Are you struggling to attract visitors to your website? It could be the perfect time to learn the SEO basics and elevate your search engine ranking. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a multi-faceted marketing strategy that might seem daunting, but fear not.
Join our webinar, where our expert presenter will guide you through the fundamentals of SEO marketing. You’ll learn how to build an effective SEO marketing strategy, discover quick and effective tactics for driving traffic to your website and monitor and maintain your site’s performance.
Learning objectives:
- The three essential elements to rank high in search engines
- Step-by-step instructions for picking high-potential keywords
- How to seamlessly optimize on-page content for your target keywords
- How to find and fix SEO issues dragging down your rankings
- Simple techniques for getting reputable sites to link back to your website
- How to monitor your site’s search engine performance using free tools
Live attendees will receive free business resources and a link to this webinar recording.
The Federal Government buys over $600 billion per year on goods and services, 5% of that spend is allocated for Woman Owned and Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Businesses (WOSB/EDWOSB). This is a huge opportunity for small woman owned 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 WOSB/EDWOSB • Understanding the application process • Understanding how to prepare before applying • Staying Certified
Speaker(s): Lisa Wood is the Statewide Director of the Virginia PTAC, hosted by George Mason University where she is also an Adjunct Professor of Management. Prior to that, she served as the Statewide Director with the Connecticut and Ohio PTAC programs and was also Director for the Northwest Commission PTAC in Pennsylvania. Before joining the PTAC community, Lisa was a Procurement Specialist for Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. In this role, Wood performed contract administration and negotiation duties. She also recommended bidders, handled issue inquiries, negotiated bids, performed cost and price analysis, and prepared comprehensive letters to justify recommended contract actions. Ms. Wood holds an MBA from the University of New Haven and a BSBA through Robert Morris University of Pittsburgh where she is also pursuing her PhD in Instructional Management and Leadership.
If you need further assistance or have a question, please contact us at (540) 654-1383
Empowering your workforce with cybersecurity awareness and best practices is crucial in safeguarding your small business against cyber threats.
This training is tailored for small business owners seeking to cultivate a cybersecurity-conscious culture and equip their employees with the knowledge and skills necessary to mitigate cyber risks effectively.
Speaker: Quiana Gainey, Virginia SBDC Cyber Industry Expert
A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration – a day before before the event – please be on the lookout for it.
Having financial stability and basic money management skills is essential before starting a business. Join us and learn practical strategies you can use to take control of your finances.
In this webinar, we’ll explore techniques for tracking and managing your expenses, creating a simple but effective budget for unforeseen circumstances, savings strategies for future purchases, and most importantly, achieving financial stability.
Key Topics Include:
- Effective expense management
- Easy-to-understand budgets
- Generate additional income by analyzing every expense.
- Saving for things you think you can’t afford
- Optimizing a comfortable lifestyle
Live attendees will receive free business resources and a link to this webinar recording.
Overview of Live Webinar
Refresh your knowledge to effectively market your goods and/or services! This live webinar (via Zoom) will cover the following marketing essentials:
- How to choose your target group(s)
- How to communicate with your target(s)
- Market Definition
- Market Segmentation
- Competitive Analysis
- Company Branding
- Online (SEO) and Offline Marketing
Speaker: Bernard Ferret – Senior Business Counselor, Mason SBDC & Serial Entrepreneur
Co-sponsor(s) & Partner(s): Prince William County Department of Economic Development & Prince William Chamber of Commerce
Cancellation Policy: Contact us earlier than OR 72 hours (3 days) prior to event. Kindly email – help@masonsbdc.org (preferred) or call 703-261-4105 to notify the team.
Special Instruction: This live webinar will be offered on the Zoom platform. You will receive a Zoom inivitation link after the registration.
This webinar will cover the basic facts about patents. We will explore the different types of patents, including utility, design, and plant. We will define the difference and use of both provisional patent applications and non-provisional patent applications. Further, we will discuss the process of patent prosecution, the role of the U.S. patent examiner and what to expect when working with the USPTO.
Information regarding a number of patent prosecution programs and initiatives available to applicants will also be provided.
Speaker: Tong Guo, Patent Examiner, USPTO
Webinar presented in collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration – a day before before the event – please be on the lookout for it.
Business insurance is an important investment for any small business. Running a business requires you to plan for many day-to-day challenges, but have you planned and prepared for the unexpected?
In this webinar, our expert presenter will guide you through the various kinds of insurance, what you need and don’t need for your business, companies that provide business insurance and the general costs associated with business insurance.
Learning objectives:
- Understanding and managing the business risks
- Understand the different types of liability insurance
- How to protect your assets, income and personal cash or property
- Protect from injuries and damages received or inflicted
Live attendees will receive free business resources and a link to this webinar recording.
Please join Senior Business Counselor, and Adjunct GMU Professor George Siragusa, on Wed, November 16th, 2022, as he guides you through a step-by-step process of building a business performance dashboard, complete with relevant metrics, that is invaluable to meet your strategic and tactical goals and objectives. This webinar is extremely useful for early stage companies, growth, or even mature businesses! During this NO-COST webinar you should be able to: :
- See what business dashboards look like
- Understand why a “scorecard” is important
- Become familiar with the principles that guide your 1st dashboard draft
- Know how to get started and begin building a dashboard for your business
- Decide on a group of simple but important key metrics
- See what software is available, making scorecard development easier
- Learn how and when to use these new business metrics with your business team
- See how dashboard insights can make a positive impact on your business performance
- AND… hear answers to many of your business briefing questions in real time!
THERE IS NO COST to ATTEND; but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
Speaker: George Siragusa – Senior Business Advisor, Mason SBDC, Adjunct Professor, George Mason University teaching Entrepreneurship for Engineers at the School of Engineering, and Senior Mentor for 3 area Startup Venture Accelerators.
Co-sponsor(s) & Partner(s): Prince William County Department of Economic Development & Prince William Chamber of Commerce
Cancellation Policy: Please provide 24 business-hours notification prior to event. Kindly email – help@masonsbdc.org (preferred) or call 703-261-4105
Special Instruction: This live webinar will be presented on the Zoom platform. Webinar access details (Zoom invitation) will be provided after registration.
Grab your lunch and join us the first Thursday of each month to learn more about SBA programs and network with other small business owners.
Market research is an integral step in creating your business plan, identifying your competition, and identifying your market. In this workshop we will cover free resources to find market research data using the following databases:
- Census Business Builder
- International Trade Data
- Trade Group Data
- ESRI
Speaker(s): Martin Short, Lead Economic Development Specialist & Public Information Officer
If you need further assistance or have a question, please contact us at (540) 654-1383
Whether you’re striving to pay off debt, start a business or just gain control of your finances, creating an effective budget is the cornerstone of financial success.
In this webinar, our expert speaker will show you how to build an effective and easy budget that you can use to plan, manage and save for your financial future.
What you’ll learn:
- Effective ways to Manage your money
- Easy to understand Budgets
- Understanding money, assets and creating passive income
- Money Saving Strategies
- Financial planning for the future
Live attendees will receive free business resources and a link to this webinar recording.
This session will present some common sense tips on how to write an effective state or federal contract proposal.
Topics covered include:
- Understand Uniform Contract Format – RFP
- Things to consider before writing
- Proposal writing tips
- Typical evaluation criteria
- Win Theme development
- Keys to proposal success
- Typical elements of successful proposals
- Why proposals lose points
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration
Presented by Lisa Wood, Statewide Director, Virginia Apex Accelerator – sponsored by the Dept. of Defense
Duration: 1.5 Hours
COST: Virginia based companies/Va. University FREE; All Others $15
Updated for 2024
Join us and learn how to create and/or better manage your WordPress website!
Are you looking for a simple, yet effective website to use for your business? WordPress might be a good option! In this workshop, we’ll cover “the basics” on creating and updating a WordPress site, including:
- User management
- Page creation and editing
- Image and video uploads
- Plugin management
- Linking to social media
A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration – a day before before the event – please be on the lookout for it.
Instructor: Cameron Nelson, Technology Advisor, VA SBDC
Mr. Nelson has over 19 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.
Social media can be a powerful tool for small business owners to market their products and services directly to their customers. However, social media can also be overwhelming. Which platform do you post on? How often should you post? What do you post and when?
In this webinar, marketing expert Patty Ross will teach you the basics every business owner should know about social media marketing and the latest trends you should follow.
You will learn:
- How to create a content calendar
- How to choose which platforms make sense for your business
- The right times to post on each platform and how often
- What type of content to post for the best engagement
- What are the best social media advertising options
Project Spectrum is a comprehensive, cost-effective platform that provides companies, institutions, and organizations with cybersecurity information, resources, tools, and training. It’s mission is to improve cybersecurity readiness, resiliency, and compliance for small/medium-sized businesses and the federal manufacturing supply chain. This webinar will review the tools available and provide tips on how to use the program to help your business.
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration
Presented by Lisa Wood, Statewide Director, Virginia Apex Accelerator — sponsored by the Dept. of Defense
Duration: 1.5 Hours
Congratulations, you’ve found a grant opportunity! However, the challenge doesn’t end there. Applying for a grant involves the art of “grant writing,” a task that can be just as challenging as finding the grant itself. In this webinar, we’ll teach you the grant writing skills you’ll need to craft compelling grant proposals to help increase your chances of securing funding.
Our expert presenter will explain the application process, what a grant proposal is and how it can help you apply for grants. Finally, our presenter will guide you through developing a standard grant proposal that can be utilized across multiple funding opportunities.
In this webinar, you’ll learn:
- What is a grant proposal and how can it help
- Learn to write a proposal that aligns with funding applications
- Discover common reasons why funding applications get denied
- Uncover valuable resources and sources for finding grants
Live attendees will receive free business resources and a link to this webinar recording.