Start-Up to Sustainability Seminars and Workshops
These interactive, hands-on sessions are offered regularly throughout the year. They have been developed to guide you through three distinct stages: exploring the concept of entrepreneurship (Welcome to Business); planning your business (Business Plan Development Series); and gathering tools and knowledge that you can immediately apply to the operation of your business (Thursday Evening Seminars). The Thursday Evening sessions are clustered below according to topic.
Advance registration is required for all seminars and workshops.
View a printable training calendar or scroll through the list below for session descriptions, dates, times and prices. Click on the dates for more details and to register.
Business Basics
Starting a business is an appealing idea for many women, but do you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? This session helps you explore the advantages and challenges of being self-employed. It will also provide you with answers to frequently asked question including: How do I register my business name? Do I require any special licenses and permits? How do I finance this idea? Skilled business advisors from the Women's Enterprise Centre will guide you through the resources available at the Centre and throughout the community to help you put your dream into action. No Charge
Business Plan Development Workshop Series
Time and date noted next to each description
What is a business plan and why do I need one? The business plan is a critical tool for outlining the strategy and developing the tactics to manage your business. It is a document that organizes all the information derived from your research and explains how you will start and operate your business. This interactive six-part series provides in-depth instruction on preparing each section of the business plan. While you don’t have to take the sessions all at once, it is recommended that you take them in order and in the following clusters: Research and Exploration followed by Analysis and Evaluation; Marketing (two parts); Operations Planning, Risk Analysis and Sales Forecasting followed by Financial Planning and Managment. $30/session + GST
Research and Exploration (Workshop 1)
In this session you will explore and begin to refine your business concept. Various primary and secondary research tools and techniques will be discussed so that you can evaluate what research you need to obtain in order to have the necessary information to develop a realistic and effective plan.
Analysis and Evaluation (Workshop 2)
Once you have conducted the research there needs to be an analysis of that information. In this session, you will learn how to evaluate and assess the information you have collected so that you have a strong foundation for the next stage which is developing the marketing and operational strategies.
Marketing Parts I & II (Workshops 3 and 4)
March 7 and March 12 (5:30 to 8:30 pm)
This two-part session covers the strategic and tactical aspects of marketing your business. You will explore a number of marketing approaches and begin work on your own marketing plan. Emphasis will be placed on developing a pricing strategy for your product or service.
Operations Planning, Risk Analysis and Sales Forecasting (Workshop 5)
In this session you will explore the operations plan with a focus on identifying effective processes and systems. You will also take into consideration the physical and human resources required to ensure the business is able to meet its sales and marketing objectives. Potential risks to your business will be reviewed and a template to assess and mitigate those risks will be provided. The class wraps up with a discussion of sales forecasting methods.
Financial Planning and Management (Workshop 6)
In the final session of the series, you will learn how to apply the research and planning from the previous workshops to develop realistic financial projections for the business. Cash flow budgets, income statements and balance sheets will be reviewed and tools will be provided to support analysis of the feasibility of your business strategy based on the financial projections.
Developing Your Business
On most Thursday evenings between September and June, the Women's Enterprise Centre offers seminars on a variety of topics. Each has been designed so that you can immediately apply the information to the operation of your business. Some of the courses are delivered by guest facilitators, others by WEC staff with expertise in a particular area. Sessions have been divided into topic areas for easy reference. $30/session + GST
BUSINESS FINANCE
Business Tax – What You Need to Know
February 9 (6:30 to 8:30 pm)
Designed specifically for self-employed individuals, this session covers a lot of ground in just two hours. You will learn which expenses are deductible and which are not; the taxation rules that apply to sole proprietors, partnerships and corporations; important considerations to evaluate when making buying vs. leasing decisions; and how to keep appropriate documentation (bookkeeping and receipt keeping). You will also be exposed to miscellaneous tax tips and traps and there will be discussion about GST, payroll deductions, and things you can do to be in accordance with all taxation requirements so that your return does not trigger an audit.
Business Sucess – Increase the Profitability of Your Business
February 16 (6:30 to 8:30 pm)
The objective of this workshop is to increase the profitability of your business by examining existing philosophies and considering new strategies that focus on service/quality rather than price. The session covers pricing; break-even point; fixed vs. variable costs; reading, understanding and using your financial statements; learning how prepare and use projections; dealing with difficult clients; and negotiating more effectively with clients and suppliers.
Introduction to Financial Management
February 23 (6:30 to 8:30 pm)
Understanding financial basics will help you gain and maintain control of your business. This session is the foundation for the Financial Management Series and looks at the sources and uses of funds within your business. You must be organized to track and document the movement of those funds. Learn what financial information you need to collect and how to develop systems for monitoring that information, including basic requirements for income tax, GST, and PST. You will also cover the key points of what to look for when hiring a professional bookkeeper or accountant.
It is important to understand how to develop a manual bookkeeping system that is straightforward and easy to manage. By the end of the session, you will have gained a basic understanding of accounting principles and how they relate to your business.
Accounting Software: Overview of Quick Books and Simply Accounting
Basic accounting principles will be used to demonstrate key activities in Quick Books and Simply Accounting software. By the end of the session, you will know how to complete basic transactions in accounting software with a general overview of payables, receivables and payroll functions.
You will learn financial analysis methods to read and understand your financial reports. Whether your statements are prepared by hand, electronically, or by an accounting professional, you need to know how to interpret the data. With correctly prepared financial statements you will be able to spot potential problems, capitalize on opportunities, and make appropriate decisions in accordance with the strategic vision for your business. By the end of the session, you will have the foundation for a financial monitoring system that you can tailor to your specific business.
MANAGEMENT
Time Management — Get Organized for Peak Performance
Postponed
If time is money, how much are you losing in disorganization and disruption? Learn how to take control of your time and limit the interruptions that can derail your productivity. This workshop is divided into four sections: goal setting; guidelines for efficient planning; the four Ds (do, dump, delay or delegate); and learning how to manage your work by performing a workload analysis.
A Place for Everything: Organizing Your Office
January 26 (6:30 to 8:30 pm)
“A place for everything and everything in its place.” This is certainly easier said than done, especially if you have piles of paper all over your work space. Life as a business owner can become much more complicated if you are unable to take control of the paperwork your business is sure to generate. This session will provide you with the skills to sort and process documents, the tools to organize your physical space, and the ability to organize your time. You will leave the session with a flow chart to assist you with paper flow, visual aids to help you on your quest for organization, and sources of office products to get you going in the right direction. There will be time for questions.
Dealing with Performance Problems and Ending an Employment Relationship
March 8 (6:30 to 8:30 pm)
Dealing with employee performance issues can be challenging and time consuming. This session has been designed to help business owners develop processes to address employee performance problems. Participants will learn about ‘good, bad and ugly’ scenarios and how to avoid or prevent the latter two. The session will also cover the importance of documentation and guidelines for terminating an employment relationship.
MARKETING
Why Should I Buy From You? Positioning for Increased Sales
The most fundamental aspect of selling is determining how to position your offering to the customer. In order to do this successfully, you must have a strategy to assess how your offering fits into the marketplace and to whom it will be most valuable. You must also be able to communicate that value to potential buyers. Positioning is the most critical, and often the least expensive, marketing exercise an organization can undertake to increase their sales success. If you have ever struggled with communicating your offer to a stranger, this session is for you.
Public Relations: How to Get Started
Sometimes the best business promotion doesn’t cost a cent. You can use public relations (PR) to create awareness of your business, build your “brand” and deliver your message to customers, with little or no financial investment. All it takes is a little ingenuity and planning. Learn about the variety of PR tools available and how to plan an effective PR program for your small business.
Understanding Buyer Behavior and Closing the Sale
Sometimes the best business promotion doesn’t cost a cent. You can use public relations (PR) to create awareness of your business, build your “brand” and deliver your message to customers, with little or no financial investment. All it takes is a little ingenuity and planning. Learn about the variety of PR tools available and how to plan an effective PR program for your small business.
Use Online Content, Conversation, and Persuasion to Build Your Business
Writing for the Web is a lot more than just writing. It’s about knowing how to create new and original content for your blog and website, tying it in with your social-media presence, and being familiar with the basic principles of persuasion and online marketing. Be prepared for an educational and entertaining session that will deliver tips and tools to make your online content more interesting and effective.
Advertising for Small Business: What will work best for YOUR Business?
One of the oldest clichés in advertising is John Wannamaker’s Rule which states that only 50% of advertising works, you just don’t know which 50%. As a business owner you will be presented with many types of media on which to spend your advertising dollars. In this session you will learn to differentiate between the numerous and often confusing media options, how to target media to meet your advertising needs, discover important steps to successful advertising and common reasons why ads fail. Take away valuable tips and tools to help you make wiser media buying decisions and potentially lead to increased profitability for your business.
TECH TUESDAYS
$25 per session, light lunch included.
If you’ve done any research lately into technology options for your business, or simply viewed an ad for the iPhone 4S which touts iCloud functionality, you may be wondering what this cloud stuff is all about. In just one hour, you will gain insight into Cloud technology and learn about cost-effective ways that your business may be able to benefit from incorporating it into your technology planning.
Point of Sale Systems — A POS-tive Business Tool
Point-of-sale, or POS systems have evolved dramatically in the last decade. Now sophisticated features that can support your business are available at increasingly reasonable investment levels. With the multitude of options available to retailers, it may be difficult to know where to start looking and how to know when you’ve found a solution that will add value to your bottom line. Learn some of the features and functionalities that are available, typical cost scenarios, and ways that you can integrate a POS system into your business.
E-commerce Isn't Just for Amazon
E-commerce isn’t just the buying and selling of products online, it is the entire online process of developing, marketing, selling, delivering, servicing and paying for products and services. With advances in online tools, businesses of all sizes are now able to participate in e-commerce. For a minimal investment of cash and time, you too can transact online with your customers. In this session, you will learn about the leading e-commerce providers and aspects of online selling you may want to consider as you assess this distribution channel for your business.
Pardon us, that’s not a result of eating lunch too quickly…we really did mean ERP or “Enterprise Resource Planning”. This session is about efficiency, lost opportunities and profitability. Do your systems transfer information from spreadsheet to database, database to word processor, word processor to email? Are you missing sales opportunities because you don’t know if you have stock on hand or how long it will take to arrive if you order it? Can you determine immediately if the large project you just completed made money or do you have to wait a few weeks for all the costs to be accumulated and processed by hand and passed on to bookkeeper for entry into Simply Accounting or QuickBooks before you receive the answer? During this session you will learn about the benefits of ERP, and leave with criteria that will help you assess whether you should consider it for your business.
Mobile is an extremely HOT topic these days and for good reason. In 2010, there were 4.1 billion mobile phones worldwide. In 2011, that number grew to 5.2 billion and continues to grow exponentially. By 2014, mobile web users will overtake desktop web users and statistics show that mobile web searchers are more likely to act on their searches than desktop web searchers. “Are You Ready For This Mobile Revolution?” In this session, Leah Binkley will share the main areas of focus no matter your business type, tools you can use to “mobilize” your marketing efforts, and tips for the best ways to prepare your digital media for mobile consumption.
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