Pinehurst Today

Sandhills Community College issued the following announcement on Sept. 22.

Set your small business up for success with help from the Small Business Center’s seminars on grant writing, developing your business and more this October. The Sandhills Community College Small Business Center aims to increase the number and success rate of viable small businesses by providing high quality, readily accessible assistance to prospective and existing small business owners leading to job creation and retention.

For classes that require face-to-face interaction, CDC recommendations and precautions for a safe environment will be stringently followed. Social distancing is required on campus, and masks are required indoors.

Small Business Development Series

In “Creating a Winning Business Plan,” participants will learn how to turn their small business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. They’ll learn how marketing, operations and finance are interrelated.  Finally, students will discover how a business plan is used by potential lenders, the do’s and don’ts, and steps for making the process easy.

“Creating a Winning Business Plan” will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 6-8 p.m.

In “Selling Made Simple – Identify Your Customer” participants will learn how to create an effective small business sales strategy. Discover what customers expect of their products, how they use them, and how the product improves their quality of life. Learn how an effective sales strategy matches the customer’s behavior, the barriers to purchase, and the benefits of the product.

“Selling Made Simple – Identify Your Customer” will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 12 from 6-8 p.m.

Developing a Logo, Building Your Brand and Google

In “Developing Your Logo,” participants will create the visual anchor of their small business brand and develop the basis for a new logo. Don’t fret over lack of drawing skills or non-existent graphic ability. Students should join this creative exercise to uncover the name, images and visual cues that best represent the business they desire to communicate.

“Developing Your Logo” will be held on Thursday, Oct. 14 from 6-8 p.m.

Students will learn the importance of defined communication channels and how the brand elements—logo, collateral, and consumer touch points—all play a role in their company’s communication and its bottom line. Participants should bring samples of any current material—website, social media posts, brochure, business cards, etc. If students don’t have these yet, they should come anyway. Students should bring a notebook.

“Building Your Brand with Intent” will be held on Thursday, Oct. 21.

In “Google-My-Business” students will obtain greater find-ability to where their hyper-local target audience is searching via a Google-My-Business listing with regular content sharing for organic search returns, maps and images in their hyper-local region. Learn how to bring their business to the top of the heap in their service category for Google. Understand how to make it as easier for potential clients to find them rather than to find their competition.

“Google-My-Business” will be held on Thursday, Oct. 28 from 6-8 p.m.

Grant Writing

Join expert Sandra Dales as she shares powerful grant writing knowledge and tried and true tactics to submit a successful grant.

“Grant Writing 101” will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 6 from 6-8 p.m. “Grant Writing 102” will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 13 from 6-8 p.m.

Business Development

In “Create Your Business Plan,” students will learn how to turn their small business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Participants will learn simple, easy-to-follow steps for creating a business plan that fits your business.

“Create Your Business Plan” will be held on Zoom, Thursday, Oct. 7 from 6-7 p.m.

Registration

To register online, visit our website at sandhills.edu/sbc. For more information, or to place your name on a waiting list for webinars that are full, or to sign up for e-mail alerts, please email Teresa Reynolds at

reynoldst@sandhills.edu. Check this website regularly bit.ly/2H5VfAv. Additional offerings may be added as the semester continues based on need and circumstances.

Fall Semester Eight-Week Session

An eight-week session of fall semester curriculum classes begins on October 14. The tuition is free for all students whether they are new, returning, or current. Offered online and in hybrid class formats, classes take only eight weeks to complete and award full credits. For all information, go to www.sandhills.edu/eight.

Curriculum spring semester classes will begin on January 10.

Original source can be found here.