Training Seminars & Events
The Western Regional Office offers a full calendar of business training. Seminars are offered at no charge or for a nominal fee and held at locations throughout Western Massachusetts. This calendar is subject to change. Pre-registration is required for all events. If you do not register, we cannot notify you in the event of changes and/or cancellations.
Please view our payment and cancellation policies.
For information on other MSBDC seminars offered throughout the
state, visit the MSBDC's statewide training calendar at
www.msbdc.org.
We would like to thank the following agencies for cosponsoring
our training events:
Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Berkshire Bank |
Freedom Credit Union |
Greenfield Cooperative Bank |
People's United Bank |
UnitedBank Foundation
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2020 Training Calendar |
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| FEBRUARY | |
| 13 | Business Legal Primer (Springfield) |
| 24 | Primeros Pasos Para Emprender Un Negocio Propio (Springfield) |
| MARCH | |
| 3 | Basics of Starting Your Business (Springfield) |
| 5 | Basics of Starting Your Business (Greenfield) |
| 16 | Financial Wellness (Springfield) |
| APRIL | |
| 6 | Basics of Starting Your Business (Springfield) |
| MAY | |
| 4 | Basics of Starting Your Business (Springfield) |
| 7 | Basics of Starting Your Business (Greenfield) |
| 18 | Primeros Pasos Para Emprender Un Negocio Propio (Springfield) |
| 27 | Understanding Your Company's Financial Statements (Springfield) |
| JUNE | |
| 1 | Basics of Starting Your Business (Springfield) |
| 1 | Business Legal Primer (Springfield) |
| JULY | |
| 2 | Basics of Starting Your Business (Greenfield) |
Program Descriptions
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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, 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.
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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, 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.
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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
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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
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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
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The financial wellness workshop will give the participants the knowledge, tools, and resources they can use to improve their financial well-being. Topics will include:
The speaker will be Emil Farjo, a Certified Credit Counselor, a Certified Financial Coach and a Business Consultant. Emil holds a B.S. degree in Statistics and Computer Sciences from the Rafidain University, and an A.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Institute of Technology in Baghdad, Iraq. Through his work at the Thrive program, a program of the United Way of Pioneer Valley, Emil is able to provide free financial counseling to any individual in the Greater Springfield community. He is a social entrepreneur; as he assists, guides, and mentors, refugees and immigrants to create their own enterprises, through his work at Ascentria Care Alliance. He has developed and facilitated many series of financial literacy workshops statewide through his work with the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants. Pre-registration is required. Register online with link below. Date: Monday, March 16, 2020
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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 18 de mayo de 2020
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Understanding Your Company's Financial Statements If you are in business, financial statements are an essential tool. Knowing how to read your financial statements will help you to understand what happened last year in your business and what is likely to happen this year. This workshop will include: Balance Sheet Income Statement Profit/Loss The speaker will be Robb Morton. Robb has more than 30 years of experience in public and management accounting. He has over seven years of experience as a controller which has given him an unique perspective that serves as a tremendous benefit when dealing with the challenges faced by his small business clients. Robb also has extensive experience working with family-owned businesses, both as advisor and as a member of its management team. Pre-registration is required. Register online with link below. Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2020
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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: Monday, June 1, 2020
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Payment Details: Please mail a copy of your registration email, along with a check payable to the University of Massachusetts, to the address below. Your payment must be received prior to the seminar date. We do not accept credit cards or purchase orders. We cannot guarantee your place in a workshop without full payment in advance. Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Attn: Lynn Shedd Scibelli Enterprise Center One Federal Street, Building 101 Springfield, MA 01105-1160 Cancellation/Refunds/Materials Policy: The MSBDC reserves the right to cancel or reschedule a training session. Registration fees will be returned or credited towards future programs. Cancellations received by noon the day prior to the workshop will be entitled to a refund. No refund will be given on notifications received after that time or in any no-show situation. Seminar materials are for attendees only. |
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.