Program Descriptions

10 Ways to Beef Up Your Website

A website is a key component of your marketing plan. It is vital to keep up with the latest changes in technology and trends. We'll bring you up to speed with tips on how to improve the site visually, boost usability, and optimize it for search engines.

The speakers will be Mike Sperling and/or Mike Calabro, Sperling Interactive.

Date: Thursday, February 5, 2015
Time: 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Location: North Shore Community College, 100 Cummings Center 181 Elliot Street, Suite 121-E, Room C01, Beverly
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by North Shore Community College and the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce

Don't Be That Boss: How to Avoid Common Employer/Employee Mistakes

Learn how to avoid some of the most common mistakes that small businesses owners make in managing their employees. 

Through fictional and entertaining case studies followed by interactive group discussions, this legal workshop will focus on mistakes that business owners make when they hire new employees and mistakes that they make in handling their problem employees.  

This workshop is intended both for owners of existing businesses and for those who are thinking about starting a new business.  

The speakers will be Jan Glassman and Joel Sowalsky of Daily General Counsel, PLLC.

Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Northern Essex Community College, Riverwalk Campus, 360 Merrimack Street, Building #9, Lawrence
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by Northern Essex Community College

Encore Entrepreneurs: A New Business at 50+

Are you nearing retirement and exploring new opportunities? Or, are you wondering how you will generate income once you retire?

A growing number of individuals over the age of 50+, or “encore entrepreneurs”, are turning to small business ownership. Whether you are interested in starting a small business right away or are intending to wait until after retirement, now is the time to explore the possibilities.

The SBDC, AARP and SBA have a number of resources and tools to help encore entrepreneurs effectively prepare for starting and running a small business.

Panelists include Mike Festa, state director of AARP MA; Lisa Gonzalez Welch, economic development specialist with SBA; and SBDC clients Gayle Piraino of GAP Promotions, LLC and Annmarie Linnane of Women on the Move, LLC. The moderator will be SBDC senior business advisor/financial specialist Walter Manninen.

Date: Thursday, February 12, 2015  
Time: 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Location: Enterprise Center at Salem State University, 121 Loring Avenue, Suite 106, Salem
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by the Enterprise Center at Salem State University

Present to Prosper

There is nothing sweeter than putting yourself in front of your ideal clients who truly want what you have to offer.

Public speaking is a powerful way to easily attract clients. When you speak in public you automatically garner respect, because you are presenting from the platform of the expert and therefore, you are naturally granted trust. You can efficiently attract clients because your attendees are interested in your topic; they want to learn from you and are likely to be looking to you to help them solve their problem.

The ultimate objective of any powerful talk is to motivate your audience to action. Your talk should excite your audience members to make a contribution to your worthy cause, purchase your book or be inspired to become your client.

In this workshop, learn the three essential rules for a successful presentation, discover the trade secrets of the most popular TED Talk thought leaders and learn how to apply the TED Talk blueprint to your own oration. In this innovative participatory workshop you will identify new presentation topics and find out how to make your ideas TED talk worthy!

The speaker will be Debra Crosby of Conquest Creative Media.

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Time: 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Location: Enterprise Center at Salem State University, 121 Loring Avenue, Suite 106, Salem
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by the Enterprise Center at Salem State University

Growth Strategies For Small Business - A Twitter Event

An interactive, hands-on event to help you assess the best management tools and growth strategies at each stage of your business' life cycle. Let's do a SWOT analysis, and determine you "keys to success".

Please bring your smartphone, laptop or tablet so we can use Twitter to enhance our dialogue! Feel free to call the speaker, Margaret Somer (msomer@salemstate.edu) to help you get onto Twitter.

The speaker will be Margaret Somer, regional director of the Northeast Regional Office of the MA Small Business Development Center at Salem State University.

Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Time: 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Location: Enterprise Center at Salem State University, 121 Loring Avenue, Suite 106, Salem
Cost: $35
Contact: Register online by clicking here. Questions? Contact Will Neely at the SSU Enterprise Center at wneely@enterprisectr.org.

Cosponsored by the Enterprise Center at Salem State University

Using WordPress and Mobile for Your Business

A content management system is software that makes it easy for non-techies to manage their website. Easy-to-use, powerful, and flexible,

WordPress is the most popular content management system on the market. We will also touch on optimizing your website for mobile devices and tablets.

The speakers will be Mike Sperling and/or Mike Calabro of Sperling Interactive.

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Time: 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Location: Enterprise Center at Salem State University, 121 Loring Avenue, Suite 106, Salem
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by the Enterprise Center at Salem State University

Pricing Your Products and Services

Learn about pricing concepts, the role of pricing in a company’s strategy and an easy four step process to determine pricing for your services or products on the basis of costs, customer goals, trends and competition. 

The speaker will be Paul J. Shaughnessy, Lincoln Consulting Group, Inc.

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Northern Essex Community College, Riverwalk Campus, 360 Merrimack Street, Building #9, Lawrence
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by Northern Essex Community College

Five Do-It-Yourself Search Engine Optimization Tips

Getting your product or service on page one of Google results should be a key component of your marketing plan. We’ll provide five proven search engine optimization (SEO) tips that you can implement yourself to generate and convert on more online leads.

The speakers will be Mike Sperling and/or Mike Calabro of Sperling Interactive.

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2015
Time: 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Location: North Shore Community College, 100 Cummings Center 181 Elliot Street, Suite 121-E, Room C01, Beverly
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by North Shore Community College and the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce

10 Ways to Beef Up Your Website

A website is a key component of your marketing plan. It is vital to keep up with the latest changes in technology and trends. We'll bring you up to speed with tips on how to improve the site visually, boost usability, and optimize it for search engines.

The speakers will be Mike Sperling and/or Mike Calabro of Sperling Interactive.

Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2015  
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Location: Northern Essex Community College, Riverwalk Campus, 360 Merrimack Street, Building #9, Lawrence
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by Northern Essex Community College

Using WordPress and Mobile for Your Business

A content management system is software that makes it easy for non-techies to manage their website. Easy-to-use, powerful, and flexible, WordPress is the most popular content management system on the market. We will also touch on optimizing your website for mobile devices and tablets.

The speakers will be Mike Sperling and/or Mike Calabro of Sperling Interactive.

Date: Thursday, May 7, 2015  
Time: 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Location: North Shore Community College, 100 Cummings Center 181 Elliot Street, Suite 121-E, Room C01, Beverly
Cost: Free
Contact: Laurel Costello at 978-542-6343 or sbdc@salemstate.edu

Cosponsored by North Shore Community College and the Greater Beverly Chamber of Commerce