Register Here
Attendees will learn about best practices for coaching and counseling their employees. Strategies for having difficult conversations with employees will be shared.
Presenter Jenny Toth holds a Masters of Science in Education in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from James Madison University. She has twenty years of progressive experience in Human Resources at public and private institutions. Jenny’s areas of expertise include employee relations, employee development, training facilitation, mediation and investigations.
The series is sponsored by your Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
Start Smart Workshop now available via webinar!
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 growth needs.
Note that this is a live, on-line Webinar. When we receive your registration, we will send you the Start Smart Work Book in PDF format, and the url for the ZOOM webinar link in advance.
Click here to register for any Start Smart or other SBDC workshops.
Join the Valley SBDC and the Lexington-Rockbridge Chamber of Commerce for a virtual workshop during Lunch, and learn about of the use and protection of trademarks for your business:
- how trademarks, domain names, and business name registrations 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
Presenter Craig Morris works within the Office of the Commissioner for Trademarks in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Virginia. He is currently the Managing Attorney for Trademark Educational Outreach, spearheading the effort for increased USPTO educational activities in the area of trademark fundamentals. For 14 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.
One hour program is hosted by the Virginia SBDC Network using Zoom. Register in advance here to receive the secure login for Zoom. The ZOOM link will be in your email reminder 24 hours prior to the virtual class-PLEASE WATCH FOR IT!!
Start Smart Workshop now available via webinar!
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 growth needs.
Note that this is a live, on-line Webinar. When we receive your registration, we will send you the Start Smart Work Book in advance.
Click here to register for any Start Smart or other SBDC workshops.
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.
NEW Virtual Webinar! 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.
SWaM Certification and eVA Registration
The first workshop will cover the pertinent and necessary information on the benefits of becoming certified and the steps to take to apply for SWaM Certification as well as some other optional categories of state certification. It will also cover the step-by-step procedure to register a company as a vendor in eVA, Virginia's electronic marketplace which is the central site for many of the solicitations posted by most state agencies and many local government agencies.
Note: This is an entry level workshop for vendors who want to explore the potential for conducting business with government agencies and to prepare their companies to compete for contracts. The target audience is those small businesses without certification or registration in eVA.
Courtney Mustin, Regional Business Services Manager for Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity, will facilitate Part 1 on September 15th, and Part 2 on Wednesday, October 14th for clients who have already applied for SWaM Certification.
Use our registration form to request a one-on-one appointment with Courtney as they are scheduled on a first come, first served basis for both days later in the afternoon.
There is no fee for the sessions, 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 or email sbdc@jmu.edu
Start Smart Workshop now available via webinar!
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 growth needs.
Note that this is a live, on-line Webinar. When we receive your registration, we will send you the Start Smart Work Book in advance.
Click here to register for any Start Smart or other SBDC workshops.
Start Smart Workshop now available via webinar!
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 growth needs.
Note that this is a live, on-line Webinar. When we receive your registration, we will send you the Start Smart Work Book in advance.
Click here to register for any Start Smart or other SBDC workshops.
In this program, attendees will learn about:
1. Business Structure: changes stemming from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has had an impact on which business structures are more beneficial.
2. 2020 Year-End Tax Planning Ideas: investing in equipment, land preservation credits, "NAP" qualified organizations, and VA educational scholarships
3. What Most Business Owners Overlook Regarding Taxes: Effective tax planning (be proactive and meet with your accountant in October or November to review your current year tax situation, even if you are having a bad year!), projecting income, employee benefits, and business tax credits
4. Impact of New Tax Laws
Presenters David Black graduated with a BA in Accounting from Mary Baldwin College in 2000, and in 2003 graduated with a MBA from James Madison University. David is a member of the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (VSCPA) and American Society of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). With more than 15 years of public accounting and private industry experience, David serves a variety of small businesses in Harrisonburg and the surrounding counties. Carrie Klosek recently joined the staff at Young, Nicholas, Branner & Phillips, LLP. Prior to coming with YNBP, Carrie worked for several years in public accounting in Maryland where she specialized in small business and construction accounting.
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.
NEW Virtual Webinar! 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.
Selling to The Commonwealth
The second workshop will cover navigation of the “Virginia’s Marketplace” (eVA) website with emphasis on training guides, the Virginia Business Opportunity (VBO) listing of solicitations available in the state and local government agencies and reviews of various analytical reports to help in identifying potential markets and strategies to market the company’s capabilities.
Note: This is an intermediate level workshop designed to assist vendors in utilizing the powerful tools available on eVA to generate leads and enhance opportunities.
Courtney Mustin, Regional Business Services Manager for Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity, will facilitate Part 2 on Wednesday, October 14th for clients who have already applied for SWaM Certification. For those who want to learn about SWaM & eVA, Part 1 will be held in November.
Use our registration form to request a one-on-one appointment with Courtney as they are scheduled on a first come, first served basis for both days later in the afternoon.
There is no fee for the sessions, 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 or email sbdc@jmu.edu
Understanding the core purpose of your organization - beyond just making money - helps you define your distinctiveness and capitalize on the unique difference you make to your customers, employees, and supporters.
At this session, you will learn
- how to identify your core distinctions,
- how to use your core distinctions to better connect with your intended audience, and
- how to craft your brand, your culture, and your strategy to capitalize on those core distinctions.
Presenter Robert McFarland is the author of the international best sellers, Dear Boss: What Your Employees Wish You Knew and Dear Employee: What Your Boss Wishes You Knew. He has extensive experience in leading organizations through strategic planning, speaking to large and small audiences, training organizations through lecture and experiential methods, and coaching leaders through change. Over the years, he has been a plenary or workshop presenter at many national conferences. Robert is also a regular contributor to the Daily News-Record.
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.
You’ve got a great product or service, one that could make a huge difference to your target market. The problem is your market isn’t listening.
How do you create the marketing message that gets your audience to sit up, take notice, ask questions, and buy?
In this workshop, learn the foundation for creating a marketing message that connects and sells. Then work through the basic template for structuring that message. By the end of class, you will have the foundation and basic skills you need to create multiple marketing messages that connect and sell.
Presenter Susan Vincent owned a small day spa in Staunton, VA called Body & Soul Day Spa, from 2000-2010. She grew the business by 35% at the height of the US recession. She sold the business in 2010 and embarked on learning more to help small businesses thrive and grow. Susan now handles copy writing and consulting for many small businesses both locally and across the US.
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.