Lone Star College-CyFair recently reached out to clients of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in a win-win video campaign to promote registration and help support local small businesses in Cypress.
The LSC-CyFair College Relations team filmed and posted video promotion of SBDC’s clients offering discounts at their respective businesses and reminders to students to register for the fall semester.
“This project gave us the opportunity to help local business as we showcased entrepreneurs in our community, many of whom are longtime partners of the college,” said Michelle Tran, Executive Director, Office of College Relations. “We appreciate their generosity and support for higher education.”
Among the small businesses featured in the 6-week campaign were Plum Coffee, 9ROUND – Barker Cypress, Creekwood Grill, Shaka Power Yoga, The Backyard Grill and The Cupcake Cowgirls. Their videos reached more than 5,600 Facebook users with more than 3,400 impressions on Twitter.
Karen Sharp, the SBDC business adviser serving the Cy-Fair community, said she thought it was awesome that LSC-CyFair reached out to her clients for this win-win campaign.
“They gained valuable exposure at a very challenging time and the college gained exposure to my clients’ sphere of influence,” said Sharp. “Working with these and other business owners achieve their dreams has been one of the highlights of my career.”
In addition to showing support for education in this video campaign, some clients shared benefits of taking advantage of SBDC’s assistance.
“Getting involved in the community is the best way to establish really deep roots … building relationships in the community keeps the support going when you’re not having to spend money,” said Brian Sandel with Creekwood Grill. “That’s how you build long-term, deeply committed customers to the brand.”
Sandel said he refers small business owner friends to SBDC because the feedback received is insightful and free. They assisted him with his business plan and funding.
Mark McShaffry with The Backyard Grill, a previous Small Business of the Year award winner, said SBDC is an important resource for help in getting small businesses off the ground.
“A lot of people know how to work in different entities, but it’s a lot different when you own it and you’re having to do everything in the business,” he said.
Jenny Normand of Shaka Power Yoga said she found the workshop series offered helpful to her.
“They’re a great resource for an entrepreneur like me who doesn’t necessarily have an endless budget to learn new things,” she said.
The SBDC’s Small Business Success Seminar Series, in partnership with the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce, returns in a virtual format with the first event beginning at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7. There is no cost to attend. Click here to register.
For information about other LSC SBDC no-cost business advising services, visit sbdc.uh.edu/sbdc/Lone_Star_College_SBDC.asp. ?
For information about other LSC SBDC no-cost business advising services, visit https://www.sbdc.uh.edu/sbdc/Lone_Star_College_SBDC.asp.
For information on the college, degree and workforce certificate programs, or registration, go to LoneStar.edu/cyfair.