Tag Archive for: #vgccsmallbusinesscenter

VGCC Reopening Business Seminars

VGCC Small Business Center Presents ‘Reopening Your Business’ Webinar Series

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy the VGCC Small Business Center 

As local businesses begin to reopen, the Small Business Center of Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC) has scheduled a six-part series of online seminars intended to assist businesses in navigating these uncharted waters.

Sessions include:

June 4 – Understanding Phases 1, 2 and 3 of Reopening

June 9 – Reopening Your Business Without Opening Liability

June 11 – Best Social Media Practices as You Reopen

June 16 – The Latest CDC Health & Safety Guidelines Broken Down for Your Business

June 17 – Connecting With Customers as you Reopen

June 19 – Managing Finances During Reopening & Beyond

All sessions are from 10 – 11 a.m. Please register no later than twenty-four hours prior to each session at www.ncsbc.net.

In these one-hour sessions, subject matter experts will look at the various phases of reopening along with potential liability, communicating with customers and employees, CDC guidelines and managing finances. There will also be time allowed for questions and answers.

Participants will need a valid email address in order to receive the webinar login information. After registering, the link will be sent the evening before the event, and a reminder email will also be sent approximately one hour before the start time.

With additional questions, please contact the VGCC Small Business Center via email at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

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VGCC Small Business Center to Offer Free ‘Business Resiliency’ Webinar Series

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy the VGCC Small Business Center

The Small Business Center of Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled another webinar series entitled “Business Resiliency in 2020” where participants will learn various ways to move small businesses forward during and after COVID-19.

There will also be time allowed for questions and answers. This is part of the Small Business Center’s continued effort to support local businesses and offer encouragement and help.

These free sessions will be held from 2 – 3 p.m. on the following dates:

April 28 – Best Practices for Effectively Working Remotely

April 30 – Stabilizing Cash Flow in an Unstable Market

May 5 – Why Marketing Your Business is More Important Now Than Ever Before

May 7 – Know Your Small Business Resources: Navigating the Small Business Pipeline

May 12 – Stay Flexible and Moving Forward Business in 2020

May 14 – Relationship Building = Repeat Business

Please register for each session at www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/#schedules

VGCC Small Business Center Offering Eight-Part ‘Doing Business Remotely’ Series

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy the VGCC Small Business Center

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is offering an eight-part series to teach small business owners and employees how to use the various tools needed to make working remotely easier and more efficient.

Sessions will be led by Kristen Taber, founder of the local Warren County business Tabletop Media and members of her professional team. All sessions are from 10 – 11:30 a.m., including time for Q & A.

Sessions include:

April 7 – Zoom Video Communications

April 9 – Google Suite

April 14 – Basecamp & Other Project Management Systems

April 16 – Dropbox & Other Storage and File-Sharing Tools

April 21 – Scheduling Tools

April 23 – Mailchimp, Constant Contact & Other Contact Management Tools

April 28 – Slack & Other Collaboration Tools

April 30 – Virtual Team Building

Register no later than twenty-four hours prior to each session at www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/#schedules

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Town Talk 03/31/20: VGCC Small Business Director Discusses SBA Loans, Webinars

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

Sheri Jones, director of the Vance-Granville Community College (VGCC) Small Business Center, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.

U.S. Small Business Administration Loans

In discussing the various ways the VGCC Small Business Center is working with local businesses during the current health crisis, including assistance with loan applications, Jones emphasized that time is of the essence.

“The best advice I can give is to go ahead and apply now; don’t wait,” Jones stated. “People are applying and getting approved, but this situation is unprecedented. We don’t know how long the funds will hold out and how many are going to apply.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to small businesses in all states and territories that are suffering economic injury as a result of the virus.

Terms for these Economic Injury Disaster Loans range from 15 to 30 years and the total loan amount is considered on a case-by-case basis. According to Jones, for-profit businesses will pay 3.75% interest, while non-profits will pay 2.75%.

“These loans are available directly through the Treasury Department with no third-party lender involved,” explained Jones. “Most businesses are eligible to apply.”

According to the SBA’s website, the disaster loans may be used for fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid due to the disaster’s impact.

VGCC Small Business Center’s “Coronavirus Business Ready” Webinars

In an effort to further support local businesses and offer encouragement, the VGCC Small Business Center has scheduled a series of free, live webinars entitled “Coronavirus Business Ready – Protecting Your Small Business.”

Each part addresses various areas of concern that all businesses are currently facing. The remaining webinars include:

Keeping Customers & Employees Safe During Unsettling Times –

April 2, 2 – 3 p.m. (Register)

Promoting Your Business & Products During a Crisis –

April 4, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Ideas to Keep Cash Flowing During a Pandemic Shutdown –

April 7, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

How to Manage Employees as Coronavirus Spreads –

April 9, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Business Planning & Strategizing as a Coronavirus Antidote –

April 14, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Communicating With Customers & Employees in Light of COVID-19 –

April 16, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Participants must register at least two days prior to each session with a valid email address in order to receive the webinar login information. After registering, the link will be sent approximately 24 hours before the event, and a reminder email will also be sent approximately an hour prior to the start time.

For more information on assistance for small businesses, please email Sheri Jones at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu, visit the VGCC Small Business Center website at www.vgcc.edu/coned/small-business-center/ or visit the Facebook site at www.facebook.com/vgccsmallbusinesscenter/.

To hear the interview with Jones in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

VGCC Small Business Center Offering Free ‘Coronavirus Business Ready’ Webinars

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100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

-Information courtesy Sheri Jones, Director, VGCC Small Business Center

In an effort to support our local businesses and offer encouragement and help where we can, the Small Business Center of Vance-Granville Community College has scheduled a 7-part series of free, live webinars entitled “Coronavirus Business Ready – Protecting Your Small Business.”

Each part addresses various areas of concern that all businesses are currently facing, including:

Prepare Your Business to Borrow Money Before Negative Economic Shifts –

March 31, 9:30 – 11 a.m. (Register)

Keeping Customers & Employees Safe During Unsettling Times –

April 2, 2 – 3 p.m. (Register)

Promoting Your Business & Products During a Crisis –

April 4, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Ideas to Keep Cash Flowing During a Pandemic Shutdown –

April 7, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

How to Manage Employees as Coronavirus Spreads –

April 9, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Business Planning & Strategizing as a Coronavirus Antidote –

April 14, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Communicating With Customers & Employees in Light of COVID-19 –

April 16, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (Register)

Participants must register at least two days prior to each session with a valid email address in order to receive the webinar login information. After registering, the link will be sent approximately 24 hours before the event, and a reminder email will also be sent approximately an hour prior to the start time.

Please know that your VGCC Small Business Center is here to support you during this challenging time! We can be contacted via email at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu.

Reminder: WOVEN Series for Women Begins Jan. 15

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-Information and flyer courtesy Sandra Wilkerson, Director of Admin and Events, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

Attention Women of Vance….. It is with excitement that the Henderson-Vance Chamber and the Small Business Center of VGCC introduce a series of quarterly lunch meetings for women. WOVEN (Women of Vance Empowered Networking) must be a priority for you and your staff.

Each session will be held at a different location with a different speaker and topic. Other Chambers in North Carolina have been very successful in these exciting lunch and learn sessions and now it’s Vance County’s turn.

The first WOVEN session will be held at VGCC Civic Center on Tuesday, January 15, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $20 per person and includes lunch. The speaker will be Susan Crews.

Reservations can be made now by calling the Chamber at (252) 438-8414 or email sandra@hendersonvance.org

Advance registration is required.

Make YOU the priority in 2019!!!

2019 ‘Lunch Break to Educate’ Series to Begin With Social Media Marketing

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-Information courtesy Sandra Wilkerson, Director of Admin and Events, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

It’s time for the 2019 Lunch Break to Educate Series. First in the series is “Social Media Simplified: A Complete Introduction to Social Media Marketing” to be held Wed., January 9, 2019, from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center.

This program teaches how to set up and optimize social media sites so they improve your website’s target audience reach. The top social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube will be covered. The ability to converse with your audience and offer valuable content is essential in this emerging marketing approach.

Additional topics covered include your websites as “hub”; engagement over shouting; know what you hope to achieve before you begin; and how to deal with negative nellies.

Speaker(s): P. Kaufman

Co-Sponsor(s): Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

Click here to sign up for this free session. Lunch will be provided. Limited to 18 participants, so register today!

H-V Chamber & VGCC Partner to Present WOVEN – Networking Opportunities for Women

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-Information and flyer courtesy Sandra Wilkerson, Director of Admin and Events, Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce

Attention Women of Vance….. It is with excitement that the Henderson-Vance Chamber and the Small Business Center of VGCC introduce a series of quarterly lunch meetings for women. WOVEN (Women of Vance Empowered Networking) must be a priority for you and your staff.

Each session will be held at a different location with a different speaker and topic. Other Chambers in North Carolina have been very successful in these exciting lunch and learn sessions and now it’s Vance County’s turn.

The first WOVEN session will be held at VGCC Civic Center on Tuesday, January 15, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $20 per person and includes lunch. The speaker will be Susan Crews.

Reservations can be made now by calling the Chamber at (252) 438-8414 or email sandra@hendersonvance.org

Advance registration is required.

Make YOU the priority in 2019!!!

 

VGCC schedules leadership series for nonprofits

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— courtesy VGCC

The Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center is offering a new series of free seminars that provide essential management skills for leaders of nonprofit organizations. The “Packing Your Toolbox for a Strong Nonprofit” series is presented in partnership with the Triangle North Healthcare Foundation, a regional grant-making organization that was established in 2011 as the successor to the Maria Parham Healthcare Foundation.

The six seminars include “Leadership Development for Nonprofit Organizations,” on February 8; “How to Write a Business Plan — The Most Important Part of Starting a Nonprofit,” on February 22; “Financial Management for the Nonprofit Organization” on March 8; “Developing Your Nonprofit Board” on March 22; “Fundraising 101 for Your Nonprofit” on April 5; and “Finding & Writing Grants” on April 19.

Each session will begin with lunch at 12:30 p.m. and will end by 3 p.m. The series will be held in room 7109 (Building 7) on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. The Triangle North Healthcare Foundation will cover all costs of this series, including tuition, lunch and reading materials.

Melissa Driver Beard of Driving Force Relations, who has served as executive director for several nonprofit organizations, will be the instructor for four of the sessions. Ed Ormsby, former director of the Small Business Center at Edgecombe Community College, will teach “How to Write a Business Plan,” while Karen Kennedy, Community Development Manager for the City of Sanford, will teach the final session on grants.

Participants in the leadership program will be required to become clients of VGCC’s Small Business Center, which is free of charge.

Small Business Center Director Tanya Weary said that these seminars will be particularly helpful to new executive directors or new volunteer leaders for nonprofit organizations. Space is limited for each seminar. The deadline to register is Jan. 31.

For more information, contact Tanya Weary at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240.

Registration can be completed online at www.vgcc.edu/schedules/small-business-center.

–VGCC–

(VGCC is an advertising client of WIZS.  This is not a paid advertisement.)

VGCC agricultural initiative highlighted at local food economies meeting

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— courtesy VGCC

Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus served as the host for a late-September gathering of community leaders from throughout the region interested in local food economies.

The meeting, entitled “Innovations in Economic Development through Local Foods,” was organized by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), a partnership of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and North Carolina State University. Laura Lauffer of CEFS said that the organization had conducted the same event at two other locations elsewhere in North Carolina before VGCC, but that this was their best-attended to date.

As she welcomed participants to the college, VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams said, “We are excited about the opportunities ahead for this region of North Carolina, and we are happy to be a partner in economic, agricultural and environmental stewardship.”

The first part of the meeting consisted of presenters sharing innovative models related to entrepreneurship and supporting local farmers that could be replicated in other communities. First up was VGCC Small Business Center Director Tanya Weary, talking about the college’s “NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship” program. Lauffer said that Weary and VGCC are “pioneers in leading agriculture business classes and promoting agriculture in the community college system.”

Tanya Weary, director of the VGCC Small Business Center (standing), addresses attendees at the “Innovations in Economic Development through Local Foods” event.

Weary told attendees that the Agricultural Entrepreneurship program, a seven-week, interactive course designed to strengthen the business savvy of community farmers and budding agricultural entrepreneurs, succeeded in part because of strong partnerships. She partnered with the VGCC Human Resources Development department, the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, the Vance County Regional Farmers Market, N.C. Cooperative Extension, local city and county governments, attorneys, banks and other businesses.

“We have worked with other community colleges to share our experience about how we started this, who our partners are and how we’ve been able to grow this,” Weary said. “We have served around 65 students since starting in late 2014, and that’s a real success for this area. We’re very pleased with it.”

She added that the course spurred VGCC to offer other agriculture-related programs. A new free, three-part workshop series, “Planting Your Marketing Seeds for Your Agricultural Business,” is scheduled for Tuesday evenings, Nov. 7-21. Carrie Harvey, the instructor, also taught many of the college’s Agricultural Entrepreneurship classes.

Other presenters included Ardis Crews of the Green Rural Redevelopment Organization; Henry Crews (a graduate of the first NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship class at VGCC) and Jennifer Dietsche, discussing a Vidant Health initiative at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville; Jimbo Eason and John Kimber from Covington Vodka; Eric Hallman of the Piedmont Food and Agriculture Processing Center (PFAP); Mike Ortosky of Orange County Agriculture Economic Development; and Gabe Cummings of Warren County-based Working Landscapes. CEFS has produced a short video on Working Landscapes, which participants enjoyed watching during lunch.

The Harvest Restaurant of Oxford catered a lunch featuring local food for the meeting. After lunch, attendees heard presenters discuss statewide resources, including the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Rural Center and CEFS projects.

The CEFS “Local Food Economies” initiative is part of the NC Growing Together (NCGT) project. NCGT is a five-year, USDA-funded project that aims to bring more locally-produced foods into mainstream markets, strengthening the economics of small to mid-sized farm and fishing operations and their communities. In addition to research, academic and extension components, NCGT also aims to create an enabling environment for farms and food businesses.

For more information on the VGCC Small Business Center, contact Tanya Weary at smallbusiness@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3240.

–VGCC–