Sep
28
Wed
Reach Customers Online with Google @ Virtual Webinar
Sep 28 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Learn how your business can be found online with Google. This workshop explains how Google Search works and how you can improve a website’s visibility with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The session also introduces products like Google Business Profile, Google Trends, Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Ads, and more.

In this workshop we’ll discuss best practices for:
– Improving your website’s visibility in Google’s organic search results, on all devices
– Creating a free Google Business Profile
– Advertising your business on Google

Presented by Grow with Google speaker, Randi Penfil

Thanks to Shenandoah Valley SBDC, Capital Region SBDC, Central Virginia SBDC, Laurel Ridge SBDC, SBDC Lynchburg Region, and Virginia State SBDC for hosting this webinar along with Grow with Google.

Oct
4
Tue
All you need to know about the SBDC to grow, build, or expand your business @ Virtual Webinar
Oct 4 @ 6:30 pm – 7:15 pm

Presented by Virginia SBDC Inclusivity Ambassador, Dr. Hope Murphy. This 45-minute informal information session will help you to get the most out of SBDC RESOURCES, programs, and networks in support of your small business.

As the largest small business support program in the country, the SBDC offers the services that small business owners need to succeed such as:

  • Small Business counseling (free)
  • Specialty programs (free)
  • Access to business data and information (free)
  • Cybersecurity training
  • Small business loan process
  • Training

After this session, you will know what is available, how to access it, and how to make the most of your free counseling sessions with the SBDC.

About the Presenter

Dr. Hope Murphy specializes in connecting business owners with the resources needed to build their businesses. Her experience includes providing business counseling to veterans through the Veteran’s Business Outreach Center and counseling/training entrepreneurs at the Women’s Business Center.

While Dr. Murphy counsels all small business owners, her passion is to provide business counseling that supports the unique needs of minority business owners.

Dr. Murphy is a small business owner and she provides diversity and inclusion training to organizational leaders and their teams. She and her family live in Stafford, Virginia. hmurph3@gmu.edu


A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration, please be on the lookout for it.
Oct
11
Tue
Get Your Local Business on Google Search and Maps @ Virtual Webinar
Oct 11 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Now’s the time to make sure your business profile is verified and updated on Google Search and Maps. Lots of changes have been happening with a Business Profile. This is a free tool for local businesses who want to connect with customers on Google Search and Maps. In this session, we’ll show you how to:

– How to create and/or update your profile on Google
– Hide your address
– Use your Business Profile to connect with potential customers
– What’s new, tips and tricks to updating your profile
– Hands on-demo of the product in action

Presented by Grow with Google speaker, Randi Penfil

Thanks to Shenandoah Valley SBDC, Capital Region SBDC, Central Virginia SBDC, Laurel Ridge SBDC, SBDC Lynchburg Region, and Virginia State SBDC for hosting this webinar along with Grow with Google.

Start Smart Workshop @ Chamber Office
Oct 11 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Start Smart Workshop @ Chamber Office

Do you reside in the Lexington-Rockbridge County Area, and are thinking about starting a new business?

Do you have questions about how to move forward? Are you considering moving your hobby into a more structured business form? Have you already started your small business and now realize you may have missed a few things?

Your Shenandoah Valley SBDC has answers, information, and resources to help!

In our Start Smart Workshops, we discuss the path to good decisions and a successful start. You’ll learn to take a thorough 360° approach to your business and all its components – from product development to target marketing to financial projections and bookkeeping. We also cover the regulations and registrations you need to know.

Follow-up appointments are then available with SBDC business advisors to focus on your individual business growth needs.

Oct
12
Wed
Is Your Business Holiday Ready? @ webinar
Oct 12 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Before we know it, the holidays will be here! Have you already begun your black Friday & Small Business Saturday prep work? If not, join us as we discuss key topics related to holiday shopping.

Topics:

  • Advertisement & Marketing
  • How to analyze your sales trends to prepare your inventory
  • Email & social media campaigns
  • Planning your holiday promotions
  • Website traffic

Speaker(s): Charese Chambers

Oct
14
Fri
Business Smarts – Capital is Key @ Shenandoah Valley SBDC
Oct 14 @ 8:30 am – 10:00 am

Join Jennifer Huffman, Solutions Banking Manager, and Josiah Rider, Business Branch Manager, from Atlantic Union Bank for a discussion on using business capital wisely.

Participants will leave with an understanding of the different types of capital, when to use them, and how each can help drive your business to success.

  1. Business Capital
  2. Relationship Capital
  3. Talent Capital

$10 for Chamber Members $15 for Non-Chamber Members

Oct
18
Tue
Women in Entrepreneurship Showcase @ Festival Ballroom Grand
Oct 18 @ 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

In celebration of Global Women in Entrepreneurship Week, JMU will showcase female entrepreneurs and business owners from throughout the Shenandoah Valley. Enjoy some food and beverages while browsing their products and learning about their unique entrepreneurial journeys. Also, hear from a JMU alumni serial entrepreneur Tina Fox as she tells her motivational story and the important lessons she’s learned along the way!

The schedule will be as follows:
5 – 6 PM: Open Exhibition. Meet the business owners, learn about their products, offerings, and their story!
6 – 6:30 PM: Keynote Address from Guest Speaker
6:30 – 7:30 PM: Additional Exhibition and Networking time with light refreshments

Register HERE.

Oct
20
Thu
Grow Your Business with Digital Marketing @ Virtual Webinar
Oct 20 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Updated for 2022

Businesses need to understand the basics of digital marketing now more than ever, because digital marketing creates growth.

Learn about the basics of digital marketing, including:

  • Social Media
  • Email Marketing
  • Paid Ads
  • SEO
  • Affiliate Marketing
  • How to use analytics to measure your success
A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration, please be on the lookout for it.

Instructor: Cameron Nelson, Chief Digital Advisor, Virginia SBDC and CV SBDC

Mr. Nelson has over 18 years experience in technology, and as a senior tech consultant in Silicon Valley helping Fortune 500 companies improve their digital marketing and eCommerce. At the same time he founded several tech companies, including a SaaS website for tree preservation and a blockchain platform for nonprofits. Cameron is accomplished in language, culture, has an MBA and MA and believes new technology products have the ability to help shape our world for the better.

Fee: No Cost

Oct
26
Wed
Start Smart Workshop @ Virtual Webinar
Oct 26 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Start Smart Workshop @ Virtual Webinar

Do you reside in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia and are thinking about starting a new business?

Do you have questions about how to move forward? Are you considering moving your hobby into a more structured business form? Have you already started your small business and now realize you may have missed a few things?

Your Shenandoah Valley SBDC has answers, information, and resources to help!

In our Start Smart Workshops, we discuss the path to good decisions and a successful start. You’ll learn to take a thorough 360° approach to your business and all its components – from product development to target marketing to financial projections and bookkeeping. We also cover the regulations and registrations you need to know.

Follow-up appointments are then available with SBDC business advisors to focus on your individual business growth needs.

Note that this is a live, on-line Webinar.

Fee: No Cost

Oct
27
Thu
Marrying Form and Function: Designing a Useful, Compelling Space for Your Craft Beverage Business @ Virtual webinar
Oct 27 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

There are many technical demands to be met when building out a craft beverage production facility: water, drainage, electrical, even ceiling heights. But with the growing importance of in-house sales, producers need to think about the aesthetic experience of public-facing spaces, as well. In this webinar, Virginia SBDC Craft Beverage Assistance Manager Chris Van Orden will ask Christopher Peli of CORE architecture + design how breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries can design their facilities to balance form and function.

A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration, please be on the lookout for it.

Speaker: Christopher Peli, CORE architecture + design

As a senior job captain at CORE with more than 15 years of experience, Christopher is involved in many diverse project types from hospitality to urban design, renovation and new construction. Christopher has extensive construction administration experience on complex building renovation and restaurant projects. He pushes the envelope of the hospitality design industry by looking at obstacles of budget, tight timeframes, and site conditions as tools for decision-making rather than restrictions

IRS Guide to Withholding and Estimated Taxes @ webinar
Oct 27 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Pay As You Go so You Don’t Owe: A Guide to Withholding and Estimated Taxes

Taxes should be paid throughout the year, as income is received, to avoid large tax bills and penalty. Even with our pay-as-you-go system, the number of taxpayers with tax underpayments increases year to year. Join the Virginia SBDC and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for this workshop to learn how you can avoid tax underpayments. During this workshop we will discuss:

  • Adjustments to Tax Withholding
  • Estimated Tax Payments
  • The Tax Withholding Estimator Tool, and
  • Various Payment Options

A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration, please be on the lookout for it.

Presenter: Anika Pompey, Senior Stakeholder Liaison with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Fee: No Cost

Nov
1
Tue
Sell Online with E-Commerce Tools @ Virtual Webinar
Nov 1 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Learn how to sell your products online. We’ll walk through listing your products for free with your Google Business Profile and Merchant Center. In this workshop, we’ll:

– Discuss the Products tab in Google Business Profile
– Introduce Google Merchant Center and the basics of creating a free account and a product feed
– Show you how to connect an E-Commerce website (using Shopify as an example) to the Merchant Center

Presented by Grow with Google speaker, Randi Penfil

Thanks to Shenandoah Valley SBDC, Capital Region SBDC, Central Virginia SBDC, Laurel Ridge SBDC, SBDC Lynchburg Region, and Virginia State SBDC for hosting this webinar along with Grow with Google.

Nov
10
Thu
All you need to know about the SBDC to grow, build, or expand your business @ Virtual Webinar
Nov 10 @ 12:00 pm – 12:45 pm

Presented by Virginia SBDC Inclusivity Ambassador, Dr. Hope Murphy. This 45-minute informal information session will help you to get the most out of SBDC RESOURCES, programs, and networks in support of your small business.

As the largest small business support program in the country, the SBDC offers the services that small business owners need to succeed such as:

  • Small Business counseling (free)
  • Specialty programs (free)
  • Access to business data and information (free)
  • Cybersecurity training
  • Small business loan process
  • Training

After this session, you will know what is available, how to access it, and how to make the most of your free counseling sessions with the SBDC.

About the Presenter

Dr. Hope Murphy specializes in connecting business owners with the resources needed to build their businesses. Her experience includes providing business counseling to veterans through the Veteran’s Business Outreach Center and counseling/training entrepreneurs at the Women’s Business Center.

While Dr. Murphy counsels all small business owners, her passion is to provide business counseling that supports the unique needs of minority business owners.

Dr. Murphy is a small business owner and she provides diversity and inclusion training to organizational leaders and their teams. She and her family live in Stafford, Virginia. hmurph3@gmu.edu


A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration, please be on the lookout for it.
Nov
11
Fri
Business Smarts – Canceled @ Shenandoah Valley SBDC
Nov 11 @ 8:30 am – 10:00 am

Many employers are currently facing recruiting challenges.  Veterans and the military community face employment challenges regularly.  In fact, in a recent survey, 90% of veterans indicated there were obstacles in obtaining employment.  In this session, we explore ways to help break down the barriers to employment opportunities for transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses and promote inclusive policies and practices.  The presentation, developed by USAA and the SHRM Foundation will help promote inclusive policies and help employers understand the importance of communicating their desire to be inclusive and welcoming.  We will also explore unique strategies for recruiting, onboarding, and retaining veterans and military spouses.

Sheri Bender, Pulse HR Solutions, LLC serves as a USAA/SHRM Foundation Veterans Ambassador.  She has over 25 years of practical HR/Training experience and enjoys working with organizations and military veterans to bridge the gap and help translate skills. In her experience, there is a big language barrier and it is enlightening to have true conversations about what a candidate has to contribute and watch them flourish when matched with the right role.  That’s why she believes this program is so valuable.

$10 for Chamber Members $15 for Non-Chamber Members. Coffee & donuts provided.

Nov
14
Mon
Start Smart Workshop @ Virtual Webinar
Nov 14 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Start Smart Workshop @ Virtual Webinar

Do you reside in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia and are thinking about starting a new business?

Do you have questions about how to move forward? Are you considering moving your hobby into a more structured business form? Have you already started your small business and now realize you may have missed a few things?

Your Shenandoah Valley SBDC has answers, information, and resources to help!

In our Start Smart Workshops, we discuss the path to good decisions and a successful start. You’ll learn to take a thorough 360° approach to your business and all its components – from product development to target marketing to financial projections and bookkeeping. We also cover the regulations and registrations you need to know.

Follow-up appointments are then available with SBDC business advisors to focus on your individual business growth needs.

Note that this is a live, on-line Webinar.

Fee: No Cost