Calendar

This session will introduce you to the world of vishing – the latest technique bad actors are using to scam grandmothers and small businesses out of their hard-earned cash.

Learn how hackers target small business owners and compromise their bank accounts, sometimes without even knowing they have been scammed! With new developments in Artificial Intelligence, it’s getting harder and harder to separate fact from fiction.

In this interactive session, we demonstrate popular variations on this technique, so you will be more aware and able to spot the con. Don’t fall victim to a common and growing social engineering ploy.

Who should attend: Small business owners who want to prevent scams and cybersecurity attacks targeting their company.

Speakers:

• Dr. Teresa Piliouras, CEO and Founder, Technical Consulting & Research, Inc., is an IT consultant, educator, inventor, and author. She holds a BS from the University of Illinois, an MBA from Iona College, a PhD from NYU Tandon School of Engineering.
• Pui Lam (Raymond) Yu, Executive Vice President Engineering at Technical Consulting & Research, Inc., has over 20 years of industry experience in Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, and Systems Engineering. He received his BEEE and MSEE from Stevens Institute of Technology and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, respectively, and his MSCS from New York University Tandon School of Engineering.
• Santhosh Chandraboasc, Cybersecurity Analyst Intern, Technical Consulting and Research, Inc., received his MS in Cybersecurity from Fordham University, and his BS in Information Technology from Pace University.
• Curtis Rowe II, Cybersecurity Analyst Intern, Technical Consulting and Research, Inc., is currently pursuing a BS in Cognitive Science at University of California, San Diego.

Co-sponsor(s) & Partner(s): Prince William County Department of Economic Development & Prince William Chamber of Commerce

Are you considering registering your business to be a government contractor? Do you think government contracting might be a good option to help grow your business? If so, then join us for GovCon 101. This session will be help you to understand:

• Whether government contracting is a good option for your business

• If your business is ready to enter the government arena

• The process of registering to be a government contractor

• Certifications that might benefit your business as a government contractor This event is free, but you must preregister in order to receive the instructions to attend.

Speaker(s): Lisa Powell worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration at the Connecticut District Office from 1998 to 2019 as an Economic Development Specialist monitoring the HUBZone and 8(a) portfolios for the local office before joining the Virginia PTAC as a Procurement Counselor in January 2021. During her time at the SBA, Lisa worked closely with all of SBA’s resource partners to facilitate procurement workshops held at local Community Colleges, Chambers of Commerce and libraries. As a Business Opportunity Specialist, she was involved with the Government Contracting programs that the SBA provides and worked very closely with the purchasing agents for the Federal and State Agencies as well as the larger prime contractors while organizing SBA Matchmakers and assisting small business.

American craft breweries are respected around the world for their quality and innovation, yet it can be difficult for a small independent producer to know how to approach potential international sales.
In this initial episode, the hosts will discuss what it means to be an export-ready brewery and what a brewery needs to know in the key areas of compliance.

The Brewers Association will close with some insights into the contours of top foreign markets for American breweries.

Co-sponsorship Authorization# 23-22-C. The SBA’s participation in this cosponsored activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least 2 weeks in advance of this event; please send an email with the subject header ACCOMMODATION REQUEST to reasonableaccommodation@sba.gov.

Overview of the Live Webinar

The following will be covered during this live webinar:

• Power of SEO and social media for attracting customers, including local SEO to precisely target your market.
• Website optimization for lead generation. How personas, message maps, and content calendars help to make your website and social media footprint more attractive when integrated.
• Social selling as an amplifier of your existing sales and marketing strategy. Learn to build an omni channel presence and customer journey for faster wins.
• What your digital channel strategy needs, to be effective in terms of content, technology and investment.
• How to effectively use paid media and advertising. Cost savings of optimizing your website and SEO to maximize paid media spend and ROI.

Speaker: Hussain Shah, Subject Matter Expert – Digital Marketing, Mason SBDC & Timm Johnson – Director, Mason SBDC

Co-sponsor(s) & Partner(s): Prince William County Department of Economic Development & Prince William Chamber of Commerce

Cancellation Policy: Contact the Center regarding cancellation 24 business hours prior to the event. Kindly email – help@masonsbdc.org (preferred) or call 703-261-4105 to notify the team.

Special Instructions: This live webinar will be presented via Zoom. Webinar access details (Zoom invitation) will be provided after registration.

• 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.

Thank you for your registration to Start Smart Workshop. Please let Rosie know if you are unable to attend or have questions via email to rigglerc@jmu.edu

Thank You! Barry Henderson, Shenandoah Valley SBDC

Cancellation Policy: Kindly contact us (email – help@masonsbdc.org (preferred) or call 703-261-4105) at least 24-business hours prior to the event for cancellations Special Instructions: This live webinar will conducted on the Zoom platform. Please watch your email for the webinar access link – which will be sent only after registration.

Grab your lunch and join us virtually for the first Thursday of each month to learn more about SBA programs and network with other small business owners.

Finding funding for your business can be challenging if your credit score is weak. Join us as we discuss strategies to improve both your personal and business credit score.

Key Takeaways:

how your personal credit affects your business
how to improve your personal credit to benefit your business
how to improve your business credit over time
Speaker(s): Joey Pocan, Richmond SBA

Once a brewery has confirmed that it’s equipped to pursue international markets, the next question is where to sell its products. It can be daunting to assess the potential of the many markets and partners looking for American craft beer, and there’s no one size fits all approach for market selection.

In this webinar, breweries will learn about available tools and strategies to help weigh different opportunities and develop an export strategy that suits their specific goals.

• 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.

Thank you for your registration to Start Smart Workshop. Please let Rosie know if you are unable to attend or have questions via email to rigglerc@jmu.edu

Thank You! Barry Henderson, Shenandoah Valley SBDC

Speaker(s): Hope Gayles, Associate Director, Communications & Outreach & Public Information Officer at Southern Virginia Higher Education Center

Co-Sponsor(s): LSBDC, GMU, SBA, VSBDC, SVHEC, GoVA

The Federal Government buys over $600 billion per year on goods and services, 23% of that spend is allocated for Small Business. This is a huge opportunity for firms, who qualify, to grow their business and become part of the challenging world of Government Contracting through set-aside opportunities. In order to get noticed by small business offices, you must first create a winning capability statement. This is the most importing marketing piece you will create for your business. A properly formatted capability statement will help you get noticed and differentiate you from your competition. In this presentation you will learn:

• Proper formatting of the statement
• Information to include and not include
• Differentiators, Core competencies and past performance content
• You will be provided an editable template to use for your own capability statement
• How to use the statement

Join Lisa Wood, Director of the Virginia Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), for this informative presentation – a “must” for those who are considering the Federal Government contracting market and want to learn how to prepare for/navigate this huge potential market.  This “beginners” class offers tips and tricks on how to win Federal business.

Speaker(s): Jeff Robertson, RRSBDC Team

The Federal Government buys over $600 billion per year on goods and services, 5% of that spend is allocated for Small Disadvantaged(8(A) firms. This is a huge opportunity for small firms, who qualify, to grow their business and become part of the challenging world of Government Contracting through set-aside opportunities. In this presentation you will learn:

• Eligibility requirements for 8(a) certification
• Understanding the Application Process
• Understanding how to prepare before applying
• Staying Certified

Speaker(s): Lisa Powell worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration at the Connecticut District Office from 1998 to 2019 as an Economic Development Specialist monitoring the HUBZone and 8(a) portfolios for the local office before joining the Virginia PTAC as a Procurement Counselor in January 2021. During her time at the SBA, Lisa worked closely with all of SBA’s resource partners to facilitate procurement workshops held at local Community Colleges, Chambers of Commerce and libraries. As a Business Opportunity Specialist, she was involved with the Government Contracting programs that the SBA provides and worked very closely with the purchasing agents for the Federal and State Agencies as well as the larger prime contractors while organizing SBA Matchmakers and assisting small business.