Twitter Chat – How to Start and Grow a Business for Veteran Entrepreneurs
Monday, July 1, 2019 from 3pm to 4pm EST
In recognition of the Fourth of July, the U.S. Small Business Administration (@SBAgov) will host a Twitter chat about how to start or grow a business for veteran entrepreneurs on July 1, 2019. Join us and industry experts as we share tips to help veterans and the military community start, grow and expand businesses. Participate/follow along with the hashtag, #SBAchat.
SBA Contracting Small Business Certification Programs
Tuesday, July 2, 2019 from 11am to 12Noon EST
Want a competitive advantage in federal government contracting? Consider one of SBA's small business certifications. This webinar will provide a brief eligibility overview of WOSB (Woman Owned Small Business certification), HUBZone certification (for historically underutilized business locations) and the 8a Disadvantaged Business program.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sba-certification-programsfor-doing-business-with-the-government-tickets-50777497863
Make Your Marketing Work- Track the Correct Analytics
Tuesday, July 9, 2019 from 1pm to 2pm EST
You spend hours marketing your small business, but how do you know if your efforts are working? Marketing analytics provide valuable data on audience behavior, online ad success, site traffic sources, and more. Two of the most widely used analytics tools are Google Analytics and Facebook Insights. In this session, marketing strategist and SCORE mentor Cheri Bales will explain how these two analytics tools can guide businesses and marketers with strategy, implementation and evaluation.
You will learn:
- Why you need to use marketing analytics
- Which metrics to follow and what they mean
- How your audience behaves
- Customer acquisition costs (CAC)
- Ad cost per click rates (CPC)
- How to find the data to measure your ROI
https://readytalk.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1248538&tp_key=1ab7975e39&sti=score-eventpage
How Business Credit Can Help Your Business Grow
Wednesday, July 10, 2019 from 3pm to 4pm EST
Did you know your business has its own credit reports and scores? Do you know how to leverage yours for better terms with vendors, increased financing options, business opportunities and more? Are you familiar with the small business FICO score used to screen many SBA loan applications? If you didn’t answer “yes” to all these questions, join credit expert Gerri Detweiler, education director for Nav, as she explains how to build and use business credit to your advantage. You’ll learn: Which credit bureaus compile business credit reports and how they are used Business credit scores and the factors that help build strong scores Key ways business credit is different from personal Quick steps you can take now to build business credit (even if you have no business credit or poor personal credit) This program lasts approximately one hour, including time for questions and answers.
https://wsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/99270740
Top 4 Considerations When Buying a Business
Thursday, July 11, 2019 from 1pm to 2pm EST
Buying a business is an exciting, but potentially confusing time for any entrepreneur.
In this webinar, CEO of MyCorporation Deborah Sweeney will present key considerations when buying a business, including important legal aspects, marketing and growth considerations, as well as evaluating your progress as your business grows.
Participants will learn how to:
1. Protect your assets by forming a corporation or LLC
- Benefits of corporations and LLCs
- Differences between corp & LLC
- Obtain proper business licenses & insurance
2. Develop your brand
- Determine brand positioning
- Protect your brand with a trademark
3. Understand the market and competition
- What are your differentiating factors?
- Focus on the market rather than the product or service
- Evaluate your growth strategies
4. Evaluate ROI on your investments and growth opportunities
- How are you going to grow your business?
- What are your marketing strategies?
- Determine ROI for varying strategies (online marketing, sales team, print, traditional media, partnerships)
https://readytalk.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1248194&tp_key=33d80400f5&sti=score-eventpage
A Small Business Guide to Intellectual Property
Thursday, July 11, 2019 from 4pm to 5:30pm EST
If you have an idea, product or service that you really believe in, you want to protect it. The Intellectual Property (IP) Basics Webinar is designed to give entrepreneurs, small business owners, and independent inventors the knowledge and tools needed to protect the most valuable asset and integrity of their business.
This workshop will help you to better understand the different types of IP and how to protect them. At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
Obtain a clear understanding of what is intellectual property and do you need it
Differentiate between patents, trade secrets, copyright protection, and trademarks
Identify issues generally found in patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks
Obtain helpful resources for guidance
If you do not invest time and resources to understand IP protection, opportunities and risks, it is difficult to achieve your business goals in the long run. Join us and let us help you get jump started on protecting your great idea, service, or product.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3CTrnAzeTPCLhpMCMhdzZw
Expert Tips to Keep Your Online Customers Excited and Engaged
Thursday, July 18, 2019 from 1pm to 2pm EST
Surviving in online retail requires constant vigilance to keep your customers excited about your products and to be able to respond to the inevitable customer turnover. Keeping your site fresh and relevant, changing up products, building a customer community – these are all must-dos to survive in ecommerce.
In this session you’ll hear from a seasoned ecommerce expert and head of marketing partnerships for Yahoo Small Business Dan Breeden, and learn how to:
- Obtain great, free feedback on your site and at trade conferences
- Make sure mobile users can navigate your site without hassle
- Take cues from brick and mortar stores on easy, economical refreshes
- Create a dynamic customer community that encourages repeat site visits
- Extend your product line to increase cart sales
- ‘Always be on’ for your customers for closer engagement
https://readytalk.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1249210&tp_key=c424eecd67&sti=score-eventpage
Managing Export Operations and Compliance
Friday, July 19, 2019 from 11:30am to 1:30pm EST
In today’s complex export environment, regulatory compliance and traditional operational issues are inextricably linked. Even simple logistical or reporting mistakes may have repercussions that can lead to noncompliance. Companies that don’t take a holistic and systematic approach to all of these issues will leave themselves open to fines, customs seizures, delays, and possible enforcement action. This webinar will provide an overview of the U.S. export regulatory environment, including essential steps for compliance with export controls and sanctions laws. The webinar will also discuss other steps in the export operational process, including AES reporting, global trade classification, free trade agreement compliance, shipping terms, export documentation, and more. This nuts-and-bolts program will provide you with the essentials for ensuring compliance and help you to cut through the confusion that can sometimes impede export operations. Bring your questions!
https://clients.msbdc.org/reg.aspx?mode=event&event=170390009
Market Research
You have a great product or service, but who are your customers and how can you reach them? Take SBA's FREE online course for an overview of how to identify your customers and how to market to them.
Launch the course
Be Inspired: Small Business Success Story
Andreas Ozzuna grew up baking alfajores with her grandmother and visiting her grandfather’s deli in Buenos Aires. As a child, Andreas aspired to work in the family business, but it wasn’t until she was 41 that she decided to turn her hobby of cooking into a full-time job.
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A Guide to SBA's Disaster Assistance Programs
A disaster can happen without warning. Prepare your small business by launching SBA's FREE self-paced online training for an overview of SBA's Disaster Assistance Programs.
Launch the course
Webinars: 2019 National Small Business Week
In case you missed the 2019 National Small Business Week Virtual Conference, you are still in luck. The seven webinars are available to watch on demand. The topics include SBA funding programs, driving growth with customer obsession, online marketing and ads, mastering your cash flow, government contracting and disaster preparedness.
Watch on demand
Why Visiting Franchisees In-Person Is So Important
Doing your due diligence on franchise opportunities you’re interested in involves several steps. The most important step: talking to existing franchisees. But in our hyper-connected world, “talking” can mean several things.
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Blogs and Recorded Business Training Videos
Encore Entrepreneurship for Women
This introduction to business planning is directed to women over the age of 50 who are interested in pursuing a second career and launching their own business.
https://www.sba.gov/course/encore-entrepreneurship-women/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Protect your business against cyber threats and scams
As a small business owner, you have a lot on your mind. You can’t afford to lose time or money to scammers or a compromised network. That's why the U.S. Small Business Administration and Federal Trade Commission have teamed up to offer resources to protect your small business against cyber threats and scams.
https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/small-businesses
Recorded webinars from SCORE - https://www.score.org/recorded-webinars
SBA Learning Center - https://www.sba.gov/learning-center