SBC Course Schedule

You may register for our seminars up to 30 days in advance.
To learn more about the Small Business Center click here. 

How to Start a Small Business

Learn key strategies for start-up, financing, and marketing as well as important information about legal issues, licensing, zoning, operations, and more. Discover the resources available to help you start and successfully operate your business. Presenter: Jim Ensor. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Writing a Business Plan

Success in business begins with a plan. By committing your idea to paper, you face tough questions and identify strengths and weaknesses. Business plans are not just for financing purposes; they are working documents to guide your business. For new and established small business owners, this seminar will start you down the path of small business success. Presenter: Jim Ensor. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Writing Your Marketing Plan

So you have an idea for a product or service that’s bound to capture the hearts and minds (and wallets) of consumers everywhere! Wait a minute! Have you really determined whether there really is a market for your product or service? This course will give you the means to determine your market and your competition, saving you from a death sentence for your product or service. Presenter: Jim Ensor. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Finding the Money for My Business

This workshop will give an overview of the lending process and how to make it work for you. Discussion will cover what lenders look for and expect with regards to your personal credit, cash flow coverage, collateral requirements, capital injection, and character. Presenter: Robbie Dunbar. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Doing Business with the Federal Government

Would you like an introduction to doing business with the federal government? We can teach you the basics of how to sell products, services, and construction/engineering services to the federal government. We will discuss methods and levels of procurement, marketing to the federal government, socioeconomic small business programs, registering as a federal contractor, locating, identifying and responding to federal business opportunities, and resources available to assist federal contractors in North Carolina. Presenter: Boyce Haywood. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Sales Tax – Tips for Compliance

Join us as we examine key aspects of the tax law, including which businesses are required to collect sales tax, how to determine the correct amount of tax to collect, and how and when to remit the funds to the State. We will also discuss sales tax regulations for those who conduct business outside of North Carolina and end with a look at what the sales tax laws say about non-profits. North Carolina has made big changes to the sales tax laws in the last few years; the seminar will get you up-to-date on your obligations as a business owner! Presenter: Karen Spruill. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Beginning QuickBooks for Business

Get introduced to the QuickBooks accounting software! You must have basic computer skills – how to use a mouse, etc. Instructor: Connie Haithcock or Leigh McOmber. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Beginning QuickBooks for Business Online

Are you interested in QuickBooks Online? This class will guide new users through the set up of a QuickBooks Online account and teach experienced users how to resolve common issues and avoid common mistakes. Learn tips and tricks to make bookkeeping easy! Who should attend? Both experienced and non-experienced users are welcome! Instructor: David Campbell. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Marketing Your Business

So you have an idea for a product or service that’s bound to capture the hearts and minds (and wallets) of consumers everywhere! Wait a minute! Have you really determined whether there really is a market for your product or service? This course will give you the means to determine your market and your competition, saving you from a death sentence for your product or service. Presenter: Jeanne Eury. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Effectively Marketing the Benefits of Your Products & Services

Do you want to win more business and make more money? This interactive workshop will help you identify your client’s needs, wants, or problems. It will also show you how to present your product or service so that the customer buys from you and not your competitor! Presenter: Corey Brown. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Email Marketing: A Crash Course

In this hands-on workshop, you will learn tips, techniques, and strategies to guide you through the tools and features for basic email marketing in Constant Contact. This workshop is great for beginners who want to learn how to start creating email marketing campaigns for their business or for email marketers who aren’t getting the results they expect. You will learn how to design a custom email template, create stand out subject lines and creative content, grow and segment your list, and measure your marketing and analyze your results. Presenter: Melanie Diehl. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Grant Writing I for Non-Profits

Write grant proposals that get funded or prepare for a management career in the fast-growing nonprofit sector. Expert instructors prepare you for the special needs of the nonprofit industry and help you develop relationships with corporate, foundation, and government funding sources.Presenter: Dawn Morriston. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Grant Writing II for Non-Profits

For anyone that has already taken Grant Writing I but needs a more in depth look into the subject. Presenter: Dawn Morriston. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

How to Start a Business the Right Way!

Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs start their new business uninformed and without any thought to licenses, permits, zoning, taxes, insurance and much more. Doing so can often lead to fines, penalties, financial losses, and closure of the business. North Carolina is a “business friendly” state that makes opening a small business easy! During this seminar, Bob Moore, entrepreneur and business technical advisor, will show you how to determine what licenses and permits you need, how to satisfy the IRS requirements, what records you need to keep, how to satisfy the NC Department of Revenue requirements, the legal structures available to you in this great state and more! If you have the proper knowledge, starting a new for-profit business often takes four hours or less! Invest a small amount of time in attending this seminar and learn the right way!!! Presenter: Bob Moore. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Finding and Understanding Federal Solicitations

Did you know that there are federal websites used by government agencies to advertise current opportunities for goods, services, and long range procurement forecasts? Examples of these include, but are not limited to FedBizOpps, FedBid, GSA, and Army, Navy, Air Force and other agency-specific websites. We will address how businesses can connect with prime contractors, and web-based resources to identify current federal contractors and potential teaming partners. Presenter: Boyce Haywood. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Marketing Your Business: Traditional versus Digital

Every successful business person knows that marketing is essential to building a brand, getting new customers, and making a profit last. But marketing is no longer the machine it used to be. Today, the marketing machine is bigger and more complex than ever. So when it comes to marketing, it’s imperative to consider more than purely traditional marketing as you are likely missing out results that digital marketing efforts can provide. We will help you choose a medium that is cost-effective for your business, define a strategy that gets the most reach (the best bang for your buck), and explore platforms that will give you tangible data. Presenter: Melanie Diehl. 3 hours. FREE.

Dynamite Marketing on a Firecracker Budget

Would you like to learn about inexpensive, easy-to-use ideas for growing your business? What about 50 ways to grab new customers, reinforce relationships with current customers, and pique the interest of customers you don’t even know about? If you’re interested, you should attend “Dynamite Marketing on a Firecracker Budget”! Let this seminar help you create a low-cost marketing plan for your business. Presenter: Mike Collins. 3 hours. FREE.

Growing Small Business One Relationship at a Time

Learn the purpose and benefits of relationship marketing, the principles of relationship marketing, and fundamentals to practice for success in relationship marketing. The purpose of relationship marketing is to increase sales, shorten the sales cycle, increase the close rate, reduce the cost of customer acquisition, create higher customer retention, and convert your customers into active sales advocates. Presenter: Brian Kennedy. 3 hours. FREE.

How to Get the Loan You Need

Gain a better understanding of the lending process and how to make it work for you. We will cover topics such as: what lenders look for and expect with regard to your personal credit, cash flow coverage, collateral requirements, capital injection, and character. Presenter: Robbie Dunbar. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Identifying and Avoiding Threats to Your Business

There are literally hundreds of threats that can affect a small business. A new big box store competitor, key employees leaving, rising gas prices, recessions, health problems, new legislation and the list goes on and on. Often, by the time a threat is realized, damage to the business has occurred. We will reveal many common threats small businesses face, assist you in learning how to determine if possible threats currently exist or if they could exist in the near future and most importantly, how to avoid these threats. Presenter: Bob Moore. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Improving Your Credit Score for a Business Loan

With the new credit card laws and the scoring changes made by the three credit bureaus, the rules for having a “good” credit score for your business have changed. “Good”credit is now considered to be 740 and above compared to 680 a year ago. Learn the legal and ethical ways your business can increase its credit score. Presenter: Bob Moore. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

3 Steps to Financial Bounce Back for Small Business

Learn strategies and concepts to help you identify your current financial situation, set SMART goals to get you on the path to financial success, and prepare financially for a financial bounce-back! Presenter: Antonio Bunn. 3 hours. FREE.

Create Beautiful WordPress Websites for Small Business

In this hands-on seminar, you will learn how to create a basic web presence using WordPress. We will cover the fundamentals of building websites through WordPress including setup, launch, and maintenance. We will also discuss popular tools for helping you build a great-looking website. Presenter: Guiseppe Getto. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

From Hiring to Firing: The Human Resources Foundation Your Business Needs to Stay Competitive & Compliant

There are many things you want to do to protect and grow your business. Being on top of your responsibilities as an employer can be one of the more challenging ones. Staying competitive and compliant is tough, and understanding all the complex regulations involved can be even harder! During this session, we will look at each of the key components of being an employer, both from a compliance and best practices point of view. We will walk through the important steps you need to take in your business throughout the entire employee life cycle, starting with building your employer brand, key policies you should have, and how to properly handle performance issues and employee separations. Presenter: Debra Hope. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

How to Create a Basic WordPress Website

Learn how to create a basic web presence for your business using WordPress. We will cover the fundamentals of building websites through WordPress including setup, launch, and maintenance, and will discuss popular tools for helping you build a great-looking website. Presenter: Guiseppe Getto. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Understanding Your Balance Sheet

Learn how the balance sheet works, what it contains, and where the numbers come from. If you do not understand the very basics of your balance sheet, you are not alone! Simply put, a balance sheet is a snapshot in time of your business assets, liabilities and shareholder’s equity. Understanding the balance sheet will help you know your worth so you can plan to make a profit. Presenter: Antonio Bunn. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Understanding Your Income Statement

Join us to learn how an income statement works, what it contains, and where the numbers come from. An income statement will allow you to see a picture of your past and present income and expenses, so you can plan to make a profit. Presenter: Antonio Bunn. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Understanding Cash Flow Statements

You will learn how the cash flow statement works, what it contains, and where the numbers come from. The cash flow statement will allow you to see how cash flows in and out of your business during a given period of time so that you can plan to make a profit. Presenter: Antonio Bunn. 3 hours. Cost: FREE