Mountain BizWorks August Events ? AshevilleBusinessNetworking ...

Mountain BizWorks classes focus on developing the entrepreneur and their business management skills.
Check our Event Calendar for classes now open for enrollment.

Business Planning

Foundations Business Planning Program
(8 weeks, 24 seat hours)

Learn the business-planning process while building your business skills in our 8-week, 24-hour training program. You?ll study and estimate start-up and overhead costs, determine profit goals, study cash flow, develop marketing plans, and learn about necessary licensing and record keeping. Throughout the course, you?ll also learn about personal finance management, the requirements of entrepreneurship, and receive direct, supportive feedback on your business plan. At the end of the course, you?ll present and submit your business plan to the class and instructor.

For individuals starting or operating agricultural ventures, we also offer Ag-Rural Foundations.? The curriculum is identical to Foundations, and both courses offer additional material for ag-businesses.? Any client may take either course; however, those in ag-businesses may prefer taking the course with others in related businesses.
Ag-Rural Foundations is supported by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA Grant # 2010-49400-21817).

In their end-of-course evaluations, entrepreneurs clearly reflect that their business skills have grown, leaving them better prepared to respond to and plan for the issues and challenges they will face in their businesses. Both prospective and current entrepreneurs can learn from this program.

Express Foundations
(5 weeks, 15 seat hours)

Express Foundations is an accelerated and fast-paced version of the Foundations curriculum.? The course covers all the same content as Foundations, but? uses an integrated approach that emphasizes the cross-development of financial and marketing elements.

Which course is right for me?

Course	Intended Audience	Course Structure
Foundations	New and prospective entrepreneurs.? Ideal for those who have a business idea or who have just opened a business.? Best suited for those who prefer a slower pace and more interaction with the facilitator and other class participants.	Step-by-step guided workshop where most of the work is completed in class.
Express Foundations	Experienced entrepreneurs.? Ideal for those already in business, have prior business experience, or who have detailed knowledge of the business being planned.? Participants should be computer literate, highly motivated to complete a business plan at a faster pace, and willing to do research and 3+ hours of work outside of class.	Integrated content approach which guides participants to analyze work they complete independently.

Financial Management

Financial Tools For Your Business Using QuickBooks
(5 weeks, 15 seat hours)

Take the fear out of financial accounting! This course gives you the tools to understand the financial health of your small business. This five-session course starts with the basics of bookkeeping and then launches into QuickBooks in order to teach you more advanced financial management systems.? Topics covered are:

• Bookkeeping basics

• Set up your own company

• Customer issues (invoicing and receivables)

• Vendor issues (payables)

• Financial statements, review your business

Marketing

Marketing For Your Business
(5 weeks, 15 seat hours)

In this course, you?ll develop a solid, focused marketing plan that is essential to the growth and success of your small business.? This course will help you:

• Stand Out: Develop a focused marketing plan to create measurable results to increase your bottom line.
• Know Your Customers: Effectively identify,, reach, and influence your target customers using research, planning, and budgeting.
• Get People?s Attention: Translate your message and brand efficiently to attract and retain customers. Define your marketing strategies to gain impact utilizing media options that are right for your business.
• Succeed in Sales & Customer Service: Maximize sales with positive strategies and tactics, collaborative techniques, and compelling customer service tips.
• Create a Report Card: Measure your marketing efforts to obtain steady growth, desired results, and increased revenue.

Online Marketing
(3 weeks, 9 seat hours)

Find new customers and increase sales through online marketing. Learn why and how to use the essential tools of web-based business promotion to drive traffic to your website ? including social media, search engine optimization, e-newsletters, and blogging.

• Week 1 ? SEO Basics: Search engines, blogging, keywords, meta-content, and rankings.
• Week 2 ? Social Media Marketing: Which social media sites to use for your business, how to use them properly, and how to integrate them into your website, blog, and e-newsletters.
• Week 3 ? Online PR: Link building, online publishing, customer engagement, contests/discounts, establishing industry expertise, and building relationships with important bloggers.

Merchandising WOW!
(3 weeks, 9 seat hours)

Learn to employ appealing goods and services to build brand presence through proper ?positioning.?? Participants will to create a strong merchandising foundation primarily focused on business-to-consumer (B2C) presentations/sales to reach this goal.? Participants will also learn how to create presentations that demonstrate value, meet the wants and needs of the consumer, and ultimately stimulate consumers to purchase goods and/or services. These same concepts work for both service- and product-based businesses without bias to the presence of a physical product or conceptualized service.

Training sessions combine traditional facilitation methods used in the classroom environment with hands-on technical instruction. This course blends left-brain analysis and right brain creativity. Space is created within the classroom to allow for the set-up of a ?merchandising environment? (e.g., farmers market, retail store, board room presentation, online store, etc.).

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The first step to entering the Training program is to attend an Information Session or to meet one-on-one with a resource specialist.

To register for an Information Session at our Asheville office, CLICK HERE.

Or contact our office for more information:?Victor Palomino, 828-253-2834, ext 23, victor@mountainbizworks.org

Source: http://ashevillebusinessnetworking.com/2012/07/mountain-bizworks-august-events/

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