Class 1 | Monday, April 1                           Small Business Basics                                   Sam Kandel, Small Business Development Center

This session includes discussion of basic rules and regulations for starting a small business in New York State. This class is taught by an experienced small business counselor who has worked with a wide variety of existing and start -up small businesses. You will receive materials for completing your own business plan.

Class 2 | Thursday, April 4
Market Analysis & Identifying Your Target Customer
Phil Gottwals

In this session, you’ll discover how to analyze and determine the best customer base for your product or service. The instructor will discuss tools necessary for market research and target marketing. You’ll learn about tools and strategies for determining where your potential customers reside, creating a customer profile, identifying your competition, differentiating your product or service, documenting demand and estimating potential sales, and more.

Class 3 | Monday, April 8
Business Structure: Taxes, Permitting, & Licensing

Tim McCausland, OC Trust
NYS Agriculture & Markets
NYS Department of Health
This session will cover accounting practices for your small business, and help you determine the most appropriate corporate structure for your organization. It will also touch on: business insurance, including general liability, employee benefits, unemployment insurance, and workers compensation; taxes (state, federal, and local sales tax issues); licensing and permitting; and specific permit requirements for food businesses that sell homemade goods.

Class 4 | Thursday, April 11
Developing Your Marketing Plan & Low-Cost Advertising

Edison Guzman, A&E Advertising & Web Design
In this session, you’ll learn how various businesses have reached their target audiences. The instructor will review marketing research methods, including how to: use market data to develop a successful target marketing/advertising strategy, direct advertising to your customer profile, network and build business relationships, develop a strategy, and use social media to build your business.

Class 5 | Monday, April 15
Credit Scores & Financing Your Business
Jeff Bank, Sullivan County Division of Planning and Community Development
Financing and credit options will be discussed in this session, taught by a bank representative and representatives from the Sullivan County Division of Planning. An overview of Sullivan County’s existing revolving loan funds will be provided, along with an explanation of lending criteria, the loan application, and the review process.

Class 6 | Thursday, April 18
Writing Your Business Plan – Part 1
Charlene Finerty, Plans & Profits, LLC
Using the business plan outline binder provided to you at the first class, you’ll begin to write your plan! This session combines knowledge from preceding classes with your own business ideas. This class will cover approximately 75% of the narrative section of the business plan. This session will move quickly, so be prepared to write notes and phrases to develop them into sentences and paragraphs between classes.

Class 7 | Monday, April 22
Writing Your Business Plan – Part 2
Charlene Finerty, Plans & Profits, LLC
The presenter will provide an overview of a 12-month and 3-year cash flow, cash flow notes, sales and/or cash receipts, advertising, and personnel schedules. Using your notebook, you’ll fill in as many income and expense numbers as possible. Be sure to bring previous sales estimates and cost studies. Following this class, you’ll finalize your business plan drafts and submit them by May 20 for review and feedback.

Class 8 | Thursday, April 25
Panel – Local Food Businesses
Learn from existing food business owners as they share their experiences with developing and marketing their products, the importance of a business plan, permitting and licensing, targeting their customers, and much more.