Building community through learning.
North Coast Small Business Development Center (SBDC) helps entrepreneurs and business owners start up, get financing, grow sales, hire employees, manage money, sell their business, buy a business, and more.
These Digital Marketing, Financial Management, E-Commerce, and Human Resources workshops are brought to you in partnership between North Coast SBDC and Humboldt State University College of Extended Education and Global Engagement.
All classes are held at the Prosperity Center, 520 E St., Eureka, unless otherwise noted.
Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA or HSU Sponsored Programs Foundation.
Reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities can be arranged by contacting the College of Extended Education & Global Engagement at (707) 826-3731 or email extended@humboldt.edu
- HR Best Practices for Business Owners
- Job Descriptions: Clarity for Everyone & How They Protect you
- Crafting an Employee Handbook to Reflect Your Culture & California Compliance Standards
- We Can Just Fire Them, Right? Best Practices for Voluntary & Involuntary Terminations
- Hire for Potential, Then Train Up
- Employer Alert: What's New for California Businesses in 2020?
Intro to Social Media
With Allie Heemstra
Do you have a business and you're self-employed? Learn how to get your name out there on social media. Come to this fun, low-key workshop on the basics of social media marketing. Best for people who want more confidence before they spend a lot of time or money trying to reach customers this way.
Tues., Jan. 14 • 5:30-7:30 p.m. • $30
Get Searched & Found (Local Online Search)
With John Harper
Don't let your business stay invisible! Make sure customers find your business in local online searches. In this workshop you will learn how local search marketing works and how search engines, Google My Business, and customer review sites like Yelp affect your bottom line. For both new and experienced digital marketers.
Thurs., Jan. 30 • 5:30-7:00 p.m. • $30
Get Loved (Online Reputation Management)
With Emanuel Rose
Get savvy about managing and responding to reviews of your business in Yelp, Google and more. With the tips and tricks taught in this workshop, you will learn how to take your online reputation into your own hands and make the review platforms work for you.
Thurs., Feb. 13 • 5:30-7:00 p.m. • $30
Marketing Your Brand Online
With Bill Prescott
Learn creative and powerful ways to use social media to drive customers to buy online. This is a practical, interactive workshop for businesses that are already doing some e-marketing, but want to do better. Differentiate your product or service from the rest so you can grow sales.
Wed., Feb. 26 • 5:30-7:30 p.m. • $30
Intro to E-Commerce
With Amy Fowler
Learn how to set up and grow a smooth-running e-commerce business. The instructor will walk you through which online sales platforms and website services are best for your business. You'll get an introduction to the services available for managing inventory, shipping, finances, and more. Take this workshop before E-Commerce Integration (below).
Thurs., Jan. 16 • 5:30-7:30 p.m. • $30
E-Commerce Integration
With Amy Fowler
Learn how to integrate the front and back ends of your retail business with your e-commerce platforms. Learn how to make all aspects of your online business function as a cohesive whole: web site and digital marketing, customer support and order processing, shipping and inventory management, bookkeeping, and more. Best for business owners who are already selling online and preparing to grow.
Thurs., Feb. 6 • 5:30-7:30 p.m. • $30
Digital Marketing Discipline
With Emanuel Rose
Increase prospects and sales by directing your e-marketing energy where it will generate real results. This workshop is for small business owners who are already in business and doing some digital marketing. Improve your day to day discipline: make the investment of time and money worth it!
Thurs., March 5 • 5:30-7:30 p.m. • $30
Build Your First E-Commerce Website
With Peggy Murphy
This is a hands-on step-by-step workshop led by a seasoned web developer and marketing expert. You will finish the workshop with your own low-cost e-commerce website. Please bring images, copy for your website, and your lunch.
Spring 2020:
Sat., March 28 • 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. • $50
HSU Campus: Siemens Hall, Room 118
E-Commerce Accounting
With Amy Fowler
Learn how basic accounting principles apply to e-commerce sales. What's different about the chart of accounts and bookkeeping set up? Manage fees and sales taxes. Use software integration and scheduled processes to efficiently manage your online retail accounting.
Thurs., Feb. 27 • 5:30-7:30 p.m. • $30
Bookkeeping Bootcamps: Quickbooks Desktop Version
With Liz Ennis
Learn how to use Quickbooks Desktop for your business. Set up your database and understand how the system is put together. You must have your own Quickbooks version and bring a laptop or tablet. Good for owners who need help setting up an accounting system.
Thurs., April 9 • 1-5 p.m. • $50
Bookkeeping Bootcamps: Quickbooks Online Version
With Michelle Lopez
Learn how to use Quickbooks Online for your business. Set up your database and gain an understanding of how the system is put together. The instructor will walk you through the process.
Spring 2020:
Thurs, April 28 • 5:30-8:30 p.m. • $50
Building Financial Projections
With Janet PePace
Learn how to use an interactive SBDC template to prepare cash flow projections, profit and loss projections, and more for your business loan application, investment pitch, or growth plan. This workshop is for small business owners who want to get a better handle on their financial statements and projections. Build your pro forma like a pro and get that loan or investment!
Wed., March 25 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
Financial Savvy 1 for Business Owners
With Liz Ennis
This workshop is for small business owners, and their key managers, who want to get a better handle on their day to day financial controls, understand how to analyze their financial data to make better decisions, and make sure their bookkeeping is being handled correctly.
Thurs., Feb. 20 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
Financial Savvy 2 for Business Owners
With Liz Ennis
This workshop is for small business owners, and their key managers, who want to get a better handle on their financial statements and it builds upon what was learned in Financial Savvy 1. Learn to analyze and interpret their financial data to make better decisions. Take this workshop after Financial Savvy 1.
Thurs., March 19 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
Bookkeeping Basics for Business Owners
With Michelle Lopez
This workshop is for small business owners, and their key managers, who want to understand their bookkeeping better and maybe do some of it themselves. Learn to choose the best bookkeeping system for your business.
Tues., March 24 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
HR Best Practices for Business Owners
With Kurt Barthel
Hiring for the first time? Trying to find the right balance of employees and contractors? This workshop helps business owners comply with the law, learn about new labor laws, create good policies and practices, and learn best practices for supervising employees to excellence. Quick references and go-to resources will be included.
Tues., Feb. 18 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
Job Descriptions: Clarity for Everyone & How They Protect You
With Melinda Pedersen
Breathe some life into your job descriptions. Seasoned The instructor will walk you through how to create and use job descriptions to protect your employees and your business. Job descriptions provide a basis for employee reviews, salary increases, and setting goals. They serve as legal documentation that can be useful in the event an employee files a termination or discrimination lawsuit. In this workshop, we'll review the purpose and practicality of each section of a job description. If time allows, there will be a crash course in goal-setting.
Wed., Feb. 12 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
Crafting an Employee Handbook to Reflect Your Culture & California Compliance Standards
With Melinda Pedersen
For most employees -- and unfortunately many employers -- the employee handbook is a grimy disregarded handout on the first day of employment. But it can give your employees a step-by-step guide to success, establish a code of conduct and a framework for managers to address misconduct. It is also your first line of defense against lawsuits or liability claims. When well drafted and used effectively, your handbook policies can help demonstrate that you are operating ethically and proactively for the benefit and safety of your employees and the public. The instructor will highlight key policies to include in an employment handbook and resources for creating them. Attendees will receive templates for the California compliant Discrimination and Harassment Free Workplace policy and the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.
Wed., Feb. 5 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
We Can Just Fire Them, Right? Best Practices for Voluntary & Involuntary Terminations
With Melinda Pedersen
Learn the legal aspects of ending an employee relationship and best practice for managing someone out the smart, ethical way. We'll review basic documentation to accompany employee resignations and well as checklists and tools that can help you defend unemployment insurance claims or wrongful termination suits.
Wed., Jan. 29 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
Hire for Potential, Then Train Up
With Melinda Pedersen
Many employers, especially in rural Humboldt, struggle to find the perfectly qualified or ideal candidate for a new or existing position. In this workshop, you may be pleased to learn that hiring for potential rather than experience can be a stronger hiring strategy.
Tues., March 10 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
Employer Alert: What's New for California Businesses in 2020?
With Kurt Barthel
Trying to understand the new laws on Independent contractors or other new HR laws for 2020? This workshop helps business owners comply with the law, learn about new labor laws, and create good policies and practices. The instructor will walk you through all the new changes for 2020. Quick references and go-to resources will be included.
Tues., Jan. 21 • 5:30-7:30 pm • $30
