GEM On-Demand Sessions

These pre-recorded sessions are available throughout the month of November and supplement the many live events we are hosting to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Month.
Commercial Leasing 101

Presenters: Kevin Grossman, SBDC Certified Business Advisor, Green River College, Kent
Julia Lara, SBDC Certified Business Advisor, Spokane
Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

Signing a commercial lease is a long-term and costly commitment. The process can seem daunting, packed with great potential as well as hazards.

This recorded webinar will help you clarify your needs, the process and how you can make a well-informed decision.  Learn the ropes before you fall in love with a space.

Topic include:

  • Understanding the terms of your agreement
  • The ABC’s of lease language – what some common lease clauses mean for your business
  • Avoiding common pitfalls
  • Tips for negotiating fair and favorable terms
  • Overview of the process to get the best result
Email Marketing Strategies for Small Business

Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

Do you have an email list but are afraid of being spammy? Are you wanting to make better connections with your clients/customers? Join this webinar to learn strategies for building relationships and sales through email marketing.

You will learn:

  • How to write emails that are not spammy
  • The nuts and bolts of email platforms.
  • How to easily increase your open rate.
  • Insight into how to write emails with an authentic voice.
  • List building strategies to increase your following.
Financial Management e-Learning

Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

Topics include:

  • Preparing a Cash Budget
  • Preparing a Balance Sheet
  • Managing Your Cash Flow
  • Running a Profitable Company
  • Creating a Profit and Loss Statement
  • Analyzing Your Financial Ratios
  • Protecting Your Business with Contracts
  • Assessing Your Company’s Financial Needs
  • Partners and Investors
  • Valuing a Business
Intro to Taking Your Business Online

Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

Washington SBDC Certified Business Advisors, Julia Lara, and Mia Johnstone will discuss how small business owners can begin or expand their marketing and sales online.

Some of the topics will include:

  • Three major business impacts of a pandemic and how to mitigate them.
  • Tips for any entrepreneur in any industry.
  • Ways to start posting online and staying engaged during this time.
  • Potential scenarios regarding changes in consumer behavior.
  • Considerations for moving your business online.
L&I Resources for Workplace Safety and Health

Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

Join the Washington SBDC for an overview of Labor and Industry’s workplace safety and health information and resources available for small business.  Frequently asked questions will be addressed during the webinar.

This webinar covers:

  • Division of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH)
  • Employer Responsibilities
  • Free Consultations
  • Licensing and Permits
  • Available Resources
Lean Strategies for Developing a Business Model

Presenters: Mike Skinner Executive Director, The Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Cindy Brooks, Certified Business Advisor, SBDC
Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

Entrepreneurial thinking and the ability to adapt your business to changing circumstance has never been more important. Business modeling is a tactic that can help you quickly document your business ideas, test your assumptions and identify a viable path forward.

Join us for an introduction to the business model canvas and lean strategies for developing a business model. 

Topics will include:

  • Introduction to the business model canvas
  • Using a minimum viable product to test and validate assumptions through rapid prototyping and iterative failure
  • Using the business model canvas as the foundation for a business plan or pitch

After this webinar, you’ll understand the elements of a business model and how to validate them. You will also be provided with access to free tools and resources to support your business model learning. This session is for any business owner or manager who wants to reconsider how they are doing business in a changing business landscape and for business advisors who want to learn new approaches to helping clients pivot their business.

Profiting with Partnership Marketing

Presenter: Melissa Forziat, marketing speaker, consultant, and author
Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

This webinar is designed to help you exponentially increase your marketing power without exponentially increasing your marketing budget.  Learn how to find allies in marketing and how you can collaborate with them for the best results. Partnership marketing can work for almost any type of business.  Find out how it can make a difference in your bottom line.

About the Presenter: Melissa is a Seattle-based marketing speaker, consultant, and author. She works with small business owners to develop and execute strategic marketing plans and with business organizations to train their trainers in small business marketing. She is a prolific workshop and webinar presenter.

Melissa is the author of the free eBook and companion workbook Small Business Marketing on a Budget and Board President of Ventures nonprofit, which helps low-income entrepreneurs in Seattle to gain self-sufficiency through business ownership.

Starting a Business First Steps

Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

Are you looking to start up a business but have no experience running one? Do you have an idea you are excited about and want insight into how to get started? Join Certified Business Advisor, Mia Johnstone, to hear about the basics of starting a business.

Topics covered:

  • Identify reasons for starting a business
  • Self analyze your readiness for running a business
  • Understand the conditions of running a business (i.e. possible long hours, stress management…)
  • Brick and mortar business vs consulting/online business and their different levels of risk.
  • Financial basics for starting a business
Start-up Financing

Time: 8 – 9 a.m.
Presenter: Andrew Ballard, Marketing Solutions
Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Register

Presenter: Gerri Detweiler, Education Director, Nav
Sponsor: Washington SBDC

Registration

Are you looking for start-up capital? Learn about the financing options available for newer businesses and how to qualify. Understand the essential steps you need to take to help position your business for financing success. Nav’s Education Director Gerri Detweiler helped individuals and small business owners navigate the confusing world of credit and financing for more than two decades.

About the Presenter: Credit expert Gerri Detweiler is the Education Director for Nav, which provides business owners with simple tools to build strong business credit and match them to financing. She’s been interviewed in more than 4000 news stories and answered over 10,000 credit questions online. Her articles have been widely syndicated, and she is the author or coauthor of five books, including Finance Your Own Business: Get on the Financing Fast Track. She has hosted her own radio show and testified before Congress on consumer credit legislation.