WATAUGA — Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center offers free workshops, one-on-one assistance and many more services to help local small businesses.
To reserve a seat at one of the free workshops, visit www.cccti.edu/smallbusiness. Small business owners can also call (828) 726-3065 to set up a free, confidential consultation with the Small Business Center.
Here are the upcoming small business workshops from CCC&TI.
Secrets for Optimizing Your Search Engine Ranking
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Secrets for Optimizing Your Search Engine Ranking” from 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 20. This webinar provides participants with Search Engine Optimization strategies for improving visibility and driving traffic to their website by focusing on keywords, links and URLs. Attendees will leave with several tactics that can be implemented immediately to help bolster rankings and drive more traffic to their sites.
Building Your Online Marketing Plan
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Building Your Online Marketing Plan” from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 20. This webinar provides a framework and tactics for building a digital marketing plan, with a focus on the Five Steps to Winning on the Web: Getting found online; getting ranked on search engines; getting engagement through social media; getting leads and getting smarter through online metrics. By the end of this webinar, attendees will have an understanding of the levers they can pull to drive online business.
TikTok for Small Business, Part 1
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “TikTok for Small Business, Part 1” from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 20. Leverage the popular online platform of TikTok for business. Class will cover account setup, best practices and tips to make a business stand out on TikTok!
Business Organization & Recordkeeping with the IRS
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Business Organization & Recordkeeping with the IRS” from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23. Businesses need to know their options when it comes to legally structuring their business and how it will impact their tax liability. This session reviews legal structure options, the role of an EIN, and outlines the primary types of business taxes that many entities are required to play. Plus, the session reviews recordkeeping requirements for businesses, including the types of information that need to be retained and the length of time those records should be kept.
TikTok for Small Business, Part 2
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “TikTok for Small Business, Part 2” from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 27. This class is for attendees who would like to grow sales via TikTok. This webinar will help participants understand TikTok analytics, provide tips for growing followers/customers and explore best practices for shooting TikTok videos.
Increase Your Revenues/Sales via Digital Marketing
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Increase Your Revenues/Sales via Digital Marketing” from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 28. Marketing has always been about connecting with an audience in the right place and at the right time. From a website to a business’ online branding assets, there’s a spectrum of tactics that fall under the umbrella of digital marketing. Each attendee will receive a free 45-page Digital Marketing Guide and free follow-up coaching. This seminar is provided in partnership with the N.C. Small Business and Development Technology Center.
Want to Start Your Own Business?
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Want to Start Your Own Business?” from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5. This webinar outlines a step-by-step process of assessment, customer discovery, and the planning stages of starting a business. Each attendee will receive a 51-page Business Start-up Guide that provides links to many resources needed to register a business, get legal advice, patent advice, and more. This seminar is provided in partnership with the N.C. Small Business and Development Technology Center.
Grant-Writing 101: What the Pros Know
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Grant-Writing 101: What the Pros Know” from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7. This webinar gives a comprehensive introduction to grant writing, outlines what should be included in each component, and helps to steer clear of the most common pitfalls. Participants will leave this webinar with the tools required to determine the need for and content of strategy sessions, the elements of effective plans, implementation methods and where to begin.
Show Me the Money: Effective Grant Research
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Show Me the Money: Effective Grant Research” from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7. This webinar will explore how to conduct successful grant research and expedite the grant writing process.
Best Practices for Raising Capital for Your Company from any Source
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Ask for the Money – Best Practices for Raising Capital for Your Company from any Source” from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday Oct. 12. Participants will learn how to put together a compelling Financial Plan that attracts investment from multiple sources. This seminar is provided in partnership with the N.C. Small Business and Development Technology Center.
You Have the Skills! Homebased Business Tips for Startup Entrepreneurs
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “You Have the Skills! Homebased Business Tips for Startup Entrepreneurs” from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 12. Offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration, topics will include developing the key processes for a home-based business such as: the startup requirements; the skills plan; the business plan; the marketing plan; the financial plan; and how to obtain alternative lending for getting a home-based small business up and runn
ing.
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Business Tax Essentials” from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14. This webinar will cover the basic requirements to help N.C. businesses understand the laws and obligations necessary to be a tax compliant business. Participants will learn about filing and administrative requirements, the basics of N.C. sales and use tax law and N.C. withholding tax law, receiving directions for completing sales tax and withholding returns and online filing/paying.
Identifying Needs and Building Budgets
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Identifying Needs and Building Budgets” from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21. Learn how to deconstruct programs and develop a realistic budget to drive a fundraising plan.
How to Craft a Written Fundraising Plan
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “How to Craft a Written Fundraising Plan” from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21. Using essential metrics to outline strategies to fully fund an organization, the workshop will teach how to identify the essential data in an organization’s past and present to create a fundraising plan that works.
Blogging in a Social and Mobile World
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Blogging in a Social and Mobile World” from 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 25. This seminar will look to cover both the science and art of blogging – why it is important, how and when to blog, how to get the most bang out of each blog and, of course, how to get started when staring at a blank page.
Using Social Media to Promote Your Business
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Using Social Media to Promote your Business” from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 25. This webinar looks into the tactical aspects of social marketing including when, where and how to post for maximum effect and result. The class will also explore that age-old question “to respond, or not to respond” to online comments. Attendees will leave the session ready to expand their social power and presence in this increasingly social world.
337 Ways to Market Your Business for Greater Profits
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “337 Ways to Market Your Business for Greater Profits” from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26. This course is a “must attend” for those small businesses seeking to gain maximum exposure of their product or service and better measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts through a step-by-step formula.
Business Expenses and Business Use of Your Home
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Small Business Center will offer a free online workshop titled “Business Expenses and Business Use of Your Home” from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 28. Which items are deductions to reduce tax expense? How should capital expenses be handled? This seminar identifies expenses that businesses can deduct from their taxes, how much of these expenses can be deducted, and how to differentiate between capital and deductible expenses. Additionally, the webinar reviews IRS Publication 587 on the business use of a home and helps determine how much of a deduction can be taken for a home business.
