Financial and Lifestyle Resources for Vermont

How many times have you sat in a meeting and made a suggestion or a statement that gets you a few nonchalant head nods; then a man in the room makes the same suggestion and receives a round of applause and support? How many times have you been engaged in conversation with a group of men and realized nobody is making eye contact with you anymore and the men have created a bond that you just can’t infiltrate, so you sit quietly, shrink, and settle for observing after several attempts to engage? How many times have you been asked a question by a man, which you answer, and then the questioner bypasses your gaze to check in with another man for the “real answer”? How many times have you heard, “just get to the point”? If you’re a woman, I am confident you can relate.  

Small businesses come in a variety of sizes and types in Vermont. So, it is no wonder that there is no “one-size fits all” solution for energy savings when it comes to how Vermonters make a living. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, “over half of the U.S. workforce either owns or works for a small business.” It’s clear that small businesses, like yours, power our economy. And your business needs power to keep the lights on, to heat and cool, and more. And, chances are you are paying for more energy than you need to get the job done.

Over the course of my career, I’ve worked in the finance, travel and tourism, resort, athletic footwear and apparel, and snowboarding industries. As a result, I’ve learned quite a lot about branding and marketing at for-profit and non-profit organizations of every level from global brands to regional brands all the way down to niche brands.

When you’re just starting out in business, it’s hard to know how much you should spend on marketing.  If you’re like most small business owners, you don’t have much budget to spend, so you’ve got to get by on what you’ve got. The biggest mistake you can make is to spend too little on marketing tactics, thus limiting the exposure people have to your products or services.  

If you’re a business owner, solar energy can provide a range of benefits, including lower energy costs and tax incentives. Solar isn’t for every business, though, so you will want to do a little research to determine if it makes sense for yours. This article is just a brief introduction to get you acquainted with the basics.

Do you know that the Saturday after Thanksgiving is Small Business Saturday? And that when you buy from a Vermont vendor, you keep money in our state and support our local economy? While Small Business Saturday is a great chance to get out there and support your local stores, but don't forget—you can buy local every day of the year. 

What do you think of when you think of Vermont? For me, it’s our green mountains, kind and thoughtful residents, cooperative culture, amazing lakes and rivers, and our working landscape (Vermont farms). As a matter of fact, the Council on the Future of Vermont found that 97.2% of all Vermonters rank the working landscape and its heritage as one of their top values when they think of Vermont.

Louisa Schibli and Janice Shade are co-founders of Milk Money, a low-profit limited liability company that supports local investment, entrepreneurship, and small business through its local investment platform, educational and networking resources, and service for investors and entrepreneurs.