Events/Workshops

Understand the basics of starting a business. Turn your idea into an opportunity. Learn key strategies for start-up, financing and marketing, as well as important information about legal issues, licensing, operations and more. Realize the importance of a self-assessment and how to evaluate the feasibility of your business idea.

Speaker: SCORE Representative

Gain a solid understanding of taxes required for small business owners and develop a tax strategy for your business. Become familiar with the latest tax forms and procedures for both state and federal taxes. Discover how everyday business decisions can have tax implications that can affect your bottom line. New and experienced business owners will benefit from this information. 

Speaker: SCORE Representative

You can start a business on a limited budget that will lead to bigger dollars and maybe a new future. There are lots of small businesses you can create without having a lot of startup dollars. Business ideas are all around you: in your home and yard, including your hobbies, or past or current work experiences. As little as $100 may get you started. This program will focus on: • Finding the business that fits you. • Finding resources to get started & easy ways to get a little bit of money. • Planning your small business like a big business. • Incorporating 5 resources everyone has to work with.

Speaker: Mike Collins

A business plan is an important tool for a small business owner. Learn to turn your ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. This seminar teaches you the important components of a business plan and helps you lay a foundation for a winning plan. Find out how marketing, operations, and finance are interrelated. Discover how a business plan is used by potential lenders, the dos and don’ts, and steps for making the process easy.

Speaker: Mike Collins

What would be the best small business for you to start right now? Would it be retail, manufacturing, a service business, or direct marketing? This seminar will focus on three areas: • How to create a business idea that fits you. • Hot businesses that will grow in coming years. • Types of businesses with growth potential. • Easy-to-follow steps to get started.

Speaker: Mike Collins

Starting a small business requires determination, motivation, planning and know-how. One of the safest ways to start a new business is to start out working from home. Not only will your overhead be low, it gives you an opportunity to try out your idea before plunging in. Learn to determine if you are ready to start your own business, and if so, learn what it’s going to take.

Speaker: Ed Ormsby

Grant writing is essential to many nonprofits and entrepreneurs. Join expert Sam Gore as he shares powerful grantwriting knowledge and "tried and true" tactics to submit a successful grant.

Speaker: Sam Gore

Financing continues to challenge many small business owners. Questions range from: Who will give me money for my business idea and what do they need from me? to, How will this business make money and will it be enough to pay back a loan or attract an investor? Get these qustions answered. Explore the advantages and disadvantages of different types of funding sources and how to choose the right one for your needs.

Speaker: SCORE Representative

Seminar expands upon techniques learned in Grantwriting 101 and shares additional resources and powerful grantwriting knowledge to get you ready for your grant submission.

Speaker: Sam Gore

Learn how to read a credit report and what factors are used in calculating your FICO or Beacon score. You will learn legal tricks on how to raise your score by the way you use your credit cards, treat inquiries, make your payments and carry your balances. Using several proven methods, your credit score could increase by 50-100 points. Also included is information on the latest changes that will be used in calculating your credit score starting August 2017.

Speaker: Bob Moore

Can I afford a match for my employees? What are tax advantages? How much can I save? These and many more questions need to be on the mind of small business owners at the time of business plan preparation. Learn more about these scenarios to plan your future.

Speaker: Tom Velevis & Michael White

You can start a business on a limited budget that will lead to bigger dollars and maybe a new future. There are lots of small businesses you can create without having a lot of startup dollars. Business ideas are all around you: in your home and yard, including your hobbies, or past or current work experiences. As little as $100 may get you started. This program will focus on: • Finding the business that fits you. • Finding resources to get started & easy ways to get a little bit of money. • Planning your small business like a big business. • Incorporating 5 resources everyone has to work with.

Speaker: Mike Collins

Helpful for business owners with no formal training, those with their first experience in managing employees, or those who just need some brushing up on the dos and don’ts. Learn to identify specific issues that create problem employees and how to deal with the stress.

Speaker: Mike Collins

Small business owners will learn how to deal with unacceptable behavior in the workplace. Discover tips on handling angry and/or unmotivated employees who do not fulfill the goals of your company.

Speaker: Mike Collins

Moving through change takes time and energy and is extremely stressful. This seminar will help you recognize and embrace change and make it work for your company.

Speaker: Mike Collins

QuickBooks expert, Crystal Wambeke, will take you on a tour of the cloud-based software Quickbooks Online ?and suggest ways that this popular software can help small business owners save time, better manage their business, simplify bookkeeping and help businesses avoid costly errors. Please bring your laptop or tablet to class.

Speaker: Crystal Wambeke-Barbera

Our QuickBooks expert will cover more information on the sales process using the cloud-based software Quickbooks Online ?by showing participants how to manage their accounts receivable and accounts payable, reconcile bank accounts, manage inventory, ?and create financial reports. Please bring your laptop or tablet to class. Prerequsite: QuickBooks Online l

Speaker: Crystal Wambeke-Barbera

Back by popular demand! Our QuickBooks expert will take you on a tour of the Desktop software Quickbooks and suggest ways that this popular software can help small business owners save time, better manage their business, simplify bookkeeping, and help businesses avoid costly errors. Register early. Space is limited. Basic computer knowledge is required. Seminar meets in a computer lab.

Speaker: Crystal Wambeke-Barbera

This class expands on what you learned in Desktop QuickBooks l. Our expert will cover more advanced information on the sales process by showing participants how to manage their accounts receivable and accounts payable, reconcile bank accounts, and create financial reports. Register early. Space is limited. Basic computer knowledge is required. Seminar meets in a computer lab. Back by popular demand! Prerequsite: QuickBooks l

Speaker: Crystal Wambeke-BArbera

Gain a workable knowledge of how to properly record financial transactions for your business. Discover the three most important financial reports and how to use them to make the best-informed business decisions. If you’re a new business owner or need a refresher on the basics of accounting, this seminar is designed for you. 

Speaker: Crystal Wambeke

This class will teach you how to prepare and read your Profit and Loss statement. After the class, you will be able to understand and interpret this information allowing you to make informed business decisions. If you want to make this class hands-on, come prepared with a printed copy of your company’s 2017 Profit and Loss statement. If you aren't in business yet, you may still participate.

Speaker: Crystal Wambeke-Barbera

This class will show you your financial position and help you understand how this information affects the health of your company. If you want to make this class hands-on, come prepared with a printed copy of your company’s 2017 Cash Flow statement. If you aren't in business yet, you may still participate.

Speaker: Crystal Wambeke-Barbera

This class will teach you how to read and analyze your Cash Flow statement. After class, you will know how to develop better projecting and forcasting skills and manage cash flows using this report. If you want to make this class hands-on, come prepared with a printed copy of your company’s 2017 Cash Flow statement. If you aren't in business yet, you may still participate.

Speaker: Crystal Wambeke-Barbera

Marketing for small businesses in the 21st century is dynamic and challenging. Explore the components of an effective marketing strategy in this comprehensive seminar. • Discover how to effectively and efficiently use marketing tools and resources to increase your ROI. • Gain insights to understand and reach your customer; analyze your industry and business environment. • Learn to differentiate between branding, advertising, and grassroots marketing techniques

Speaker: Michael Barbera

Market research isn’t just for startups; it’s an important ongoing process for every small business. Developing a focused and effective marketing plan requires up-to-date market analysis. Discover a variety of market research tools that will give you critical information about your industry and customers. Get the data you need to test the feasibility of a new business, find the competition and potential customers interested in your proposed product or service. 

Speaker: Michael Barbera

Let an expert show you how to develop a marketing budget with very little funding. Learn to create a low-cost marketing plan for your business. Mike Collins will also share inexpensive, easy-to-use ideas to grow your business, grab new customers, reinforce relationships with current customers, and pique the interest of customers you don’t even know about yet.

Speaker: Mike Collins

Back by popular demand! Learn what’s new on Facebook, how to maximize its possibilities, and how to market your business as social media continues to evolve.

Speaker: Sven Schaefer

With Facebook Ads you can choose your audience, their interests, and their location to promote your business. Your ads can be delivered to a targeted audience, making them more relevant for the people who see them, bringing you real results at a very affordable cost. Back by popular demand!

Speaker: Sven Schaefer

HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE) is a global program that offers aspiring entrepreneurs and small business-owners valuable business skills. HP LIFE offers participants a path to realizing their business dreams. The NC Small Business Center Network, in partnership with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), is pleased to offer this innovative program to NC entrepreneurs and small business owners free of charge! This program is self-paced, making it possible for more aspiring entrepreneurs to participate. All you have to do is register to start.

Speaker: Various