BSI
Featured event!

Disrupting the Patriarchy 
Wednesday, March 9, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Parkway Central Library, Skyline Room (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103

Disrupting the Patriarchy - Do you dare disrupt the status quo? 

 
Join us for a conversation with the makers of tomorrow's women's history! "Disrupting the Patriarchy" will bring some of the area's most highly respected business professionals together to discuss the advances women have made as industry leaders, and how to empower more women to join their ranks.
 
Featuring: Margye Solomon (Moderator)Archna Sahay, Laura VanderkamRoberta Liebenberg, and Chris Rabb   
 
Light refreshments and networking to follow!
 

Click here to register or call 215-686-5394.
Buying and Selling Your Business 
Wednesday, March 2, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Parkway Central Library, Rooms 405/406/407 (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103

Are you planning to buy or sell a business?
 
Just like buying or selling a home, there are many questions that arise during this process.

Please join us to hear from an expert in the business! Burt Sklaroff is a business broker who will guide you through the many considerations before you take this next step, including:
  • What are business brokers and how can they help you?
  • Financial requirements when buying a business
  • Understanding the market for the type of business you would like to purchase
  • When selling a business, learn the key components that are part of the listing
  • Defining business contracts, buyer versus seller responsibilities, listing agreements, and more!
Presented in partnership with the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians

Click here to register or call 215-557-2826.
The Human Side of Investing: Why We're Wired to Make Money Mistakes, and What We Can Do About It 
Wednesday, March 2, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Parkway Central Library, Rooms 405/406/407 (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103

Have you ever made a money decision which you later regretted? Join us to learn what the fascinating fields of Behavioral Finance and NeuroEconomics can tell us about why and how the human brain is not good at money. Speaker Stephanie McCullough will review some of the key findings of research and share very practical tips to use to make better financial decisions.

Stephanie McCullough, founder of Sofia Financial, will help attendees learn about how we can take steps to change things and make better financial decisions! Stephanie has worked as a financial advisor for 17 years. She earned an M.A. in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from Duke University.

Click here to register or call 215-686-5394.
New & Improved Business Plan Toolkit
Monday, March 7 and Thursday, March 10, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Parkway Central Library, 
Room 405 (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103

Please join us for this newly updated two-part series. Learn to use free library resources to research your business plan professionally!

Monday, March 7th at 6:30 PM
Part I: Get an introduction to business plans, NAICS codes, and start researching the competition.
 
Thursday, March 10th at 6:30 PM
Part II: Target your audience by learning to find and use demographic information. Gain executive perspective by learning to research your industry; then work on developing your financial plan.

This course is (BYOL) Bring Your Own Laptop, so if you would like to actively participate please make sure that you bring a fully-charged laptop (charging space is limited). Intermediate computer skills are required.  
 
Advance registration is required as space is limited; please contact the Business, Science and Industry Department directly to register at erefbsi@freelibrary.org or 215-686-5394. Please note that your registration includes both sessions.
Building Your Online Presence with Social Media
Wednesday, March 16, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Parkway Central Library, 
Rooms 405/406/407 (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103

The web, social media, and the shift to mobile devices is transforming the way we live, work, shop, and do business. Consumers have integrated the web into their everyday lives and activities. Small businesses need to do the same. Even if you have just started your business or are fairly new to the entrepreneurial world, building your online presence can be challenging. But when your online presence is built successfully it can spread brand awareness and gain you fans, followers, leads, customers and anything else you could ever want for your business.

Click here to register or call 215-686-5394.
7 Steps to Increased Sales 
Thursday, March 17, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Parkway Central Library,
Skyline Room (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103

Do you need more sales? Would you like your business to be recession proof? Would you like to learn how to increase your business revenues and profits 25-50% or more and do this without spending more money on advertising? Then you should attend this seminar!  
 
You will learn:
  • How to outmaneuver and beat your competition with nontraditional marketing strategies
  • How to leverage your hidden marketing assets for maximum marketing profit
  • Two marketing strategies you can implement immediately to double profits virtually overnight
  • How to "systematize" your marketing so your growth is consistent, manageable and profitable
  • Seven ways to mine your customer or client base for sources of new found profits 
Presented by Curtis MaySCORE Mentor, in partnership with SCORE Philadelphia

Click here to register or call 215-686-5394.
Introduction to Crowdfunding 
Wednesday, March 30, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Parkway Central Library, Rooms 405/406/407 (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103

This workshop will provide an introduction to crowdfunding including:

  • What crowdfunding is and how it works
  • The various forms of crowdfunding platforms
  • How to build your crowdfunding campaign
  • What you need to do to be successful
Presented in partnership with SCORE Philadelphia by E. Scot Fields, Managing Partner, CEO COUNCIL, LLC
 
Click here to register or call 215-686-5394.
Next month!

Writers! Find Your Marketing Voice
Saturday, April 2, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Parkway Central Library, Skyline Room (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103
 
The Corzo Center presents a three hour program designed to help authors develop and implement marketing campaigns and build long-term brands.

Presented by Susan Raab, author and marketing advisor, whose agency, Raab Associates, promotes books, toys, games, and literary and arts organizations for clients internationally. 

For those attending the full session, one-on-one consulting is available.


Click here to register.
Next month!

Inventors' 101: Do You Have a Great Idea for an Invention?
Thursday, April 14, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Parkway Central Library, Rooms 405/406/407 (Fourth Floor)
1901 Vine Street, 19103
 
If you have ever had a great idea for an invention, this is the one presentation you should see.
 
Jeffrey Dobkin, President and 14-year Board Member of the Philadelphia-area American Society of Inventors, will describe:
 
  • "How-to" information for inventors including design, research, patents, marketing, licensing - the full range of what every inventor should know. 
  • Whether to apply for a patent - or what you can do instead.  
  • How to figure out if your product will sell - even BEFORE you have a sample of it.  
  • How unscrupulous marketing firms work and how to tell if a firm is legitimate. 
Jeffrey Dobkin was a featured speaker at the Yankee Inventors Expo for 11 years. He has given seminars for the US Postal Service and AT&T. He has written seven books and over 250 articles on inventing, advertising, and marketing.

Click here to register or call 215-686-5394.
We want to hear from you!
 
Have you used Free Library resources to start, build, or grow your business? Did you attend a class or workshop that really motivated you to enhance an aspect of your business? Did a librarian show you how to use a database or resource? If so, we want to hear YOUR story! 
 
Please write to us at erefbsi@freelibrary.org with your name, email, phone number, and description of your experience or submit your answers here
Check out the Census Bureau's Powerful New Tool: Census Business Builder

Census Business Builder: Small Business Edition combines both demographic data from the American Community Survey and Census Bureau economic data to help small-business owners' make data-driven decisions when looking into opening or expanding their businesses.
 
This free online tool allows small business owners to navigate and use key demographic and economic data to help guide their research into opening a new business or expanding their existing business.  Key data includes the most recent and/or relevant data that is useful to small business owners.
 
Features include:
  • Easy to use menus to select your type of business and potential business location
  • An interactive map that allows selection of the area to explore for business opportunities, including comparisons to neighboring areas
  • Dynamically generated, downloadable and printable business county and city level reports (including trend charts) that can be easily incorporated into your business plan and research
For help using this tool, click here

Census Business Builder_ Small Business Edition
Census Business Builder: Small Business Edition


For more information contact the Business, Science and Industry Department! 
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