c) reliable capital, and d) a means to find key resources that are reliable, trustworthy, affordable, and effecctive for small businesses, especially businesses in low-to-moderate income areas. Since 2006, Community Collaborative Consulting has been helping non-profits and small businesses grow their capacity and deepen their impact through marketing, outreach, planning, technology development, and skill development.
History
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2012-2014: Adam Gibbons of Community Collaborative Consulting coordinated Dorchester Bay's Launch Pad Program, which awarded grants (with funding from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative) to 20 small businesses (all under $500K in annual revenues) in Boston, helping them acquire technology (hardware, software, social media, and websites) to stabilize and grow their businesses.
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2013: Tech Goes Home invited Dorchester Bay and Community Collaborative Consulting to pilot an 8-week course for small business owners on web-based marketing.
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As of September 2015, we have taught the course six times at Dorchester Bay and once at St. Mark's Area Main Street, each course enrolling 6-12 owners of small businesses.
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57 owners have completed our course, as of 9/1/15
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September 21, 2015: Launched the website SmallBizHelper.org
Instructors
Adam Gibbons
Community Collaborative Consulting
(617) 447-1759
Other interns and professionals in the small business field
Vision
Small business owners will:
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Significantly advance their skill in one particular form of online marketing
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Gain an understanding of
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Emerge from the 8-week corse with a stronger and more productive marketing operation in action
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Walk away with a skill set, a strategy, a list of resources, and a larger network of business colleagues
Some of the Topics Discussed:
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What is my web presence now & how can I improve it?
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Getting to Know Your Target Market
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Social Media Marketing - when, how, and what to post based on your company’s goals & customers
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Online Resources - what's out there that's free or affordable, reliable, and productive for your business
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Setting yourself up for success - planning the proper time, applying the proper skill, and measuring your results to see if your plan produced the desired results.
Benefits
Besides learning about online marketing tools and resources, personal consulting, and the opportunity to network with other small business owners, there is another added benefit to taking part in this course.
By completing at least 15 of the 16 hours of course time, businesses will have the opportunity to purchase either a Chromebook or an iPad mini for only $50!
Logistics
Class Size: Classes are never bigger than 12 students, and the ratio is generally 1 teacher for every 3 students.
Location: Normally at Dorchester Bay's computer lab at 594 Columbia Road, Dorchester, MA 02125
When: spring course, summer course, and fall course
Loan Program
Dorchester Bay offers loans of varying sizes to businesses throughout Boston.
Our loans include the following:
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Micro Loans - $1,000 to $50,000 - competitive rates - no penalty for paying off loan early
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Community Advantage Loans - $50,000-$150,000 - competitive rates
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504 Loans - for purchase of property and/or large equipment - competitive rates
For more information about DBEDC's loan program, contact Husam Nasser at hnasser@dbedc.org or 617-825-4200 ext 216.
Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation is a non-profit community development corporation whose mission is to provide educational and economic opportunities to residents in the Upham’s Corner community of Boston, MA. The Dorchester Bay Small Business Assistance Program offers technical assistance and access to financing for small businesses in the Dorchester and lower Roxbury neighborhoods. In addition, DBEDC is a licensed financial lender to Boston businesses for the purposes of operating capital, property purchase, and large equipment purchase.