Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network

 

Statewide Training & Event Calendar

  

Preregistration is required for all events. Each registration link is program-specific. If no link is listed, online registration is not available or registration has closed.

Training registrations are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve your space for fee-based events, mail your payment to the appropriate office with a copy of the completed registration form. Credit cards are accepted ONLY for the Massachusetts Export Center's events. Your spot is reserved once payment is received by the appropriate office. Training programs may be added or cancelled; the training schedule is subject to change.

Please note: Training confirmations are sent from centeric@clients.msbdc.org. We use this email frequently, so please add it to your approved sender list. A verification code will be sent from this email address allowing your to register for training. If you have problems signing in, do not create a new account with a different email in order to register. For help registering, send an email to the contact in the seminar description. Please review our cancellation and refund policies.


 
export
The Massachusetts Export Center organizes seminars, webinars and events throughout the year under Partners for Trade—the official export training initiative of the Commonwealth. On the calendar below, globe indicates an exporting training event.

      


          

~~~

2023 Training Calendar 

 globe = export training
Until further notice, most in-person training is suspended.
 MARCH
29 Social Media Marketing for Beginners: Reels, Tweets, Posts and More
 
 APRIL
3 Basics of Starting Your Business
5 Real Estate Investing 101
6 Country of Origin Determination and Management globe
12 Starting a Business 101
13 Ways to Fund Your Small Business
19 Improve Your Credit Score
20 Basics of Starting Your Business
26 Financials 101
 
 MAY
1 Basics of Starting Your Business
10 Starting a Business 101
25 Basics of Starting Your Business
 
 JUNE
14 Starting a Business 101
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Program Descriptions


Basics of Starting Your Business

biz startupThis free presentation will help entrepreneurs start a business plan and provide structure to starting and managing their venture. Topics will include:

  • Introduction and need for planning
  • Basic business plan format
  • Choosing your legal form of organization
  • Marketing, market planning and research
  • Cash flow projections
  • Financial statements
  • Financing

There will also be an overview of the U.S. Small Business Administration's programs and services. The presentation will help you gain a better understanding of the various SBA programs and services available to prospective or current entrepreneurs who need assistance in starting or expanding their businesses, and will include capital, counseling and contracting information.

Oreste Varela, branch manager of the U.S. Small Business Administration in Springfield, will be a speaker. Also presenting from the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, Western Regional Office will be Allen Kronick, senior business advisor or Anita Eliason, senior business advisor.

There is no charge for these workshops, but pre-registration is required. This workshop is offered on several convenient dates. If a date is not listed below, the class is full or registration is closed. A Zoom link for the webinar will be emailed to you immediately after registration from centeric@clients.msbdc.org. Please add this email to your safe sender list.

Dates & Times: Typically held on the first Monday (1:00 - 4:00 p.m.) and third Thursday (9:00 a.m. - 12 noon) of the month - click on your date selection below to register
Location: Online
Cost:
No charge
Contact:  MSBDC Western Regional Office at 413-577-1768 or ppawlosk@umass.edu 

       

Starting a Business 101

Are you looking to start a business but don’t know where to begin? This workshop will focus on business fundamentals, from start-up considerations to business plan development including marketing strategies and funding sources.

The speaker will be either Nancy Gerardi, regional director or Rosa Taormina, business advisor and Social Media Marketing Professional with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office.

Date: Second Wednesday of the month - click on your date selection below to register
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EDT
Location: Online webinar
Cost: No charge
Contact: Kaitlin Muldoon at kmuldoon@salemstate.edu or 978-542-7369

   

Basic Entrepreneurial Workshop: Business Fundamentals

SEED CorporationJoin us for a virtual entrepreneurial workshop in which participants will learn the fundamentals of planning, preparing for and financing a small business. The workshop is open to anyone currently in business, starting a business, or thinking about someday owning a business, as well as business assistance professionals who would like to learn more about SEED's technical assistance programming.

Attendees will be provided with a free business plan guide and other materials and will be introduced to free and confidential business assistance resources available to them locally and regionally. 

Date: TBA
Time:
Location: Online
Cost: No charge
Contact:  Jessica Mello at jmello@seedcorp.com

Sponsored by SEED Corporation in cooperation with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, and SCORE

Basic Entrepreneurial Workshop: Understanding Business Financials

SEED CorporationJoin us for an entrepreneurial workshop in which participants will learn how to read and a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement, and keep on top of their business finances. The workshop also explains how a small business owner can anticipate financial needs in order to operate the business more efficiently through a deeper understanding of their financial picture. 

The workshop is open to anyone currently in business, starting a business, or thinking about someday owning a business, as well as business assistance professionals who would like to learn more about SEED's technical assistance programming.

Attendees will be provided with a free business plan guide that includes financial templates and will be introduced to free and confidential business assistance resources available to them locally and regionally. 

Date: TBA
Time:
Location: Online
Cost: No charge
Contact:  Jessica Mello at jmello@seedcorp.com

Sponsored by SEED Corporation in cooperation with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, and SCORE

Social Media Marketing for Beginners: Reels, Tweets, Posts and More

Facebook? Instagram? Pinterest? Twitter? YouTube? If you find yourself with these questions, then this webinar is for you. This presentation will provide an overview of social media marketing and how small business owners can utilize it to boost their marketing efforts.

The speaker will be Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina, business advisor and certified digital marketing professional with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office.

Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. EDT
Location: Online webinar
Cost: No charge
Contact: Kaitlin Muldoon at kmuldoon@salemstate.edu or 978-542-7369

Real Estate Investing 101

Take your retirement and financial future into your own hands!

During this interactive real estate investment workshop, led by Tory Keith, broker and investor, you will learn to do exactly that! Tory has personally purchased multiple properties while simultaneously building a successful real estate business and running a brokerage firm. Developing a successful business in real estate sales can be a springboard to put yourself in a position to acquire investment properties. Tory will review the basics of how to get started while offering an overview on different investing strategies, potential risks and pitfalls, what due diligence should be done and how to find financing. Tory Keith is the owner and president of Board and Park, an award-winning real estate brokerage serving Greater Boston and beyond.

Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m  -  12:00 p.m. EDT
Location: Online
Cost: No charge
Contact: Sarah Doran at sadoran@clarku.edu

Country of Origin Determination and Management

Determining the country of origin of a product is important for assessing import duties, qualifying for trade preference programs, and complying with country of origin labeling requirements and government procurement regulations. While country of origin determination has always been a critical step for smooth customs clearance and accurate assessment of duty rates, in today’s high-stakes tariff environment, effective country of origin determination and management can make a significant difference in aggregate landed costs. Moreover, in today’s complex global supply chain, where products can be sourced and processed across multiple countries, country of origin determination is not a straightforward process. 

Join us for this webinar to learn about the rules for determining country of origin and related concepts, such as substantial transformation and tariff shifts. We will cover origin determination under free trade agreements, as well as general customs rules for origin determination. We will also discuss tariff management strategies to lawfully manipulate origin as a way to reduce or avoid tariffs.   

The speaker will be Matthew Bock, Esq., managing partner with Bock Trade Law.

Date: Thursday, April 6, 2023
Time: 12:00 -1.30 p.m. EDT
Location: Online
Cost: $25 / no charge CA members
Contact: Massachusetts Export Center at 617-973-6610

Ways to Fund Your Small Business

Every small business needs to be able to adapt to change. This is true more now than ever before. Funds may be needed to address an unforeseen business disruption or to take advantage of an opportunity. When a small business owner needs quick access to cash, having a line of credit is the perfect solution. This workshop will address the need for every business to have a line of credit and why it is important.

The speakers will be Gina Flynn, vice president with Eastern Bank and a representative from the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center.

Date: Thursday, April 13, 2023
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT
Location: Online webinar
Cost: No charge
Contact: Kaitlin Muldoon at kmuldoon@salemstate.edu or 978-542-7369

Improve Your Credit Score

This workshop will discuss ways to improve your credit. The speaker will be Awilda Irizarry, senior business advisor and financial specialist with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office.

Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT
Location: Online webinar
Cost: No charge
Contact: Kaitlin Muldoon at kmuldoon@salemstate.edu or 978-542-7369

Financials 101

Every small business should know how to keep detailed records of the daily transactions involved in their business. They create reports that allow management, stakeholders and regulating authorities to have insight into the financial health of the organization. As the business owner, you need to understand the metrics that are reported in the cash flow and income statements, and balance sheets and how they relate to each other. This workshop will go over all three of these topics and show examples of each one.

Speakers:

  • Awilda Irizarry, Senior Business Advisor and Financial Specialist MSBDC Northeast Regional Office
  • Jugmi Rao, Vice President-Relationship Manager of Commercial Lending TD Bank

Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT 
Location: Online webinar
Cost: No charge
Contact: Kaitlin Muldoon at kmuldoon@salemstate.edu or 978-542-7369