October 29, 2009
Online Community NxBizSuccess Gives Education to the Entrepreneur-Minded
LINCOLN, Neb. — It's about conversations across the state, building business and entrepreneurial awareness and capturing those discussions all in one place.
NxBizSuccess is an online community that will allow business people to share their expertise and ideas with other business owners. It will launch Nov. 2.
"There is so much out there on the Web, that it is hard to find the right information. NxBizSuccess is a source of pertinent business information that brings people together, assisting them with everything from business loans to educational tools through the university and our partner Community Development Resources," said Marilyn Schlake, associate director of the NebraskaEDGE Program and co-founder of NxBizSuccess.
NxBizSuccess is supported by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, UNL's Department of Agricultural Economics and Community Development Resources of Lincoln.
"It is a way for small business owners and individuals involved and interested in Nebraska's entrepreneurial community to share their thoughts and experiences and ideas in an open arena," said Rick Wallace, executive director of Community Development Resources Inc. and co-founder of NxBizSuccess. "So often business owners are isolated and when they have free time available would like to talk to somebody that has an understanding of what they are going through, what their aspirations are or if their ideas hold water."
Other key organizers of the project include Tonia Franklin, western regional coordinator of the NebraskaEDGE Program and Web project manager for NxBizSuccess, and Lynn Hinderaker, owner of OmegaPoint Marketing and NxBizSuccess video and interview host.
Visitors to the site also will find interactive tools and resources to help businesses and discover resources and events available across the state. NxBizSuccess has nearly 120 business videos, has been featured on iTunes U and is on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Vimeo.
Other resources on NxBizSuccess include discussion boards, blogs, member directory, events and networking opportunities. It is supported by outside professional experts who will serve on an advisory board and provide content through videos and blogs.
The program is an expansion of the NebraskaEDGE program, which is a UNL outreach program located within the Center for Applied Rural Innovation/Department of Agricultural Economics.
"We know that business owners are pressed for time, and we wanted to offer information in a more timely format," Schlake said.
Eventually the program will offer business plan training and other Webinars on specific topics. Topics will be user-driven.
NxBizSuccess was funded through two grants from the Nebraska Enterprise Fund.
Community Development Resources is a U.S. Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution. Since 1996, CDR and NebraskaEDGE have collaborated to provide small business training in Lincoln.
For more information, contact Schlake at (402) 472-4138, Wallace at (402) 436-2386 or Franklin at (402) 805-7535.
10/29/09-SK Marilyn Schlake
Center for Applied Rural Innovation Associate Director NebraskaEDGE (402) 472-4138
 
Tonia Franklin
NebraskaEDGE Program Regional Coordinator and Web Project Manager (402) 805-7535
Sandi Alswager Karstens IANR News and Photography (402) 472-3030
Department:
Center for Applied Rural Innovation
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