Reviewing Your Financials and Budget

Virtual – Zoom

Most small business owners have been hyper-aware of their financial position and bottom line during the pandemic. Some are looking for places to cut back with the least impact on their long-term growth. Others are looking for areas to invest in that will give the best return. Still, others are working on putting together a budget for their next fiscal year amidst all of this uncertainty. This session will give participants the tools to think through their business’s finances and the path forward. What we will cover: · Building a financial plan – set goals for sales and profit and measure success against those goals · Creating a cash forecast that predicts future cash balances – knowing when cash shortfalls are predicted gives the business owner more time to adjust. Examine your spending with an eye on fixed expenses versus discretionary ones. · Creating a dashboard of your important Key Performance Indicators – Even in good times, having a view of your business performance will help you address issues as early as possible.

Securing Your WordPress Website

Virtual

Creating your website with WordPress can be exciting but also overwhelming. Once you have built your site, you need to secure it. Hackers like to take advantage of inexperienced users and new websites to get access to your sensitive information. Most security breaches can be prevented if your site is up to date. Virginia SBDC Cybersecurity Advisor, Tom Stamulis, will share essential security practices and tips on how to keep your plugins up to date and your site secure.

Fundamental Cybersecurity: Protecting your Business and Information

Virtual – Zoom

Virginia SBDC Cybersecurity Advisor, Tom Stamulis, will discuss current threats impacting small businesses and the risks that could impact the operations of your business. He will introduce fundamental cybersecurity controls, which are in alignment with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMM) developed by the Department of Defense. He will provide instructions on how every small business can implement these controls using the people, processes, and technology they have in place.

Cyber Awareness Training for Your Business

Virtual – Zoom

Cybersecurity awareness is essential for all businesses regardless of size. Your employees are the first line of defense in protecting your digital information and your business from hackers. This training will focus on the latest online threats such as phishing, malware, and ransomware. During this session the Virginia SBDC Cybersecurity Advisor, Tom Stamulis, will provide an overview of the latest threats along with tips that every employee can use to protect your network.

Success through e-Commerce

Virtual

Join us if you’re interested in pivoting more of your efforts to ONLINE SALES This session will cover: The variety of websites available, the possibilities for upgrading yours to better accommodate online sales and the estimated costs to accomplish this! The various e-commerce platforms available and how to select the best based on your specific business needs. How to setup and manage your online storefront or service portal and how to use data and marketing to maximize returns. Instructor: Cameron Nelson, Chief Digital Advisor, Virginia SBDC and CV SBDC

Understanding the Food Industry Business

Virtual

Join Us to learn and understand the REGULATIONS in place for anyone who (1) Owns an Existing Food Business or (2) Desire is to Start a Business in the Food Industry. We will share the steps to take and a few tips on what not to do. The Presenters are Experts in their Field. If you need to refresh Food Industry Guidelines to adhere to the guidelines, you don’t want to miss this information session! Everyone must register in advance to attend.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: How to Get your Business Involved

Virtual

Since, 2004, Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been a collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure that businesses have the resources they need to protect their critical information. Over 3000, companies, schools’ governments and non-profits joined the 2020 campaign as Champions. Join us to learn how you can be part of the 2021 campaign and receive free resources to help educate your employees, customers, clients, vendors and partners about cybersecurity awareness.

Future Proofing Your Business with Blockchain

Virtual – Zoom

FOMO on blockchain for your business? We’ve got you covered. We demystify blockchain in this illustrative program that includes a panel of experts to answer your questions. This session will cover: Introduction to Blockchain Blockchain vs. bitcoin - how are they different? How Blockchain can be used for Small Business Accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment Use of smart contracts Using blockchain to raise capital Looking towards the future of Blockchain Technologies Moving towards cryptocurrency as national currency Industry Applications Safety and Privacy Concerns

Setting up Backups Workshop – Protect Your Critical Information Series

Virtual

Do you regularly backup your data? If you answered NO or if you are unsure then your business is vulnerable to cyber attacks. Virginia SBDC Cybersecurity advisor, Tom Stamulis, will show you how to implement the processes and techniques in a how-to workshop to help protect your critical information. This workshop will cover: Backup solutions for both Mac and PC Using external and cloud solutions Backing up Office 365 How to automate your backups Each 45-minute workshop is limited to 15 people. This workshop is set up for small group interaction and discussion. To protect the sensitivity of the information shared, these sessions will not be recorded.

How to Generate Leads Using Digital Marketing Tools

Virtual – Zoom

Turning online activity into sales can boost your revenue and profits. In this roundtable event you will hear from other local business owners about how they use digital media to grow their business. They'll share what tools and process helped them increase the number of prospects in their sales funnel. This live session will cover: What B2B techniques work to attract large enterprise buyers How B2C, social selling and influencers can increase retail sales How to use a customer relationship management system and curated content to merge lead generation and in person prospecting How to use paid social media for special event marketing. Join our panel of SBDC advisors and clients to learn how you can leverage these same tools to drive growth and profitability in your own business.

Encryption Workshop – Protect Your Critical Information Series

Virtual

Do you encrypt your data? If you answered NO or if you are unsure then your business is vulnerable to cyber attacks. Virginia SBDC Cybersecurity advisor, Tom Stamulis, will show you how to implement the processes and techniques in a how-to workshop to help protect your critical information. This workshop will cover: * Encryption solutions for both Mac and PC * Benefits of encrypting critical information Each 45-minute workshop is limited to 15 people. This workshop is set up for small group interaction and discussion. To protect the sensitivity of the information shared, these sessions will not be recorded.

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