Nonprofit Seminar: Financial statements and taxes

The understanding of regulatory, tax and financial matters is key to survival. Get valuable insights into financial and accounting terms. Avoid tax and regulatory problems and make sure that your organization is in compliance with the latest tax reporting requirement. The course will provide a good basic framework for entrepreneurs, management and staff and is a critical component to success for nonprofit organizations. Knowledge of accounting and tax consequences is essential to prevent regulatory, tax and legal problems. 

 Key Topics

• Accounting and tax terms and chart of accounts
• Record keeping required
• Key financial statements – understanding their need and use
• Filing, regulatory and tax requirements (how to get legal)
• 501c) 3 requirements and filings
• Learn some of the special legal requirements and accounting for donors, grantors and staff

Learning Outcomes

• Thinking like a business owner (you are in business)
• Learn about financial statements and their meaning and use – prevent bad surprises
• Various accounting system and backroom alternatives – various ways to structure your nonprofit business

Grow Your Business with Email and Social Media 

Simple marketing strategy for small business & nonprofits

This session will show you how to make the most of email marketing plus social media for your business. When the session is done you’ll have a greater understanding of marketing basics like goals and objectives. You’ll be given opportunities to capture your own ideas and build out the framework of your own “next great campaign” through interactive activities and a handout.

Key Topics:

• Small business marketing today 
  
• Setting your goals 
  
• Choosing the right message 
  
• Measuring success 
• How to get started

Learning Outcomes:

• Learn how to make the most of the combination of email and social media for your business
• Have a greater understanding of marketing basics like goals and objectives. 
• Learn what a “campaign” is and what to write about and offer in that campaign. 
• Simple but powerful tips for how to get your messages opened and read, shared and socially visible.

Market Research 

The key to building confidence

This class is about the basics of Market Research and how to do it. It is designed for folks who are unsure about how to fill in some of the spaces in a business plan. In this class, you will develop both the knowledge and the skills to find the information you need. By developing a prepared question set and with some modeling, you can put your efforts to finding out the things you need to know in order to successfully build a business plan and a business. This class addresses what questions to ask, who to ask and what to do with the answers for both primary and secondary research.

Key Topics:

• What is your market and how large is it? Is it growing or shrinking?
• Who are your customers? What are they looking for?
• Which competitors are going after which segments? How can you beat them?
• What are some sources of “secondary market data” and how does one get “primary market data”?
• How do you model markets where you can’t find data?

Learning Outcomes:

Thinking of Starting a Business? 

So you want to start a business. Now what should you do?

This class covers the basic decision process for going into business: Do I have an
entrepreneurial nature? What are my options for going into business? Is my business
idea feasible? It is aimed at folks who think they may want to be their own boss or who
have a business idea, but need to determine whether or not it is realistic. The class
presents key attributes and characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and explores
alternatives for starting your own business. Most importantly, the class outlines the
process for assessing the feasibility of your idea.

Key Topics:

• Common traits and characteristics of entrepreneurs.
• Advantages and disadvantages of starting a business on your own, buying a franchise or
  buying an existing business.
• Assessing the feasibility of a business idea or opportunity.
• The value and purpose of a formal business plan.

Learning Outcomes:

• You will be able to compare your personality traits, strengths and weaknesses
  with those common to successful entrepreneurs.
• You will learn the advantages and disadvantages of starting a business on your
  own versus buying a franchise versus buying an existing business and why it is
  important to consider all three options.
• You will learn how to assess the feasibility of a business idea or opportunity including:
  • Setting goals and objectives
  • Assessing the market potential
  • How to get the information you need
  • Analyzing financial feasibility
• You will hear why it is important to prepare a formal business plan if you decide
  to proceed and an overview of what that plan should include.

Starting a Business: Write a Business Plan 

Commit your business idea to paper. It’s the key to Success!

This class is a follow-on and companion to Thinking of Starting a Business.  It walks you through the basics of putting your business idea on paper. It teaches the basic content of what is required and gives you help in thinking through some of the issues. It is aimed at folks who have a feasible business idea and are now ready to think through all of the details. It is the information that you need to attract people, money, and clients but it needs to be written. It helps you to describe your product or service, your market and your potential clients. Going through the Business Plan process reveals to you the strengths and weaknesses of your idea and how to improve it. It gives you the confidence to sell your idea to others. This process forces you to think through the critical issues in an organized way and sharpen your business skills. The business plan will help you prepare your roadmap for success.

This class teaches you the key elements of a business plan including:

• How to find important market and competitive data relevant for your business;
• How to figure out the unique benefits your business has to offer;
• How to position your business and develop a realistic sales projection.

Learning Outcomes:

• You will learn about market share and its importance
• You will learn about customer demographics and why they’re key
• You’ll learn to describe your business strategies
• You’ll learn the importance of describing your business succinctly
• You will learn to create a two-year financial plan
• How to price your services to make a profit

Funding Your Business in the Early Years 

You need money to start and grow your business. Choose the right option for your particular business situation.

This workshop will cover the contents of a great resource for those entrepreneurs looking for  guidance about earning potential when starting or expanding a business.  This will include strategy, business planning, and cash flow cycle.  We will talk about building business credit and what financial institutions look for when lending to a business in the first few years.  We will also cover different types of funding and access to capital as a startup.  The session will also cover how a merchant should process payments and what is the right fit for your business.  We will also discuss how paying yourself and your employees could impact your cash flow and bottom line and what you should know to minimize risk.

Key Topics:

• Funding options for startups & existing businesses
• Cash Flow Management
• Business Credit
• Payment Solutions
• Payroll Solutions
• Risk Factors

Learning Outcomes:

• You will learn what options for funding you have depending on the stage of your
  business
• How to find startup capital
• Better understanding of the cash flow cycle
• How to prioritize spending
• How to build business credit
• How to receive payments efficiently
• Payroll needs and risk factors to avoid costly penalties

Small Business Boot Camp

Important information about what it takes to succeed in business!

Master the Sales Process to Increase Sales 

Does your business need sales growth? We thought so!

Without sales, you have no business.  Don’t be afraid you can’t do it.  Great sales people are not born that way; they learn how to be effective with a repeatable process.  Learn what that process is and practice in a supportive environment with your fellow small business owners.  

This class teaches sales skills for those who are going to sell the product or service for your company. It is a good basic overview of the selling process for all small businesses and the principles are universal. Any owner/ manager in a small business should take this course, to both sell the product or service and direct others who are hired to do so. It emphasizes the need to understand what is important to the customer so that the product or service is presented to satisfy customer needs and to maximize the perceived value.

Key Topics:

• Qualities of an effective sales person
• Lead generation
• Sales process
• Sales channels
• Managing a salesforce

Learning Outcomes: People who attend this class will learn: