A session of "What the new Minnesota health insurance exchange means to your small business" will be presented May 20 5:15-7:30 p.m. by April Todd-Malmlov, the executive director of MNsure, the new Minnesota health insurance exchange. Time for networking and questions and answers will be provided. Sponsored by Small Business Minnesota.

This session, scheduled April 24 at noon, is one of many free webinars offered by the National Federation of Independent business. Topics covered in this webinar include:
- 5 steps to building a successful online business
- Why you need a website for your small business
- How to do business successfully on eBay, Amazon, Yahoo!, Etsy and other e-commerce platforms
- Marketing your online business
- How to cope with sales taxes, privacy concerns, and other legal and tax issues you will face

Minnesota Do-Gooders is a new organization focused on helping non-profits improve their marketing and communication skills. Check out their series of weekly panel discussions scheduled during March and April.

If you are a business that is thinking about selling a product or service to the Hennepin County government check here to see how the process works and acquire a few tips for winning the bid.

A powerful GIS-based site selection tool allows you to search for commerical and industrial properties in the 13 county metro area. Offered by Greater MSP, a private-public promotional partnership, this tool give you the option to locate buildings or land, pull up site-specific demographic data, create "heat maps" based on various demographics, and generate reports from this data.

November 24 is Small Business Saturday (SBS), a chance for small businesses to promote their enterprise during the holiday season. Wedged between Black Friday and Cyber Monday this Shop Small movement event is sponsored by American Express and will be supported with national advertising. Download free materials from the SBS site to market your business that day.

Twice a month Minneapolis Central hosts counselors from LegalCORPS and SCORE (retired members of the business community) to provide free advice on business start-ups, managing established companies and legal issues. Upcoming dates are Nov, 13 & 27 from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Sign up on the day of the program at the second-floor information desk.

Good News! ReferenceUSA has increased the number of records that can be downloaded at one time to 250 for both in-house and remote use. ReferenceUSA is one of the most heavily used databases at Hennepin County and is useful for entrepreneurs looking for sales leads, contact info, and competitors. Three new modules have been added to Hennepin County's subscription that you might want to check out: U.S. New Movers/Homeowners, U.S. Consumers/Lifestyles, and Canadian White Pages.

Learn the basics of free publicity at this Southdale Library program and how to use it to get the word out on your business to potential clients. Neil F. Anderson, national speaker, published writer and owner of The Courage Group Inc. will share his expertise gained in working with entrepreneurs over the past 20 years. Saturday, October 13, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Free - no registration necessary.

Many business are taking advantage of rock bottom commercial real estate prices by purchasing the property their business occupies. The Small Business Administration 504 loan requirement that the property be primarily occupied by the borrower, along with the below market fixed interest rates and 10% down payment make it ideally suited for the small business owner.

The Greater MSP Partnership was formed in 2011 to aggressively market Minneapolis-St. Paul and get the story out on "the exceptional benefits of working, living and playing here." Along with their information-packed website check out this promotional video on the metro area. Besides intending to be inspirational, the video relates such facts as Minnesota having more shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined and being the 4th best job market in the U.S. Hail to thee Minnesota!

If you've been thinking about applying for a patent stop by at the Minneapolis Central library's Patent Workshop for Inventors, Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners. This introductory workshop, offered June 6 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., covers intellectual property basics, the patent process, and how to do a preliminary patent search. Register online or call 612-543-8000.

These workshops are offered monthly at Minneapolis Central which has Minnesota's only complete U.S. patent collection.

Minnesota Business First Stop and the federal government's BusinessUSA are new one stop websites developed to provide easier access to the services and information businesses need, whether they are a new startup or an established firm.  These government sites cover everything from starting a business or exporting a product, to information about a program to compensate fisherman for fishing gear lost to oil and gas activities.

If you're interested in doing business with government agencies plan to attend the SADBOC Government Procurement Fair on April 25 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center.  Combining education with marketing strategies, this event provides small businesses an opportunity to meet with representatives from Federal, State and local departments, commercial/prime contractors, and nonprofit organizations;  access available technical assistance;  and learn about upcoming contracts.  
Sponsored by the Federal Executive Board's Small and Disadvantaged Business Opportunity Council, in cooperation with PTAC and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Too many small businesses miss out on the tax deductions they are eligible for.  Small Business Administration has published a useful Fact Book listing several of the special tax breaks passed by congress to help small businesses through such programs as Small Business Jobs Act, the HIRE Act, and the Tax Relief and Job Creation Act.  Many of these deductions will expire after the 2011 tax year so take them while you can.  

The State Small Business Credit Initiative is using 15.4 million in federal funds to provide greater access to capital for small businesses and manufacturers. The loans are offered through four programs:

The Capital Access Program
Emerging Entrepreneurs Fund
Small Business Loan Guarantees
Early Stage Fund Check out the website to find the eligibility requirements and the application process.