In recognition of October being National Women’s Small Business Month, we talked with COSE member Cheryl Perez, president & CEO of BIG-HR and Cheryl C Perez Enterprises, on the importance of this special recognition and highlights from her career.

MYB: What are some ways you would suggest people celebrate National Women’s Small Business Month and recognize women who run their own businesses?

Honestly, there are so many ways that people can recognize women who run their own businesses so these are just a few… but I would recommend that if you know a female entrepreneur, when you see her, just make the effort to tell her what a great job she's doing, pat her on the back, and support her business in some way. A lot of times people think that you have to actually make a purchase in order to support a business, but in reality you can do so many things including give her a referral, recommend her to another person who may need her products or services, share something about her business on your social media profiles, or go on Google or Yelp and give her business a raving review.

RELATED: Read about another female entrepreneur, Monika Moss-Gransberry.

MYB: Why is it important for women’s small businesses to be recognized?

I think it's extremely important to recognize all small business owners because I truly believe that small business will continue to be the driving force behind growth in our economy, and a strong economy equals a strong and healthy community.

MYB: What are some accomplishments you are proud of from your journey as a small business owner?

I have had the honor and privilege to receive several amazing awards during my entrepreneurial journey. But I would say some of my greatest accomplishments I am proud of in my journey are being able to mentor and coach other female entrepreneurs on their journeys, being able to employ others and to provide their families with income and a way to live, and growing my business to a point where I could actually offer employment opportunities to others.  Lastly,  I think being able to set a strong example for my daughters and children, in general, on the work ethic it takes to be an entrepreneur and letting them know that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to makes me extremely proud!

Both of Cheryl’s businesses—BIG-HR and Cheryl C Perez Enterprises— focus on empowering small- to medium-sized business owners on their entrepreneurial journeys as they start, scale, and grow their businesses with support, mentoring, tools, strategies and the education they need to achieve true growth in their businesses. BIG-HR works with small- to medium-sized business owners by focusing in Human Resources and providing outsourced HR services including HR Advisory, onsite HR Support services and training and development. At CCP Enterprises, Cheryl works as a business coach and mentor focused on organizational systems, processes, and capacity building strategies for businesses of all sizes.

Sure, it’s much harder to network when most business events are cancelled and we need social distancing. So, let’s look in the rear-view mirror for a change and get back to old-school basics.

Networking is all about sharing information. In 1982, John Naisbitt defined it in MegaTrends as the “exchange of ideas, information and resources.” That's where it all starts. Nothing new, trendy, high-tech or sexy. 

That information exchange can be a means to an end or an end in itself. As an end in itself, Joe might be looking for a new accountant specializing in small businesses in his area and Gina might provide contact information for her accountant. The networking process can stop at this information exchange level, as Joe has accomplished his specific information objective.

RELATED: Coping With COVID-19: A Pandemic Strategy for Your Small Business.

As a means to an end, that exchange of information could grow into a viable business relationship over time. That relationship could, in turn, lead to referrals, recommendations and new business for both Joe and Gina.

Networking is also about helping other people or asking other people for help. The two are separate concepts—meeting people who can help you with your goals to learn something to help you work faster, smarter or cheaper. Or, meeting people who you can help to accomplish their goals. It's an “or,” not an “and.”

That all said, the current pandemic generates a huge amount of information you can seek or share regarding surviving this crisis—best practices for working from home, local and national sources of relief and funding, office sanitizing firms, creative ideas for refocusing your business, and more. 

Instead of networking with strangers you meet at business events, which we generally recommend, the pandemic suggests you network with people you already know by phone, email, text or virtual meeting. These interactions should be simpler, easier and shorter. You can start with a brief “how’re ya doin” and then seek the information you need. For example, you could ask if they know of business interruption insurance policies that don’t exclude pandemics. A simple exchange of information can follow and end with a suggestion to get together when life is back to normal-ish.

RELATED: Read more by Phil Stella.

The longer you practice “virtual networking” the more you might realize that it’s faster, easier, cheaper and potentially better than conventional schmoozing. And the “only network with strangers” concept can come into play virtually by asking people in your network to recommend others they know who you could talk to.

So, with a little refocused effort, you can successfully network through the pandemic and live to tell about it. 

Phil Stella runs Effective Training & Communication, www.communicate-confidently.com, 440-449-0356, and empowers business leaders to reduce the pain with workplace communication. A popular trainer and executive coach on writing, communication styles and sales presentations, he is also on the Cleveland faculty of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.   

ICYMI, here is a roundup of some of the most popular articles on the blog from last month. 

Tricks and Treats for YOU! From our Small Business Members
The candy coma may be over but COSE still has a lot of tricks and treats for our readers. In this Halloween article, our small business experts share their secrets to handling the COVID crisis. And—from COVID antibody test results in 10 minutes for your employees to $100 off AI & Data for Beginners course—they are sharing some special offers from their small businesses to you. Read on for your tricks and treats.

FAQs About FAQs: How to Effectively Handle Customer Questions
Being responsive to your customers' questions is one of the most important parts of the job. Here are some FAQs from small business owners about the FAQs they receive, and tips on how to effectively handle them. And be sure to let us know what other questions you have for our experts!

National Work and Family Month
October was National Work and Family Month, but anytime is a good time to recognize the importance for a healthy work-life balance with your team. In the time of COVID and widespread remote working, it's important for all workers to reach an effective work-life balance. 

The Mind Your Business team shared a lot of information last month on how to celebrate and recognize National Work and Family Month, which you can implement any time in your business. From forming a work-life balance committee to creating a family-focus challenge, here are 10 tips to helping your team improve work and family balance.

What was your favorite Mind Your Business article or webinar from October? Let us know on Twitter!

Among the key issues GCP was engaged in throughout the Ohio budget bill process and over the course of the last several years was our members’ intent to preserve Ohio’s small business tax deduction, which is utilized by our members for reinvestment back into their companies, workforces, and communities.  Ensuring the proper treatment for a variety of business types, expenses, and investments made by business owners—to support the growth of their businesses—is a crucial focus in deliberations on tax policy.

On November 6, the Governor signed SB 26 which, in part, reverses provisions that policymakers made in the operating budget bill that required lawyers and lobbyists to pay taxes on all levels of business income, even though all other businesses are exempt on the first $250,000 of income.  SB 26 restores the deduction for those industries reportedly because Ohio tax forms do not require one’s occupation to be listed in the same way that federal tax documents do.  Therefore, SB 26 would also require all taxpayers claiming the business income deduction to indicate on their tax returns the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes associated with each source of their business income.

Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) and Senator Rob Portman introduced identical bills in both chambers of Congress in late July to address the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2019, which would reauthorize and increase federal funding to protect the lakes, includes nearly 40 bipartisan sponsors from the Great Lakes region.

The bill extends funding for the GLRI through 2026 and increases funds to $375 million in 2022. The bill also raises funding by $25 million every year until 2026, when it reaches $475 million.

GCP has led advocacy work of the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition (GLMCC) since 2018—advocating for renewed GLRI funding to protect the lakes, which serve as a major economic force. You can learn more about the work of the GLMCC here.

Last week, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives Bob Cupp and Ohio Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko joined COSE small business members for a conversation about state priorities. 

Speaker Cupp was elected Speaker of the Ohio House of Representative in July and he is currently serving his third term in the House. He has served as an elected official in all three branches of government and at both the local and state levels. 
Leader Yuko represents part of both Cuyahoga and Lake Counties and was first elected to serve as a state representative in 2004.

COSE small business members stressed the importance of advocacy priorities like digital inclusion, unemployment compensation reform, and GCP’s recent position on House Bill 6 repeal efforts.