San Francisco: SBA Classes Feb. 1-14
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.
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.
To register for classes, go to http://www.acteva.com/go/sba For more information, please contact Gary Marshall at (415) 744 6771 or .
Food Safety Certification – Golden Gate Restaurant Association 2/2 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. As of January 1, 2000, certification is mandatory and re-certification is required every three years. Registration and information is available at www.ggra.org.
Connect to the Net- How to Launch Your Website Quickly 2/2 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM This course will outline steps to either create the web site yourself, or how to go about selecting a company to create your web site, the average time and cost, how to identify and create content for the web site and how to maintain the site going forward.
Choice of Entity from an Income Tax Perspective 2/3 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Choose the right entity for your business from an income tax perspective. Join us for a one and a half hour seminar discussing Corporation, S Corporation, LLC, LLP, and Sole Proprietorships and what these entities mean to your business for tax purposes. Topics covered will include income tax, payroll tax, self-employment tax, start – up, exit strategy, employee ownership, and investor issues.
Sell Your Business 2/3 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.
Starting a Business in San Francisco 2/4 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM 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 2/4 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. Presented in conjunction with the Bay Area Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders.
Business Law Basics 2/4 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. While this class does not constitute legal advice, it will provide you with a basic understanding of business structures.
How to Collect Your Business Debts 2/4 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Any business not run on strictly cash can have problems collecting money owed by customers. This seminar will cover what kinds of purchase orders you should use to minimize the chance of problems, how to maximize your chances of being paid for credit chard charges, and how to take security to insure you will be paid. Then if you are not paid, how to get a judgment in small claims court and above all how to collect on the judgment.
Responding to Proposals 2/5 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM After taking this class, the business owner will: Understand how to locate government Request for Proposals; Understand how to review an RFP and decide whether or not to develop a proposal; Know the key elements of proposal formats; Be able to develop a “requirements matrix”; Understand how to develop a proposal team; Understand how to coordinate subcontractor proposals; Be able to define the scope of work; Understand administrative tasks; Know how to finalize the proposal; Know how to prepare for negotiation; Know how to get valuable feedback after the contract has been awarded. Presented by the San Francisco Small Business Development Center.
Basic Bookkeeping, Part One 2/5 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM Learn basic accounting and bookkeeping terms and processes. Topics include cash versus 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.
Food Safety Certification – Golden Gate Restaurant Association (en Espanol) 2/9 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM California Assembly Bill 1978 requires that specified food facilities employ at least one person who has successfully passed a California State approved and accredited food safety certification exam. As of January 1, 2000, certification is mandatory and re-certification is required every three (3) years. Registration and information is available at www.ggra.org This class will be conducted in Spanish.
Health Insurance for Small Businesses 2/9 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM There are many healthcare options for growing companies which let employees choose coverage based in their individual needs.
Marketing: Building Awareness and Driving Sales 2/10 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, register at www.acteva.com/go/sfscore.
Free and Low Cost Resources for Your Business 2/10 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Representatives from SBA, SCORE, the SF SBDC, the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, and the San Francisco Public Library Small Business Center will explain the vast resources available as you start and grow your small business.
The Art of Plastic – The Smart Way to Accept Credit Cards from Your Clients 2/10 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
This course will answer the question, “why should I take credit cards?”. We will de-mystify the entire Merchant Account process and make it simple for you to understand. We’ll 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.
Restaurant Series: Customer Service – Good is Minimum 2/11 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM So you’ve got a neat concept, great food and a prime location. To make your restaurant a success you need employees who deliver great customer service. Learn how to hire, motivate and train your employees to meet the service demands of the industry. Also learn how to define and share responsibilities between owners, managers and employees to achieve your service objectives and run a successful restaurant. Presented by the SF SBDC. $30 registration fee.
Five Easy Ways to Attract Targeted Website Visitors for Free 2/11 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM Over 98% of websites get fewer than 5 visitors each day. Attracting high-quality website visitors doesn’t have to cost a fortune. With a little direction, you can accumulate strategic one-way inbound links and watch the targeted traffic pour in!
Basic Bookkeeping, Part Two 2/12 1:00 PM – 3:30 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
ALSO East Bay Small Business Training The East Bay SBDC offers more than 20 different seminars that teach entrepreneurs and business leaders how to implement new strategies, skills and ideas across varied business disciplines; workshops tailored to fit entrepreneurs in any stage of the business development process.
Check out the SBDC training in a city near you: http://www.eastbaysbdc.org/pages/seminars.php
ALSO Small Business 2009 Survey Please see link to our Small Business California (SB-Cal) Survey of California small businesses. Last year we received 630 responses from every county in the state. Please take a moment to complete and forward to other small business owners you know. The results will form our SB-Cal agenda for 2009.
Since 2004 this survey has been an important tool for educating elected officials and policy makers about the concerns and challenges faced by small business owners in California
Survey Link: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228QR44U46V