San Francisco: SBA Classes Oct. 13-23
TRAINING AT SBA 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
Marketing Research – Discover Your Niche 10/13 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM As a startup business owner, you can market your business more effectively the more you know about the customer you are targeting. Topics include finding the customer’s key characteristics, understanding why they would buy, and determining your competitive advantage. Viral Marketing 101 for Business Owners 10/13 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM Discover how using social networking techniques can enhance your marketing efforts to find new customers and spread the word about your business.
The Mating Game – How to Buy a Business 10/13 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Contemplating the purchase of a business? While every prospective deal has its unique factors, virtually all deals share traits in common. This workshop will give you advice on how to: 1) perform due diligence on a target acquisition, 2) structure the sale (e.g., asset sale, stock purchase, merger), 3) value the business, 4) finance the purchase, and 5) protect yourself.
Selling in a Down Turn 10/14 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Selling success in 2009 requires special skills. Your usual buyers are stripped of all budget decisions. Today budgets are with the executives and not middle managers. Learn the steps to sell to executives, quantify your benefits, and create urgency. Winning is very possible when you learn these strategies and tactics.
Branding and Marketing for Service Firms: Create a Strong Brand and Messages that Attract Your Ideal Clients 10/15 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM For owners, partners and business development executives of established service firms (e.g., law, real estate, mortgage, construction, design, consulting, etc.). In this interactive workshop you will learn to define your service business brand in powerful and differentiated ways. You will learn new tools to: Better understand your clients so that you can effectively segment your market; Develop clarity about your real competitive advantages; Create simple, strong messages that communicate your unique value to the clients that want it most.
Basic Bookkeeping, Part Three 10/15 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Learn how to find out where all your cash has gone and how to forecast how much cash you will have in the bank. Topics include developing a budget, statement of cash flow analysis, and developing a cash forecast. Participants should have complete Basic Bookkeeping Part I 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 10/15 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.
From Kitchen to Market: Selling Your Specialty Foods 10/19 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM You have a specialty recipe you think the market would crave – BBQ sauce, homemade cookies or jams? How do you transition from your kitchen to the outside world? It pays to understand the huge specialty food industry as you maneuver through it. This class will focus on the planning and production process, contacts to help you get started, capitalization options, marketing strategies, the distribution network and more. You will receive a take home package with worksheets, resource guide and trend analyses. $30 registration fee. Sponsored by the SF SBDC.
Profit Mastery 10/19 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Part One, 10/19, Part Two, 10/26, Part Three, 11/2, Part Four, 11/9. This four part seminar gives you the tools needed to take financial concepts and turn them into powerful decision making tools. Learn to use financial statements to manage your business, how to implement effective costing and pricing strategies, how to control cash flow, how to manage growth and deal effectively with banks. You must register one time for all four seminars for a total of $200 (includes the training binder.) Presented by the San Francisco SBDC
Twitter 101 for Business Owners 10/19 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service. Learn how using this popular system can enhance your marketing efforts.
Business Exits – the Good, Bad, and Ugly 10/19 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Learn from real-life stories of business owners that have been through successful and unsuccessful exits. Actual video interviews illustrate key opportunities and challenges you will face when selling or transferring your business, including related financial, estate and tax issues.
Restaurant Series: Checklist for Starting a Restaurant 10/19 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM We’ll discuss the specifics of opening and running a successful restaurant. Topics will include business plans, food and beverage vendors, market research, location, pricing strategies and operating plans. $30 registration fee. Presented by the SF SBDC.
Marketing: Building Awareness and Driving Sales 10/20 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 SCORE at (415) 744-6827.
Get More Clients in the Next 30 Days Than You Did In the Past 90 10/20 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Learn the basics of how to market your service business; how it differs from marketing products, why it is important to have a niche, how to create a compelling message about your services and various ways to achieve the critical function of networking and following up.
How to Manage Your Business and Your Stress 10/20 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Being a small business owner definitely has its stresses, particularly during these tough economic times, but it doesn’t have to be stress-FULL. Learn invaluable tools to successfully manage your stress and your business. Overcome procrastination frustration and become a more effective, focused and fulfilled business owner.
State Labor Law and Payroll Tax 10/21 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM Jointly conducted by the Employment Development Department and the California state Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, this class will cover California recordkeeping and reporting requirements including employer obligations and payment requirements; common wage and hour laws; employer and employee rights and responsibilities. More information at (866) 873-6083, register at www.edd.ca.gov/taxsem
Effortless Selling 10/21 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Tired of spending tons of money on marketing and not getting results? In today’s economy, you can’t afford wasting time or money. Sales is the most direct way to increase your bottom line. Join us and learn: the 5 most effective sales techniques; the 3 things NEVER to do; the 1 piece of advice that will change your business forever.
QuickBooks Introduction 10/22 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM Learn the basics of this useful and flexible accounting & bookkeeping application. This overview will discuss setting-up, updating and maintaining customer, vendor, account, and other lists, running financial reports, and efficient procedures for entering your accounting data. Exercises include entering invoices, customer payments, deposits, bills, cash disbursements, and other transactions. Additional topics include setting-up budget, account statement reconciliation, bank reconciliation, and more. This is a hands-on workshop. Participants should have complete Basic Bookkeeping Part I or be familiar with the concepts covered in that workshop. $60 Registration fee. Presented by the SF SBDC.
Wholesaling Tips of the Trade 10/22 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Learn the smart way to run a wholesale operation. Areas covered include industry information and networking, cost vs. price, channel conflicts, branding and wholesaling online. $25 registration fee. Presented by the SF SBDC.
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. Stimulus Opportunities for Small Business The Stimulus Opportunities for Small Business program is a FREE half-day session featuring buyers for state and federal government projects, as well as buyers from large corporations. It will also feature local panelists able to offer insight into the latest developments in surety bonding and local workforce investment initiatives. San Francisco Workshop scheduled for November 19. For more information and to register go to: http://californiasbdc.org/stimulus.
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