San Francisco: SBA Classes Aug. 3-14
The Small Business Administration offers a variety of classes for business owners in our Entrepreneur Center, located at 455 Market St., 6th Floor in downtown San Francisco.
Registration for all our classes is required. To register for classes, go to http://sbatraining.eventbrite.com/
For more information, please contact Gary Marshall at (415) 744 6771 or
Food Safety Certification – Golden Gate Restaurant Association 8/3 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM State law requires that specified food facilities employ at least one person who has successfully passed a California State approved and accredited food safety certification exam. Certification is mandatory and re-certification is required every three years. Registration and information is available at www.ggra.org
Get Organized! 8/3 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Do you want save time, money, and be more effective in your small business? Learn how by getting more organized! Our organizing expert will teach you effective ways of managing your space, your “stuff,” and your time, to maximize your productivity and comfort.
Writing Effective Business Plans 8/4 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM Whether you are planning to start a new business or developing the potential of your existing company, a business plan is a critical foundation. In this hands-on workshop, we will demystify the process using case studies and exercises. You will also develop a template for your own business that covers Products/Services; Organization; Marketing; Customers; Finances. $50 registration fee in advance; or $60 on day of event. For information, contact (415) 744-6827, presented by SCORE.
What is the Buzz about Blogging and How is It Important for My Business? 8/4 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM What strikes you when you hear about blogging? Bloggers? Bring your curiosity and eagerness to learn how the blogosphere, can and will propel your business. Learn the ABCs to optimally match your business plan’s objectives to the power of the World Wide Web and what many now call Web 2.0, the art of social media networking. We will focus on demystifying the terminology so you can be transformed to a “passionate adopter” and learn how to target your market, reach more customers but most of all be seen as an “Influencer”, not just a salesperson or marketer.
Free and Low Cost Resources for Your Business 8/5 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Representatives from SBA, SCORE, the SF SBDC, the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, and the San Francisco Public Library Small Business Center will discuss the resources available.
Starting a Business in San Francisco 8/5 11:30 AM – 12:30 AM Hear directly from San Francisco officials. How do you obtain permits? How do you register your business name? Learn what the City can do for you in this one-stop seminar.
Financing Your Business 8/5 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Discover the right way to seek financing for your business. We will discuss loan proposal requirements, financing options and SBA programs.
Business Law Basics 8/5 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM An experienced business lawyer will discuss Choice of Legal Entity (corporations, LLC, partnership, etc.); Intellectual Property; Employee issues; and Real Estate issues. This class does not constitute legal advice.
Sell Your Business 8/5 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM This class is for small business owners who are considering a sale of their business ($500,000 to $20 million in revenues). Basic topics will include: motivation for selling, pricing, how to package the business, finding buyers, screening buyers, purchase agreements, and guiding the negotiations through the close of escrow. Introduction to Federal Government Contracting 8/6 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM This class will cover where your company fits into the Federal government market, what the Federal government purchasing process is like, how to research government contract opportunities, identifying the certification programs for small businesses and where to go for assistance. Presented by the SF SBDC and The Federal Technology Center.
Basic Bookkeeping, Part One 8/6 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Learn basic accounting and bookkeeping terms and processes. Topics include cash vs. accrual accounting, proper accounting data flow processes, the importance of budgeting, the purpose of different financial reports, the differences in computer accounting systems, cash management, and more. $30 registration fee. Presented by the SF SBDC.
Taxes and Your Business, How to Prepare Schedule C 8/6 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Prepare your business taxes for ’08 and get ready for ‘09. Review what the IRS wants to know from you and how to report it on the Schedule C for your business. This is a class for business owners who need a basic understanding of their 1040 Schedule C tax forms. We’ll also talk about what to do with the numbers once you have them. We don’t guarantee you won’t get audited, but this class will make it less likely.
Business Development, Best Practices 8/10 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM This workshop provides a thorough understanding of what all successful businesses have in common. As a small business owner, you will learn the best practices of successful businesses and how to incorporate them into your business plan so as to optimize your company’s efficiency and growth while achieving an increase in the bottom line. Registration for this workshop is on-line at http://www.onealtectraining.com.
Creating New Life and Work Performances 8/10 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM People live, learn, work and play with others – often with difficulty. In this workshop we’ll introduce you to a unique performance-based approach to professional and personal development. There is growing recognition in the business community that improvisational performance is key to adult creativity, and, in these hard times, more important than ever. In this workshop we will work with you on learning how to “set the stage” for important client meetings and challenging interactions with employers, employees, business partners and clients.
Marketing: Building Awareness and Driving Sales 8/11 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Understand the fundamentals of marketing strategy and how good market planning can have a meaningful impact on your business. Learn how to develop a valuable and cost-effective marketing plan, execute the plan, and measure its effectiveness. We cover vital topics such as Pricing; Branding; Promotion; Internet Marketing; Positioning and Strategy; Lead Tracking. $35 registration fee in advance; or $40 day of event. For information, contact (415) 744-6827, presented by SCORE.
How to Quickly Attract Your Prospect’s Attention 8/11 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM What is your prospect most interested in? Whatever it is, this should be the first thing you address in all of your marketing communication (i.e. print, online and in-person). You need to come right to the key point. Then, explain further. In a world of short attention spans, you need to assume you will only have a few seconds to catch someone’s interest before they move on.
Product for Profit 8/11 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Discover how anyone can sell their products or inventions to the world’s largest retailers without any previous sales experience and without any existing buyer relationships. In this workshop, you will learn what it takes to get your product into major chain store retailers. You will learn simple tricks and strategies about how to get a buyer’s attention and ultimately how to get them to actually buy!
The Art of Plastic – The Smart Way to Accept Credit Cards 8/12 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM This course will explore who should be looking into opening a merchant account, methods of accepting payments from your customers, current trends, how you can turn a merchant account into greater profits for your business, where you can go to set up a merchant account, how the entire process flows and works, what you should consider before signing on the dotted line, merchant account terminology, and how you can save yourself money.
Basic Bookkeeping, Part Two 8/13 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Designed for entrepreneurs intimidated by financial records, this course will cover balance sheets, incomes statements, cash flow and working capital. Participants should have completed Basic Bookkeeping, Part One, or be familiar with the concepts covered in that seminar. $30 registration fee. Presented by the SF SBDC.
Maximize Your Web Site Traffic and Sales: Search Engine Optimization and Web Analytics 8/13 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Getting customers to your Web site involves much more than merely designing an interesting site for them to visit. In this class you will learn how to optimize your Web site to ensure the highest possible placing on the key search engines, and thus ensure more traffic. By learning how to use Web analytics you will also learn how to keep your customers on your site once they are there, and how to ensure the maximum conversion rates for site visitors into paying customers. Presented by the SF SBDC. Registration fee $35 in advance, $40 at the door.
America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) Loan Program 8/14 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM If your small business is stressed meeting expenses during these economic times, SBA has a new loan program designed just for you. SBA’s America’s Recovery Capital Loan Program can provide up to $35,000 in short-term relief for viable small businesses facing immediate financial hardship to help ride out the current uncertain economic times and return to profitability. Each small business is limited to one ARC loan. We’ll discuss details of the ARC program and resources for your business.
The SBA training program is made possible by the generous support of our volunteer teachers and presenters. We appreciate their time and expertise; however, these presentations do not represent an endorsement of their views, opinions, products, or services by SBA. All SBA programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least 2 weeks in advance. Contact: Gary Marshall at 415 744-6771.
OUR PARTNERS PRESENT: a weekly feature of events offered by organizations and groups outside SBA. These events are not sponsored by SBA and are not held at our Entrepreneur Center.
Urban Solutions Meet and Greet Join Urban Solutions to network with entrepreneurs, small business bankers and community members. Thursday, August 20 5:00 PM – 7:00 p.m. Bruno’s Pizzeria Cucina 1375 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, Calif. Light hors d’oevres. No host bar. For more information, 415.553.4433 ext. 101.
Website survey A website builder service is putting together a survey of small businesses who don’t have websites to understand their reasons for not being online. If you’re interested in participating, please let me know and I’ll forward your email to the company.
California’s “Bring ‘em Back” campaign There is no need to lose a valued employee to a workplace injury because, through the end of this year, you can be reimbursed for purchases you make to bring that employee back, or keep them on the job, following an injury! That’s because the state’s Division of Workers’ Compensation will reimburse you up to $2,500 for workplace modifications that bring an injured employee back to work.
Getting reimbursed is as easy as filling out a few short forms and providing receipts. In addition to providing reimbursement for purchases that bring an employee back to work or keeping them on the job, the state’s return to work experts are available to provide consultations and presentations for employers, employer organizations or claims administrators on the subject.
Interested in learning more? www.bringemback.org , or go to www.dwc.ca.gov and click on the “Bring ‘em Back” link in the right navigation pane.
Questions? Contact a representative of the Return to Work Reimbursement Program at (510) 286-6990 or .
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