WPCC SBC Offers Free Classes in December for Business Owners
Western Piedmont Community College’s (WPCC) Small Business Center (SBC) will offer several classes in December designed for entrepreneurs who own small business or are thinking about starting a business.
The classes are free of charge and taught by experienced professionals. Most classes will be offered at the WPCC SBC located at the Foothills Higher Education Center, 2128 S Sterling Street in Morganton, NC. Some classes will also be offer at the Burke Center for Community Economic Development (BCCED) located at the Olive Hill CEDC on 309 Colombo Street, Valdese, N.C. Register for classes by visiting wpcc.edu/SBC and click on “SBC Seminars and Workshops” listed on the bottom of the page.
The classes offered in December are as follows:
Business Management with Excel Spreadsheets
Tuesday, December 1, 2015 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Topic: Managing a Business
Running your business is not always easy and keeping track of inventory, reviewing customer accounts and analyzing profits and losses can be time consuming. This seminar can help you streamline and refine your process. Simple spread sheets, navigating around spread sheets, using formulas and functions and formatting will be covered in this 3-hour seminar. Computer Lab
Speaker: Arlene Childers
Location: Western Piedmont Community College SBC, Foothills Higher Education Center
How to Price Your Product or Service
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Topic: Marketing and Sales
Attendees identify internal and external factors to consider in setting prices for products and services and learn to estimate potential market share. Business examples demonstrate how to evaluate pricing methods, develop sales forecasts, and measure market potential for products and services. The seminar introduces breakeven analysis as a tool to assist the entrepreneur in measuring financial feasibility. Activities identify the kinds of data needed to project the revenue, start-up, and operating costs of a business. Attendees will: • Identify strategies used to price products and services • Evaluate different pricing methods for sample businesses • Identify connections between pricing and sales forecasting • Identify financial concepts (overhead costs, cost of goods sold, profit contributed per sale, and breakeven point) • Identify factors involved in developing good financial assumptions
Speaker: Arlene Childers
Location: Western Piedmont Community College SBC, Foothills Higher Education Center
How to Write an Effective Business Plan
Wednesday, December 09, 2015 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Topic: Business Basics
An effective business plan is vital to the success of a small business. By committing your idea to paper, you face tough questions and identify strengths and weaknesses. Business plans are not just for financing purposes; they are working documents to guide your business. For new and established small business owners, the course will start you down the path of small business success. This class will discuss tools necessary to write a business plan that will help raise capital and serve as a guide for your business. You will leave with a document that you can begin using immediately and build on in the future.
Speaker: Matt Rudisill
Location: Western Piedmont Community College SBC, Foothills Higher Education Center
Business Taxes – Requirements for Small Business
Thursday, December 10, 2015 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Topic: Tax Planning
Paying the proper taxes is the number one issue for most small business owners. This seminar is designed to help the small business owner understand what is required of them when filing taxes, what tax dates are important, what records should be kept and the actual process of filing. You will also learn what triggers tax audits and steps to take in order to prevent or survive and audit. Some of the topics discussed will include: 1. What are the tax requirements? 2. How important are filing dates? 3. What records need to be kept and for how long? 4. Should I use an accountant? 5. What tax forms do I use? 6. How do I estimate and file my quarterly taxes? 7. How can I survive a tax audit? 8. What kind of deductions can I legally take? 9. How do I handle employee taxes? Many other topics and questions will be addressed during the seminar.
Speaker: Harry Ponder
Location: Western Piedmont Community College SBC, Foothills Higher Education Center
Social Media Marketing for Business
Tuesday, December 01, 2015 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Topic: Marketing and Sales
For those business owners who might not yet be using social media, this is the class for your! This class offers a general overview of the social media. In this seminar, you will learn about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and how to incorporate photos and videos. Plus, the newest platforms you should use to market your business. This class will help you build a social media strategy for you small business.
Speaker: Matt Rudisill
Location: Burke Center for Community Economic Development (BCCED)
SmallBizU Courses
WPCC’s Small Business Center has a library of full-length courses provided by SmallBizU, the first online academy created especially for the education and training needs of small businesses and entrepreneurs. SmallBizU teaches entrepreneurs about the “3Ms” – Money, Marketing, and Management. It achieves this objective through the delivery of 20 core courses that teach the “language of business” and important trade-skills. Each course is online and full of animated slides accompanied by voice-over narration, PowerPoint presentations, worksheets, toolsets, and access to a comprehensive knowledgebase. You can access your course anytime and anywhere.
LEARN MOREIf you have any questions, please contact Eddie McGimsey at emcgimsey@wpcc.edu or (828) 448-6719 or visit the Small Business Center web page.