The Chamber's Seminar Team is excited to kick off 2018 with our Small Business University, a seven-series program designed to give small business owners a good foundation to build and maintain a successful business.

Members may enroll in all seven sessions for the reduced cost of $125 or sign up for the seminars individually for $25 per session. 
Pre-registration is required.

101: Business Plan Basics

Presented by Stephen Hamilton, Lone Star College Small Business Development Center
DATE: Tuesday, January 30 from 9-11 a.m.

Receive quick and easy tips for writing your business plan and recommendations from an expert on how to use your plan to obtain financing, focus ideas, identify specific business objectives, and chart and manage growth.

102: If You Kill Superman...What Happens to Clark Kent? Shielding you personally from business liabilities through entity formation

Presented by Bret Strong, The Strong Firm, P.C.
Date: Thursday, February 15 from 9-11 a.m.

The presentation will focus on helping business owners avoid or limit personal liability for business debts and obligations through the use of entity formations. We will discuss the various types of entities available to business owners and address potential pros and cons of these entities. We will also explore practical steps that a business owner can take to prevent an opposing party from "piercing the corporate veil" and other "housekeeping" matters beneficial for any business owner. 

103: Understanding Your Financials

Presented by Barry Blanton, Blanton Advisors
Date: Tuesday, March 20 from 9-11 a.m.

• Basic understanding of Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statements

• How to review the Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statements

• How to organize the Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss Statements (Chart of Accounts)

• Why doesn't profit equal cash?

• Why do I need to be interested in the balance sheet?

• Understanding Equity  

104: Cash Management and Budgeting

Presented by Jay Tompkins, MiddletonRaines+Zapata LLP
Date: Thursday, April 5 from 9-11 a.m.

Cash Management and Budgeting is the lifeblood of any small business. Properly monitoring activity against a predetermined budgets and monitoring cash flow monthly if key to the success of any business. This seminar will teach ways to form a budget and cash flow reports as well as how to use them in monitoring your business activity.

105: HR for the HR Department of One (or None)

Presented by Alan Bush, The Bush Law Firm
Date: Thursday, May 3 from 9-11 a.m.
 
Employee claims waste time and money. Get yourself squared away in advance to avoid an "imperial entanglement" with federal enforcers -- or worse still, plaintiff's counsel. We'll talk out the things you need to know from hiring to performance management, to firing, to policies and agreements. Along the way, we'll have a laugh or two. We don't do boring.

106: IT Solutions for your Small Business

Presented by Steve Wright, Wright Business Technologies, Inc.  
Date: Thursday, June 14 from 9-11 a.m.
 
Small business owners/representatives will walk through each step of the IT process from the foundation to continuous best practices. Listen and learn about what our IT expert has seen firsthand, from wasted money to what is worth your investment. Hear real stories about how businesses stayed functional during a disaster and how your business should be set-up. Also, find out how IT should be a profit center for your business. Unthinkable? Don't miss this one.

107: Marketing for Small Business

Presented by Stephen Hamilton, Lone Star College Small Business Development Center
Date: Tuesday, July 17 from 9-11 a.m.
 
Marketing is one of the most important things you do in your business. How, when, and where to market and especially whom you will target are all things you and your employees need to figure out. In this class, we will help you understand important considerations for your marketing approach including what makes your product/service unique, the difference between benefits and features and how to determine what is important to your customer. In addition, you will discover how to create a simple and practical marketing strategy based on tips and tools proven to work.