March 20, 2010 – Saturday – 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Registration: $30.00
Save $5 by pre-registering!

Ask any banker if they would consider lending money to you for a business that does not have a Business Plan. Once they wipe the tears of laughter from their face, they will look at you sympathetically and say, “Of course…NOT!”. Why would they do such a mean spirited thing? Lenders know that without a Business Plan (1) They cannot make a valid judgment about whether your business idea is a good one or not and (2) They cannot be sure that you have thought through all the essential issues of your proposed business. And guess what… neither can you! Join our Business Plan workshop and learn how to assess the real chance your business has to survive in today’s hotbed economy.

The speakers are successful business persons who will bring you first-hand insights.

–Bryce Malsbary is a retired executive with careers in Human Resource Management and Financial Services. He has 18 years experience in Healthcare HRM with 10 of those years as Vice President of HR at Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida. His second career of 17 years was with AIG Retirement as Regional Director for the State of Florida where he was responsible for group relations and new business development. His responsibilities also included developing and implementing annual business plans to achieve corporate sales quotas.

–Glenn Pirrong is an Asheville SCORE counselor with extensive background in finance and general management. Prior to purchasing and operating his own company, he was the CFO of a NASDAQ-traded public company. Earlier he held senior financial positions with major corporations and was president of a subsidiary company. He will present the material on the Financial Section of the Business Plan covering Balance Sheet, Income Statement (P & L), Cash Flow Statement and Break even Analysis.

Scheduled dates, times, location and directions:

March 20, 2010 – Saturday
* 8:00 a.m. – Registration
* 8:30 a.m. – Seminar starts promptly
* Location: A-B Tech Enka Campus, Small Business Center, Room 2046

Social media has become one of the hottest topics these days. Learning how to best use this kind of communication for your business is key. In Asheville in the month of March there are a wide variety of opportunities for small business owners, professionals, and entrepreneurs to learn about social media and what it means for your business.

Roadmap to Online Success – 3 Day Workshop

The most complete social marketing workshop in Asheville.

Dates: Tuesday March 9th, Thursday March 11 and Tuesday March 16th from 7 – 9 pm
Location: WriteMind Institute in Downtown Asheville on Lexington Ave.

This workshop’s primary objective is to train local artists and entrepreneurs on how use online social networks to make their passion economically sustainable. Participants will experience hands-on demonstrations, learn repeatable strategies, and create or grow an online presence. This isn’t a “how to get rich” or “secrets of the internet” class. It’s about the here and now.

This class is appropriate for all skill levels, but is designed for individuals in the early stages of promoting a product or service on the internet or at a point where additional skills in the areas of online marketing, social media, and search engine optimization are necessary for online success.

For information on the curriculum visit the instructor’s website HERE.

Mountain Xpress’ Social Media Jam INTERMEDIATE workshop on Twitter and Facebook.

March 9, 2010
LOCATION TBA
6:30-8 p.m.
$15 per person; bring a laptop or web-enabled device
Facebook: search Social Media Jams
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SocialMediaJams

The March 9 Social Media Jam is second in an ongoing series full of down-to-earth intermediate training on using Facebook and Twitter. This workshop builds on the intro workshop, teaching users about third-party tools like Twitpic and TweetDeck. They’ll also talk more about hashtags, keyword searches and advanced Twitter techniques, like how to find people on Twitter you don’t yet follow, but who are trying to interact with you. You are invited to bring a laptop or web-enabled device to the workshop. Bring a notebook and take notes if you like.

Payment isn’t due until the day of the workshop. Please bring cash or make your check for $15 payable to Mountain Xpress.

FREE ASHEVILLE SOCIAL MEDIA SCHOOL Class #2

March 23, 2010 from 5:00pm-7:30pm at the Garage At Biltmore
101 Fairview Rd Asheville NC 28803
Learn Social Networking using Twitter and Facebook.

The location is not set yet, but it will be within 10 minutes of downtown Asheville. Besides G Social Media, there will be guest speakers including Trey Pennington from Greenville South Carolina and Social Village from Asheville discussing some very important social media information. They will also show you how to set up a Twitter and Facebook account and some great tips for you and your business. Drinks will be available during the meeting and a music and social time will follow the class at 7pm. RSVP on Facebook or by Email (Email is on the G Social Media website)

Sponsored by:

Teresa T. Carrelli, CPA 828-230-0704
Teresacarrelli.cpa@gmail.com

March 6, 2010 – Saturday – 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (details below)

Registration: $40.00 (box lunch provided during seminar)

Save $5 by pre-registering!

There is an ancient Oriental saying that states, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” We at Asheville SCORE would add that it’s probably a good idea to be headed in the right direction when that step is taken. Our How to Start a New Business in Tough Times seminar is designed to point the new or potential business owner in the right direction.

This seminar provides an overview of key elements and issues that every business owner must face: the Business Plan, Record Keeping (for tax/inventory/accounting), Legal Structure, Financing, Promotion/Marketing and Risk Management/Insurance (workers’ comp and liability). Any person starting a business without this knowledge may be taking those aforementioned initial steps toward a cliff, while admiring the clouds in the sky!

Our five-speaker team will bring their expertise to you in an easy-to-grasp manner, so that by the end of the session you will have a realistic understanding of what you need to do to get your business off on the right foot. There will be ample opportunities to ask specific questions of each speaker.

Here’s a fact: most business start-ups fail due to bad business decisions made by the owners. This seminar will help you make the right decisions during the critical formative stages of your organization. The seminar runs until 2:00, so lunch is included in the seminar fee.

Kerry Friedman is a partner in the Asheville law firm of Patla, Straus, Robinson & Moore, PA, specializing in business and corporate law. He will make you aware of the various legal forms of business organizations and the advantages /disadvantages of each so that you can make the best decision for your business. In addition, this is an opportunity for you to become familiar with a broad variety of the legal issues of your business and the options available to you.

Glenn Pirrong is an Asheville SCORE counselor with an extensive background in finance and general management. Prior to purchasing and operating his own company he was the CFO of a NASDAQ-traded public company. Earlier he held senior financial positions with major corporations and was the president of a subsidiary company. His presentation will cover many areas of obtaining financing for small business.

William ‘Chip’ Williamson is President of Hutton Vincent Williamson Mclean Insurance Company, located in Asheville, NC. Chip started his career as a field agent and then eventually became President of Schley and Williamson Agency in Asheville. He successfully merged his company with two other insurance agencies in Western North Carolina. An Asheville native, Chip is active in his church and various community organizations. His company is a full service agency offering complete services for home, auto, business, life and health.

Terri Carrelli, CPA is a graduate of UNCA with BA in Economics. She earned her CPA in 1988. A member of AICPA and NCACPA since ‘89, she began her career as an auditor with McGladrey and Pullen specializing in small to midsize businesses. This was followed by association with Brian C Hunter CPA P.A., specializing in small business and accounting software consulting, tax returns and financial statement preparation and tax planning. Terri is currently owner and principal of her own consulting firm. She can be reached at 828-230-0704 or by email at teresacarrelli.cpa@gmail.com.

Don Sinclair is our presenter. He was a practicing chiropractic physician for 25 years with four clinics. In addition, he owned Chiroventures, Limited. – a publishing house specializing in newsletters, audio tapes and videos for the chiropractic profession. At Chiroventures he was responsible for all the company’s marketing and advertising, which led to his founding his own advertising agency. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and Life Chiropractic College. Don is presently a marketing consultant and SCORE counselor serving the Asheville area. The knowledge he shares with you comes from his practical successes…and failures, and can help your business grow.

Scheduled dates, times, location and directions:

March 6, 2010 – Saturday

Time; 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.(boxed lunch provided)

• 8:00 a.m. – Registration
• 8:30 a.m. – Seminar starts promptly
• Location: A-B Tech Enka Campus, Small Business Center, Room 2046

The Foundations Program at Mountain Bizworks is one of the greatest investments a small business owner or entrepreneur can make in Asheville and throughout Western North Carolina. In 2003 I (Sarah Benoit, Internet Marketing Specialist and Blogger) took this course in order to open my first business. 6 years later when I decided to open another business I returned to Mountain Bizworks for valuable guidance and support.

If you are considering creating your own company or you are a business owner looking to expand, grow or evolve then the Foundations program is a wonderful place to begin our journey.

Foundations Business Planning Courses are scheduled for the following dates during the winter and early spring of 2009-2010.
January 25 (Asheville)

January 25 (in Spanish/Asheville)

January 25 (Sylva)

February 1 (Asheville)

February 3 (Waynesville)

February 9 (Franklin)

February 16 (Asheville)

March 4 (Sylva)

March 9 (Asheville)

March 9 (Bryson City)

March 17 (Asheville)