One of the things I decided to do during my career transition was to attend local events that might be helpful…to give me ideas or to just get me out of the house.
On September 12th, I went to the 7th Orange County Asian Business Expo at Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove. I don’t live in Orange County, but I’m near the border so this event wasn’t far from me.
The expo began seven years ago as a collaboration between the Korean American and the Vietnamese Chambers of Commerce of OC and has grown to include nearly every Asian American business organization as well as the local chambers of commerce in Orange County. Every year, the expo promotes businesses and economic growth, and features international and local business owners. Best of all, the event was open to the public and admission was FREE.
It was difficult to hear the opening ceremony speakers because the event was held in one large room. The stage was against one wall with a small space for the audience in front of it. The surrounding area was filled with exhibitors and attendees. Speakers, even with a microphone, were competing with the noise level of the room.
Many exhibitors were there to promote their own products or services which, for most part, were not interesting to me. However, the event, overall, had good intention by bringing businesses together.
It was a great reminder that there are resources out there for entrepreneurs and small business owners in every community. Cities, counties and local chambers of commerce can point you in the right direction for assistance and guidance. For example, the Orange County Small Business Development Center and the Small Business Association (SBA) were there to answer questions and to invite attendees to their Small Business Jump-Start workshop. The workshop gives small business owners information on getting started, how much capital is needed, and creating a business plan.
In addition, the SBA has a complete (and I mean COMPLETE) Resource Guide for Small Business with information on learning centers, franchising, loans, government contracts, taxes, other assistance, and so much more. I picked up the Santa Ana edition. The PDF of the national edition is available on their website, www.sba.gov. Your local SBA office might have an edition that covers your area.