It's been said that the Internet levels the playing field for large and small businesses. You don't have to spend tons of money on a web site to gain on-line customers, but you do need a plan. If you want to know how successful web marketers design web sites and communicate with their customers, this "best practices" presentation is for you. Did you jump onto the web bandwagon without first defining what your organization wants to accomplish? This seminar will introduce the powerful and effective tips, tools, and techniques for planning and executing an effective Internet presence. You will learn how to develop objectives, strategies, tactics, and measurable results for marketing your business on the worldwide web. Plus, discover how to avoid the most common mistakes companies make in the transition to e-commerce.
 
Topics include:
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• Creating an effective web strategy
• Identify critical content & avoid costly mistakes
• Effective page layout & design
• How to make your site interactive
• Understanding search engines
• How and when to use special effects
• Tips to drive more traffic to your site
• Do's & Don'ts of E-Mail Marketing
• Making e-commerce safe & easy for your customers 

With a solid understanding of basic accounting principles, business owners and bookkeepers can effectively communicate and interpret the financial results of their business. This program will provide participants with a solid foundation for developing their small business accounting methods, while serving as a platform for understanding and applying concepts presented in other SBTDC seminars related to business finances, such as QuickBooks® and Understanding Financial Statements. This class is focused on the small business owner or prospective owner who wants to understand accounting basics in order to determine how to set up bookkeeping practices for a business. Learn basic terminology and explore typical transactions encountered in a small business environment. The seminar participants will:

• Understand why formal books are useful and necessary for all businesses
• Explanations of common accounting terminology
• Understand the difference in cash vs. accrual accounting
• Learn basic information about chart of accounts
• Understand basic double-entry accounting (debits & credits
• Explore typical accounting errors and how to correct them
• Relate the books back to your financial statements 

This powerful accounting system for small businesses will enable you to track the progress of your company and at the same time allow you to focus on your business, not on being an accountant. QuickBooks is a tool you can use to automate the tasks you will need to perform as a business owner to document and track the accounting activity of your existing business, or to set up a new business. This course will provide an opportunity for hands-on practice. It is designed for PC users only.

Topics include:
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• Setting up QuickBooks
• Working with lists and accounts
• Entering sales information, receiving payments and making deposits
• Entering and paying bills
• Analyzing financial data
• Setting up inventory
• Tracking and paying sales tax
• Doing payroll with QuickBooks
• Estimating and progress invoicing
• Tracking time
• Customizing forms and writing QuickBooks letters 

Topics include:
· Financial management cycle
· Accrual vs. cash accounting
· How to document past performance
· Case study introduction
· Income statements
· Percentage size statements
· Balance sheets
· Ratio analysis
 

In this second class of the financial management series, we'll take a close look at where cash comes from in a small business, where it's used in day-to-day operations and how to identify and correct cash flow problems. You'll be able to identify key information on cash flow statements and be able to follow the path of cash as it travels through your company. You'll identify cash flow strategies to use in your organization. You'll become familiar with the sources and uses of cash, ratios and the most common "gobblers" of cash in any business. This isn't theory - it's practical application for real businesses - like yours!

Complete your financial education with this third course in our seminar series. This class is designed to teach you how to create and use a cash budget to prepare for future business performance. During this course, you will learn to estimate future sources and uses of cash. You will also learn how to analyze your predictions to make more informed decisions. You should leave this session feeling more comfortable about decisions related to preparing for growth, realistic loan and financing requests, how much cash you can safely take out of the business, and how to make affordable purchases for your business. At its conclusion, you should be able to: forecast sales, receivables and expenses, use a cash budget to create a month-by-month view and calculate Break-Even, as it relates to business expansions, workforce additions or capital expenditures.