How to Use Sales Funnels & Marketing Automation to Grow Your Business

A sales funnel is a marketing term describing where your customers are in their purchasing journey and what marketing tools you can use to guide potential customers from interest to purchase.

In this webinar, you’ll learn how to use sales funnels to grow your business, automate your marketing tasks, create a complete customer journey map and determine your business KPIs so you can easily track what’s working and what’s not.

You’ll learn:

  • What is a sales funnel and how to use it in your business
  • How to create a complete customer journey map from discovery to purchase
  • Automation tools you can use to streamline marketing processes
  • How to establish and measure KPIs

Live attendees will receive free business resources and a link to this webinar recording.

Combating Social Engineering Attacks

Learn strategies for mitigating escalating threats!

As social engineering attacks continue to evolve and escalate, businesses must arm themselves with effective defense strategies. This comprehensive resource delves into the world of social engineering, offering insights into the latest tactics used by cybercriminals to manipulate employees and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. With the right knowledge and proactive measures in place, businesses can strengthen their security posture and safeguard against the ever-growing menace of social engineering attacks.

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.

Navigating Cybersecurity Compliance

A helpful guide for small business owners!

In today’s digital landscape, small businesses face an increasing number of cybersecurity threats. Navigating cybersecurity compliance can be daunting, especially for those with limited resources and expertise. This comprehensive guide provides small business owners with practical insights and actionable steps to effectively manage cybersecurity risks and ensure compliance with relevant regulations.

Whether you’re a startup or an established small business, staying ahead of cybersecurity challenges is essential for protecting sensitive data, maintaining customer trust, and securing long-term success.

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.

Learn about Lender Match

Lender Match is a free online referral tool that connects small businesses with participating SBA-approved lenders.

In this webinar, you will learn:

  • How it works
  • How You Should Prepare
  • Other Details You Need to Know

Biometric Betrayal: How Our Bodies Become Tools for Hackers

Overview of Live Webinar

Attention all small business owners! Biometrics are being used everywhere to “improve” the security of user logins and to help us authenticate our identity. However, if your biometrics are compromised, they are compromised forever. Join us for an engaging live webinar where we show you the latest tricks bad actors are using to steal your identity and what you can do to help protect yourself against this growing threat. In this session, you will:

  • Gain a Deeper Understanding: Learn how MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) is being used for identification and authentication, and the role biometrics can play.
  • Arm Yourself with Knowledge: Discover ways bad actors can steal your biometrics and use them to impersonate you when perpetrating their latest scams.
  • Strengthen Your Defenses: Learn effective strategies to safeguard your company against identity theft.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your awareness and fortify your business’s security. Register now to stay steps ahead of the evolving cyber landscape!

The webinar will be presented by the following speakers:

Dr. Teresa Piliouras – CEO and Founder, Technical Consulting & Research, Inc., an IT company specializing in AI, cybersecurity, quality management, and data analytics. Dr. Piliouras is a consultant, educator, inventor, and author. She holds a BS from the University of Illinois, an MBA from Iona College, and 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.

Adithya Rajendran – Cybersecurity Analyst at Technical Consulting & Research, Inc. He received his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Baskin Engineering at UCSC, and has a strong foundation in programming, data structures, algorithms, and software engineering.

Curtis Rowe II – Cybersecurity Analyst Intern, Technical Consulting and Research, Inc., received his BS in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego.

Trade Talk: The Role of Customs Brokers

In today’s globalized economy, it can be easy to take the flow of goods from market to market for granted. But there are experts operating behind the scenes who ensure that shipments clear customs and make it into the country smoothly.

In this webinar, the Virginia SBDC’s Assistant Director of International Business Development Chris Van Orden will ask Shawn Jarosz, Founder & Chief Strategist at TradeMoves, about her experience working with small businesses as a licensed customs broker.

Speaker: Shawn Marie Jarosz – Founder & Chief Trade Strategist, TradeMoves LLC Shawn’s tenure in international trade spans more than 25 years managing global sourcing/supply issues on behalf of U.S. companies of all sizes as well as related industry associations, primarily in the food and agriculture sector. Shawn is a cleared industry advisor to the U.S. Government on trade issues affecting U.S. small, minority and women-led businesses (past Chair, Industry Trade Advisory Committee/ITAC 9). She has been a licensed U.S. Customs broker since 2007 and is a Certified Customs Specialist. Shawn, along with members of her TradeMoves’ team, is a Certified Global Business Professional.

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.

Insuring Your Craft Beverage Business

Making and selling alcohol involves significant and varied risks, all of which need to be managed. But how can breweries, wineries, cideries, and distilleries determine the insurance they need at each stage of growth?

In this webinar, Craft Beverage Assistance Manager Chris Van Orden will ask Kyle Rheiner of Arthur Hall Insurance about the types of policies available to producers and best practices for developing a comprehensive risk-management strategy.

Speaker: Kyle C. Rheiner is a Certified Insurance Counselor, Agency Principal and is the Food & Beverage Practice Leader at Arthur Hall Insurance in West Chester, PA. Kyle has over 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry along with actually brewing and distilling craft beverages. Since 2013, Kyle has become the trusted insurance advisor for over 150 craft beverage makers in the US. Kyle is also the Host of The Beer Mighty Things Podcast – a craft beverage business library with over 25,000 downloads including interviews with industry leaders throughout the world.

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.

Create With Canva

In this beginner-friendly course, you’ll dive into the exciting world of graphic design using Canva.

Canva is a versatile design platform with thousands of ready-to-use attention- grabbing promotional templates to create business cards, flyers, social media posts, presentations, and business plans, just to name a few.

Canva also has a Magic Studio which utilizes AI to create images, videos, presentations, and so much more. Get ready to unleash your creativity with Canva!

Speaker(s): Dana Knott, LSBDC Central Region Director

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

Grant Funding for Technology Development & Commercialization Info Session

These special sessions will provide an overview of grant funding for Virginia based companies and researchers who are developing early-stage technology. Featured will be discussions about the federal Small Business Innovation Research grant programs, also known as SBIR (11 agencies award over $4B annually in $200K-$2M grants), and the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Commonwealth Commercialization Fund ($75K grants for small business and higher education technology development/commercialization).

Each session will be approximately 2 hours long and include coffee/bagels/pastries for the morning sessions and a light lunch for the lunch sessions. We’ll also have time to hear updates from the local ecosystem and our event hosts! Sessions are free, but advance registration is requested.

If you are thinking about developing new, innovative technology and/or you are currently in the process of doing so and you are seeking funding to finance the development, this session is for you! We’ll cover the basics of the programs, eligibility rules, funding amounts available, processes, timelines, and other support available to help.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration

Social Media Marketing Strategies for Your Small Business

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