Events/Workshops

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Take command of a bookstore and coffee bar and see how money moves in and out of a business learning the fundamentals of accounting at the same time. This course provides an in-depth look at each of the primary accounting transactions used in a business demonstrating how "the language of business" works. Without using any accounting jargon to begin with, the course demonstrates how to keep score in a business through a simple scorecard approach. When you are finished, you are shown that each of your scorecards represents one of the three primary financial statements used in managing a business. Topics covered by this course include: The language of business Keeping score in a business Money coming in Money going out Money owed to you Money you owe Handling cash and large costs The balance sheet The income statement The cash flow statement

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Buying A Business is a comprehensive course on how to buy the right business at the right price. Developed by entrepreneurs who buy businesses for a living, this course offers advice and wisdom in such areas as: the key questions to ask of any seller, the due diligence process, valuing a business and determining the offer, negotiation steps and tactics, and sample legal agreements. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: The pros and cons Finding businesses for sale The key questions to ask Valuing the business Negotiating the offer Structuring the transaction Financing the purchase Performing due diligence Creating a business plan Post purchase priorities

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S This course details the exact set of steps necessary in preparing a comprehensive loan package request. Each of the forms and requirements are explained and included. From initial readiness tests to help with advanced topics such as U.S. Small Business Administration loans, this course lays it on the line concerning what a lender is really looking for and how they evaluate loan requests. Simply understanding the way a lender thinks can more than double your effectiveness in raising money for your business. Topics covered by this course include: What is a loan package? Are you ready for a loan? How much should you ask for? Offering collateral and security Obtaining your credit report The personal financial statement Creating a business plan The financial projections SBA guarantees and applications Bringing the loan request together

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Finding and Attracting an Investor examines the peculiar nature of investment capital. The course presents practical tactics on how to identify and secure different types of capital including seed capital, angel capital, and venture capital. The process used by different kinds of investors is presented and the tools for completing the fund-raising process are presented. Special focus is given to the federal and state laws that govern the capital and securities process. Topics covered by this course include: What is an investor? The investment process Obtaining seed capital Obtaining angel capital Obtaining venture capital Creating a business plan Legal considerations and concerns Criteria for a new company Investor presentations and pitches Where to find investors

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Learn about business taxes on your own time, and at your own pace. Topics include: What you need to know about Federal Taxes, how to set up and run your business so paying taxes isn't a hassle, and much more.

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S This course describes the fundamentals of the most important aspect of any business: marketing. Learn the concepts taught in college-level courses in just a few hours including the "5Ps"--Product, Promotion, Price, Place, and Positioning. At the end of this course, you will be able to create a comprehensive marketing plan for business that encompasses a creative plan, a positioning plan, and a media marketing calendar--the essentials of any good marketing strategy. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is marketing? Conducting market research Analyzing the market environment Selecting your target markets Market positioning Designing products & services Pricing products & services Placing products & services Promoting products & services Creating a marketing plan

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Pricing is the moment of truth--all of marketing comes to focus in the pricing decision. And yet, pricing is one of the least understood of all the activities in marketing. Evidence of the eclectic approach taken by entrepreneurs can be found in an Inc.com executive survey which polled CEOs from across the county. More than half of the respondents said they incorporated the cost/plus method for pricing, while 40 percent said they simply matched what their competitors charged, and 9 percent admitted they "guesstimated." The difference between successful and unsuccessful pricing strategies lies in how they approach the process. The entrepreneurs who squeeze the maximum profits out of their businesses are the ones who make pricing an integral part of strategy, not merely an after-thought. Strategic pricers do not ask, "What prices do we need to cover our costs and earn a profit?" Instead, they ask, "What costs can we afford given the prices achievable in the market, and still earn a profit?" You should not ask, "What price is the customer willing to pay?" rather, "What is our product worth to this customer and how can we better communicate that value, thus justifying the price?" From the fundamentals of pricing to advanced discussions on psychological theories focused on pricing formulation, this course is essential to anyone responsible for making the price decision. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is value? Costs Customers Competition Generic pricing strategies Segmented pricing The marketing mix Pricing psychology Life cycle pricing Specific pricing tactics

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S This course provides the advice and strategies of the some of the leading entrepreneurs concerning what it really takes to start a new venture. Starting A New Business moves you through the important tasks of building a strong foundation for a business to the more tactical aspects concerning marketing, managing, and money. This course will also show you how to protect your ideas, how to hire employees, how to find out what licenses and regulations may apply, as well as, provide more than 50 resources of free information that are available to you in making your new business a reality. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: Defining the mission, vision, and goals Understanding the management trinity Determining feasibility and risk Marketing products and services Managing and operating the business Handling the money and the finances Hiring and managing employees Getting licenses and permits Protecting your ideas Growing by adaptation and experimentation

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S This course describes the available entrepreneurial strategies and how they are applied in the marketplace. For anyone starting or growing a business venture, the knowledge and skills underlying the entrepreneurial strategies are an essential part of any entrepreneur's toolkit. Besides presenting the available strategies and their application, this course presents the sources of innovation and an overview of how decisions are made and how those decisions change over the course of a venture's life-cycle. Most wars are won or lost before they are ever fought. Understanding and applying the entrepreneurial strategies fueled by the sources of innovation is what separates the victors from the defeated. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is entrepreneurial strategy? Being first with the most Hitting them where they ain’t Occupying a specialized niche Changing the economic characteristics Sources of innovation What makes an entrepreneur How entrepreneurs craft strategy Strategic entrepreneurial decisions Social entrepreneurship and innovation

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Understanding Intellectual Property defines exactly what a copyright, trademark, and patent are and what kinds of protection they might afford your business. The process of establishing such protection is presented for each kind of property. Also discussed are international intellectual property protection issues, as well as, important legal documents such as non-disclosure agreements. A primer concludes this course which details the prior details to prepare before meeting with intellectual property attorney. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: An introduction to intellectual property What is a trademark? What is a patent? What is a copyright? Understanding trade secrets Federal, state, and employees issues Internet intellectual property International intellectual property Creating & realizing the value of intellectual property Understanding confidentiality agreements

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Every new venture has to work the complex decision of what legal structure to choose for the business. This course breaks down this decision into its essential characteristics simplifying the decision -making process. An in-depth discussion is presented about the pros and cons of such structures as the sole proprietorship, partnership, "c" or "s" corporation, and the limited liability company (LLC). As part of this course, a legal structure wizard ranks the best structure to choose for your business based on a series of questions that account for risk, complexity, types of ownership, and so forth. Once you have selected the best structure, the course then presents each of the forms that are necessary to file and set up your business from a legal requirements perspective. A final section of the course deals with employees and the legal implications surrounding this important responsibility. Each of the forms needed to successfully hire and manage employees is presented. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is a legal structure? The different types of legal structures The sole proprietorship The general partnership The "c" corporation The "s" corporation The limited liability company (LLC) Selecting your legal structure The forms that you will need Employee issues and requirements

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S This course is about the craft of creating a plan for your business. The business plan is the essential document used to raise money for a business and communicate your business vision and strategy to your management team, suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders. This ten-part course walks you through the details and tactics of creating a comprehensive plan while helping you avoid the critical planning mistakes that plague most business plans. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is a business plan? The questions you must answer Determining your audience Crafting your mission and vision Setting goals and objectives The structure of your business plan Industry aspects and considerations Sources of research information Bringing the plan together The most common mistakes

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Creating Buzz is one of the most comprehensive courses on how marketing is actually executed in a small business. Your marketing agenda as an entrepreneur is vastly different than that of a member of the Fortune 500. Some of the principles may be the same, but the details are different. The theory of creating buzz is that your primary investments should be time, energy, and imagination. In other words, you are shooting for a high return on imagination as opposed to return on investment. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is buzz and how does it spread? Understanding networks Hubs and connectors Your positioning and message Choosing your marketing weapons Word of mouth tactics Return on imagination From message to action Public relations and publicity Creating a marketing plan

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Financial projections are a collection of statements that present a numerical model of your business. Any good business plan must pass two separate tests: the story test and the number test. The story test asks, "Does the story make sense?" The number test asks, "Does the story add up?" A well-prepared set of financial projections helps to address that indeed the story does add up, but it also does much more than that. The projections reveal the entrepreneur’s basic assumptions which are usually synthesized together in their mind only. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What are financial projections? Your assumptions Budgeting your fixed expenses Determining your variable costs Calculating your breakeven point Creating a sales forecast The income statement The cash flow statement The balance sheet The dos and the don’ts

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Finding Money To Start A Business offers a comprehensive ten-part course on the tactics of how money is really raised for small business formation. The course examines the sources of available capital and an overview concerning the difference between debt and equity. The course walks you through the maze of financial terms and tactics necessary to successfully identify and secure money for a new business venture. Topics covered by this course include: Where does start-up money come from? How much money do you need? The different types of money How to get money from a lender How to get money from an investor The available sources of capital A little help from the government Financing different kinds of things A few financing scenarios Overcoming your weaknesses

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S An overview of the essential processes of managing employees. Includes best practice on the hiring process, employee forms you must file, wage and hour regulations, taxation and privacy issues, health and safety standards, benefit and retirement plans, discrimination and termination processes, and more. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: The hiring process Employee forms to file Wage and hour regulations Age laws and requirements Taxation issues Privacy issues Health and safety standards Benefits and retirement plans Discrimination and termination Required posters and other standards

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Market research is the systematic process entrepreneurs use to gain insight into market problems and opportunities. The term market includes not only customers, but all players who are responsible for bringing certain products and services to market including suppliers, competitors, producers, wholesale distributors, retailers, logistics, and so on. To conserve time and money, successful entrepreneurs minimize the resources they devote to researching their ideas. Unlike the corporate world, the entrepreneur only does as much research and analysis to justify the next action or investment. This course presents scores of best practice concerning how entrepreneurial research is actually implemented. Answers to questions about market segments, consumer and business markets, market size, and sales forecasts are all addressed through step-by-step processes. Any entrepreneur should want to know as much as possible about any market they participate in. This course provides the guidance and resources necessary to develop just such a working knowledge. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: The market research process The market environment Researching your industry Market segmentation and targeting Researching consumers Researching business customers Estimating market size Creating a sales forecast Customer survey techniques Consumption chain analysis

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S Positioning starts with a product. A piece of merchandise, a service, a company, or even a person. But positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the customer. That is, you position the product in the mind of the prospect. Strategy is therefore planned in the mind, not the marketplace. Marketing then becomes a battle of perceptions not products. All successful positioning strategies must start with the mind of the consumer and then work backward. This is true because the answer is not contained within the product or service itself. No amount of creative thinking or analysis will result in the insights needed to successfully position your company, product, or service. The answer rests instead in the mind of your customer. You must begin with what’s already there and then work backwards--outside-in--to create your strategy. There are only a few generic positioning strategies you can employ: Getting into the mind first--finding the niche, positioning yourself to the leader, or repositioning the competition. This course describes each of the three strategies and tactics used to bring them to life. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is positioning? The assault on the mind The ladders in your head Getting into the mind Owning a word in the mind The positioning of a leader The positioning of a follower Repositioning the competition The line extension trap A positioning case study

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S This course presents the fundamental devices used in crafting a strategy for a business venture. The course puts forth the innovative mechanisms of internal and external strategy which are based on the findings of a new body of research into the strategy-making processes of successful growing ventures. In addition to showing you how to craft a mission, visions, goals, and strategy for your business, this course also shows you how to best present and execute your strategy through strategic stories, the act of organizing genius, and tipping point leadership tactics. As an added bonus, this course comes with Activeplans Strategic Planning Software which helps you create a strategic plan through a simple step-by-step approach--a $40.00 value by itself! Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is strategic planning? Knowing your purpose and mission Defining a vision Forming goals and objectives The two kinds of strategy Crafting internal strategy Crafting external strategy Presenting strategy as story The secrets of organizing genius Tipping point execution

4 HOURS OF DHS LICENSURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT+ 0.4 CEU'S This course presents a media-by-media discussion of the tips and tricks used by marketing professionals when advertising a product or service. Learn how to set an advertising budget, learn why it's better to run two smaller ads than one larger one, learn how to correctly position your product and how to best design an effective marketing message, and learn what you need to know about selecting media for an ad campaign. This course also presents an overview of public relations tactics and internet marketing practices. At its conclusion, this course details specific measures how to assess the success of your results. Course Content Topics covered by this course include: What is advertising? The audience, objectives, and platform Determining the advertising budget The positioning and message Using print media Using radio and television Direct marketing options Promoting internet websites Public relations and publicity Evaluating your advertising plan