September Workshops
Learn an easy approach to developing a business plan to manage all aspects of your business, including marketing, finance, operations, personnel, and overall strategy. Existing business owners and pre-ventures will learn to test the feasibility of a new company or a new direction, and discover how to use their plan to raise capital. Participants will receive a copy of the SBDC Business Planning Guide.
Speaker: Michael Salach, Bay State Consulting Group, Inc.
Sponsored by the Small Business Development Center FREE
Business ownership can be an exciting and rewarding career path but entrepreneurship is not for everyone. If you’re thinking about starting a business and have never started or run a business before, this workshop is for you. What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? Do you know if you have the "right stuff?" Do you know where to begin? This workshop will help you to take the first steps toward startup and ownership.
Speaker: Connie Komack, Owner, LifeWork Enterprises FREE
How do you get the best from your board in terms of time, talent and dollars? Learn what board members and executive directors need to know to get the job done.
Speaker: Terry Hamacher, Consultant,ESC of New England FREE
Confidence is the path to closing the deal. In this workshop, you’ll get more comfortable with the idea of selling, break down the sales process, improve your communications skills and generate practical strategies to build your business.
Speaker: Keith Boudreau, Owner, The Growth Coach
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Development Center FREE
Panelists discuss term-sheet negotiations and what you gain and give up when receiving outside funding.
Speakers: Bill Stone, Principal and Managing Member, Outside GC, and Paul Pedevillano, President, VE Advisors
Promote your business and develop a strong system of contacts and referrals through LinkedIn, the premier business social media network. Find out how to set up an account and how to leverage your relationships to further your business goals.
Speaker: Patrick Agostino, Owner, Resolve IT, Inc.
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Development Center COST: $25
October Workshops
Approaching lenders can be intimidating and frustrating—especially in this economy where traditional bank funding is often out of reach for small businesses. Come find out what it takes to qualify for a microloan and gain some much-needed financial momentum.
Speaker: Sherri Lane, Loan Consultant, Accion USA/ New England Lending and Tom Daniel, Economic Development Manager, Salem Department of Planning and Community Development
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Development Center
and the Salem Chamber of Commerce FREE
The most trying task in a business owner’s job description is handling uncomfortable (and often unfamiliar) professional discord. But to become a true leader in your business, you must take charge. Learn how to manage different work personality types and how to shift your managerial skills to get the best results when problems arise.
Speaker: Melissa Gillespie, Owner, MG Consulting FREE
MARKETING BASICS
Thursday, Oct. 14—8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. FREE
Effective marketing—the process of identifying, reaching, capturing, and retaining your customers—is essential to business success. This workshop will provide simple, cost-effective and practical approaches to marketing your business. Our experienced presenter will explore and discuss a wide range of marketing resources, tools, and tips.
Speaker: David Maloney, Instructor, Marketing and Sales, Northern Essex Community College
Sponsored by the Small Business Development Center FREE
Collecting accounts receivable from clients who are slow to pay is delicate work under the best of circumstances. In these difficult economic times, it can come down to the survival of your business. This workshop will offer persuasion tips and proven methods for getting paid without alienating the clients you need. Speaker: Jim Smith, President, Cash Recovery Specialists
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Development Center $10
Are you running or thinking of starting an importing business? Learn from our panel of experts the ins and outs of working with international companies to import products and/or services. Discover the opportunities at this workshop that covers importing for resale and distribution, materials and logistics, government regulations as well as how to provide your services internationally.
Speaker: Jim Logan, Owner, Logan Marketing
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Development Center $10
Facebook can be a highly effective tool for promoting your brand, sharing information and earning your customers’ trust. Learn how to post a business page, a fan page and how to capitalize on the influence of your fans.
Speaker: Patrick Agostino, Owner, Resolve I.T., Inc.
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Development Center $25
November Workshops
Why do bankers say "cash flow is king?" How is cash flow different from profit? This workshop and its simple but realistic class exercise will help you understand cash flow, assess when you will need capital, and position your business for bank financing.
Speaker: Jane Johnson, CPA/CMA, B2B CFO
Sponsored by the Small Business Development Center FREE
MARKETING FOR ARTISTS
Friday, Nov. 12 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. FREE
Whether you are a full- or part-time artist, this interactive workshop will help you promote and sell your artwork in the 21st century. Susan Fader, co-owner of Ditto Editions and a lifelong artist, will draw on her 30-year career in marketing and promoting fine art and consumer products. Topics will emphasize today’s art marketing trends and tools. Fader is also the author of "The Artists Giclée Handbook: Digital Fine Art Reproduction."
Speaker: Susan Fader, Owner, Ditto Editions
Co-sponsored by Small Business Development Center
and the Creative Economy Association of the North Shore FREE
There’s more to social networking then the perennial favorites Facebook and LinkedIn. This workshop shows you other important sites that increase your reach even farther. Mark your presence on the Web through business-focused directories such as yelp.com and merchantcircle.com, and set up a personalized blog as an outlet through which to sing your company’s praises.
Speaker: Patrick Agostino, Owner, Resolve I.T., Inc.
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Development Center $25
Join our panelists, including a VC, emerging company accounting specialist and venture-backed client.
Speakers: David Martland, Partner, Nixon Peabody, and Greg O'Shaughnessy, Partner, Nixon Peabody.
December Workshops
Now more than ever, non-profits are revenue-starved. The smart ones are cultivating partnerships and strategic alliances to leverage their resources and build for the future. Find out how they do it and how you, too, could implement a plan like this for your organization.
Speakers: Bethany Kendall, President and Chief Executive Officer, ESC of New England, and Ron Ryan, ESC Consultant. FREE
Learn from a banker and a consultant how a lender looks at your loan request. Credit quality, cash flow and collateral are key. This presentation will focus on preparing your existing business or startup for financing. Sources of capital, including SBA guaranteed bank loans, will be discussed.
Speakers: Michael Salach, Bay State Consulting Group, Inc., and a banker
Sponsored by the Small Business Development Center FREE
Though shiny new technologies have given us more ways to communicate, the basics remain the same: Be clear, get to the point, banish meaningless buzzwords, and provide key details that convey your expertise, credibility and professionalism to your target audience. This hands-on workshop will provide techniques for creating effective proposals, reports, business plans, memos and investor pitches. Bring your company mission statement or description and learn a process for improving it on the spot.
Speaker: Kate Victory Hannisian, Owner, Blue Pencil Consulting
Co-sponsored by the Small Business Development Center FREE
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