Small Business Center

Small Business Center Seminars

The Small Business Center is a resource provided by the State of North Carolina and Montgomery Community College to help small businesses succeed.  We provide free confidential business counseling, free business skills seminars and free access to vital resources and information.  The Montgomery Community College Small Business Center will be offering the following free seminars this semester.  Please note that certificates will be provided to all seminar attendees.  Please note that drop-ins are always welcome at these seminars, but advance registration is strongly recommended so handouts and seating arrangements can be prepared.  Also, please note that seminars with less than three advance registrations may be canceled.  To register for any of these seminars or to make an appointment for counseling, please contact Richard Hinson by phone at 910-576-6222 Extension 216 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by mail at Montgomery Community College, 1011 Page Street, Troy, NC 27371.  Please monitor the Montgomery Community College Small Business Center website for schedule updates by visiting http://www.montgomery.edu/small-business-center.html

 

eBay Your Way to Success – The Basics of Selling on eBay

This seminar is designed for entrepreneurs wanting to make eBay a primary business tool.  During this fast-paced session, learn best practices to use when setting up an account, listing items for sale, taking payments and shipping.  Topics will include:  eBay appraisals and research; registering on eBay and starting a seller’s account; choosing formats and categories; writing descriptions that sell; submitting photos; analyzing feedback; using PayPal; shipping tips; and pricing philosophies that will make you an eBay Top Rated Seller!  Nick Hawkes is an education specialist trained by eBay with a diverse background in business administration and over 15 years of experience selling on eBay.

Instructor:      Nick Hawks

Date:               June 18

Time:              Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                 Free, Room 105 – Blair Auditorium

 

 Building Your Business on eBay – Beyond the Basics

This seminar is designed for business owners and entrepreneurs who are already selling on eBay who want to establish a continuous retail presence on eBay.  Topics in this fast paced session include:  starting and growing an eBay business; finding merchandise to sell; creating professional listings that can really generate sales; marketing your business on eBay; managing active listings effectively; resolving issues and feedback; and protecting your eBay business.  Learn valuable tricks of the trade that you have to know to become an eBay Power Seller.  Nick Hawkes is an education specialist trained by eBay with a diverse background in business administration and over 15 years of experience selling on eBay.

Instructor:      Nick Hawks

Date:               June 20

Time:              Thursday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                 Free, Room 105 – Blair Auditorium

 

eBay Stores

This seminar is designed for business owners and entrepreneurs who are ready to become eBay Store Owners.  During this fast-paced session, learn how to start, brand and optimize your eBay Store Website.  Learn to understand how to market your eBay Store more effectively with email newsletters, traffic reports and the markdown manager sales tool.  Learn how to use the “Quick Store Tune-Up” feature and “Manage My Store” page to customize your eBay Store.  Learn valuable tips for search engine optimization that will surely bring more internet shoppers to your eBay Store.  Nick Hawkes is an education specialist trained by eBay with a diverse background in business administration and over 15 years of experience selling on eBay.

Instructor:      Nick Hawks

Date:               June 25

Time:              Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                 Free, Room 105 – Blair Auditorium

 

Effective Communication Strategies for Entrepreneurs

Business owners and entrepreneurs must possess effective communication skills in order for their business venture to succeed.  In fact, communication is one of the most powerful business tools you can possess.  In this seminar, you will discover how to communicate more effectively with your employees and your customers and how to express your ideas clearly.  You will gain tips for better written and oral communication, one-on-one communication, group communication and upward, downward and lateral communication.  This seminar is a must for understanding the dynamics and power of communication and how to put effective communication skills to work for you.

Instructor:     Breon Allen

Date:              September 9

Time:             Monday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

How to Start Your Own Business

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn the basic procedures required to start their own business.  Learn the best way to start a business with minimum risk and limited investment.  Analyze potential opportunities to utilize your skills and resources to start a business.  Learn the importance of developing a written business plan before starting your business venture.  Evaluate the benefits of starting your business without quitting your present job, so you can pay your bills as your business grows.

Instructor:     Wendy Berry

Date:              September 19

Time:             Thursday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

How to Write a Business Plan

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn the basic procedures for developing a business plan on paper.  Many small businesses fail each year because the owner of the business had his business plan in his head and did not ever take the time to analyze his plan on paper.  Learn how to evaluate your special talents and skills and coordinate them with your basic habits and lifestyle preferences to determine if your business idea will work for you.  Learn how to create a marketing plan and a cash flow analysis for your business to evaluate the potential success for your business idea.  Learn how to prevent financial disaster in your business venture by starting your small business without quitting your present job to allow you to pay your bills while your business grows.

Instructor:     Wendy Berry

Date:              September 24

Time:             Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

How to Deal with Conflicts in the Business World

Business owners and entrepreneurs must learn how to deal with conflicts in the business world in order to be successful in their business.  Conflicts in the business world are inevitable.  However, conflicts do not have to force everyone to take sides and create major disruptions in your business.  Instead, conflict can be viewed as an opportunity for change and growth.  This seminar examines how to identify the basic causes of conflict and how to focus on preventing conflicts from disrupting the business environment.  Also, we will examine what to do when conflicts do occur and how to treat the actual causes rather than the symptoms.  In addition, you will learn the basic rules to help you deal with conflict when it occurs, how to move toward successful resolution and how to use the experience of conflict to actually enhance your business environment and to improve personal relationships with your employees and your customers.

Instructor:     Breon Allen

Date:              September 26

Time:             Thursday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Hands–On Facebook Marketing Strategies

This seminar is designed to show business owners and entrepreneurs how to successfully market their products using Advanced Facebook Marketing Strategies through hands-on demonstrations. During this class, Internet Marketing Expert Teresa Broadway will set up a Facebook page for your business and demonstrate all the basic procedures for establishing the identity of your business, listing your products or services and providing potential customers with an opportunity to place orders and make payments with your business.  Teresa will explain the various options available for using Facebook to effectively market your products or services on the Internet.  Learn how Facebook Marketing can help your business to generate sales by reaching a multitude of Facebook users all over the country.

Instructor:     Teresa Broadway

Date:              September 30

Time:             Monday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Legal Considerations for Small Business Owners

This seminar is strongly recommended for all business owners and entrepreneurs.  Learn the advantages and disadvantages of the basic types of business structures, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations. Learn how much legal protection you need to conduct business in your field of operation.  Learn how to design a basic contract between your business and your customers to ensure that you will receive prompt payment for your products or services.  Evaluate the basic legal needs of your small business through open discussion with an experienced attorney.

Instructor:     Harry Fisher

Date:              October 1

Time:             Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Financing Your Business Venture

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn how a strong business plan can help you obtain financing for your business venture.  Learn about various funding sources for business startups.  Learn the steps required to obtain assistance and information from the SBCN, the SBTDC and the SBA.  Learn how to evaluate your options for financing your business venture and how to improve your chances of obtaining the funding necessary to allow you to start and operate your own business.

Instructor:     Wendy Berry

Date:              October 3

Time:             Thursday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

How to Raise Your Credit Score to 740 Points

A good credit score is now considered to be 740 points or higher.  Should you have one credit card or four?  Should you pay off your balances every month or carry a balance?  Should you carry a credit card even though you have not used it in years?  The answers to these questions may surprise you when it comes to increasing your credit score.  Now more than ever, having good credit is important in being able to obtain a loan for your business or to obtain a personal loan.  Your credit score is also important in determining the interest rate of your loans, your insurance premiums and deposits required for phone and utility services.  As of October 1, 2005, every adult in North Carolina has been able to receive a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus.  Do you understand these reports and how to read them?  In this seminar we will discuss the history of credit scoring, how to read a credit report and what factors are used in calculating your FICO or Beacon score.  You will learn the legal tricks credit bureaus do not reveal on how to raise your score simply by the way you use your credit cards, treat inquiries, make your payments and carry balances.  This seminar will also include information about the importance of maintaining good credit and the positive financial consequences it produces.  Using several proven methods, your credit score could increase by 50-100 points or more within 60 days. Make plans to attend now!

Instructor:     Bob Moore

Date:              October 8

Time:             Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Marketing Your Business

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who would like to discover fresh marketing ideas for their business venture.  Learn the basic fundamentals of marketing a business.  Evaluate marketing techniques and inexpensive advertising ideas that can help a business grow and prosper.  Learn how to evaluate your competition and how to increase your share of the available market.  Explore business marketing systems using the Internet to illustrate specific examples. 

Instructor:     Breon Allen

Date:              October 9

Time:             Wednesday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Secrets of Great Customer Service

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to improve their customer relationships, build customer loyalty and increase sales.  These days, businesses cannot survive for long without great customer service.  Learn what you need to do to keep your current customers happy, attract new ones and keep both groups coming back.  Examine some of the typical reasons that customers leave and what you can do to prevent it from happening.  Evaluate customer service from different perspectives and share stories – the good, the bad and the ugly. 

Instructor:     Emily Ballance

Date:              October 10

Time:             Thursday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Inexpensive and Creative Ways to Market Your Small Business

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to improve their marketing skills and explore new ways to market their business venture.  Would you rather eat live insects than market your small business?  Learn new, inexpensive, fun and creative ways to market your products or services.  Find out how to overcome common obstacles that may be holding you back.  Bring your business cards if you have some but don’t worry if you don’t.  You’ll leave with new ideas to grow your business, increase your visibility and connect with your community.

Instructor:     Emily Ballance

Date:              October 10

Time:             Thursday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Legal Strategies for Business Owners Concerning Major Life and Death Issues

This seminar is strongly recommended for all business owners and entrepreneurs.  Learn how the following basic legal documents protect you from financial disaster: Power of Attorney; Healthcare Power of Attorney; Living Will; Key Person Insurance; Testamentary Will; Trust for Minor Children; Revocable Trust and Business Agreements as to Death or Withdrawal.  Evaluate your basic legal needs to prepare for your future and protect yourself and your heirs from physical and financial hardship through open discussion with an experienced attorney.

Instructor:     Harry Fisher

Date:              October 15

Time:             Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Fifteen Common Mistakes That Will Undermine Your Business

This seminar is strongly recommended for all business owners and entrepreneurs.  We have all heard the old saying that we should learn from other’s mistakes.  Opening and operating a business normally involves a great deal of time and a substantial financial investment.  During this seminar, you will examine the fifteen most common mistakes made by entrepreneurs and business owners that ultimately undermine their business.  If you are a current business owner or if you plan to start a business soon, this seminar will prove to be very valuable in helping you develop a legal, profitable and growing business.  Make a solid investment in the survival of your business by learning how to avoid these fifteen common mistakes.

Instructor:     Bob Moore

Date:              October 17

Time:             Thursday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Strategies for Effective Supervision

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to improve the effectiveness of their supervisors.  Many supervisors are promoted into a management position from the production floor without any supervisory training.  Just the fact that you are a great production worker does not automatically mean that you will be an effective supervisor.  This seminar will provide supervisors with the basic techniques for effective supervision.  You will learn the basic principles of managing employees in a way that will allow you to earn their respect and cooperation.  You will learn how to communicate effectively with employees and with management, how to develop your listening skills in order to find the true cause of a problem and how to resolve conflicts between employees under your supervision.

Instructor:     Breon Allen

Date:              October 21

Time:             Monday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Time Management for Business Owners – How to Get It All Done

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who need to improve their focus on the major objectives of their business.  Do you ever get it all done?  Would you like to get a grip on where your time goes, how to get more done in the time you have and STILL HAVE TIME FOR YOURSELF?  This seminar can help you get the most out of your time by showing you how to better handle the tasks, people and stuff in life that control your time.  This program will include: how to determine what "all" really is; understanding how much time you have; planning on purpose and planning with a purpose; setting and tracking priorities to determine if you are trying to do too much; timelines and deadlines; how to do three things at once; what to do in times of crisis and conflict; how to handle the information avalanche; and getting it all done while still having a life.  Mike Collins is an entrepreneur who has personally started eight small businesses.  Mike Collins is an outstanding speaker whose extensive research and preparation assure that his presentations are full of useful information.  His genuine desire to help people and his sense of humor combine to make his presentations an overwhelming success every time.  Please do not miss this seminar if you want to find more time, use it more effectively and still have time to relax.   

Instructor:     Mike Collins

Date:              October 22

Time:             Tuesday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Seven Essential Skills of a Successful Business Owner

This seminar is designed to provide business owners and entrepreneurs with the crucial management skills that they need to successfully operate all aspects of their business.  Learn how to create a workable strategy for growing your business, how to develop a sales and marketing program that works and why human resource issues can cost you more that any other part of your business.  Learn the key elements of financial management, how to stay on the right side of legal issues, how technology advancements can allow you to grow your business and how to manage your time, energy and focus to get more done.  Learn how to cope with everyday stress and distractions.  Mike Collins is one of the best speakers in our state and his extensive research and preparation assure that his presentations are always beneficial to his audience.  His genuine desire to help people improve their business skills and his sense of humor combine to make his presentations an overwhelming success every time.  Please do not miss this opportunity to improve your business management skills.

Instructor:     Mike Collins

Date:              October 22

Time:             Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Selling to the Federal Government - NCMBC Overview

The North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) connects small and mid-size businesses with military and other federal business opportunities.  The NCMBC will provide an overview of its services and explain how to evaluate military and other federal business opportunities.  NCMBC services include: a business assistance team that finds opportunities, notifies businesses and helps them develop winning proposals; running the State’s official, FREE web portal, www.MatchForce.org, which automatically matches NC businesses to federal opportunities; and conducting strategic initiatives to position North Carolina businesses to win future military contracts.

Instructor:     Linn Owen - NCMBC

Date:              October 23

Time:             Wednesday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Accounting, Financial Planning and Taxes

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn how small business accounting procedures can help them monitor the financial status of their business.  Learn how to analyze start-up costs, break-even points, cash flow, supply costs, equipment costs, operating costs and profit/loss opportunities.  Learn small business tax rates, tax schedules and tax strategies.  Learn the basic advantages and disadvantages of the various types of small business structures.  Learn how to utilize your business plan to operate within your budget and increase your profits.

Instructor:     Mike Bowyer

Date:              October 24

Time:             Thursday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Customer Service Strategies

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to improve their customer service.  Customer service is an extremely important factor in the success of any business venture.  Customers must always be treated with dignity and respect, because they will not continue to do business with a company that mistreats them.  Learn how to evaluate the current level of customer service at your company and what you can do to improve it.  Learn how to deal with problem customers and how to motivate your employees to deliver the best possible customer service.

Instructor:     Wanda Jackson

Date:              October 25

Time:             Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Social Media Marketing Strategies – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and More!

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn the latest marketing strategies to attract more customers and increase your sales with less work and expense through the power of Social Media on the Internet.  Learn how to connect with customers and prospects, how to generate more leads and how to be perceived as the expert in your field.  Learn how to increase your revenues, reduce your marketing expenses and get the word out about your business with social media marketing.  Learn how to create a following with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media sites that will have people talking about your business.

Instructor:     Teresa Broadway

Date:              October 28

Time:             Monday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Small Business Record Keeping and Taxes

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn how small business accounting procedures can help them monitor the financial status of their business.  Learn how to analyze start-up costs, break-even points, cash flow, supply costs, equipment costs, operating costs and profit/loss opportunities.  Learn small business tax rates, tax schedules and tax strategies.  Learn the basic advantages and disadvantages of the various types of small business structures.  Learn how to utilize your business plan to operate within your budget and increase your profits.

Instructor:     Wendy Berry

Date:              October 29

Time:             Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Montgomery County GIS Overview

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners, real estate brokers and entrepreneurs who want to learn how to utilize the internet to evaluate a piece of property.  Learn how to use the Montgomery County GIS (Geographic Information System) to obtain detailed information concerning specific pieces of property within our county.  Each participant will have a computer with internet access so they can learn how to utilize this free web site to determine the boundaries, the legal owners, the tax value and other valuable facts about a specific piece of property.

Instructor:     Kevin Lamonds

Date:              November 4

Time:             Monday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

How to Write a Business Plan

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn the basic procedures for developing a business plan on paper.  Many small businesses fail each year because the owner of the business had his business plan in his head and did not ever take the time to analyze his plan on paper.  Learn how to evaluate your special talents and skills and coordinate them with your basic habits and lifestyle preferences to determine if your business idea will work for you.  Learn how to create a marketing plan and a cash flow analysis for your business to evaluate the potential success for your business idea.  Learn how to prevent financial disaster in your business venture by starting your small business without quitting your present job to allow you to pay your bills while your business grows.

Instructor:     Breon Allen

Date:              November 7

Time:             Thursday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Setting Up a Business Website

Business owners and entrepreneurs will be guided through the process of developing a business website during this seminar.  Numerous options concerning website design will be explained in great detail.  Learn the basic concepts of effectively marketing your products or services on your website.  Learn how to set up a shopping cart to allow internet customers to purchase your products or services online.  Discover how several different payment processors work and learn the advantages and disadvantages of each one.  Evaluate the major factors of a business website that you will want to include in your website to maximize your impact on the internet.  Learn the basic principles of Search Engine Optimization and how they can help you attract more potential customers to your website.  Please do not miss this opportunity to learn how to make your website an effective marketing tool for your business.

Instructor:     Teresa Broadway

Date:              November 11

Time:             Monday, 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Why Successful Businesses ARE Successful

Too often we hear that “luck” is the main reason a business fails or succeeds.  This could not be further from the truth as successful businesses share common traits and luck is not one of them.  After researching hundreds of small businesses in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia for the past nine years, Bob Moore created this seminar which reveals common traits that successful small businesses possess.  Small businesses that possess these traits have shown growth and produced handsome profits for their owners.  This seminar is designed for individuals thinking of opening a new business as well as existing entrepreneurs who seek the inside secrets of how to make their business more profitable.  Opening and operating a small business involves a huge investment of time, talent and resources.  Insure the success of your business and your personal success by attending this informative and enlightening seminar.

Instructor:     Bob Moore

Date:              November 12

Time:             Tuesday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Marketing Your Business

This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who would like to discover fresh marketing ideas for their business venture.  Learn the basic fundamentals of marketing a business.  Evaluate marketing techniques and inexpensive advertising ideas that can help a business grow and prosper.  Learn how to evaluate your competition and how to increase your share of the available market.  Explore business marketing systems using the Internet to illustrate specific examples.  Learn how to develop a marketing plan to increase your sales and grow your company.

Instructor:     Wendy Berry

Date:              November 14

Time:             Thursday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Computer Networking Strategies

This seminar is designed to show business owners and entrepreneurs how to reduce operating costs and increase their profits by networking computers and printers within your organization.  Learn how to set up a computer network to share equipment, files and folders.  Learn how to manage the security of a computer network.  Learn the differences in networking computers on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.  Live demonstrations will be utilized to enhance this classroom learning experience.

 Instructor:     Gary Scott

 Date:              November 19

Time:             Tuesday, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

 Fee:               Free, Room TBA

 

 Financing Your Business Startup

 This seminar is strongly recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn how a strong business plan can help you obtain financing for your business startup.  Learn about various funding sources for business ventures.  Learn the steps required to obtain assistance and information from the SBCN, the SBTDC and the SBA.  Learn how to evaluate your options for financing your business startup and how to improve your chances of obtaining the funding necessary to allow you to start and operate your own business.

 Instructor:     Mike Bowyer

Date:               November 21

 Time:             Thursday, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

Investment Planning Strategies

This seminar is recommended for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to learn how to invest some of their profits in a retirement plan.  Learn the basic principles of saving and investing.  Learn specific strategies to help you reach your long-term financial goals.  Learn the terminology of investing and the differences in the major types of investments.  Learn the basic features of stocks, bonds and mutual funds and the importance of asset allocation.  Explore specific strategies to minimize risk, maximize retirement savings and minimize tax liabilities.  Evaluate your basic retirement planning needs through open discussion with an experienced financial advisor.

 Instructor:     Michael Hayes

 Date:              November 26

 Time:             Tuesday, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

 Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

 Managing Change – Who Moved My Cheese?

 This seminar is designed to show business owners and entrepreneurs how to effectively deal with change.  Do you have trouble dealing with changes in your daily routine?  Learn how to how to deal with change in your work life using the principles described by Spencer Johnson in his book titled Who Moved My Cheese?  These principles can help you improve your ability to adapt to change, provide guidelines for analyzing how to deal with change, and increase your productivity and the quality of your work in spite of change.  Lin Mitchell is a dynamic speaker and an experienced group facilitator with contagious enthusiasm and a very positive attitude.  Her pleasant personality, tireless enthusiasm, and willingness-to-help provide her audience with individual solutions to promote excellence and achieve good results in their personal endeavors.  This seminar is an NC Board of Funeral Service approved five-hour continuing education course.

 Instructor:     Lin Mitchell

 Date:              December 10

 Time:             Tuesday, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM with a one hour lunch break

 Fee:                Free, Room TBA

 

 To register for any of these seminars, please contact:

Richard Hinson
910-576-6222 Extension 216
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Montgomery Community College
1011 Page Street , Troy , NC  27371