Author: Department of Housing and Community Development

Trading Faces: Building and caring for your online reputation

April 1, 2009

You’ve spent years building your professional reputation and protecting your organization’s good name, but in today’s interconnected, information-rich world it’s easier than ever for the actions of others to damage the goodwill you’ve established. Networking is a basic responsibility of business owners and organizations serving them. We network to keep abreast of best practices, to … More Trading Faces: Building and caring for your online reputation

Workplans

March 30, 2009

Workplans are hard.  The good ones take time and thought.  However, they are important to make sure that your downtown revitalization efforts stay on track and are a great way to tally your progress.  There is usually a strong correlation between the success of any downtown’s revitalization and the community’s ability to create…and follow…a good workplan.  How well … More Workplans

Get noticed

March 20, 2009

Once you have designed and launched your Web site, your next task is to get it noticed. One of the top ways to do this is to make sure you show up in relevant Web searches. If you are selling your charming and thriving business district, you will want to be sure that your Web … More Get noticed

Report from the Main Street 2.0 conference

March 13, 2009

While the Virginia Main Street staff was unable to travel to Chicago for the 2009 National Main Streets Conference, Becoming Main Street 2.0, Jessie Chase from Harrisonburg was able to attend and reported back that it was fun, interesting and worthwhile. We returned from the Chicago National Main Street conference on Wednesday evening tired and … More Report from the Main Street 2.0 conference

Historic building rehabilitation tax credits: 101

March 12, 2009

Did you know that you could receive a credit on your income taxes if you rehabilitate a historic building?    If your rehabilitation meets certain requirements, you could claim 20 percent of your qualified rehabilitation expenses as a credit on your federal income taxes.  And, you could claim 25 percent of your qualified rehabilitation expenses as … More Historic building rehabilitation tax credits: 101

Keep your books in order

March 12, 2009

Want to be sure your small business never becomes a big business? A surefire method to ensure a lack of success is to have shoddy accounting practices.  Knowing where your money is, how much of it there is, and when you can expect more are key to proper business planning.  Without a plan, your endeavor is … More Keep your books in order

Focus and attitude

February 27, 2009

When times are tough, even the most successful retail business can have some trouble.  Making the right business decisions is paramount when the margin for error is slim. “Fear can be a motivator, but it can also lead you into bad decisions, particularly in times like these,” says Norm Brodsky, small business writer for Inc. … More Focus and attitude

Home grown business

February 25, 2009

Think the talk of “green jobs” is malarkey?  This article on RichmondBizSense.com provides an example of how targeted incentives help promote growth in designated industries, such as home solar power, especially in the early stages of an industry’s growth when the economies of scale have not yet kicked in. Another article from The News Leader reviews the growth of the … More Home grown business

Economic gardening: part II

February 23, 2009

Last week we discussed the first step of “Economic Gardening,” preparing your community for entrepreneurial success. Now lets focus on the next steps: planting the seeds and nurturing the sprouts. One of the primary ways that a community can foster home-grown businesses is to offer a business incubator. Business incubators take many forms, the most … More Economic gardening: part II