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Are you thinking about starting a new business?
Do you have lots of questions about how - or whether - 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 SV 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 markets to financial projections. We'll 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 needs.
Start Smart workshops are held in various locations and at various times; if this session doesn't suit, check the Web Calendar for more options.
This Program will be rescheduled soon! Keep an eye on our calendar as we plan to bring you live webinars in the meantime.
Click here to register for any Start Smart or other SBDC workshop.
Click here for Directions and Parking information for the JMU Ice House.
Save the Date for the first of three digital marketing workshops! More info to come.
Your SBDC is working on re-scheduling this program, as we look forward to when you can join us in person again soon!
The Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center, the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity and the Virginia Procurement Technical Assistance Center present a high level overview of the free and valuable services provided to small businesses to contract with local, state and federal government. Trades and Tech companies are encouraged to attend!
This half-day workshop is for small business owners who want to better understand their customer and develop a marketing strategy, find the right funding for expansion, and do business directly with the Government thru SWaM and eVA.
AGENDA
9:00 Sign-In. Welcome and Introductions.
9:15 What PTAC Does: Very not Scary. Statewide PTAC Director Lisa Wood brings us Federal Government Procurement 101
10:00 Virginia's Marketplace. Courtney Mustin of the Small Business and Supplier Diversity explains SWaM Certification and eVA.
10:45 Break
11:00 Find the Right Funding with Linda Gilbert of the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority
11:45 Q&A
We send them, receive them, and communicate with them every day, but are you using email to its full potential as a marketing tool?
Email marketing is a powerhouse that can accelerate customer acquisition and retention. Learn exactly what you need to know in order to use email marketing to your advantage, how to simplify the process, and the trade secrets that your competitors wish they knew.
Presenter Brooke Anderson, Chief Convergence Officer with Converge Local, uses her marketing and communication skills to help businesses grow and thrive. With a degree in Communications and Public Relations from James Madison University, she’s worked with entrepreneurs, businesses, nonprofits, and companies like Coca-Cola to perfect their marketing campaigns, communicate effectively, and target the right audience in the right way.
Register for this Business Smarts session here.
Business Smarts sessions are held on the 2nd Friday of every month with networking opportunities and guest presentations on a variety of topics.
Parking for Business Smarts: See your options here. Permits are required for the JMU Ice House Lot, but we list other options as well.
The series is sponsored by your Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
Are you thinking about starting a new business?
Do you have lots of questions about how - or whether - 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 SV 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 markets to financial projections. We'll 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 needs.
Start Smart workshops are held in various locations and at various times; if this session doesn't suit, check the Web Calendar for more options.
This Program will be rescheduled soon! Keep an eye on our calendar as we plan to bring you live webinars in the meantime.
Click here to register for any Start Smart or other SBDC workshop.
Click here for Directions and Parking information for the JMU Ice House.
Save the Date for the second of three digital marketing workshops! More info to come.
Save the Date for the third and final digital marketing workshop! More info to come.
This program will be rescheduled, because we look forward to inviting you to join us for an overview of the use and protection of trademarks for your business soon:
- How trademarks, patents, copyrights, domain names, and business names all differ.
- Critical factors in selecting a trademark that will be federally registrable and legally protectable.
- Clearance searches and whether to use an attorney, and impact of cease-and-desist letters.
- Federal application process and the role of the USPTO.
- How to avoid "scams" perpetrated by companies not associated with the USPTO
- What happens after registration and how to keep a registration alive.
Craig Morris
Craig Morris works within the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Alexandria, Virginia. Currently, he is the Managing Attorney for Trademark Educational Outreach, spearheading the effort for increased USPTO educational activities in the area of trademark fundamentals. For fourteen years prior, he was the Managing Attorney for the Trademark Electronic Application System, focusing on making the Trademark Operation a total e-government environment. Mr. Morris has been with the USPTO since 1983, previously serving as a Law Office Examining Attorney, Senior Attorney, and Managing Attorney.
Watch for details to come!
Register for this Business Smarts session here.
Business Smarts sessions are held on the 2nd Friday of every month with networking opportunities and guest presentations on a variety of topics.
Parking for Business Smarts: See your options here. Permits are required for the JMU Ice House Lot, but we list other options as well.
The series is sponsored by your Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
Are you ready to take advantage of the powerful marketing tools available for selling to Virginia? Learn from an expert about how you can get eVA and SWaM certified for free in order to help you sell to the government and government funded agencies.
Courtney Mustin, Regional Business Services Manager for Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity, will provide on-on-one 90 minute meetings to help you maximize your ability to do business with the government.
There is no fee for the session, but we do need you to complete a Request for Counseling form (if you are not yet a client of the SV SBDC). Questions? Please call the Shenandoah Valley SBDC at (540) 568-3227.
Our office will be closed May 25 so that staff may remember and honor the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Are you ready to take advantage of the powerful marketing tools available for selling to Virginia? Learn from an expert about how you can get eVA and SWaM certified for free in order to help you sell to the government and government funded agencies.
Courtney Mustin, Regional Business Services Manager for Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity, will provide on-on-one 90 minute meetings to help you maximize your ability to do business with the government.
Use our registration form to request an appointment with Courtney.
There is no fee for the session, but we do need you to complete a Request for Counseling form (if you are not yet a client of the SV SBDC). Questions? Please call the Shenandoah Valley SBDC at (540) 568-3227.
We all know how to Google, but that doesn’t make us expert researchers.
Daniel M. Russell, the senior research scientist for search quality at Google, attempts to elevate our search game in his recent book, The Joy of Search: A Google Insider’s Guide to Going Beyond the Basics.
This workshop will distill Russell’s tips with an emphasis on those most useful for business research. Attendees will learn how to use advanced Google search commands, take advantage of a few specialty Google tools, and develop strategies for triangulating information and avoiding confirmation bias in their search.
Presenter Elizabeth Price has been the Business Librarian at James Madison University since 2016. She serves as the liaison to the departments of Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Economics, Finance & Business Law, Hospitality Management, Management, Marketing, and Sports Recreation Management. She has an MS in Library & Information Science from the University of Kentucky and a BS from Ohio University. She has been teaching research skills in higher education since 2010, including a seminar course titled “Is Google Evil?” that explored our daily interactions with all things Google.
Register for this Business Smarts session here.
Business Smarts sessions are held on the 2nd Friday of every month with networking opportunities and guest presentations on a variety of topics.
Parking for Business Smarts: See your options here. Permits are required for the JMU Ice House Lot, but we list other options as well.
The series is sponsored by your Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
Are you ready to take advantage of the powerful marketing tools available for selling to Virginia? Learn from an expert about how you can get eVA and SWaM certified for free in order to help you sell to the government and government funded agencies.
Courtney Mustin, Regional Business Services Manager for Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity, will provide on-on-one 90 minute meetings to help you maximize your ability to do business with the government.
Use our registration form to request an appointment with Courtney.
There is no fee for the session, but we do need you to complete a Request for Counseling form (if you are not yet a client of the SV SBDC). Questions? Please call the Shenandoah Valley SBDC at (540) 568-3227.
There is power in building teams and organizations comprised of a diverse workforce. Our businesses are competing for an array of customers and leading teams that may be international, transnational, multigenerational, and multicultural.
This workshop will explore how to support, build, and lead within an environment that brings talented people together to drive the goals of your business or organization.
Presenter Rollin G. Johnson Jr. brings over 15 years of experience in strategic planning, community relations, and program management. His career and work have focused on deepening the impact of people, program operations, and universities within their communities. Rollin holds a M.B.A. from The Scott L. Carmona College of Business at Saginaw Valley State University. He is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who focused on microfinance banking, small/ medium business development, operations management, and strategy in Nepal and Burkina Faso
Register for this Business Smarts session here.
Business Smarts sessions are held on the 2nd Friday of every month with networking opportunities and guest presentations on a variety of topics.
Parking for Business Smarts: See your options here. Permits are required for the JMU Ice House Lot, but we list other options as well.
The series is sponsored by your Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.