When

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 2:00 PM CDT
-to-
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 4:00 PM CDT
Add to Calendar 

Where

This is an online event. 
 

 
 

Contact

Mary Overbey 
SCORE Southwest Missouri 
swmo61@scorevolunteer.org 

Five Session Series
Tuesdays 2:00pm - 4:00pm April 27 -  May 25

Is starting a business right for you? Attend this comprehensive workshop series to help you test your new business idea and get started on the right path. These five, two-hour sessions will help you understand the basics of assessing a business idea, marketing your product or service, business financials and how they work, and how to fund and finance your business.  Free, one-on-one mentoring will also be available.

Sponsored by SCORE Southwest Missouri and the Springfield-Greene County Library District
 
Session 1: START-UP BASICS
April 27 | 2:00pm - 4:00pm
 
This introductory workshop focuses on the basics of testing your business idea and identifying the key factors that influence start-up success, and provides you with an overview of the skills
and tools you need when deciding to start a business. You will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of owning a business, the most profitable form for your business and the fundamentals of formation, organization, marketing, cash flow and funding sources. 
 
Session 2: BUSINESS CONCEPT
May 4 | 2:00pm - 4:00pm
 
Get step-by-step guidance in researching your idea, your market and your competition. You will learn to identify your target markets, describe your products and services and collect key competitive information to support your feasibility plan. 
 
Session 3: MARKETING PLAN
May 11 | 2:00pm - 4:00pm
 
This workshop will introduce you to marketing communication methods and tools to maximize your customer reach. Topics include pricing strategies, positioning, the difference between features and benefits and different marketing strategies. You will learn to outline your marketing strategy, test your marketing message, choose the right sales channel and exercise your marketing strategy. 
 
Session 4: FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
May 18 | 2:00pm - 4:00pm
 
This session includes hands-on exercises to help you better understand financial concepts, how to use the SCORE financial model to forecast sales revenue and build solid pro-forma financial forecasts. Topics include sales and prices, financial risks and rewards, true start-up costs, ongoing operating expenses, setting benchmarks for tracking progress and organizing your financial information. 
 
Session 5: FUNDING SOURCES
May 25 | 2:00pm - 4:00pm
 
Learn how to finance your small business with information on funding sources, accounting, the
six Cs of credit, banking relations, ratio analysis and monthly preparation and review of financial statements. A loan officer will give an inside view of how a lender assesses the merits of
business plans and loan applications.