Are you a small, women-owned, or minority-owned business who wants to do business with the Commonwealth of Virginia? Small business owners who are looking to participate in Virginia’s specialized procurement and contracting opportunities are encouraged to become SWaM certified. The SWaM certification is a vehicle to promote economic growth of Virginia’s businesses.
Becoming SWaM certified is just the first step in doing business with the Commonwealth.
This workshop will cover:
+The SWaM Certification process
+Required documents needed to apply
+How to use the certification to do business with the Commonwealth (intro to eVA, Virginia’s Online Procurement Portal).
+This event is in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity and the Roanoke Regional SBDC.
Who should attend: Current small business owners in all industries who are curious about expanding their business to include government contracting
Date: Thursday, June 2
Time: 10:00AM-11:00AM
Speaker(s): Ramain Gohar
A confirmation email with the Zoom login information will be sent after registration
With each step forward in your leadership journey, you may encounter roadblocks to leading your teams effectively. As you gain more and more leadership responsibility, you tend to rely less on technical skills, your ability to supervise a process, or your training on how to manage specific metrics. Developing and strengthening specific leadership skills can make a tremendous impact on the results of your team as well as the entire organization.
Following this session, you will be able to:
- Recognize the three most common roadblocks in any leadership transition and how they prevent you from achieving peak performance and profitability
- Understand what separates an effective manager from a great leader and how you can be both
- Recognize the impact of effective communication in a transition
- Implement strategic, practical steps to overcome your biggest roadblocks.
Presenters: Prior to founding Dove Development & Consulting, Wes and Cindy Dove built strong resumes in large corporations and small, family-owned businesses. In addition to extensive work in behavior-based safety, Wes was responsible for safety compliance, human resources, and personnel development in multiple industries. With over 20 years in the healthcare field, Cindy was responsible for operations, hospice, and sales. By applying a foundation of leadership and effective workplace communication principles, Cindy created high levels of success for the companies she served. Both Wes and Cindy have served as Executive Directors with The John Maxwell Team and on that organization’s President’s Advisory Council. They are also Certified Human Behavior Consultants through Personality Insights.
This lesson has also been approved for continuing education credit by SHRM, HRCI, and the National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB/NCERS).
Have you made it easy for strangers to hijack your brand?
It’s often said that branding is storytelling, and it’s a dead-on statement. You wouldn’t ask a stranger with bad intentions to tell the story of your business. But that may be what you’re doing if you don’t take steps to protect your brand identity. Your trademark – the embodiment of your brand – is the place in the mind of a consumer that links your brand to your business. If the brand is not protected, this connection can be lost or needlessly muddled. High stakes indeed.
In this fast-paced session, we’ll discuss –
- what a trademark is (and isn’t),
- how to start out a business on a solid trademark footing,
- what it means to register a trademark – and how to do it,
- steps to take to be vigilant about infringement,
- ways in which brand value can be corroded from within,
- how domain names fit into the brand equation,
- what brand protection means in a post-pandemic world that’s driven by e-commerce and affected by social media influences,
- five brand protect takeaways to start your Friday.
About the Presenter: Jared Burden, a Harrisonburg-based Partner in the Virginia law firm GreeneHurlocker PLC, is a hands-on transactional business attorney whose practice over several decades has always been focused (whether directly or indirectly) on assuring that business owners maintain the value of their brand. Jared has served as inside and outside general counsel to mature middle-market companies with tens of millions of revenue as well as individual entrepreneurs taking their first steps to actualize their big idea. Jared is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Virginia School of Law, and has lived with his wife Jenny Burden and family in Harrisonburg for 20 years.
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 via Zoom Time: July 28th at 10:00am. Please find the Zoom link and review PDF Workbook attached in the reminder email 48 hours in advance. Please let me know if you are unable to attend or have questions via email to duganaj@jmu.edu
Thank You! Allison Dugan, Shenandoah Valley SBDC
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 via Zoom Time: September 15th 10:00am. Please find the Zoom link and review PDF Workbook attached in the reminder email 48 hours in advance. Please let me know if you are unable to attend or have questions via email to duganaj@jmu.edu
Thank You! Allison Dugan, Shenandoah Valley SBDC
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.
- Business Capital
- Relationship Capital
- Talent Capital
$10 for Chamber Members $15 for Non-Chamber Members
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.
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.
The SWaM Vendor Fair will offer a wealth of contacts for marketing your goods and services and provide an opportunity to make personal contact with some of the 600+ JMU departmental buyers. The event is scheduled to take place at the James Madison University Festival Center on Tuesday, August 1st 2023. The morning will begin with a networking luncheon to meet with other SWaM vendors and the JMU Procurement Services buyers. As the fair gets underway in the afternoon, you’ll meet with many JMU departmental buyers and faculty as well as numerous buyers from other state, local, and private organizations.
Event Theme:“Back to the Future”
SWaM Vendor Fair Table Registration: $75
Event Website:https://www.jmu.edu/procurement/vendor-fair.shtml