Denver's Small Business Resource

Workshop 1 - Starting Your Business                                                                                          Register Here
This is the first in the series of workshops. Participants will learn the basic concepts and techniques of business ownership, the impact of a small business on the owner's life, the information and research they need, where to get the information and resources, what a business plan is, and the basics of business finances. The problem solving and decision making process

Getting Started: Building a Small Business That Works
A session which helps participants understand the personal and financial commitment needed to create a successful small business. Specific actions and steps to be taken are also discussed. This session focuses on the start-up business basics. Specific topics such as: establishing a name, what information is needed about the service or product offered, how strong the competition is, how easy will it be to enter into the marketplace, what start-up issues and problems might be anticipated, and tips to improve success. The session also will introduce the value and use of a business plan. Participants are provided an understanding of why research is important and explore what information is needed. A checklist of steps is provided to help participants organize and guide participants to the steps necessary to properly start a new business.

Denver Public Library Resources
A session to provide information about the resources and information available. Focus is placed on the resources available at the Denver Public Library. Participants are exposed to the common sources of information and participant examples are used to demonstrate the information available.

Money Matters: Introduction to Financial Statements
A basic introductory session designed to provide information about relevant financial terms, rations, and financial statements. The emphasis is placed on helping the non-financial oriented participant understand what they need to know to manage the financial aspects of their business with focus on terms, and the impact of finances on their business plan.

Workshop 2 - Expert Advice                                                                                                        Register
This workshop provides specific information relating to decisions new business owners need to make. The experts help participants make informed choices about business structure, risk management and insurance, financing, sources of funds, and basic tax information.

Organizing/Structuring My Business: Legal Considerations and Business Entities
A session presented by an attorney introducing information about business entities and the respective tax and liabilities.

Keeping the Paperwork and Documentation: Accounting and Bookkeeping Services
A session presented by an accountant, introducing information about various taxes; income, sales, product, business, property, and payroll taxes. The financial impact of business entity choices, record keeping and retention, are introduced.

Small Business Ownership and Risk: Risk Management and Insurance
A session presented by an insurance expert, to help participants understand a variety of business risks and the role insurance can play in the management thereof. The variety of insurance programs and the minimum coverage levels are also presented.

A Source of Funds: Banking and Financial Programs
A session presented by a banker to introduce and describe resources for financing, the role of banks, shopping for a lender, importance of a business plan, definition of collateral, and the importance of maintaining lender relationships.

Taking Care of Taxes, Reporting Wages, and the Classification of Workers
A session presented by a representative of the IRS, covering basic tax information for small business owners; including the categories of workers, withholding, estimating, report requirements, forms, and importance of records.

Workshop 3 - Promoting Your Business                                                                                      Register Here
This workshop 3 provides information participants need to promote their business. Emphasis is on helping participants make choices for effective and efficient marketing and promotion of their product. Product, as used in all workshops, is a general term covering the "thing(s)" that a business sells - including goods and/or service.

Developing a Marketing Strategy: Analyzing Your Market and Developing a Marketing Plan
A session to introduce the basic concepts and techniques of market analysis and methods of conducting market research to determine the potential best customer for the small business owner's product The session will help participants with the development of a strategic marketing plan and focus on the purposes, types, uses and data needed to develop a strategic marketing plan Focus will be Participants will develop a description of their target market, competitors and product. Focus is on the concepts of developing a marketing concept, doing market research, developing a target market, and developing a marketing strategy. Additional skills and techniques for basic selling strategies and determining the most effective methods ot getting the small businesses product to the best potential customer.

Letting People Know About Your Business: Advertising/Promoting Your Business
A session to introduce and explore promotion and advertising strategies for a small business. Topics included creating an identity, positioning for success, getting started with advertising plans, creating design that sells, and media choices for the small business. Included is a session on developing a brochure.

Getting and Keeping Customers: What Customers Experience About Your Service
A session to introduce participants to the importance of service and the resulting experience for their customers Participants will understand that the positive/negative experience created when you do business is directly proportional to the repeat sale and their customers coming back.

The Internet and Your Business: Using the Internet and Computers in Your Business
A session to introduce the potential of the internet and computers for marketing sales, prospecting, and advertising. In addition guidance is provided about setting up a web presence and what decisions are important.

Workshop 4 - Business Plan Development                                                                                Register Here
This is the final workshop in the series and is devoted to helping participants put their business plan together using the information they have gained from their research and the other three Workshops.

Putting Your Ideas on Paper: Business Plan Development and the Narrative Section
This active session helps participants understand what is a business plan is and how important it is, even critical, if the participant is going to need financial backing. Participants learn about who writes the plan, what the components of an effective plan are, and get practice at developing parts of the narrative portion of the plan. As a result of this session the participant will have developed a statement about their business structure, their marketing plan, articulated their management plan, planned for their operations/production plan, and their technical plan. The participants will also have developed alternatives to many of the contingences they may face, developed a tactical launch plan and measures of success for their business. The participants will receive and use worksheets in the workbook, Let's Write Your Business Plan.

The Bottom Line: Developing the Financial Section of the Business
This active and focused session helps the participant complete one of the most important parts of the business plan - the financial section. Participants will be introduced to concepts relating to the small business economic cycle, basic financial statements (model, types), sources and use of funds, working capital requirements, income statements, cash flow projections, and the balance sheet.' Participants will conduct exercises from the workbook, Let's Write Your Business Plan and conduct simple financial analysis of the following: sensitivity analysis, gross profit computations, compute key financial ratios, break-even analysis. Additional assistance will be provided for service business on computing billing rates, pricing for all types of businesses, and understand billing cycle realities.