A 20-year advertising veteran, Debbie LaChusa realized that the need for strategic marketing expertise was especially important for small businesses and individual proprietors.
Unlike larger corporations, which can typically afford to hire an agency or a consultant to work on their marketing campaign, LaChusa saw that small businesses, unless they were willing to fork over a large sum of money, were left in the dark when it came to the marketing process.
In response to the need, LaChusa, who owns DLC Marketing, Inc., a Santee-based marketing consulting agency, has developed a marketing training program for small businesses, dubbed the 10stepmarketing system.
The system, which can be found online at www.10stepmarketing.com, enables small businesses to use a step-by-step approach to create and implement a strategic marketing plan to grow their business.
The marketing training program walks business owners through a series of 10 steps, each comprised of 10 questions.
As the questions are answered, the business owner is able to build a marketing plan, LaChusa said.
The system includes templates for creating a marketing plan, a marketing budget, a marketing activity calendar and lifetime access to the 10stepmarketing online marketing resources center, which includes links to services and resources business owners can use to save time and money on their marketing.
“The system can provide the same level of strategic marketing to companies that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it and who probably need it more,” LaChusa said.
The system is available in a 200-page book, which can be downloaded off the company’s Web site for $97, or in a three-ring binder for $197.
LaChusa also offers a 10-week teleclass series, which meets once a week and costs $499 for an introductory fee.
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More Money For Small Businesses:
The U.S. Small Business Administration has proposed a record $22 billion in loan authority for the agency’s flagship lending programs for its fiscal year 2006 budget request, including the 7(a) loan guarantee and 504 certified development company programs.
The SBA budget proposal for $593 million for the fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2005, to Sept. 30, 2006, requests $22 billion in the two lending programs.
The proposal also requests $88 million for small-business development centers, $12 million for women’s business centers and $5 million for SCORE, counselors to America’s small businesses.
In San Diego County, there are three small-business development centers, a women’s business center, which is in Mission Valley, and a SCORE chapter located Downtown.
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Businesswomen To Gather:
North County women business owners and professionals will once again be meeting at the monthly women’s business breakfast round-table held on Feb. 18 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at TGIFriday’s, 890 Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad.
The round-table, “How to Have a Great Table Top Display,” will be hosted by Willeen Hasler, of Willeen Hasler & Associates, an Oceanside-based meeting management trainer.
The cost to attend is $25-$50.
For information, call (619) 557-7272.
Send small-business news to Lisa Kovach via fax at (858) 571-3628 or e-mail at lkovach@sdbj.com. Call her at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 3107.
