Class Schedule 
| Class Schedule |
|
|
Training ScheduleThe following classes are offered by the Community Business Partnership's programs.
Please click on the section you want to explore:
Effective January 1, 2007, this program is required of ALL new clients prior to taking other classes or scheduling counseling sessions. This is the place to start! Our free one hour orientation workshop will help you understand all the resources, programs and services provided by the Community Business Partnership programs: The Women's Business Center, the South Fairfax Small Business Development Center, the Business Finance Center, the Financial Education Center for Women Entrepreneurs, and the Business Incubation Center. Dates ABC's ofStarting a Business Get the tools to successfully start and grow your small business including topics such as: What does it take to be an entrepreneur? Where do you get licensed and registered? How do you select the right legal form for your business? Where can you get money for start up? What's a business plan and why do you need one? How do our classes and free counseling work? And much, much more! Dates: Registering your Business Accessing the "links" to download forms and resources can be invaluable. This two hour seminar will lead you step by step through the process of legal entity registration, federal and state tax registration. Handouts, with web links will be provided. Dates:  1,2,3's of Starting a Business An introductory class of all of the numbers involved in starting a business. What personal finances should I have? What are the costs associated in running a business? How do my personal finances affect my business? Dates: Loans
Helping Hands Fund Orientation The Helping Hands Fund is a new peer to peer lending initiative. Maximum loan amount is five hundred dollars ($500) Anyone interested in the program MUST attend this orientation. Do you need financing for your small business? Learn about the different ways of getting that important start up capital. Traditional bank loans, microloans and the SBA SOHO (Small Office Home Office) program will be explained in detail. Dates: Business Planning
Small Business Toolkit Series
A 4-day training series where you will gain all of the tools needed to successfully start a small business. You will meet qualified professionals who will teach these classes and who specialize in working with small business owners. Classes may be taken in any order. Toolkit 1: Business Planning and Financing for Growth Toolkit 2: Tax Planning & Bookkeeping Learn from accountants how to set up a small business accounting system and plan for annual tax reporting and filing. Toolkit 3: Legal & Risk Planning | Sign up Learn how to properly manage insurance risk, establish the appropriate entity for your business, choose your business attorney and the secrets to contract negotiations all in one day! Legal and insurance professionals will guide you through the process and help you navigate with ease. Toolkit 4: Creating a Marketing Plan | Sign up Find your customers and get their attention on a budget that works! Learn from a marketing expert on how to create a marketing strategy that supports your business goals.
Business Planning for the Entrepreneur A written business plan helps you control your business rather than letting it control you. Attend this seminar and learn the business planning process and start writing the plan! Cost-Early Bird: $35, Regular: $50 Dates:
Pre-Requisites: NxLevel for Business Start-ups addresses those questions every entrepreneur needs to answer before starting a business venture. Participants develop a start-up business plan during the course to test the feasibility of their business concept and to act as the blueprint for their start-up venture. Time: Tuesdays, Jan 26 through April 13 from 6pm to 9pm. Space is limited to 20 seats! If you are interested in GI Benefits for the NxLeveL class, let us know in the comments section on the Registration form.
Government Contracts
Marketing Plans for Government
This class will help you by providing a framework to identify and focus your marketing and sales efforts on the high profitability opportunities and strategies within the State and Federal Government. Cost: Early Bird: $80, Regular (Within 7 days of class): $100 Dates: Legal Issues and Managing Risk
Patents, Trademarks&
Do you have a product that you need to protect and safeguard as yours? A very informative Patent Attorney will help you understand the difference between patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets. Learn how to use intellectual property to compete in the market. Cost: Early Bird: $40, Regular (within 7 days of class): $65 Dates: This comprehensive training will raise the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a franchise and explain the steps a franchisee must take to ensure that the venture is a rewarding experience. Additionally, we will examine the opportunity for owners of profitable businesses to expand their business through franchising. We will outline the steps to determine if the prospective franchisor has a business model that is ready for franchising; the amount of capital that is necessary to franchise a business; the time commitment involved to make the franchise successful; and steps to create an operations manual that can be applied at each individual franchise. Cost: Early Bird: $40, Regular (within 7 days of class): $65 Dates:
Marketing and Social Media Public Relations Tactics for Small Businesses: Free, Effective & Now Social  Sign upCost: $85 | Duration: 3 hours Bring your laptop (or use ours) and create your first social media news release in this PR workshop. The Web 2.0 information highway provides free and easy access to new forms of publicity for businesses of all sizes and shapes. Explore free tools to get your message and story in the media via the social media news release, which takes the traditional press release to another level. Take away your new knowledge, your new media release, plus valuable reference materials to keep learning and growing. Cost: Early Bird: $35, Regular (within 7 days of class): $50 Dates: Tuesday, June 15 from 6pm to 9pm  Strategic Marketing Plan for Business Owners Sign up | Cost: $35 (early) / $50 | Duration: 3 hours Peter Drucker said: “Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business has two – and only two – functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results. All the rest are costs.” Marketing is ultimately about educating your target market (customers, prospects, and referral sources) on the advantages of doing business with you and the reasons why they should trust you to deliver on your promises. Marketing is FAR MORE than logo design, advertising and networking. A comprehensive Strategic Marketing plan is focused on each of the 5 ways to organically grow your business: 1. Keep the customers you have, 2. Bring in more customers, 3. Increase the average transaction size, 4. Increase the frequency of purchases, and 5. Say “no” to bad customers/prospects. How’s your Strategic Marketing plan? Is it documented? Does it cover each of the 5 ways to organically grow your business? Is it effective? Join Washington Business Journal columnist and CEO of The Growth Coach® -- Ingar Grev – and learn how to develop a comprehensive Strategic Marketing plan for your business Cost: Early Bird: $35, Regular (within 7 days of class): $50 Dates: Friday, Feb 26 from 11am to 2pm Friday, April 16 from 11am to 2pm  Social Media and Online Tools for Business Sign up Cost: $40 (early) / $65 | Duration: 3 hours A class that will break down online tools that can help improve efficiency, project management and improve communication within your business and with your clients. Attend this class if you are interested in learning free online tools that can give your business an edge over competitors. We will be covering social media, online project management tools, business communication tools, google documents, webpages and more. Taught by Rabiya Jilani of Lumenica. Cost: Early Bird: $40, Regular (within 7 days of class): $65 Dates: Wednesday, Feb 24 from 6pm to 9pm Facebook for Businessa Step by Step Guide | Sign up Cost: $40 (early) / $65 | Duration: 3 hours Facebook is one of the most popular social media tool being utilized by small business owners. Join us for a hands on, group setting class where we create a facebook profile for your business and learn some tips and tricks to enhance your page. Class size limited! Please bring your laptop. Taught by Rabiya Jilani of Lumenica. Cost: Early Bird: $40, Regular (within 7 days of class): $$65 Dates: Wednesday, March 3 from 6pm to 9pm CANCELED Linkedin and Twitter for Business- A Step by Step Guide | Sign up Cost: $40 (early) / $65 | Duration: 3 hours Linkedin for your professional image and twitter to engage your stake holders, learn how to do both in a group environment. We will teach you how to get linkedin and understand how to tweet. Class size limited. Please bring your laptop. Taught by Rabiya Jilani of Lumenica. Cost: Early Bird: $40, Regular (within 7 days of class): $65 Dates: Wednesday March 10 from 6pm to 9pm CANCELED Using SE0 toDrive Traffic to your Business Website | Sign up  Cost: $40 (early) / $65 | Duration: 2 hours This class will arm you with knowledge and help you develop an action plan for getting the most out of your website. “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t work for websites. Come learn important elements of search engine optimization that work to improve your web site’s ranking on the major search engines.
Cost: Early Bird: $35, Regular (within 7 days of class): $50 Dates: Monday March 15 from 6pm to 9pm Tuesday, May 25 from 6pm to 9pm
Using Electronic Advertising to Sign up | Cost: $35 (early) / $50 | Duration: 3 hours Smart business owners know that "if you build it, they will come" doesn't work when it comes to websites! With over 8,000,000,000 webpages on the internet you can't just hope that people will find your website. Come learn how to help your prospects and customers find their way to you. This class will arm you with knowledge and help you develop an actionable plan for getting the most our of your website. Cost: Early Bird: $35, Regular (within 7 days of class): $50 Dates:Monday Feb 22 from 6pm to 9pm Class has been cancelled Tuesday, June 8 from 6pm to 9pm
Cost: $35 (early) / $50 | Duration: 3 hours Cost: Early Bird: $35, Regular (within 7 days of class): $50 Dates:Tuesday Jan 19 from 6pm to 9pm
Accounting & Financial Planning
QuickBooks I for Business Accounting
your 60-day FREE trial QuickBooks Premier Accountant Edition 2009 Trial and load onto your personal laptop the week prior to class.QB Simple Start is not a substitute for ordering the trial version. Cost:-Early Bird: $75, Regular (within 14 days of class): $95 Dates:
QuickBooks II: Beyond the Basics | Sign up Cost: $75 (early) / $95 | Duration: 2 days (3 hours each day)As requested by you, our clients!!! An advanced Quickbooks class to take you beyond the basics! In this class, learn more about Reconciling Bank Accounts, Inventory Processing, Setting up and processing Payroll, accounts receivable management and much more! Also bring your issues and concerns! Please bring your laptop. Cost:-Early Bird: $75, Regular (within 14 days of class): $95 Dates:Monday & Tuesday, Feb 22 & 23, 6pm to 9pm each night Class Full Figuring Out Financial Statements | Cost: $25 (early) / $35 | Duration: 2 hours
Thursday, May 13 from 6pm to 8pm Networking
Network with other entrepreneurs and hear professionals speak on topics of interest. The first Friday of each month. Cost includes continental breakfast. Cost: Early Bird: $7, At the door: $10 Friday, April 2 from 8am to 9:30am Special Events
No one needs to tell us that you have to start saving now for retirement, but what they need to tell you is how to get the most out of your money during various stages in our life. Saving while you are just starting out is different from saving when you're earning at your highest level and when you're closer to retirement. You'll learn ways to start planning now for less than a few pennies a day if you're willing to make a commitment to yourself and stick with a plan I lay out for you. Cost:-Early Bird: $10, Regular (within 7 days of class): $15 Dates: Wednesday, December 9 from 12pm to 1:30pmBrown Bag Lunch Seminar, a Partnership with Mt Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce
Bring your Lunch to the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce the third Wednesday of each month and learn the best practices for small and mid-size workplace. Time: 12pm to 1pm Cost: Free for Chamber members, $5 for everyone else Advanced Registration is requested but not required. More info: 703.360.6925. Topics: December 16 - Looking Back, Moving Forward: Make this year's weakness, next year's strengths. January 20- New Year, New Marketing Plan February 17- Branding, What is it? March 17- Logo Basics: Do it yourself or hire someone? April 21- Electronic Resources to Shape Your Procurement Strategy May 10 - Politics to Procurement June 16 -GMU's Mentor Protegee Program  Brown Bag Lunch Seminar, a Partnership with Springfield Chamber of Commerce The Brown Bag Lunch seminar series is free of charge for Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce Members and just $5 for anyone else. Bring your lunch to Community Business Partnership the first Tuesday of the month, 12pm to 1pm and learn best practices for the small and mid-size workplace. Advance Registration NOT required. Topics: January 5 - Using Video for Marketing February 2 - Resources to Create Marketing Videos March 2 - Using YouTube and Other Channels for Marketing April 6 - Facebook 101 May 4 - Facebook -- The Next Step June 1 - Is Your Marketing Working For You? |
||||
