This one day overview begins with a session on the need for a Business
Plan and the key elements covered within
the Business Plan.
Next, a CPA from a well- regarded local accounting firm will
introduce the various business legal organizations such as Sole
Proprietorship, Partnerships, LLCs and Corporations. The CPA
will also emphasize the importance of good financial record
keeping in preparing for taxes and the critical
need for sound financial statements such as Cash Flow and Balance
Sheets in operating a
business. Information on
Risk Management will be presented by specialist in business insurance.
Hear a local Commercial Banker discuss how you should develop a
relationship with a bank and prepare for a loan or a line of credit.
In addition, learn
how to determine your capital needs and find sources of funding.
Key elements of Sales and Marketing are discussed by a presenter
who has had practical experience. Beginning this fall, a new session
will be added to address the value of Social Networks to Small
Businesses.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask specific questions about their business situations. This overview workshop offers keys to starting and managing business from senior SCORE counselors and distinguished business professionals. Persons considering starting a business as well as established business owners should find this workshop helpful.
Attendees will have the opportunity to ask specific questions about their business situations. This overview workshop offers keys to starting and managing business from senior SCORE counselors and distinguished business professionals. Persons considering starting a business as well as established business owners should find this workshop helpful.
This workshop is a great
introduction to the additional four-part Simple Steps for Starting Your
Business Series which is described in the following section.
Go to our
Workshop
Schedule/Registration page for information about when and where
workshops will be given and for registration instructions.
Simple Steps for Starting Your Business
This workshop series may be the best action you can take to strengthen
an existing business. The workshop may also be appropriate for those who
have made significant progress in starting a business. This might be the
case if the start-up business concept is clear, if there is a business
plan, if you are already working with a SCORE counselor, or if you have
taken the How to Start & Manage Your New Business workshop. The
workshops help you with:
-
The
concepts involved with creating a business plan
-
Marketing your product or service
-
Understanding business financials and how they work
-
How
to finance your business.
The Series will be offered
three times each year (February, May, and October). Each
session in the series will be given
on four successive Tuesday evenings from 6:30-9:00 pm at the Anne Arundel
Economic Development Corporation, 2660 Riva Road, Room 200, Annapolis,
MD 21401. The registration price is $79 for the entire series; sessions
are not available separately.
Simple
Steps
Series Session Descriptions:
Simple Steps Session #1 “Business Concept”
This SCORE workshop session brings all basic
business processes together to show how to define your business, its
goals and the strategies to achieve the goals. This workshop focuses on
how to develop a good business plan to guide your business startup and
to access funding. Existing small business owners can also benefit by
learning proven concepts and tools to improve planning and discipline.
Simple Steps Session #2 “Marketing Plan”
The second session provides valuable
lessons about marketing basics such as customer identification,
product-service positioning, competitive differentiation, and sources of
market information. You will receive excellent handouts to help help
guide you through creating your own marketing plan.
Simple Steps Session #3 “Creating Financial
Forecasts”
The third session uses interactive exercises to
help you better understand financial concepts. You learn how to use a
financial model to forecast sales revenue, and to build pro-forma
financial forecasts. You will also learn the basic elements and
inter-relationships between a Profit & Loss Statement, Balance Sheet and
Cash Flow Statement. Also, you will learn how to create a Breakeven
Analysis.
Simple Steps Session #4 “Funding Your Business
& Feasibility Checklist”
The fourth workshop session offers information
on how to finance a small business. Learn about funding sources and the
important criteria in funding approval. Evaluate the feasibility of
your business strategy/plan.
Go to our
Workshop
Schedule/Registration page for information about when and where
workshops will be given and for registration instructions.
Tailored Workshops
"Developing a Marketing Strategy"
Find
out the answers to the following and other questions at this workshop
given by an expert in marketing:
• Do
you know where to find demographic data and information about your
customers?
• Are you sure your planned business fills a
specific market need?
• Do you know your target market?
• Do you know how to prepare a marketing
strategy for your business?
• Do you know how to learn about your business
competitors?
• Do you understand marketing trends in your
business industry?
• Do you have a customer service strategy in
mind or in place?
"Web Site Design"
This workshop gives a comprehensive introduction
to proper web site design. Included are discussions of the importance of
the home page, the use of colors and graphics, choosing what information
to include, and where to place it, along with the length of the page.
Also covered are design features to make the web site easy to navigate
such as placement of icons, font size and type, and the ability to
navigate back to the home page from any location on the site.
In addition, information will be presented on
increasing the chances that your page will be found in a search (search
engine optimization) using Google or other search engines. Advertising
on the web will be introduced including: "pay per click", "pop-up" ads,
and the importance of including links to other web sites.
The use of social networking techniques such as
Face Book, LinkedIn, and Twitter will also be introduced, including
their importance in marketing your firm and its products or services.
Also, what to look for in the use of web site
development firms and web site hosting companies will be discussed along
with how decide what service offerings are appropriate for you.
"QuickBooks"
A well recognized, local, small business
accounting firm will show you how QuickBooks can be of benefit whether
your business is just starting out or already established. Learn the
advantages of using QuickBooks to save time and improve the accuracy of
bookkeeping tasks. Learn how, with properly set up accounts, the
software can generate reports with information that you need. These
tools will enable you to see where your business stands financially and
whether or not you are making money. QuickBooks can also help you design
a business plan for securing a loan, a line of credit, or to plan for
the future.
You will learn how QuickBooks can facilitate the
management of billing and payments. QuickBooks Merchant Account Service
can be used to accept credit card or bank account transfers,. This
feature, integrated into the program, saves time on billing and payments
and improves cash flow. Information about the popularity, scalability,
and the ability to customize QuickBooks to meet your business needs will
also be presented.
"Social Media"
Want to learn how to create or build your social media presence to
increase sales for your business?
This workshop will provide an
overview of the capabilities and strategy of integrating social media
into your business’ marketing plan. We will go over techniques and
practical steps to use on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to
build your online presence and increase sales.
Go to our
Workshop
Schedule/Registration page for information about when workshops will be given and for registration
information.
Please
E-mail us or call our SCORE office at (410) 266-9553 if your have any questions about workshops.
SBA programs and services are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis. Arrangements for persons
with disabilities require at least a 30 day notice. For more information call SCORE at (410) 266-9553 or
E-mail
us.
Comments to Webmaster Bill Crabbs
Last Modified
November 23, 2011
