You might be thinking that you are barely getting by paying your monthly bills and have no way to save for retirement.  The fact is that you cannot put off preparing for retirement any longer, the more time you have to put money aside, the more comfortable you will be in your retirement. If you have no idea how to get started in preparing for retirement, good news, Financial Planning Association Pro Bono is visiting the King Library on Wednesday, February 29 @ 6:30pm to help you.

Hopefully, you have used Reference USA in the past and it has been useful in locating target business information and business contacts. Now, there is a new component to Reference USA, a consumer/ lifestyles search. You can find consumer contact information based on lifestyle interests such as cooking, apparel, pets and more.  This would be a great way to make direct mail contact lists and target potential customers in your area. In addition to limiting by area and zip codes, you can also search by census data on income and home value.  This is really a nice, new powerful addition to Reference USA and I hope it is useful for all you business owners out there.

Reference USA our powerful online business directory provider is offering free online training for our customers. This is a great training opportunity for new Reference USA users and existing users to learn something new. Reference USA is a great tool for entrepreneurs, small business owners, those in sales and marketing, and job seekers.

There are 3 trainings to choose from:

•  Search Essentials: The Basics of Reference USA

Fridays (Jan. 13- Mar. 30)  9 am register

• Uncovering the Hidden Job Market: Career Search Strategies using Reference USA

Wednesdays (Jan. 11- Mar. 28)  8 am register or 12:30 pm  register

• Start, Manage, Grow! How Businesses can use Reference USA

Mondays (Jan. 9- Mar. 26)  8 am register or 12:30 pm register

All trainings require an Internet connection, phone line, and are 1 hour in duration. You will have an opportunity to ask questions during these trainings.

Happy New Year! If one of your resolutions is to get started on that business plan, you're in luck. On Wednesday, Jan. 11 @ 6:30pm,  an experienced speaker from SCORE will be at the Santa Teresa Library to talk about business plans. There will be time at the end of presentation for questions and networking. I hope you will join us for this informative talk.

Some of you nice folks might be receiving new e-readers such as Kindles and Nooks this holiday season. I just wanted to remind everyone that you can get free ebooks from the library that are compatible with many ereaders such as iPads, Nooks, and Kindles. The best part is that the ebooks are free with a valid SJPL library card and you don't have to worry about late fees! Here is just a sampling of some of the great business titles available:

Doing Business on Facebook by Emily Vander Veer

Creative, Inc. by Meg Llasco

Business Plans That Work by Jeffry Timmons

Hope you all have a lovely holiday and a prosperous new year.

Like it or not, social media is here to stay. Social media in some form is used by millions of people whether posting reviews on Yelp or connecting with friends on Facebook. But what does that mean for your business? Well, it means reaching masses of potential customers and strengthening current customer relationships. Businesses use social media to not only market their business but also as another customer service outlet, answering and responding to customer posts. Perhaps, you have a personal Twitter or Facebook page but not sure how to use it for your business. I found a great social media guide provided by Constant Contact. It is directed toward business users and it really is in-depth but engaging. Check it out and happy posting.