This is a 9 week on-line course and takes place over 3 months. All session are held at 12:00pm Central, and will last approximately 1.5 hours. This course does include homework, and enrollees should plan on at least 2 hours of homework per week in addition to the class time. See the website for exact dates. Worried you might have to pack it in and get a “day” job? Or wishing you could quit that “day” job and go full time as a trainer? Do you feel like you’re spinning your wheels? Are you frustrated, over-worked, and barely making it? Well, take a deep breath and relax. This course can help you turn your business into a smooth, successful operation. Whether you want to expand into a multi-facility operation or remain small and flexible, you can earn enough money to be comfortable while still having plenty of time to hang out with your family, friends, and pets! This comprehensive small-business course will teach you the fundamentals you need to run a successful business – from understanding your financials, to marketing, to handling employees and expansion. You’ll walk away from this course with the tools you need to plan for the future and reach the success you deserve. Here’s what you’ll learn in this course: Setting short- and long-term goals – then sticking with them! – It’s easy to get distracted. By knowing what you want to achieve and not allowing yourself to get sidetracked, you’ll reach your goals much quicker than if you fly by the seat of your pants. Managing your time – Time is always a problem for small business owners. With so much to do and such limited resources, we end up doing most of it ourselves! By structuring your time, you’ll be more efficient, saving those precious minutes for other things. Ways to actually measure those intangibles (like employee morale & customer satisfaction) – We’re always working toward being the best we can be, but some things are difficult to measure and we judge by what we see and hear. Of course, we don’t always see and hear the truth – whether people are not telling us, or we’re deceiving ourselves. By setting actual measurable goals, you turn this endeavor into a reality instead of wishful thinking. Creating systems that work! – Although systems sound boring, they go right back to time management, inefficiency, and those intangibles. Having good systems in place means everyone knows what to expect and there are no surprises. With good systems, you’re not constantly putting out fires and are able to concentrate on furthering your goals. How to turn frustrations into accomplishments – Not all frustrations are resolvable – but most are! Think how much more pleasant your days will be without those distractions. Understanding your financial statements – Of course, financials are the basis of any business, and understanding them to best advantage will help you attain those goals. We all look at our monthly reports, but how often do we actually take that information and make changes? Sometimes something just reaches out and slaps us in the face, but most of the time it’s too subtle to force us to pay attention. When you really understand what your financials can do for you, you’ll be amazed. Budgeting and planning for future expansion, growth or major expenditures – Budgeting and planning are the keys to reaching your goals. Boring as it seems, it’s like having a checklist and being able to check off your goals as you reach them. The importance of cash flow – Cash flow allows you to take advantage of opportunities. Unfortunately, it’s like the red-headed stepsister and often overlooked. Defining (and finding) your customer – We all have a target market. By understanding that market, you can use your marketing resources to best advantage. Positioning your business and differentiating yourself from your competition – There’s always competition – learn how you can stand apart and create a lucrative niche. Product development strategy and quality control – When we develop a new product, we need to consider who will want it, the product design, the marketing strategy, where it fits in our overall business strategy, and so much more. Developing the right product can benefit us greatly; developing the wrong one can hurt us. Working with employees – when to hire, job descriptions, interviewing, training, & reviewing – Ahh, employees. They can be a boon or a bane. If we handle them right, they can greatly increase our effectiveness and help us reach our goals. If this sounds like a lot, it is! Be prepared to spend several hours each week on homework—this workload will vary from week-to-week. Each week we’ll discuss the previous week’s homework, clarifying and sharing experiences. Then we’ll discuss the current week’s topic and homework. We’ll meet the first three weeks of the month, then take the rest of the month off to catch up and take a breather; then we’ll meet again the next month. To get the most out of the course, you should do your homework so we can discuss it and resolve any problems you may have. This course is about the fundamentals of running a small business. It is not going to give you the answers – it’s going to tell you how to get the answers. As with teaching a man to fish, if you understand the basics, you will always be able to make good business decisions. Work smarter, not harder! This course will not be recorded or available on-demand, however it is held yearly. You will be required to purchase one book for this course. Disclaimer: Susan Smith is not a business or marketing expert – she has no educational background in these topics. However, she has owned her own business since 1983, and has taken business courses to expand her knowledge. This course addresses the basics of running a small business.

Sponsor:Raising Canine, LLC
Speaker(s):Susan Smith

Contact: Susan Smith
 Email: sue@raisingcanine.com
 Phone: 512-916-4007
 Web: https://raisingcanine.com/