Jul
8
Fri
Business Smarts – Protecting Your Brand @ Shenandoah Valley SBDC
Jul 8 @ 8:30 am – 10:00 am

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.

 

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

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.