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

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

Hiring Championship Performers: 7 Steps for a Winning Team

Learn the areas that are a MUST in order to build a championship team. We will focus on: The People Powered Performers model that takes candidate expertise, traits, and character into consideration; The risks and challenges of hiring in today’s work environment; Understanding the job’s essential activities; 7 steps of hiring prospective employees or inviting board members to the team; and Action plans. Presenter: Brian Kennedy. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

7 Principles for Small Business Success

Join us as we explore the behaviors of successful people and organizations that thrive in any economic situation. These include: Know Your Purpose; Adopt a Lifetime of Learning Philosophy; Plan, Do, Review, Then Do Again; Communicate to Connect; Lead! Don’t Follow; Network; and Develop Customer for a Lifetime. We will also discuss action steps for implementing these principles. Presenter: Brian Kennedy. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Google Tools for Business

In this session, we will discuss several of the free Google Apps for work and how they can help your business. We will cover Google Docs and Google Drive (including some great tips and shortcuts), Gmail and Hangouts (plus tips for productivity), Google Alerts and Google Trends, and additional resources including mobile apps, YouTube and the Google Marketplace. Presenter: Melanie Diehl. 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 Small 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: Shareen Berkowitz. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Make the Most of Facebook & Instagram for Your Business

Facebook and Instagram are the world’s two most popular social media networks, and there’s no doubt your audience lives here. However, your business might not have all the know-how to manage these platforms, create engaging content, or analyze your results. This seminar will guide you through each step from defining your goals, creating and managing your platforms, to how to utilize video and more! Presenter: Melanie Diehl. 1.5 hours. Cost: FREE

Create Stunning Graphics with Canva

First impressions are lasting! Learn to create stunning graphics so your business stands out from the rest. It’s easier than you think using Canva to create powerful graphics. This step-by-step session will demonstrate how to create professional looking graphics you can upload to your website, all social media platforms, and use in email marketing, Facebook Ads and more. You will leave this workshop feeling confident in your ability to create those stunning graphics. This is a hands-on session where you will able to use the software and create designs in class. Presenter: Melanie Diehl. 1.5 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

Social Media Mastery: Track to Find Your Target Market

Join us as we explore the fundamentals of Social Media Marketing and Management. You will learn about creating an integrated Marketing Plan as well as gain knowledge of how to maximize positive reviews and deal with the negative ones. This seminar takes a look at Facebook for business as well as some Facebook Ads. We will look into Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat for business success as well as YouTube, Streaming Video and Podcasting to gain more clients. Lastly, we will discuss the fundamentals of Google Adwords and basic Google Analytics. Presenter: Martin Brossman. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Hands-on Video Marketing

Let’s put fingers to keyboards and make some videos! In this intermediate-level hands-on class, you will start by learning why creating videos for marketing is so important and strategies to tell your stories through video. Once you’ve learned that, it’s time to get hands-on and create. We’ll make one video from a template and at least one video from scratch, all of which you’ll get to keep and use in your marketing immediately. You should bring behind-the-scenes photos/videos, product photos/videos, and logos. Bringing your own devices is encouraged. Presenter: Bob Mackowski. 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

How to Turn Good Ideas Into Dollars

Learn the proven techniques and methods that Mr. Pittman has used for over 40 years to turn completely raw ideas into marketable products-the right way-without running a risk of being scammed by  companies on TV who hard sell and never deliver. Several actual examples will be used to help you quickly grasp a proven formula for success. Presenter: Ben Pittman. 3 hours. Cost: FREE

Content Marketing: What to Say, How to Say It

Have you ever heard of “location, location, location?” For online marketing, it’s “content, content, content!” Things like tone, date & time, and frequency impact how you attract and engage your audiences (or not). We’ll cover tidbits like how many links create the most engagement, how to create high-open subject lines, tips on using pictures and videos, and more. Presenter: Melanie Diehl. 2 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

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

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