ABC's of Business Ownership
The 3-day workshop allows participants to work on their specific business ideas. The first session, Are you Ready?, includes legal structure, permits/licensing/zoning, business plan outline, and business idea feasibility. The second session, Business Marketing, includes identifying customers, market research, and how to market to your customer. The third session, Cash Management, includes managing cash, preparing profit/loss and cash flow projections, and options for financing.
After attending The ABC's of Business Ownership,
attendees may apply for free, continued, one-on-one assistance from
Western Dairyland's Business Development Specialists. Staff can assist
clients in determining the feasibility of their business idea, identify
sources to prove a market, and may also assist in the actual preparation
of business plans and financial forecasts for presentation to a lender.
Session 1: Are You Ready?
October 7 from 6-9 pm
- What it takes to be an entrepreneur?
- Will your business idea work?
- Franchising as an alternative
- Time line of starting a business
Session 2: Business MarketingOctober 14 from 6-9 pm- Importance of marketing
- Know your competition
- Who is your customer?
- Market and industry
Session 3: Cash ManagementOctober 21 from 6-9 pm- How to set up a filing system now!
- Allowable business expenses
- Income and expense statements
- Setting up your sales and cost of goods categories
Tuition
is $45 per person, which includes class materials. Scholarships are
available for eligible individuals. Scholarship information/application,
class registration, and payment can be done online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org/eventschedule/, or in person at the Western Dairyland office at 418 Wisconsin Street in downtown Eau Claire.
Registration and payment must be received three days before the class. Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact us at jbdassist@westerndairyland.com or 715.836.7511 ext 171. |
Women's Business Network Meetings
Simple and Cost Effective Ways to Make Your Office
More Eco-friendly
Erin
O'Brien, owner of Erin Designs LLC, and will be the guest speaker at the October
14th meeting of the Women's Business Network. The meeting is hosted by the Western
Dairyland Women's Business
Center and will take
place from noon to 1 p.m. at the Western Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire.
The meeting is free and open
to all women entrepreneurs and business professionals. Individuals interested in participating
remotely via phone may contact jbdassist@westerndairyland.org
or call 836-7511 ext. 171 for instructions.
Erin
O'Brien is an award winning interior design consultant who is committed to
understanding the environmental impact of all her design projects. She incorporates "Green Building"
practices to create beautiful and healthy places to live and work. In this
session, attendees will learn how to design cost effective and eco-friendly work
sites, particularly in the areas of furniture and finishes, energy
conservation, recycling, transportation, waste prevention, and water
conservation.
Women's
Business Network meetings are open to the public and take place over the lunch
hour on the second Thursday of each month. Participants are encouraged to bring their own bag lunch and plenty of
business cards. The goal of the meetings
is to facilitate networking relationships among women business owners, allowing
them to expand their small business knowledge. The structure of the meetings will allow participants to learn from an
expert in the field and from each other's shared experiences. For more information call (715) 836-7511
ext. 171 or visit www.SuccesssfulBusiness.org.
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Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club
Guerilla Marketing: A Creative and Unique Way to Market Your Business
Scott
Deml, Business Development Specialist of Western Dairyland, will
be presenting at the next meeting of the Inventors & Entrepreneurs
Club on the topic of guerilla marketing offering some unique and cheap
marketing tactics on October 14. The club meets on the second Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at the Black River Area Chamber of Commerce, 120 N Water St, Black River Falls. The meeting is free and open to the public.
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Women's Business Certificate Webinar
Join us at Western Dairyland on November 17, 2010 from 6:00-7:30 pm and gain a better understanding of the process of becoming certified as a "Woman-Owned Business Enterprise" by the State of Wisconsin. Please plan on joining us along with Carol Dunn, the Women's Business Ombudsman with the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, as she discusses the requirements, benefits, and process of becoming WBE certified.
During
this 1 ½ hour webinar, Ms. Dunn will assist the participants in
understanding the eligibility requirements, guide the participants
through the preparation of a WBE application, and demystify the
supporting documentation requirements. There will be an opportunity for
a question and answer period. WBE application will be available at the
workshop.
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Record Keeping 101
Small
business owners, entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners are invited to
attend Business Recordkeeping 101 on Wednesday,
October 20th. The class will run from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Western Dairyland
Community Action Agency, 418
Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire. Tuition is $25 and class materials are
included. Scholarships are available for
income-eligible individuals. The
class is designed for business owners who want a hand-written recordkeeping
system. A limited number of laptops will
also be available for individuals with Microsoft Excel experience who are
interested in using an Excel based system. Participants are encouraged to bring their
business checkbooks so actual business records can be used to enter data into a
new recordkeeping system. Good
recordkeeping is a critical tool for every business, and an organized system
can save time and effort at tax time. During this hands-on class, participants will learn how to set up an
effective small business office filing system, how to set up an effective
cash-based recordkeeping system, how to record business income and expenses,
and how to create a profit and loss statement that will generate the
information needed to complete a Schedule C.
There
are three easy ways to register and pay for the class: online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org,
by phone at 836-7511 ext. 171, or in person at the Western Dairyland office in downtown
Eau Claire. Because
space is limited, pre-registration and payment is required by October 13. |
Writing Effective Press Releases and Sales Copy
Review the
entire sales-focused writing process, from idea generation to print
The Western Dairyland
Business Center and Women's Business Center will host "Writing Effective Press
Releases and Sales Copy" presented by Heather Rothbauer-Wanish of Feather
Communications on Tuesday, October 26 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the Western
Dairyland Community Action Agency, 418 Wisconsin Street, Eau Claire.
Review
the entire sales-focused writing process, from idea generation to print. Training includes a communication style
overview and implementation of the "you attitude." Session will cover when and how to write a
press release; recipients will receive a writing guide and handouts for future
reference.
Heather
Rothbauer-Wanish is a freelance writer, owner of Feather Communications and the
Business/Accounting Program Chair at Globe
University - Eau Claire. Rothbauer-Wanish has a BBA in management from
the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MBA from Lakeland College.
She is currently pursuing her PhD in Organization and Management, with an
emphasis in leadership.
Tuition
is $25 for individuals and class materials are included. Scholarships are available for eligible
individuals. There are three easy ways
to register and pay for the class: online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org,
by phone at 836-7511 ext. 171, or in person at the Western Dairyland office in
downtown Eau Claire.
Because space is limited, pre-registration and payment is required by October
22nd.
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QuickBooks: 3 Sessions
The Western Dairyland Business Center and Evlyn Carlile of Simple Office
Solutions are presenting a 3-session workshop on QuickBooks November 1, 8 & 15 from 6-9pm. The price for the Workshop
is $99 for the first two sessions, $59 for the third session alone or $149 for all three sessions. QuickBooks is the most widely used accounting software among small
business owners. At the end of the series, attendees will have set up an
individualized company file for their company which they will be able to import
to their own business computer system.
Session 1-Getting Started(November 1 from 6-9 pm) -Records: What to Keep & Getting organized -Setting Up A Company -Creating Chart of Accounts -Accounts Payable & Transactions -Vendors -Processing & Paying Bills -FORM 1099 Session 2-Accounts Receivable & Transactions (November 8 from 6-9 pm) -Customer Reporting -Invoicing -Journal Entries -Bank Accounts -Reconciliations -Using the Schedule C -Sales/Use Tax -FORM ST-12 Session 3-Payroll (November 15 from 6-9 pm) -Setting Up Employees -Processing/Printing Payroll -Payroll Reporting -Payroll Tax Forms -Additional Form: I-9, W-11, W-9
Class registration, and payment can be done online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org/eventschedule/, or in person at the Western Dairyland office at 418 Wisconsin Street in downtown Eau Claire. 
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 Constant Contact
Jeff Ferrazzo, of Constant Contact, will be presenting on the
"Power of Email Marketing" and "Social Media Marketing Made Simple" on November 3 at The Plaza Hotel & Suites in Eau Claire. Both sessions are FREE to
attend! Jeff Ferrazzo is a business expert with experience helping
businesses initiate and build meaningful professional relationships with
both organizations and individuals. As the Regional Development
Director for Constant Contact, Jeff uses his deep consulting and
training experience to help small businesses, groups and associations
maximize the power of relationship marketing
The Power of Email Marketing 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Email marketing is about getting your message heard in a world of
increasing email communications. In this seminar, attendees will learn
how email marketing works, obtain useful email marketing tips, and
discover the nuts and bolts including email marketing strategy and
techniques.
Social Media Marketing made Simple (SMMMS) 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
This
session will cover some of the strategies and best practices to get the
most out of your social media activities including time management and
measuring the return of your activities.
We will talk about what
social media marketing really is, how to incorporate it into your
business life without losing productivity and look at how other
businesses are using these low-cost tools to gain visibility, develop
relationships and drive sales and response.
We will discuss the
various social media outlets that are available, how they interact
together and ways to leverage their inherent strengths and to evaluate
them for best use for your business or organization.
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 7 Steps to Starting a Business
Business do not plan to fail; they fail to plan.
In the 7 Steps to Starting a Business class, you will learn
the basic steps in building a successful business. Topics covered are:
feasibility, proving your market, funding your business, writing a
business plan, marketing, business legal structure, and more. Don't miss
this essential overview of what is necessary to properly plan and start
your business.
After the class, attendees may apply for free, one-on-one
assistance from Western Dairyland's Business Development Specialists to
determine the feasibility of their business idea and identify sources to
prove their market. Business Development Specialists may also help
with the preparation of business plans and financial forecasts which
could be presented to lenders.
Thursday, October 28, 6-9 pm
at Western Dairyland, 23122 Whitehall Road, Independence
Thursday, November 11, 6-9 pm
at Western Dairyland, 418 Wisconsin St, Eau Claire
Tuition
is $25 per person, which includes class materials. Scholarships are
available for eligible individuals. Scholarship information/application,
class registration, and payment can be done online at www.SuccessfulBusiness.org/eventschedule/, or in person at the Western Dairyland office at 418 Wisconsin Street in downtown Eau Claire.
Registration and payment must be received three days before the class. Arrangements for persons with special needs will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact us at jbdassist@westerndairyland.com or 715.836.7511 ext 171. |
Business Events!
Chippewa Valley Cremation Services
Matt Thompson, experienced as a funeral director in the area for 8 years, aims to "to provide the best possible prices throughout the greater Chippewa Valley area."
Prior to starting, Thompson consulted with Western Dairyland on financial planning and developing a business plan. This enabled them to anticipated the funds needed and plans for the start up of the business.
Currently, Chippewa Valley Cremations Services offers a personal approach to each situation, no cost pre-planning services that can give you and your family peace of mind, and pet crematories as an alternative to your pet burial.
On October 21 from 4-6:30 pm, Chippewa Valley Cremation Services will have an open house. Please visit their website www.chippewavalleycremation.com.
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The Spirit Within, Cooking with Fermented and Distilled Beverages
Upon receiving assistance at Western Dairyland, Karen Burrel author of "The Spirit Within, Cooking with Fermented and Distilled Beverages", has successfully written and published her book.
Attend the demonstration and book signing on October 5 from 10:30-11:30 am at the Chippewa Falls Area. Please visit http://www.thespiritwithincookbook.com/Demos___Signing_Dates.html for other dates.
View this video for more background on the book: http://www.weau.com/interviews/headlines/103447269.html
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Contracting the Government and Prime Contractors Conference Follow Up Information
What you missed: Click on here to view presentations from the event. You can also view the winners of the Small Business Olympics competition by clicking here. A special congratulations to Julie Geigle, from Heaven Sent Healing, for placing third in the Small Business Olympics.
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 Please Give us Your Feedback
Does your company currently use auto-faxing? If so, what recommendations do you have for us?
Please email us your feedback at jbdassist171@westerndairyland.org.
Thank you! We appreciate your help!
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