Training Quick links to information found on this page: Monthly Lunch & Learn Monthly Loan Clinic ABC’s of Starting Your Own Business Business Plan Workshop Strategic Planning Workshop QuickBooks Pro Workshop Accounting 101 Workshop Developing a Marketing Plan Internet Workshop SBA Free Online Training SBA Certification Training WBCNA offers training on a regular basis on a number of topics. Fees for workshops are nominal and scholarships are available for qualified clients. We do ask that that you register online if you would like to participate in any of our events. Monthly Lunch & Learn The monthly Lunch & Learn is held the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 11:30 – 1:30 p.m. at our offices at the Crestwood Women’s Center, 185 Chateau Drive in Huntsville. The last half hour is reserved for networking if you want to stay and lunch is provided at a nominal cost (lunch is optional). Each month features a guest speaker on a topic of interest to small business owners. Go to the Calendar for details and registration. Monthly Loan Clinic The monthly Loan Clinic is held the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at our offices at the Crestwood Women’s Center, 185 Chateau Drive in Huntsville. Learn about the SBA Community Express Loan Program and how you can receive up to $50,000 in small business loans. WBCNA is a Technical Assistance Provider and has helped small business owners in North Alabama receive over $2,000,000 in small business loans. Go to the Calendar for details and registration. ABC’s of Starting Your Own Business In this 3-hour workshop, you will learn what it takes to start a business. Basic, introductory information will be provided to individuals who are considering starting their own business in the State of Alabama. This workshop includes: Are You Cut Out to be an Entrepreneur? Business Start-up Checklist From Idea to Personal Commitment Technical and Managerial Experience Needed Choosing a Legal Structure Financial Statements Ten Steps to Business Success Feasibility Checklist Obtaining Business Licenses Go to the Calendar for details and registration. Business Plan Workshop: Your road map to success! The FastTrac® NewVenture™ 10-week comprehensive workshop is for anyone who wants to start or grow a business. Everyone tells you that you need a business plan, but you don’t know how to get started. Or you have an outline and find it to be too daunting and overwhelming. Then, this program is right for you: Session 1: Exploring Entrepreneurship Session 2: Identifying/Meeting Market Needs Session 3: Setting Financial Goals Session 4: Planning the Product/Service Session 5: Researching/Analyzing the Market Session 6: Reaching the Market Session 7: Building the Organization & Team Session 8: Planning for a Profitable Business Session 9: Cash Flow & Seeking Funds Session 10: Implementing Next Steps What is FastTrac®? The road to successful entrepreneurship begins with a passion for an idea, a business plan based on research and analysis, and the persistence to pursue the vision. Whether you have always dreamed of being an entrepreneur or recent circumstances triggered thoughts about starting a business, FastTrac® NewVenture™ is designed to introduce you to the key elements of successful entrepreneurship. FastTrac® is sponsored by The Kauffman Foundation and was designed by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs. Hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs around the country have graduated from these programs and will tell you that it was invaluable to them. FastTrac® is not your ordinary workshop! You are working on your business in non-traditional, hands-on coaching sessions. There’s no talking heads. Opportunities to network and learn from your peers, as well as seasoned entrepreneurs and professionals, who work with start-up businesses, are a key part of the experience. Go to the Calendar for the class schedule and registration. Strategic Planning Workshop The FastTrac® Listening to Your Business™ workshop is for entrepreneurs who get caught up in their own company’s daily operations and do not take time to plan for the future. In essence, the entrepreneur spends all their time working IN the business rather than ON the business. FastTrac’s Listening to Your Business will provide you with the tools you need to spend time ON your business to plan for the future. Through this interactive and enlightening workshop, you will take time to listen to your business and develop a strategic direction for the future. Tools and resources will be available to help you take the necessary steps towards achieving your vision What is it? Listening to Your Business is a hands-on, facilitated workshop designed to provide business owners and managers with the critical evaluation tools and action steps they need to maximize the growth and profitability of their business. What will I do at the workshop? This workshop will take you and a group of peer entrepreneurs through a four-step evaluation and action process designed to enhance your company’s performance now and into the future including Step 1. Setting your three-year vision. A series of activities through which you will discover where your business is today and where you want it to be in three years. Step 2. Taking a snapshot of your business. A process to determine what stage of development your business is in today (concept, start-up, growth, maturity, innovation or decline) and what stage you want to be three years from now. Step 3. Evaluating where you are in the planning process. Assess what plans are or are not in place (feasibility plan, business plan, strategic plan, operational plan) and how they can be adjusted or created to maximize your company’s success. Step 4: Translating your goals into action steps. Nail down the actions and resources that your company needs to reach its three-year goals. Who should attend the workshop? Busy business owners and managers who are ready to gain better control of their businesses and personal lives while positioning themselves to take maximum advantage of future opportunities. The Listening to Your Business workshop is a fast, inexpensive way to learn to see your own business as it really is now, while working to take it into a successful future. Who created the workshop? Developed by FastTrac and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Listening to Your Business workshop is based upon the successful FastTrac business development programs that have been taught for over 10 years throughout the United States. The FastTrac entrepreneurial development programs are distributed nationally by the Entrepreneurial Education Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Kansas City, MO. More than 90,000 entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners and university students have completed FastTrac entrepreneur facilitator-led courses. FastTrac is sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation and is the winner of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Vision 2000 Models of Excellence Award for Entrepreneurial Education. For more information on FastTrac, visit: www.fasttrac.org. Go to the Calendar of Events page for the class schedule and registration. QuickBooks Pro Workshop In this 4-hour class, learn how QuickBooks Pro gives you all the tools you need in one package: Pay bills, print checks, track expenses, create invoices, and run reports. Manage customers, vendors, and employees easily with access to one simple screen in the Customer Center, Vendor Center, and Employee Center. Go to the Calendar for details and registration. Accounting 101 Workshop for Small Business Owners The fastest, easiest way to learn the basics of bookkeeping and accounting! This 4-hour, instructor-led seminar will include explanations of common accounting terminology, overview of business financial statements, double entry accounting, and LOADS more. Go to the Calendar for details and registration. Developing a Marketing Plan---In 5 Easy Steps Build it and they will come is a myth---it only happens in the movies (you know, Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams)! So why do so many people discount marketing? Is it too hard? Do business owners not understand the value? What is the definition of marketing? Marketing directs the flow of goods and services from the producer to the consumer, satisfying the needs and desires of the consumer, and achieving the goals and objectives of the producer. What does that mean? Marketing is a win-win process for both the consumer and the business. If both sides are not satisfied, YOU will not be in business very long. What is a Marketing Plan? It is nothing more than a bridge to get your product or service to a potential client. And there's lot of ways to do that---advertising, promotions, publicity, etc. But you need a plan We know that placing one ad here, or sending more direct mail piece there, DOESN'T WORK! You need a plan to consistently get your message out to your targeted market. Are you trying to grow your existing business? Are you launching a new product or service line? Are you just getting your business started and need some marketing help? Then this workshop series is right for you! The workshop series will break down the Marketing Plan into it's five components: Industry Profile, Competitive Analysis, Market Analysis, Pricing, and Market Penetration. We will discuss how to define your business, know your market, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and find the new opportunities within those strengths. Following is a brief description of each session: Industry Profile In this session, you will describe your industry by identifying growth potential, trends, opportunities, and distribution channels. Competitive Analysis In this session, you will identify direct, indirect, and future competition, competitor's strengths and weaknesses, and your response to customers' critical success factors. Market Analysis In this session, you will identify various market segments, determine which ones provide the best opportunities for your products/services, and select your ideal target market. Pricing In this session, you will state the pricing positions and strategies of your competitors and determine the pricing strategies that best meet the needs of your venture. Market Penetration In this session, you will create an image or brand identity for your product/service to reach your identified target market and consider strategies to promote and sell your product/service including advertising, publicity, promotions, and a sales/service process. Building an Awesome Website Internet design expert, Tim Knox, takes you through the process of building an effective website. You'll learn how to determine the purpose of your website, how to build a website that caters to your target audience, how to create content users want to read, how to work with a designer, and more. For other workshops, check our Calendar of Events. SBA Free Online Training The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers free online training on a variety of business topics such as Starting a Business, Business Planning, Business Management, Finance and Accounting, Marketing and Advertising, Government Contracting, Risk Management and Cyber Security, e-Commerce, International Trade, and more. To access this free training, click here SBA Certification Training Are you interested in doing business with the Government and/or would like more information about certifications such as 8A, Small Disadvantaged Business or HUBZones? If so, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers training in Birmingham on the first Tuesday of every month at 1:00 p.m. For more information or to register, contact Susan Baxter at 205-290-7101, ext. 228, or e-mail her at susan.baxter@sba.gov. Conveniently located at the Crestwood Women's Center.