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 only accepted 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
cancellation and refund
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.
On the calendar below, 
indicates an exporting training event. |
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 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. Click on the logo to view the website.
Registration is free! |
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 Did you know that the U.S. Small Business Administration offers free online training through its Learning Center? Click on the SBA logo to view topics.
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|  SCORE
conducts a variety of free and low-cost, educational workshops that provide
valuable information necessary for establishing and managing a successful
business.Greater Boston | Western MA | Central MA | Southeast MA | Cape Cod & the Islands | Northeast MA
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Visit our community calendar for additional training
opportunities. |
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Program Descriptions
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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 |
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Legal Clinics (offered monthly in Southeast Massachusetts)
We are pleased to announce that Christopher Cassara, Esq., partner at Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP (PSH), is continuing to hold free Legal Clinics in our office and at our outreach locations. Entrepreneurs and small business owners are eligible to meet one-time, one-on-one for 30 minutes, to discuss general legal questions such as corporate structure, leases, contracts, insurance, employment, franchising, and various other business related issues.
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 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:
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Basics of Starting Your Business
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: Samalid Hogan, regional director/senior business advisor; 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. To register, click on your date selection. A Zoom link for the webinar will be emailed to you after registration.
Dates & Times: Monthly Mondays (1:00 - 3:30
p.m.) and Thursdays (9:00 a.m. - 12 noon) - click on your date selection below to register
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Small Business Resources Forum
There is no charge for the forum, but pre-registration is required. This event is offered on the first Thursday. You can choose a date on the registration form. Brought to you by the Western Mass Means Business Collaboration. The Western Massachusetts Means Business (WMMB) is a collaboration of the Center for Women and Enterprise, Common Capital, Franklin County Community Development Corporation, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, SCORE of Western Mass, Valley Community Development Corporation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Clark University and Salem State University. Dates: Monthly on Thursdays:
March 4, April 1, May 6, June 3, 2021
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Building Sustainable Business (BSB) Webinar Series In today’s environment, business leaders must capture new revenue and increase operational efficiency. The Building Sustainable Businesses (BSB) monthly webinar series is designed for business leaders who want to grow and improve their companies. This is a free series, but you must register for each session. Visit the link below for complete details. Sessions will be held monthly from December 2020 - September 2021. Visit www.msbdc.org/bsb for details on all the sessions. |
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Starting A Business - What You Need to Know This webinar will discuss all the aspects of starting a business. Topics discussed will be:
The speaker will be Walter Manninen, senior business advisor and financial specialist with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Wednesday, March 3, 2021
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Google My Business: Get Your Local Business on Google Search and Maps (Part 2) The speaker will be Rob DelMastro, senior business advisor with the MSBDC Central Regional Office. Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2021
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What You Need to Know About the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) with Eastern Bank This workshop will cover Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans available as first and second draws. Specific areas discussed will include:
Special guest speaker will be Gina Flynn, bank manger with Eastern Bank. Gina will bring great expertise about the flow of the PPP from the banking side in addition to the information from the SBA. The workshop will also be presented by Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina, business advisor with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2021
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Just before the holidays, Instagram had a major platform change, which means, nothing is where it used to be...except for maybe, Stories. Join us for this webinar where we will look at the new platform change as well as some new tools introduced at the end of 2020. Topics include:
The speaker will be Tricia White, owner of T. White Creations. Date: Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Cosponsored by HarborOne Bank and HarborOne U |
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Your Business Plan: Soup to Nuts This webinar will discuss how to prepare your business plan from start to finish. Topics discussed will be:
There will also be a discussion on some of the Do's and Don't's. The speaker will be Walter Manninen, senior business advisor and financial specialist with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2021
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Your business cannot compete in today’s climate without an effective marketing strategy. Join Tom Herald, MSBDC senior business advisor, as he presents an interactive webinar on the five fundamentals of marketing every entrepreneur must know and use to make their business venture thrive among their targeted customers. Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2021
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How to Open a Business in MA Legally A basic webinar covering topics including, but not limited to:
The speaker will be Richard Cheney, regional director of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, Central Regional Office. Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
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Debt Relief Options for COVID-19 Impacted Businesses This workshop will provide a general overview of debt relief options currently available for businesses negatively affected by COVID-19. Specific areas discussed will include:
The workshop will be presented by Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina, business advisor with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
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Intro to Government Contracting Join us for an introduction to government contracting. Topics to be discussed include:
The workshop will be presented by Michelle Simoes, procurement specialist with the Massachusetts Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
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Cash Flow Your Way to Break Even This webinar will discuss forecasting cash flow. Topics discussed will be:
The speaker will be Walter Manninen, senior business advisor and financial specialist with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
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QuickBooks Desktop for Beginners (3 sessions) Sorry, this event is full. As a business owner, you need to know and understand the financial information of your business at all times. This three-day QuickBooks webinar will take you through the basics of:
These essential reports will help you run your business efficiently and stay in business. The presenter will be Nancy Burgess, president and owner of Burgess Consulting. Dates: March 16, 17 & 18 2021 |
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Getting Relief for Shuttered Venue Operators This workshop will provide an overview of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Business, Nonprofits and Venues Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020. Specific areas discussed will include:
The workshop will be presented by Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina, business advisor with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Tuesday, March 23, 2021
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Pricing Your Products and Services This webinar will discuss all the aspects of pricing. Topics discussed will be:
The speaker will be Walter Manninen, senior business advisor and financial specialist with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2021
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This interactive online training is for entrepreneurs who want to brush up on the basics of financial statements in business. We will discuss the key elements of a balance sheet, cash flow statement, income statement, a profit and loss statement and how they interrelate. The speaker will be Tom Herald, senior business advisor at the MSBDC Central Regional Office. Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2021
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Massachusetts Food Trust Information Session Join us for a presentation about the Massachusetts Food Trust, a $1 million loan, grant, and business assistance program for projects aimed at increasing access to healthy and affordable food. The workshop will be presented by Jose Luis Rojas, CFA managing director with the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF) and Awilda Irizarry, senior business advisor with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Thursday, March 25, 2021
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Access to Capital for Small Business This webinar will discuss how to gain access to capital. Topics discussed will be:
The speaker will be Walter Manninen, senior business advisor and financial specialist with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2021
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Will Your PPP Loan be Forgiven? This workshop will review how to apply for forgiveness under the Paycheck Protraction Program (PPP). Specific areas discussed will include:
The workshop will be presented by Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina, business advisor with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Tuesday, April 6, 2021
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Facebook is a place to share your personal stories, join local groups, keep up-to-date with your favorite business pages, inquire about events and watch videos that are entertaining as well as educational. It’s a platform about people. Let’s explore more of this platform especially as it relates to major changes in 2020. This session is great for beginners, as well as advanced Facebook users. We will discuss:
The speaker will be Tricia White, owner of T. White Creations. Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021
Cosponsored by HarborOne Bank and HarborOne U |
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Federal Government Contracting (Part 1) This webinar will dive deep into the world of federal government contracting for small businesses. The workshop will be presented by Michelle Simoes, procurement specialist with the Massachusetts Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2021
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Getting Relief for Shuttered Venue Operators This workshop will provide an overview of the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Business, Nonprofits and Venues Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020. Specific areas discussed will include:
The workshop will be presented by Rosa Di Virgilio Taormina, business advisor with the MSBDC Northeast Regional Office. Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2021
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Federal Government Contracting (Part 2) The Massachusetts Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is back again to drill down into the world of federal government contracting by discussing:
The workshop will be presented by Michelle Simoes, procurement specialist with the Massachusetts Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Date: Tuesday, April 27, 2021
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Federal Marketing and Networking This webinar will focus on marketing and networking to prime contractors and government agencies, including capability statements and matchmaker events. The workshop will be presented by Michelle Simoes, procurement specialist with the Massachusetts Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2021
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Serie de emprendimiento ofrecida en español (serie de 10 partes)
El MSBDC de la Universidad de Clark y la Organización Empresarial Latinoamericana (LABO) ofrecen un curso de 10 semanas para personas interesadas en aprender sobre el espíritu empresarial o que ya han iniciado su propio negocio. El orador será el Dr. John Dobson (biografía), un emprendedor en serie. Antes de unirse a la academia, lanzó y vendió con éxito varios negocios. Enseña Emprendimiento en la Universidad de Clark. Su experiencia está en la difusión de innovaciones y lanzamientos exitosos de productos / negocios. El Dr. Dobson tiene una Maestría en Desarrollo Internacional de la London School of Economics y también un Doctorado de la Universidad de Manchester (Reino Unido). Tiene más de 25 años de experiencia empresarial, que utiliza para desarrollar un enfoque basado en evidencia para ayudar a los estudiantes a iniciar negocios exitosos en los Estados Unidos y en todo el mundo. Fechas: Lunes consecutivos, del 11 de enero al
15 de marzo de 2021
Copatrocinado por la Organización Empresarial Latinoamericana (LABO) |
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 about current grants, loans, and other resources in Western
Massachusetts for small businesses. Join in a live Q&A to get your individual
questions answered. There will also be a local business advisor to
schedule you for no-charge business counseling services, to help you
with marketing your business, understanding your financials and
applying for loans or grants available to businesses economically
impacted by the pandemic. The forum will be moderated by Jessi
Kirley, a small business advisor with the Massachusetts Small Business
Development Center, Western Regional Office. 
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