March is Insurance Month at the Shasta-Cascade SBDC!

Many small business owners don’t realize that a complete, well-thought out life insurance plan is one of the keys to managing a successful company. And we’re not just referring to death benefits to families and loved ones. Business owners may need to plan for how the loss of a partner or an employee may affect the company. When does it make sense to have a buy/sell agreement in place and when do you need a key person policy? How can life insurance help with employee retention as well as company stability?

On March 1st, we will be joined by experienced insurance agent Harrison Payne to discuss some of these available coverages, how they can help and what small business owners need to consider to determine what may or may not be appropriate for their situation.

Instructor: Harrison Payne, senior life insurance representative at Kyle Vowell Farmers Insurance Agency.

Harrison has been a local to the Shasta county area for over 17 years. He is deeply involved in the local community and is a part of several local groups such as Business Networking International, Redding Chamber of Commerce, the Shasta Board of Realtors Affiliate Committee, and the Young Professionals Network Planning Committee. He is also involved in 2 start-up businesses in the cryptocurrency and software industries and has owned 2 other businesses in the past.

Using Pinterest as a social media tool, Bob and Kate Burridge will help you create your own memorable self-promotion strategy. The focus will be on making  your Pinterest experience  effective for you and easy for your customers!

• Discussion will include:
• Importance of visuals
• Plug-ins for an enhanced experience
• Claiming and linking to your website
• Rich Pins
• Writing memorable descriptions

Cost: FREE 

Available only in English

About the Presenters

Robert Burridge was an Industrial Designer who, after 25 years in the business, left the corporate world to be a full time, contemporary painter. Today he is a juror for international exhibits, college and national workshop instructor and is the Honorary President of the International Society of Acrylic Painters.

Kate Burridge, has over 20 years experience in international marketing, promotion, and professional presentations. Kate is also an author, lecturer and consultant to a long list of art associations and agencies in the United States. Kate developed “Art Marketing: The Business of Selling Your Art,” an eight-week course that she and Robert Burridge taught at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California. She also authored “News Releases: Getting the Media to Work for You,” published by Art Calendar Magazine. Kate and Bob have written for Art Calendar magazine, Fine Arts Magazine and the ISAP (International Society of Acrylic Painters) Newsletter.

This class will teach you how to handle conversations with potential buyers at an event so you can start selling your work with more confidence. Selling your art does not have to be hard. There are stages to the sales process and if you learn and practice these stages you will start to see results,

In this 2-hour workshop you will learn:

• The top 6 limiting beliefs that most artists have about the sales process preventing them from selling more art
• A new paradigm for selling that feels more authentic, engaging, and fun
• The 8 stages of selling art (from starting conversations, handling objections to closing the sale) giving you a clear framework on how to handle the sales process
• How to speak about your art in a more compelling and engaging way so that people are more likely to buy
• Tips and ideas on how to cultivate relationships with fans, buyers & collectors

Meet artists and soak in the ambiance of freshly painted walls loaded with new works of art and photography.  Local artists present a glimpse of spring to come with bright splashes of color and the glimmer of sparkling gemstones and lamp work glass.

On display this month are some of Sally Posner’s “Greenville Homes” lost in the Dixie Fire series as well as a collection of “Patterns” by John Sheehan.  New member, Helen Franks, displays three pieces which invoke the sweetness of living in Plumas.  Oh, and for those of you who enjoy the works of Bill Abel, come see the newest of his surreal domains.

Spend an afternoon with food blogger and social media guru Christina Mitchell and get the tips and tricks for Social Media for food businesses.

In this webinar, attendees will learn:

*Everyday Social Media – How to keep the posts coming and the customers engaged

*How to invite followers to become customers

*How to up your social media strategy

This will be an hour webinar with plenty of time for Q&A

Event Details

When you’re running a business and the digital landscape is constantly changing, it can be hard to keep up. With so many other responsibilities that need attention too—how do we find time for marketing strategies in this situation? It’s hands-on work! Learn which strategies to focus on for your business. 

This class is an introduction to marketing strategies and you’ll complete this 2-hour course with a focused plan for your online strategy.

Taught by SBDC Business Advisor Molly O’Kane.

Molly is passionate about matching the right online marketing strategies with entrepreneurs, no matter how tech-savvy businesses feel. In the past three years, she has assisted businesses in adding over $1 million dollars of additional revenue. The businesses she has worked with have grown between 10-500%. 

As a mother of two, Molly loves to cook, travel and explore. Her past speaking engagements, including SF Small Business Week, Small Business Administration, Renaissance Entrepreneurial Center, and Urban Solutions.

Hiring Employees in California? In this workshop, we will help business owners comply with the law, learn about new labor laws, create good processes, and learn best practices for hiring employees. Hiring begins long before you make a job offer!

This 3-part HR Series features the following webinars:

Hiring Employees: First Things First – March 8, 2022, 1-2:30pm

Employee Handbooks: Action Artfully Applied – March 22, 2022, 1-2:30pm

Firing Employees: Process=Protection – March 29, 2022, 1-2:30pm

Harnessing Technology for the Health of your Business: A three-part webinar series

With the impact of the pandemic, many business owners have been forced to operate online. These webinars will discuss the opportunities that technology presents for your company and how to protect your business and yourself online.  

March 9th 12-1:30 Technology and Your Business Doing business in the digital age can feel overwhelming, but it can really benefit your bottom line. Join Lani Lott, Sierra SBDC advisor, to learn more about the simplifying technology to help your business recover and thrive.  

March 16th 12-1:30 ABCs of Google Zack Barton from the SBDC will be discussing the basics of Google Maps, Google My Business, local SEO (search engine optimization) and will share helpful tips to get you started or take your local SEO strategies to the next level. 

March 23rd 12-1:30pm Cybersecurity 101 If you have wondered how to identify and respond to cyber attacks, join Zack Barton as he discusses the basics of cybersecurity and goes over some of the details that every computer user should understand to protect themselves and their business.

Marketing funnels are a useful tool to visualize the path customers/clients take from first finding out about your brand/product/service to conversion. Understanding this provides useful insight into why some leads convert – and some don’t. This webinar is for anyone selling a product or service whether pre-venture or an established entrepreneur.

Topics covered:

• What is a Marketing Funnel?
• What type of funnel is right for me?
• How to build a funnel
• The ethics of powerful marketing tools: do’s and don’ts

Cost: FREE 

Available only in English

Event Details

Are you thinking about getting a small business loan to start or expand your business?

The goal of this webinar is to understand what it takes to successfully be approved for a small business loan in today’s challenging environment.
This webinar will cover:

1. The Five Cs of Credit
2. Overview of popular small business lending programs
3. Discussion of what type of loan is right for each stage of a business
4. Review of typical loan application forms, processes and timeline
5. Basics of business plan and financial projections typically required

Harnessing Technology for the Health of your Business: A three-part webinar series

With the impact of the pandemic, many business owners have been forced to operate online. These webinars will discuss the opportunities that technology presents for your company and how to protect your business and yourself online.  

March 9th 12-1:30 Technology and Your Business Doing business in the digital age can feel overwhelming, but it can really benefit your bottom line. Join Lani Lott, Sierra SBDC advisor, to learn more about the simplifying technology to help your business recover and thrive.  

March 16th 12-1:30 ABCs of Google Zack Barton from the SBDC will be discussing the basics of Google Maps, Google My Business, local SEO (search engine optimization) and will share helpful tips to get you started or take your local SEO strategies to the next level. 

March 23rd 12-1:30pm Cybersecurity 101 If you have wondered how to identify and respond to cyber attacks, join Zack Barton as he discusses the basics of cybersecurity and goes over some of the details that every computer user should understand to protect themselves and their business.

Event Details

This webinar will provide participants with a detailed format for writing Business Plans that get Funded.

Steve Roth developed this model over 40 years of investing and has successfully used it for hundreds of companies across all industries. We will feature a panel of experts to answer questions.

Event Details

Accessing Capital for Early Stage Companies and Start-ups is designed for new companies looking to raise their first outside money.

The webinar will cover equity and debt and feature a panel of experts.

Harnessing Technology for the Health of your Business: A three-part webinar series

With the impact of the pandemic, many business owners have been forced to operate online. These webinars will discuss the opportunities that technology presents for your company and how to protect your business and yourself online.  

March 9th 12-1:30 Technology and Your Business Doing business in the digital age can feel overwhelming, but it can really benefit your bottom line. Join Lani Lott, Sierra SBDC advisor, to learn more about the simplifying technology to help your business recover and thrive.  

March 16th 12-1:30 ABCs of Google Zack Barton from the SBDC will be discussing the basics of Google Maps, Google My Business, local SEO (search engine optimization) and will share helpful tips to get you started or take your local SEO strategies to the next level. 

March 23rd 12-1:30pm Cybersecurity 101 If you have wondered how to identify and respond to cyber attacks, join Zack Barton as he discusses the basics of cybersecurity and goes over some of the details that every computer user should understand to protect themselves and their business.

3 Part Series: Financial Wellness for Entrepreneurs Join the Sierra SBDC and the Placer BRC for a 3-part webinar covering everything you need to know about the financial health of your business. Are you struggling to understand your profitability? Confused about your financial documents and need assistance preparing them? Dive into the basics with Steve Romeo, Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking and leave this series feeling empowered about increasing your profit and growing your bottom line. 

March 29th: Earning Power Determine the cost structure of your business, understand breakeven points, and identify your revenue streams to project the financial health of your bottom line.

April 5th: Controlling your Finances Learn how to build profit and loss statements and balance sheets to keep an eye on your finances, understand the health of your business, and ensure stability.

April 12th: Planning for your Future: Covering forecasting and sales projections, this class will teach you how to understand the future financial health of your organization. 

Event Details

Creating a Winning Pitch for Investors!

Are you thinking about approaching angel investors for funding? Curious about other options for business funding besides loans and debt? Need a great pitch for your company for banks, investors, or other key stakeholders?

The goal of this webinar will be to provide a comprehensive overview of the funding process from private investors (angels and VCs) as well as best practices for preparing a compelling pitch deck for your company. We’ll also review several examples of best-of-class pitch decks and learn what makes them so effective.

This webinar will cover:

1. Funding 101 – A comprehensive overview of angel funding.
2. 10 slides you need in your pitch deck
3. Best-of-class example pitch decks
4. Helpful resources to build your pitch deck
5. Q+A