West Central MN SBDC June Newsletter

WC MN SBDC

We serve in Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens, Traverse and Wilkin counties in West Central Minnesota, offering no fee one-on-one business advising services to start-ups, existing and expanding businesses. 

You can register for consulting services by clicking the "Register" link on the home page of our website. 

As a small business owner, you may think that your company isn't a target for cyber attacks. However, the truth is that cyber criminals often target small businesses because they have fewer resources to protect themselves.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released guidance specifically for small businesses to help them protect against cyber threats. This guidance includes best practices for securing networks, data, and devices, as well as tips for training employees on cybersecurity awareness. Some of the tips are to

• create a "culture of cybersecurity" by talking about it with regard to every day activities
• create an incident response plan
• use multi-factor authentication
• perform back-ups regularly

Don't wait until it's too late to protect your small business from cyber threats. Be sure to follow guidance from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). We've also attached a couple of guides released by CISA for use by small businesses.

We've teamed up with our North Dakota SBA partners (ND SBA, ND SCORE, ND SBDC and ND WBC and VBOC of the Dakotas) to provide monthly Business Builders Webinars!

10 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Startup Business

Being you are a new business owner, you may get so busy with all the new tasks you forget to stop and breathe. This can cause you not to see the big picture and slip into some mistakes that can kill your startup business. Every startup makes mistakes, and since we are human, there is always something to learn or improve on. In this webinar, learn about these common challenges and obstacles that could

potentially lie ahead and how to get around them.

Presented by: Julie Hinker of the Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Dakotas

June 13, 2023, from 3:30 - 4:30 PM

Webinar Registration Link

Using ChatGPT in Business

Users have found that ChatGPT's uses go beyond simple back-and-forth conversations. It can generate a variety of different text-based material and provide easy-to-understand, conversational answers to potentially difficult or complex questions. Chat GPT has applicability to problems facing small businesses. This session will cover how ChatGPT can be implemented in a variety of ways.

• Understanding ChatGPT

• Applications for Small Businesses

• Options for Implementing ChatGPT

• Q&A & Additional Resources

Presented by: Ryan Berg a Prairies and Lakes SCORE Volunteer

July 11, 2023, from 3:30 - 4:30 PM

Webinar Registration Link

West Central MN SBDC

1900 28th Ave. S. 

Moorhead, MN 56560

(218) 299-6605

SBDC@minnesota.edu

westcentralmnsbdc.com

Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and regional support partners. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the program sponsors. Programs are open to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance by calling 218.299.6605.