Some folks are under the impression that because they’ve got a great recipe for chili they can open a four star restaurant. Some think that because they like good looking clothing they can be an expert retailer. Reality is there’s a whole lot more that goes into becoming a successful business owner, and that’s why the Cornerstone Alliance Small Business Services team established their Core Four curriculum that gets right to the core elements of every successful business venture.
Current and prospective small business owners won’t want to miss the Core Four Business Planning Workshop Series beginning next month.
The Core Four Business Planning Course provides aspiring and existing small business owners the information and skills they need in four fundamental or “CORE” elements of business planning:
- Success Planning
- Market Planning
- Cash Flow Planning
- Operations Planning
The workshops each run from 9:00 am until noon, at Lake Michigan College, located at 2755 E. Napier Avenue in Benton Harbor, in room B-309. The cost for the series is $150.
Saturday, February 10, 2018, combines two fundamentals, Success Planning and Market Planning, into one course.
Success Planning, is facilitated by Margaret Adams, Manager of Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance, and offers tools for:
- Self-assessment
- Financial goal setting
- Setting boundaries
- Communication and selling skills
- Contingency planning
Market Planning, is facilitated by Angela Fowler, Director of Digital Marketing at Lephunt Studio, LLC, and will focus on:.
- Identifying features and benefits of products and services
- Imaging
- Packaging, pricing, selling, promotional and contingency planning
- Targeting customers
- Industry and competitive analysis
- Determining your position in the marketplace
Cash Flow Planning, slated for Saturday, February 17, 2018, is facilitated by QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Anna Burke. This workshop focuses on detailed strategies for financial planning including:
- Projecting sales
- Setting sales goals
- Contingency planning
Operations Planning, will take place on Saturday, February 24, 2018, and is facilitated by Business and Estate Attorney, Brian McMahon, McMahon Law. This workshop focuses on:
- Operating a legitimate business
- Compliance with legal standards and requirements
This workshop series will fill up quickly. You can register for Core Four at the link below no later than January 29, 2018. For more information on Core Four, please contact Dubelsa Mata at dmata@cstonealliance.org or call her at (269) 925-6100. Here’s the link to register:
https://www.cornerstonewbc.com/classes/info/130
Cornerstone Alliance Small Business Services provides technical, business and financial assistance to small businesses with emphasis on income disadvantaged and women owned businesses. The Women’s Business Center at Cornerstone Alliance and Microloan Program are funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
