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How to Make Your Business Work for You,
Not You Work
for Your Business.
www.harford.edu/sbdc ·
sbdc@harford.edu · 410-836-4237
The SBDC went from helping the Gustafssons (Donna, Glenn and Eric) start
and manage a territory of 57 Quizno's sub shops (which they sold in
2006) to owning Rapid Refill Ink, Dryer Vent Wizard, and Beyond Fit (not
in photo).
The SBDC kept me going and on the right track. In the beginning, it's
hard to know what to do next. They kept me focused and kept pushing me.
They became the friend you needed when you felt frustrated and all
alone.
Glenn Gustafsson
GROWsmart© Program is 100% Funded by Harford
County's "Friends of Small Business"
Town of Bel Air · City of Havre de Grace · Freedom
Federal Credit Union · Web Ad.vantage
Harford Business Ledger · Maryland Department of Business & Economic
Development
Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union (APGFCU) · Dryer Vent
Wizard Susquehanna Workforce Network · Harford County Public Library
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement
with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions
or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of SBA.
Message from Russell Teter, SBDC Director
Dear Small Business Owner,
True entrepreneurs work on their
business, not in their business.
Small businesses don't work when
the owner's entrepreneurial spirit is overtaken by laboring
in day-to-day ownership duties and focusing on the here and
now.
No matter what stage of
development your business is in, you can benefit from
learning techniques to grow sales and profits and increase
personal time.
The SBDC is dedicated to
assisting business enterprises to become leaders in their
field. We can help you achieve that "competitive edge" by
providing confidential, value-added services.
We guarantee we will be
your One-Stop Shop for Business Resources by
providing you with sound advice from our seasoned staff of
certified counselors, instructors, and, if necessary,
referral to industry experts or other business consultants.
All we ask is for clients to
provide truthful and accurate information (100%
confidential) and commit to reporting economic impact and
completing evaluations (required to report statistical data
to our funders).
Together we will succeed in
making your dream into a reality.
Be smart about your business.
"Let us be your 411 call, to avoid a 911 call."
Contact SBDC today.
Cordially,
Russell C. Teter III
Director
www.harford.edu/sbdc · sbdc@harford.edu · 410-836-4237
Harford Community College · 401 Thomas Run Road · Bel Air,
MD 21015 · Fax: 410-836-4353
Grow Your Business Through SBDC's GROWsmart© Program
Training · Counseling · Topical Small Groups
Most Sessions are Two Hours and Held at Harford Community College
Program Overview
General Planning
Creating Your Strategic Business Plan: This
course will cover the requisites of creating a plan. Remember, "Some
People Hope, Others Plan. Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail."
Level II – (Virtual Classroom: Creating a
Strategic Plan, Maintaining an Agile Company, Running a Profitable
Company, & Valuing a Business)
How to Buy or Sell a Business/Franchise:
Course consists of the basics of business or franchise evaluation. Learn
the questions to ask. Level II
Human Resource Management: Learn how to hire
and promote the right people and slash turnover costs. This course
covers improving customer service, productivity and sales while also
improving your employees' attitudes and focusing on cooperation in the
workplace. Level III
Mastering Your Time: Learn how to manage
your most valuable resource: Time. Level III
Business Assessment: One-on-one session with
a counselor to review your business model and plans to ensure you have a
SmartSTART to your business and to outline additional resources to
successfully GROWsmart Your Business. Level 5 GROWsmart sessions are
discussed. Level IV
Entrepreneurial Game Plan: SmartSTART's
capstone. Learn to work on your business while playing the business
board game "LEVERAGE." LEVERAGE gives you a business to run with
strategies and systems as the game unfolds. This session is guaranteed
to give you 200 ideas you can apply to your business.
Level IV
Entrepreneurial Development Network: A few
established business owners are accepted into a 7 session series
designed to offer solutions to emerging businesses. Topics covered
include: Be an Entrepreneur Again, Roles of an Entrepreneur,
Developing Your Business Strategically, Developing Your Business with
Systems, Building Your Network and Using Your Network. The
final session is to review and finalize your plans on moving to the next
level. For an application, contact the SBDC. Level
V
Marketing
Creating Your Marketing Plan: This course
focuses on how to create a basic marketing plan for your small business.
Learn how to understand your market potential and your target market.
Develop your marketing plan and improve your advertising and public
relations by using the best marketing tactics for your business.
Level II – (Virtual Classroom: Conducting a
Marketing Analysis, Analyze your Competition, Targeting Your Market,
Creating a Competitive Advantage, Pricing Products and Services,
Building Your Brand, Promoting Your Business, Advertising Your Business,
Building a Web Site, Personalization Strategies to Attract and Retain
Customers, Identifying Your Sales Strategy)
Finding and Leasing/Buying Commercial Space:
Be educated before you act. Level II
Basics of Selling to APG and Other Federal
Agencies: Thinking about expanding your sales into the Federal
sector? Where and how does one begin to sell to the Government? This is
a very basic course in how to begin selling to the Government. It will
identify web sites, acquisition language and the small business programs
that are currently in use. Level III
Contracting Certifications for Women and
Minorities: Federal and State contracting officers and large
contractors have specific goals to do business with those properly
certified. Level III
Customer Loyalty: Learn the 8 essential
steps to have a world class customer service plan so your customers will
say "I'll be back." Level III
Designing Promotional Material That Works:
This session is to review promotional types, targets and objectives.
Ralph Jordan, who has 25 years of experience in marketing, promotion and
advertising, will review your promotional strategies and materials.
Level III
Developing a Sales Plan: Do you have a plan
on how to approach and follow up with prospects using word of mouth
selling? If you want to close sales calls, this session is important. If
you have a sales staff, this session is imperative.
Level III
Navigating APG & Other Federal Agencies:
Have specific questions about contracting or subcontracting
opportunities at APG? Need contact names? Learn from a recently retired
member of the U.S. Army Contracting Office at APG.
Level V
Navigating for State of Maryland Contracts &
Subcontracts: Having challenges in finding opportunities?
Level V
Operations
Contract Management: There is more to
contracting than winning a bid/proposal. You must successfully manage a
contract profitably. Learn to manage contracts/projects. Level III
Operations: This course covers operations
for retail, restaurant or service businesses. Level
III
Organizational (Legal © Fiscal)
Budgeting: This course covers the basics of
creating a realistic business budget, calculating costs, and assessing
the financial viability of your business. Use the knowledge of Melissa
Barnickel, CPA, who left public accounting and now owns her own small
business. Level II –
(Virtual Classroom: Preparing a Cash Budget & Managing Your Cash Flow)
Financial Statements & Tax Strategies: Spend
3 hours in a small group with a CPA for FREE and learn to understand and
analyze financial statements, develop basic accounting procedures, and
create tax/payroll strategies for your small business. Melissa
Barnickel's role is to increase the effectiveness of your time with your
accountant. Level II –
(Virtual Classroom: Preparing a Balance Sheet, Creating a Profit and
Loss Statement, & Analyzing Your Financial Ratios)
Smart Approach to Protecting Your Business:
This course will present an overview of the risk management process,
answers to the most frequent business insurance questions, insurance
buying tips and risk assessment tools to identify risks specific to your
business. Level II
Bonding: Many government contracts and
subcontracts require bonding. Learn how to obtain bonding for the first
time or expand your existing bonding capability.
Level V
Business Capitalization / Financing Strategies:
When running a business, you will have to invest in the business in
order to get a return. You have two ways to finance the operation - pay
cash or borrow the money. In either case there is a cost and a lost
opportunity cost. Alex M. Kruger of Strategic Wealth Solutions will show
how to measure each scenario and learn the strategies to recapture these
costs using sound financing strategies. Level V
Finding Money for Existing Businesses: Kathy
Wajer, a 20-year veteran of bank and government funding, will discuss
your expectations for obtaining money, how money can be used, where
money can be found, and how to successfully write a loan proposal.
Level V – (Virtual Classroom: Assessing Your
Company's Financial Needs, Partners and Investors, & Developing a
Business Plan)
Managing Cash Flow: This individual
60-90 minute session presents strategies to strengthen and grow your
business. Melissa Barnickel, CPA, who left public accounting and now
owns her own small business, will work with you individually to better
manage your cash flow. Level V
See Current Schedule for Dates, Times and Locations
Fall 2008
SmartSTART© and GROWsmart© Schedule of Sessions
Harford Business Ledger · Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development
Message from Russell Teter, SBDC Director
Dear Small Business Owner,
True entrepreneurs work on their
business, not in their business.
Small businesses don't work when
the owner's entrepreneurial spirit is overtaken by laboring
in day-to-day ownership duties and focusing on the here and
now.
No matter what stage of
development your business is in, you can benefit from
learning techniques to grow sales and profits and increase
personal time.
The SBDC is dedicated to
assisting business enterprises to become leaders in their
field. We can help you achieve that "competitive edge" by
providing confidential, value-added services.
We guarantee we will be
your One-Stop Shop for Business Resources by
providing you with sound advice from our seasoned staff of
certified counselors, instructors, and, if necessary,
referral to industry experts or other business consultants.
All we ask is for clients to
provide truthful and accurate information (100%
confidential) and commit to reporting economic impact and
completing evaluations (required to report statistical data
to our funders).
Together we will succeed in
making your dream into a reality.
Be smart about your business.
"Let us be your 411 call, to avoid a 911 call."
Contact SBDC today.
Cordially,
Russell C. Teter III
Director
www.harford.edu/sbdc · sbdc@harford.edu · 410-836-4237
Harford Community College · 401 Thomas Run Road · Bel Air,
MD 21015 · Fax: 410-836-4353
Grow Your Business Through SBDC's GROWsmart© Program
Training · Counseling · Topical Small Groups
Most Sessions are Two Hours and Held at Harford Community College
Program Overview
General Planning
Creating Your Strategic Business Plan: This course will cover the requisites of creating a plan. Remember, "Some People Hope, Others Plan. Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail." Level II – (Virtual Classroom: Creating a Strategic Plan, Maintaining an Agile Company, Running a Profitable Company, & Valuing a Business)
How to Buy or Sell a Business/Franchise: Course consists of the basics of business or franchise evaluation. Learn the questions to ask. Level II
Human Resource Management: Learn how to hire and promote the right people and slash turnover costs. This course covers improving customer service, productivity and sales while also improving your employees' attitudes and focusing on cooperation in the workplace. Level III
Mastering Your Time: Learn how to manage your most valuable resource: Time. Level III
Business Assessment: One-on-one session with a counselor to review your business model and plans to ensure you have a SmartSTART to your business and to outline additional resources to successfully GROWsmart Your Business. Level 5 GROWsmart sessions are discussed. Level IV
Entrepreneurial Game Plan: SmartSTART's capstone. Learn to work on your business while playing the business board game "LEVERAGE." LEVERAGE gives you a business to run with strategies and systems as the game unfolds. This session is guaranteed to give you 200 ideas you can apply to your business. Level IV
Entrepreneurial Development Network: A few established business owners are accepted into a 7 session series designed to offer solutions to emerging businesses. Topics covered include: Be an Entrepreneur Again, Roles of an Entrepreneur, Developing Your Business Strategically, Developing Your Business with Systems, Building Your Network and Using Your Network. The final session is to review and finalize your plans on moving to the next level. For an application, contact the SBDC. Level V
Marketing
Creating Your Marketing Plan: This course focuses on how to create a basic marketing plan for your small business. Learn how to understand your market potential and your target market. Develop your marketing plan and improve your advertising and public relations by using the best marketing tactics for your business. Level II – (Virtual Classroom: Conducting a Marketing Analysis, Analyze your Competition, Targeting Your Market, Creating a Competitive Advantage, Pricing Products and Services, Building Your Brand, Promoting Your Business, Advertising Your Business, Building a Web Site, Personalization Strategies to Attract and Retain Customers, Identifying Your Sales Strategy)
Finding and Leasing/Buying Commercial Space: Be educated before you act. Level II
Basics of Selling to APG and Other Federal Agencies: Thinking about expanding your sales into the Federal sector? Where and how does one begin to sell to the Government? This is a very basic course in how to begin selling to the Government. It will identify web sites, acquisition language and the small business programs that are currently in use. Level III
Contracting Certifications for Women and Minorities: Federal and State contracting officers and large contractors have specific goals to do business with those properly certified. Level III
Customer Loyalty: Learn the 8 essential steps to have a world class customer service plan so your customers will say "I'll be back." Level III
Designing Promotional Material That Works: This session is to review promotional types, targets and objectives. Ralph Jordan, who has 25 years of experience in marketing, promotion and advertising, will review your promotional strategies and materials. Level III
Developing a Sales Plan: Do you have a plan on how to approach and follow up with prospects using word of mouth selling? If you want to close sales calls, this session is important. If you have a sales staff, this session is imperative. Level III
Navigating APG & Other Federal Agencies: Have specific questions about contracting or subcontracting opportunities at APG? Need contact names? Learn from a recently retired member of the U.S. Army Contracting Office at APG. Level V
Navigating for State of Maryland Contracts & Subcontracts: Having challenges in finding opportunities? Level V
Operations
Contract Management: There is more to contracting than winning a bid/proposal. You must successfully manage a contract profitably. Learn to manage contracts/projects. Level III
Operations: This course covers operations for retail, restaurant or service businesses. Level III
Organizational (Legal © Fiscal)
Budgeting: This course covers the basics of creating a realistic business budget, calculating costs, and assessing the financial viability of your business. Use the knowledge of Melissa Barnickel, CPA, who left public accounting and now owns her own small business. Level II – (Virtual Classroom: Preparing a Cash Budget & Managing Your Cash Flow)
Financial Statements & Tax Strategies: Spend 3 hours in a small group with a CPA for FREE and learn to understand and analyze financial statements, develop basic accounting procedures, and create tax/payroll strategies for your small business. Melissa Barnickel's role is to increase the effectiveness of your time with your accountant. Level II – (Virtual Classroom: Preparing a Balance Sheet, Creating a Profit and Loss Statement, & Analyzing Your Financial Ratios)
Smart Approach to Protecting Your Business: This course will present an overview of the risk management process, answers to the most frequent business insurance questions, insurance buying tips and risk assessment tools to identify risks specific to your business. Level II
Bonding: Many government contracts and subcontracts require bonding. Learn how to obtain bonding for the first time or expand your existing bonding capability. Level V
Business Capitalization / Financing Strategies: When running a business, you will have to invest in the business in order to get a return. You have two ways to finance the operation - pay cash or borrow the money. In either case there is a cost and a lost opportunity cost. Alex M. Kruger of Strategic Wealth Solutions will show how to measure each scenario and learn the strategies to recapture these costs using sound financing strategies. Level V
Finding Money for Existing Businesses: Kathy Wajer, a 20-year veteran of bank and government funding, will discuss your expectations for obtaining money, how money can be used, where money can be found, and how to successfully write a loan proposal. Level V – (Virtual Classroom: Assessing Your Company's Financial Needs, Partners and Investors, & Developing a Business Plan)
Managing Cash Flow: This individual 60-90 minute session presents strategies to strengthen and grow your business. Melissa Barnickel, CPA, who left public accounting and now owns her own small business, will work with you individually to better manage your cash flow. Level V
See Current Schedule for Dates, Times and Locations
| Name (See Program Overview for Descriptions) | Level | Dates / Times |
|---|---|---|
| First Steps to SmartSTART Your Business | 1 | M 9/22 8AM; W 10/1 6PM; M 10/6 8AM; W 10/15 1PM; M 10/20 3PM; W 10/22 8PM; M 10/27 10AM; W 10/29 1PM; W 11/5 3PM; W 11/12 3PM; W 11/19 8PM; M 11/24 8AM; W 11/26 3PM; M 12/1 8AM; W 12/3 6PM; W 12/10 1PM; M 12/15 3PM |
| Creating Your Strategic Business Plan | 2 | M 9/22 3PM; M 9/29 1PM; W 10/8 3PM; M 10/13 8AM; M 10/20 10AM; W 10/29 6PM; W 11/5 8PM; M 11/10 1PM; M 11/17 10AM; W 11/19 3PM; W 11/26 6PM; M 12/1 1PM; M 12/8 10AM; W 12/10 3PM; M 12/15 10AM; W 12/17 1PM |
| Budgeting | 2 | TH 9/25 8AM; M 9/29 6PM; W 10/8 10AM; TH 11/6 6PM; M 12/1 1PM |
| Finding Money for New Businesses & Writing a Loan Proposal | 2 | TH 9/25 2PM; W 10/8 2PM; TH 10/23 2PM; TH 11/13 2PM; TH 12/18 2PM |
| Legal Issues for New Businesses | 2 | Varies, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Creating Your Marketing Plan | 2 | M 9/22 1PM; M 9/29 3PM; W 10/8 6PM; W 10/22 1PM; M 10/27 3PM; W 10/29 8PM; M 11/3 10AM; W 11/12 1PM; M 11/17 3PM; W 11/26 1PM; W 11/26 8PM; W 12/3 1PM; W 12/10 6PM; M 12/15 8AM; W 12/17 3PM |
| Smart Approach to Protecting Your Business | 2 | T 10/14 8AM |
| Financial Statements & Tax Strategies | 2 | TH 9/25 10AM; M 10/13 6PM; W 11/5 1PM; M 12/1 3PM; T 12/2 6PM |
| Finding and Leasing/Buying Commercial Space | 2 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| How to Buy or Sell a Business/Franchise | 2 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| The Mind of an Investor | 2 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Franchise 101 | 2 | T 10/7 1PM; TH 12/4 1PM |
| Basics of Selling to APG and Other Federal Agencies | 3 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Contract Management | 3 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Contracting Certifications for Women and Minorities | 3 | M 9/22 10AM; T 10/21 10AM |
| Customer Loyalty | 3 | W 10/1 3PM; W 10/15 6PM; M 10/27 1PM; W 11/12 8PM; M 11/24 1PM; W 12/3 3PM; W 12/17 6PM |
| Designing Promotional Material That Works | 3 | T 9/23 10AM; T 10/7 8AM; TH 10/23 10AM; TH 11/13 8AM; T 11/25 10AM; TH 12/11 8AM |
| Developing a Sales Plan | 3 | F 9/26 8AM; M 10/20 8AM; M 11/3 1PM; W 11/19 6PM; M 12/1 3PM; W 12/17 8PM |
| Human Resource Management | 3 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Mastering Your Time | 3 | T 9/23 1PM; M 10/6 10AM; W 10/22 3PM; W 11/5 6PM; M 11/24 3PM; M 12/8 8AM; W 12/10 8PM |
| Operations | 3 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Entrepreneurial Game Plan | 4 | M 9/29 8AM; M 10/13 1PM; M 11/10 8AM; M 12/8 1PM |
| Business Assessment | 4 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Bonding | 5 | Varies, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Operations | 5 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Business Capitalization / Financing Strategies | 5 | W 10/22 6PM |
| Entrepreneur Development Network | 5 | Obtain Application from SBDC |
| Finding Money for Existing Businesses | 5 | Offered Weekly, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Managing Cash Flow | 5 | TH 9/25 1pm; TH 9/25 2:30PM; W 10/8 8AM; W 10/8 1PM; W 10/8 2:30PM; W 11/5 8AM; W 11/5 9:30AM; W 11/5 11AM; W 11/5 3PM; M 12/1 8AM; M 12/1 9:30AM; M 12/1 11AM |
| Navigating for Maryland Contracts & Subcontracts | 5 | Varies, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
| Navigating APG & Other Federal Agencies | 5 | Varies, Contact the SBDC for Availability |
All sessions are two hours at Harford Community College's Edgewood Hall, 2nd Floor (unless stated otherwise).
Email sbdc@harford.edu or call 410-836-4237, ext 1 to register.
Please remember to include your contact information in the email/voicemail as well as date and time of a scheduled session.
