SBDC StartSmart provides the resources, support, and motivation to put your dream within reach.
StartSmart is tailored to be held virtually to facilitate virtual discussion, class engagement, & mastery of content. Participation in StartSmart will also allow access to LivePlan, an online business planning software. The program is facilitated by specially trained SBDC consultants and a long-term relationship with the SBDC and follow-up consulting is available and encouraged following the program.
Whether you are a new business (in business 2 years or less), or are still in the planning phase, building a business takes the right tools?and a lot of hard work. SBDC StartSmart will equip you to be successful!
SBDC StartSmart helps attendees to:
Evaluate & refine your business concept
Improve your knowledge of business concepts
Research markets and competition
Develop a financial forecast to improve chances of success
Develop a thorough, practical business plan
SBDC StartSmart includes 16 hours of instruction delivered over a period of 4 weeks. Sessions will be held twice a week for 2 hours.
LEARN HOW TO:
Evaluate your concept and develop plans to move forward.
Improve knowledge of business fundamentals.
Build an infrastructure for business operations and processes.
SBDC StartSmart graduates acquire:
An actionable business plan and access to business planning software
Access to financial and business resources.
A network of entrepreneurial peers and professionals
Eight modules cover critical issues for new businesses:
MODULE 1: Business Success ? How do we get there?
MODULE 2: Opportunity & Solutions
MODULE 3: Marketing for Success
MODULE 4: Digital Marketing & Online Strategies
MODULE 5: Navigating Human Resources
MODULE 6: Operations & Managing by the Numbers
MODULE 7: Management with a Plan
MODULE 8: Plan, Run, Review, Revise Starting a business from scratch isn?t the only path to entrepreneurship. Buying a business can be far less risky, less expensive and easier to finance than starting one. In fact, buying a business may be the best strategy for success. This program will provide entrepreneurs with guidance to search, assess, value, finance, and execute a business acquisition. This session will also feature an attorney and franchise broker who will discuss their roles in business acquisition.
Course Outline
Search
Valuation
Preliminary Due Diligence
Financing the Deal
Getting the Deal Done
Buying a Franchise
Learner Outcomes
Attendees will gain an understanding of:
why buying a business can be best strategy for success.
terms used in buying a business
the process for buying a business.
what franchise opportunities offer AI-Powered Email Marketing for Business Owners Who Hate Writing Emails
Email is the highest-converting marketing channel for small businesses.
The biggest hurdle to taking advantage is finding the time and the words to actually create the messaging.
This Live Online Workshop teaches how to overcome the obstacle by assisting with writing, organizing, automating campaigns, and sending emails that sound like the owner.
You'll learn how to use AI to:
Write emails that sound like you
Create welcome sequences for new subscribers and customers
Master following-up on leads
Structure sales messages addressing client needs, solutions, offers
Construct strong Calls to Action ? every email should have a purpose that tells your audience what to do next.
Know where and how to deploy your content
Business owners who should attend are those who:
Have an email list but rarely use it
Hate writing emails
Know what they want to say but getting it onto the screen takes too much time
Don't know what to send
Need a repeatable process for deciding what the audience should hear
Rather spend their time running the business
This is the second workshop in a five-part series focused on the how and why of effectively applying AI to your business.
You don't need to be an AI expert. You simply need to be someone who wants to use AI strategically and practically. Join the DeKalb Chamber for a ribbon cutting at Senior Helpers of East Metro Atlanta. Senior Helpers was founded in 2002 by Tony Bonacuse with the help of Peter Ross after their firsthand experience in caring for their respective family members. Tony and Peter identified a need that was not being filled properly by the other companies. This was the mission-driven spark that started Senior Helpers.
The first office opened in Baltimore, Maryland, and quickly developed a reputation for delivering excellent in-home senior care with their well-trained staff of professional caregivers. Based on the success of the Baltimore location, the company began to expand. Over the past 13 years, the Senior Helpers family has grown to include a network of more than 300 locally owned and operated franchises across the United States. Social media marketing does not have to be overwhelming or time-consuming.
In this practical course, you will learn how to use AI to simplify content creation, generate fresh ideas, write stronger captions, and build a more consistent social media presence, without losing the personality and authenticity that make your business unique. You will discover how to use AI as a creative assistant rather than a replacement for your voice. Attendees will leave with actionable tools, prompts, and strategies to create engaging content faster, connect more genuinely with their audience, and market their business with greater confidence.
LEARN HOW TO:
Use AI to quickly generate social media ideas, captions, and content plans
Create consistent content without sounding robotic or generic
Customize AI-generated content to match your brand?s unique voice
Save time while building authentic connections with your audience
Workshop - StartSmart (8-class series)
Workshop - How to Buy a Business
Workshop - AI-Powered Email Marketing for Business Owners Who Hate Writing Emails
Ribbon Cutting at Senior Helpers of East Metro Atlanta
Workshop - Authentic Marketing with AI
