Small Business Webinars

March 26, 2025. 2:00 - 3:15 PM.

Whether you are trying to raise money for your business or just want to perfect your business strategy, a solid plan is an essential tool for achieving your goals. A lean business plan is also a quick way to define and share the vision for your business.

Lean planning focuses you on documenting the core problems your business will solve and what your solutions will look like.

In this webinar, we will cover the core elements of writing a Lean Business Plan including:
- Your strategy: What you're going to do
- Your tactics: How you're going to do it
- Scheduling: Who and when you're going to accomplish your goals
- The business model: How you will make money.

Using real examples, we will walk you through the elements of designing a lean plan you can use for your business.

All participants will receive a Lean Plan template for their use.

April 9, 2025. 9:00 - 10:30 AM
Buying or selling a business can be a life-changing event.
Some of the questions you'll need to answer include:
• How do you determine if the business viable?
• What are the legal ramifications?
• What are the financial considerations?
• Have you done due diligence and valued the business properly?

Answers to these and other important questions will be discussed during this free online webinar. Presented by Peter Brehm, J.D., LL.M,. CVA. Partner at Business Law Center, Minnetonka

Resiter today!

April 15, 2025. 9:00 - 10:30 AM

One of the biggest problems that founders face is getting their idea off the ground. They struggle to find customers not because they have a bad idea but because they do not know how to sell it. A value proposition will solve that problem. It will bridge the gap between just having an idea and having an idea that generates customers, revenue, and profit.

In this webinar you will learn how you can build a value proposition that is validated by your customers.

Presented by Adam Lofquist, Principal of The Lofquist Group, a financial services partner serving small businesses in Minnesota.

April 26, 2025. 9:15 - 10:45
A business plan is an important document for any organization - whether you are launching a start-up or growing an established brand you should have a plan in place.

Business plans are useful blueprints demonstrating you have considered and assessed the decision points necessary to start and run a successful venture. Your plan provides a roadmap of relevant information for both you as the business owner, and possible investors, to assess the viability of the venture. In addition, business plans are a useful tool when seeking partners, employees, and affiliations with other organizations.

Whether you are using a traditional, lean, feasibility plan or pitch deck we will review what you'll need to do to write your plan.

Join us at the Minneapolis Downtown Central Library for this in-person workshop!

Register today!

May 7, 2025. 10:00 - 11:30
This session will help you learn how to create a growth roadmap that starts you on a path to doubling your business revenue.

We will cover essential building blocks, including:
- Growth Acceleration Formula
- Customer Value Journey
- Buyer Persona
- Results Scorecard

Attendees will also receive free tools to help them get started.

Register today to get the Zoom link!

May 13, 2025. 9:00 - 10:30 am.
Are you thinking of starting a new business? If so, do you have what it takes to launch successfully?

You have a great business idea, but you have no idea where to start or you worry you might miss an important step. We're here to help!

In this session you will:
- Define the differences between a side hustle, freelancer and entrepreneur.
- Determine if you are ready, willing and able to start a business.
- Identify the steps to planning a new business.
- Determine the viability of your product/service/idea for succeeding in the marketplace.

Join us for this no cost informative session!

May 21, 9:00 - 10:30 am
Want to make an important step toward successful small business ownership? Learning how cash is moving in and out of your business is a great step toward business success. You need to think ahead in order to meet financial obligations and run a profitable business for the long-term.

This webinar will go over some basic cash flow concepts that can get you started.

What You Will Learn:
• The purpose of cash flow management in a start-up small business.
• How to assess a cash flow cycle and make some cash flow projections.
• How a cash flow statement can help you assess and improve the financial health of your venture
• Some ways to manage cash flow in terms of managing costs and potential income.

This is a free webinar and part of the MONEY SMART for small business curriculum.May

May 27, 9:00 - 10:15 am
An elevator speech is a short statement designed to get the attention and interest of investors, potential customers, and other people important to your business. It explains in simple terms what you do, why you do it, how you’re unique, and why it’s important to the listener. The goal of enticing the listener to say or think, “Hmm, that’s interesting, tell me more."

Every business owner should have an elevator speech

In this webinar we will break down the components of creating and using your elevator pitch, to generate interest in your business.

Join us for this free session!