Hiring Employees
Before you hire employees check with the Eastern Workforce Investment Board about the programs that may be available to you.
CITY PROGRAMS
Norwich Economic Development Job Creation / Retention Program (EDP) | norwichct.org
The Economic Development Program was established by the City of Norwich to foster job creation and retention in the city. The City’s Office of Community Development administers the program which utilizes funds from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The EDP supplies grant funding directly to an employer. See details in sidebar.
STATE PROGRAMS
Job Expansion Tax Credit (JET) | ct.gov
Connecticut businesses may be eligible for tax credits of $500 per month for each new full‐time job created.
CT Green Jobs Partnership – Incumbent Worker Training and Internship Programs | ewib.org
Funding is available for green companies that wants to upgrade the skills of their workers, or a company that wants to train workers in a green technology.
Customized Job Training (CJT) Program | ctdol.state.ct.us
The CJT Program is designed to stimulate the creation and retention of jobs in the state by providing financial assistance for training that the company could not have otherwise provided. Financial assistance and nonfinancial assistance are provided to new, relocating, and expanding businesses that are training their workers. CJT funds short-term training, usually less than one year in length for programs that may include on-the-job training, classroom training, and support activities.
Employers that are targeted for funding requests include small to midsize (less than 500 employees) manufacturers who are remaining competitive by introducing new manufacturing processes, technologies, and/or quality systems are targeted. Priority is given to businesses that use high-performance work organization practices.
STEM On-the-Job Training | ctstemjobs.org
Many Connecticut residents are struggling to find good jobs because they do not have the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills employers are looking for. At the same time, Connecticut’s high-tech employers need a skilled workforce ready to meet the demands of the 21st century global economy.
Step Up | ctdol.state.ct.us
The Subsidized Training and Employment Program (Step Up) is an initiative of the Connecticut Department of Labor and the state’s five Workforce Investment Boards. Step Up offers two programs:
- Wage Subsidy Program
- Small Manufacturer Training Grant Program. Each program offers employer incentives to hire employees and create jobs.
Eligible companies, defined as a small business, or manufacturer with not more than 100 employees, can apply for one program for each new hire – an employer cannot use multiple programs for one new hire.
The program was expanded in June 2012 to include the Unemployed Armed Forces Member Subsidized Training and Employment Program. This program, similar to the Wage Subsidy program, is available to eligible employers of any size that hire an unemployed veteran.
Connecticut Job Bank – Post Job Opportunities | ctdol.state.ct.us
Finding employees can sometime present a challenge. The Connecticut Department of Labor provides resources to link employers with employees.
connecticut.us.jobs
WEB-BASED RESOURCES ON HIRING
Small Business Administration: Delivering Success Video
A variety of video interviews with successful entrepreneurs.
sba.gov/tools/audiovideo/deliveringsuccess/index.html
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Small Businesses
What questions are okay to ask in an interview? This site has information on the most common questions that employers encounter and make it easier for you to comply with anti-discrimination laws.
SCORE Reading Room | score.org/readingroom.html
Smart articles on finding, hiring, developing and keeping great employees.
Business Owners Toolkit| toolkit.com
A website about all things Small Business including dozens of forms and articles on employee management
Developing and Planning a Ribbon Cutting
Ribbon cutting ceremonies are a time of celebration for a small company. It is the culmination of your hard work and perseverance. A ribbon cutting ceremony is also an opportunity to thank co-workers, friends, suppliers and other entities that have helped the company reach this point. A well-organized event can permit senior managers to mingle and celebrate, rather than worry about details and snags.
STEP 1 SET GOALS
Why are you hosting a ribbon cutting? Is it to thank staff and suppliers, or is it an opportunity to entertain clients and prospects? Are you hoping for press coverage or the attention of public officials? Setting goals ahead of time will help you plan an event that will meet your goals.
STEP 2 DEVELOP A BUDGET
How much do you want to spend on the event? Creating a budget before you invite guests is an important step. You can determine a total amount for the event or a per-person cost.
STEP 3 CREATE YOUR GUEST LIST
Based on your goals and your budget, determine who you want to invite to your event. This list will dramatically impact your budget, so once you have a draft list, revisit the budget to ensure it is reasonable. If the budget does not work, reduce the number of guests or increase the budget.
STEP 4 INVITE GUESTS
Send invitations three-weeks in advance of the event. Invitations can be sent via email or traditional mail. Ask guests to RSVP to help determine the amount of food and beverage required. Have a staff member follow up with attendeed two days before the event. Keep your event in their mind.
STEP 5 CREATE A TIMELINE.
Professional event planners create a document that plots each activity on a time-line. What do you want people to do when they first arrive? What will they see, what time will food be served? When will the actual ribbon be cut? Will there be decorations or music? Your timeline does not need to be complete immediately. Create a timeline that continues until all guests have departed.
STEP 6 CONTACT A CATERER
Not only can a caterer help with the food for your event, he can also act as a general contractor for other suppliers. Caterers often have relationships with bartenders, sound and lighting suppliers, florists, entertainers, decorators and any number of other event suppliers. Customers will pay a 15 percent to 20 percent markup to the caterer on each item, but seasoned professional help with the arrangements can streamline the process and save staff from becoming overwhelmed.
STEP 7 CAPTURE THE MOMENT
Arrange for a photographer to get photos the event or have an employee take the responsibility. The event is a milestone in the company’s history and should to be documented.
STEP 8 ASSIGN ROLES
Based on your timeline, assign someone to manage each activity. By distributing the responsibility, everyone can enjoy the event.
STEP 9 EXECUTE YOUR PLAN
Keep the timeline in mind throughout the event and ensure each activity takes place as planned. If an individual is speaking, ensure someone is responsible for quieting the entertainment and turning on the microphone.
smallbusiness.chron.com/plan-ribbon-cutting-ceremony-small-business-4577.html
Sharing the News
A press release is the quickest and easiest way to get free publicity. If well written, a press release can result in multiple published articles about your firm and its products. And that can mean new prospects contacting you asking you to sell to them.
ISSUE A PRESS RELEASE
With that in mind, here are five rules to make sure that your press release raises the profile of your business.
RULE #1 Use the press release as a sales tool
The idea is to communicate a message to customers and prospects, through the vehicle of a print or online article, hopefully adding the authority and credibility of the publication, website and/or reporter to the message.
RULE #2 Have a newsworthy story
To get your message communicated through the publication, you need to convince the reporter / editor that your message (or the story surrounding it) is newsworthy. So it’s got to have appeal to at least part of the readership of the publication.
RULE #3 Write it like a reporter would write it
If your press release looks and feels like a real article, reporters may file it as a story with minimal editing. Therefore, it’s up to you to make sure that your press release looks and feels like a real article.
RULE #4 Provide some good quotes
Make sure any quote attributed to your employees or business is knowledgeable, professional and reflects well upon your organization.
RULE #5 Contact your top outlets personally
In addition to sending a press release, contact the reporters that you want to cover the story. Send them something personal.
TRADITIONAL MEDIA
- Norwich Bulletin | 860.887.9211 | norwichbulletin.com
- Norwich Magazine | 860.425.4339
- New London Day | 860.542.3354 |theday.com
- WICH 1310 AM | 860.887.3511 | wich.com
- WCTY 97.7 FM 860.887.3511 | wcty.com
NEW MEDIA
- Facebook | facebook.com
- Twitter | twitter.com
- Instagram | Instagram.com
- Yelp | yelp.com
- Foursquare | foursquare.com
WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING (WOMM)
Word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM, WOMmarketing), also called word of mouth advertising, differs from naturally occurring WOM, in that it is actively influenced or encouraged by organizations (e.g., “seeding” a message in a network, rewarding regular consumers to engage in WOM, employing WOM “agents”).
Marketers need to focus on the three E’s: Engage, Equip, Empower. If you can master these, you can become the most beloved and talked about product in your category, which will ultimately lead to increased sales.
ENGAGE
Give your fans the gift of you. Engage with them. Listen to what they are telling you. Be part of the conversation about your brand. Be a presence in your fans’ lives. @NikeSupport is a prime example of customer service done well. They constantly respond to followers on Twitter, whether it’s about their apparel, Fuel Band or other products. Every few minutes, you can watch them respond to someone new.
EQUIP
Give them reasons to talk. It can be amazing products, great service, insider knowledge, social elevation, incredible stories, unbelievable facts or even funny disclosures. It’s on you. It really depends on you understanding your consumers and what they like about you and providing whatever it is they need from you. Apple revolutionizes technological devices and delivers amazing products to its consumers, allowing them to naturally rave about the newest iPhone.
EMPOWER
“Give consumers different ways to talk and share. Let them know that they are important to you and that sharing their opinions is important to you. Help them find ways to share within their circles and find ways to help move their conversations around. Lay’s is an excellent example to highlight how they empowered their fans to “Do Us a Flavor,” and allow consumers to create a new flavor of potato chips to hit store shelves. Over 3.8 million submissions were sent in 2013 making it one of the biggest marketing campaigns for PepsiCo owned Frito-Lay.”
