Division of Continuing Education
Small Business Development Center
Are you thinking about starting your own business? Or aiming to expand on your current success? Classes provided by the Small Business Development Center offer the tools you need. Short, focused, and designed to accommodate your schedule, these classes are available either at the Higher Education Center in Medford or online. [Online classes are denoted with the
logo.] To register, go to www.sou.edu/takeaclass.
Business Plan Development Workshop [700017]
The Business Plan Development Workshop provides the tools and guidance necessary for the participant to complete a business plan. The workshop will be held in four sessions, which will be 3 hours each. Three of the sessions will be held in the computer lab so that the participants can work directly on their plan using one of the many available business plan formats. The sessions will teach the essential elements needed to develop a business plan, including mission and objectives, operations, marketing, financial aspects, and, management. The goal is to have a completed plan by the end of the workshop.
Smart Start Your Business: A Business Primer [700016]
This three hour workshop provides the "nuts and bolts" and beyond, for starting a business in southern Oregon. The session begins with a discussion of why businesses succeed or fail, and what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Since sixty percent of all businesses close by their sixth year, it is important to gain the information you need to know before you begin your business. Topics include: writing a business plan, legal structure options, state and local rules, regulations, and licensing requirements, marketing, cash flow projections, record keeping basics, and more. Extensive handouts will be provided including the Oregon Business Guide. This workshop is strongly recommended for anyone who is considering business counseling with the Small Business Development Center. Fee includes a $15 credit (issued at this workshop) towards the fee for the Business Plan Development Workshop which is a separate, 4 session workshop in which you are provided with assistance and resources to write your business plan.
Effective Selling [950003]
The goal of Effective Selling is not to teach you how to make a sale today, but to help you discover how you can easily convert a potential customer into a long term asset. Effective Selling will help you lay the groundwork for repeat business and your future success. In sales, there are no quick fixes. However, with the knowledge, planning skills, communication techniques, and the understanding of human nature that you will gain from this course, your sales will grow as if by magic.
Professional Sales Skills [950001]
Today, there are no shortages of opportunities for skilled salespeople. In good times or bad, companies never stop looking for sales representatives that can help them meet their financial goals. If you've always dreamed of becoming successful in sales, this course is exactly what you need. You'll learn how to turn prospects into buyers, how to provide proper customer service, how to develop a sales plan, and more!
Creating a Successful Business Plan [960005]
Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan not only increases your chances of obtaining financing, but also in keeping your business strategically focused. With the support of your instructor and a network of like-minded students, you'll work through all of the major components of a business plan and emerge with your first draft in hand. And most importantly, you will have completed the first--and most difficult--step on the path to small business success.
Marketing Your Business on the Internet [960009]
Find out how you can affordably market your business on the Internet from an e-commerce expert. In this practical, hands-on course, you'll learn little-understood secrets about the types of businesses that thrive on the Web. Then, you'll discover proven methods that will help you establish an Internet presence and build an online brand identity. You'll even learn several low-cost promotion strategies that you can use to drive visitors to your site.
