October is officially my favorite month. I am a HUGE fan of Halloween and all the fall fun that comes with it: crab apples, leaves changing color (even if it only lasts a week), an increasing number of moose roaming around my yard, and cold but not too cold weather. The heart of winter, with its six-foot snow drifts and 3 p.m. sunsets, is still a ways off, but hot apple cider and cocoa season are in full swing!
But those aren’t the only reasons to love October!
Businesses statewide are feeling the annual effect of the PFDs that hit bank accounts earlier this month. I definitely spent a large portion of mine on food and early holiday presents.
The annual Alaska Entrepreneurship Week was a big success earlier this month as well! Over 45 events were held in communities all over Alaska, celebrating entrepreneurship, small businesses, and innovation.
Huge shout out to our AI Resource Program Director Carlos Machuca who was featured in Alaska Business magazine’s Top 49s in September! If you haven’t reached out to him about how AI can help your business you are missing out on an amazing resource.
Also, give Jay Halverson and the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) team a big round of applause for not only getting the State SSBCI program to its third tranche of funding but also launching the SSBCI Tribal Consortium last month. These are some of the largest and most successful SSBCI programs in the nation, largely because of their hard work.
Speaking of resources, it’s National Cooperative Month! If you’re interested in co-ops, you should check out the Alaska Cooperative Development Center. Barbara Johnson and her team are statewide experts on all things co-op and would love to discuss it with you.
Whatever you’re looking for this fall, I hope you know that the Alaska SBDC and all of our partner programs are here to help. We’ve got almost 40 years of experience! Read the full October 2024 newsletter here.