Statewide Training & Event Calendar
All training events are held in Massachusetts unless otherwise noted. 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. We accept credit cards 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. If you can't log into your account to register for training, a verification code will be sent from this email address. We use this email frequently, so please add it to your approved sender list.
Please review our
Registration and Cancellation Policies.
  The Massachusetts Export Center organizes seminars, webinars
and events throughout the year under Partners for Trade—the
official export training initiative of the Commonwealth. The Export Center
also offers an opportunity to view archived webinars. For further
information, visit www.mass.gov/export.
Click on image to right to download the Export Center's Fall 2019 Partners for Trade export training brochure. |
|
|
 The
Massachusetts Export Center created the
Massachusetts Export Resource Center, a comprehensive, one-stop resource for
accessing a wide range of instructional and practical information on
exporting to help your business grow and take advantage of international
opportunities. Registration is free! |
|
|
 Did you know that the U.S. Small Business Administration offers free online training? Click on the SBA logo to view topics. |
|
|
|
|
Program Descriptions
|
How to Become a GSA Federal Supply Schedule Holder and Government Contracting 101
This free one-day workshop is typically held monthly in Boston. This workshop, designed to encourage and support small businesses interested in obtaining a GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract; learn more about contracting opportunities, the procurement process and resources available. Not sure which solicitation applies to your product or service? Refer to GSA's Schedules e-Library website in order to view or download solicitations. You can also view and download solicitations by visiting the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. Before attending the workshop, please review the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Program and the GSA Vendor Tool Box. Please direct any questions regarding the GSA MAS Program to the GSA MAS Helpdesk (National Customer Service Center) by phone at 800-488-3111 or by email at mashelpdesk@gsa.gov. To register, click on a specific date below and you will be transferred to the registration form. Space is limited to the first 25 participants, so register early! Date:
Wednesday,
January 22, 2020 |
Wednesday,
February 12, 2020 |
Wednesday,
March 18, 2020 |
|---|
|
Introduction to Government Contracting
To register for an event, click on a specific date below and you will be transferred to the registration form. Space is limited, so register early! Dates: TBA |
|
General information will be provided on the following programs and services:
These free two-hour programs are offered frequently at various locations. Click on button below to visit SBA's website for dates, locations and registration information.
Cosponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and area chambers of commerce |
|
Legal Clinics (offered monthly in Southeast Massachusetts)
These free and confidential 30-minute sessions are offered once a month at various locations. Space is limited and registration is required. Registration opens online two weeks prior to each legal clinic's date. If you have questions, please call the MSBDC office at 508-673-9783.
As a courtesy to Attorney Cassara, who is volunteering
his time for the clinics, please call our office at at least 24 hours in
advance if you cannot attend your appointment. Dates: Monthly on Fridays
- see dates below Register online by clicking on the desired date below:
|
|
Basics of Starting Your Business (Springfield)
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; and financing. In addition, there will 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. In addition, Allen Kronick, a senior business advisor with the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network's Western Regional Office, will speak. There is no charge for these workshops, but pre-registration is required. To register, click on the appropriate date below. If you have questions or problems registering online, please contact Lynn Shedd at lshedd@msbdc.umass.edu or 413-577-1768. Register online by clicking on the desired date below:
|
|
Basics of Starting Your Business (Greenfield) Learn the whole nine yards of starting a business! This free workshop will help entrepreneurs write a business plan and provide structure to starting/managing their venture. It will also focus on business fundamentals; from startup considerations to business plan development and funding sources. Both those who want to start a business and existing business owners looking for guidance on creating a business plan and securing financing to grow their business will find this session helpful. 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; and financing. In addition, there will 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. Bonus: If your business is food-related, you are invited to attend a guided tour of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation commercial kitchen following the workshop. Please follow these guidelines when visiting the commercial kitchen: no open-toed shoes, tank tops, or strong perfumes/colognes and limited jewelry. Anyone under the age of 18 is not permitted in the commercial kitchen area. Oreste Varela, branch manager of the U.S. Small Business Administration in Springfield, will be a speaker. In addition, Anita Eliason, a senior business advisor with the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network's Western Regional Office, will speak. There is no charge for these workshops, but pre-registration is required.
To register, click on the appropriate date below. If you have
questions or problems registering online,
please contact the MSBDC Western Regional Office at
lshedd@msbdc.umass.edu
or 413-577-1768.
|
|
Scale Up: Take Your Business to the Next Level (5-part series) Are you operating your business without a plan or have you been in business and its been a while since you updated your plan? This workshop is for you. Join the MSBDC & SCORE for this 5-part series. This series will focus on business fundamentals helping you to envision your business at the next level and the business plan development to get you there. Each week will cover a different business component. Give us five weeks and you will have a plan for success. Topics to be covered include:
Workshop Facilitators:
Each week Business Topic Experts will present information which will help you bring your business to the next level. This series starts on Tuesday, January 21 and continues for five consecutive Tuesdays. If we need to cancel a session due to weather, make-up days will be added at the end of the series. For weather notifications, we will update our greeting at 413-577-1768. Dates: Tuesdays, January 21, 2020 - February 18,
2020
|
|
SBA’s Lender Live Match Event at the MSBDC At this event, small business owners will have the opportunity to meet local lenders and ask questions directly and begin establishing a relationship. There will be a short presentation followed by "speed meetings". These meetups will be timed to allow attendees to rotate through all the lenders. This will give you time with each lender and learn what they can offer you and your business. Pre-registration is required. Register online with the link below. There will be light snacks and coffee. In the case of bad weather, the make-up date will be the following on Friday, January 31. Date: Friday, January 24, 2020
|
|
Is Entrepreneurship Right for You? Discover Successful Business Hacks.
Cliff Robbins, senior business advisor at MSBDC Southeast Regional Office, will present this free workshop to anyone who is in the process or thinking about starting their own business or for business owners who want to position their new small business for success. Space is limited, so early online registration is encouraged. Light refreshments will be provided by the New Bedford Economic Development Council. Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Cosponsored by the New Bedford Economic Development Council (NBEDC) and funded in part by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) |
|
OFAC’s Enforcement Cases of 2019
2019 was the most active enforcement year in more than a decade measured by aggregate penalties. Enforcement actions increased from 2018, and more non-financial companies found themselves in OFAC’s crosshairs than in the past. One particular focus area was sanctions enforcement involving M&A transactions, in particular sanctions violations committed by acquired foreign companies post-closing. Notably, in most cases, the U.S. acquirer conducted preinvestment due diligence sufficient to identify the target’s dealings with sanctioned countries, and took affirmative steps to try to terminate those dealings. Notwithstanding these efforts, OFAC imposed penalties because the acquired companies continued to violate U.S. sanctions. Following these enforcement actions, acquirers are firmly on notice that OFAC expects them to supplement robust preacquisition diligence with robust post-acquisition monitoring, to ensure that acquired companies comply with U.S. sanctions. Other 2019 enforcement actions involved, for example:
Speakers: Alexandra Lopez-Casero, partner at Nixon Peabody LLP, will be joined by her colleague, Robert Fisher, a former Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General who spent nearly a decade working for the United States Attorney’s Office in Boston with much of this time as a member of the Public Corruption and Special Investigations Unit, which included enforcement actions involving international trade violations. Date: Thursday, January 30, 2020
|
|
Social Media Tips, Tricks & Trends
The presenter will be Tricia White, owner of T. White Creations, brand strategist & social media marketing trainer. Date: Friday, January 31, 2020
Cosponsored by HaborOne U & HarborOne Bank |
|
This presentation will help you gain a better understanding of the core legal concepts impacting your business.
The speaker will be Sarah Willey, counsel with Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP's Business and Finance Department. Sarah is also a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and Employment Law Practice Group. She has experience advising clients in the areas of business formation, mergers and acquisitions, business succession planning, and corporate structuring of businesses in regulated industries. Sarah counsels clients in protecting and maximizing their intellectual property via trademarks, copyrights, and licensing agreements. She also assists businesses with designing, implementing and auditing corporate compliance programs under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Pre-registration is required. Register online with link below. Date: Thursday, February 13, 2020
|
|
Primeros Pasos Para Emprender Un Negocio Propio Este taller te dará información essential para orientarte en como emprender un negocio propio. Comenzar un negocio es una aventura y verás que al principio te abrumarás muy fácilmente, sin embargo la clave para seguir en pie es contar con un plan de trabajo a seguir, un mapa que te debe guiar a lo largo del camino de tu negocio. El orador será Samalid Hogan, director regional y asesor comercial principal de la Oficina Regional del Oeste de MSBDC. Se requiere registración antes del taller. Regístrese en nuestra página de la internet. Fecha: Lunes 24 de febrero de 2020
|
|
Free State Programs That Your Business Doesn't Know About The business resource expo brings together more than a dozen State and Federal agencies and others who can answer these questions and more helping you access all the resources available to Massachusetts businesses! Are you...
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Cosponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, and UMass Lowell Innovation Hub |
All
services are provided by PSH which is not acting as an agent and/or
representative of the Massachusetts Small Business Development
Center Network. By meeting with PSH you agree to indemnify and hold
harmless the MSBDC from any and all claims and liability arising
from your session with PSH. Participants will receive a general
waiver statement prior to their meeting. 
Learn the whole nine yards of starting a business! This free
workshop will focus on business fundamentals, from start-up
considerations to business plan development and funding sources. It will help entrepreneurs write a business plan and
provide structure to starting/managing their venture. This workshop
is appropriate for anyone who wants to start a business and existing
business owners looking for guidance on creating a business plan and
securing financing to grow their business.
So you want to be an
entrepreneur, your own boss, a multimillionaire! Starting a business
is a major undertaking, if you want to do it right, and maximize the
likelihood of success. Join us for a fast-paced, dynamic workshop which will take you
from (1) feasibility analysis to (2) licensing
and permitting to (3) business planning to (4) financing criteria. 
Join
us as we discuss the key OFAC enforcement actions of 2019, along
with implications and enforcement trends. 
Having an on-line presence is vital to the success
of a business. Discover important social media strategies you can
implement as well as tips, tricks and trends for 2020. We will
discuss: