Entrepreneurial Fundamentals

• Execution Support
  
  Execution Support is monthly evening sessions of small group consulting and facilitated peer sharing.
  
  
• First Step: Getting to the Starting Line
  
  The First Step is a discussion-oriented course that draws on real world examples, including your own, to provide an introduction to the key issues related to starting a business.
  
  
• Legal Issues Workshops
  
  March 6, 2008: “Start-Up Law: Entity Choice and Founder Issues”
  March 18, 2008: "Intellectual Property: Copyright, Trademark, and Trade Secret."
  
  How do you protect your business' ideas, innovations, and competitive advantage? Come learn about copyright, trademark, patents, and trade secrets.
  
  March 26, 2008: "Hiring, Managing, and Firing Employees: What Every Business Owner Should Know"
  
  
• Strategic Business Planning: Taking the Next Step
  
  Strategic Business Planning is a workshop to develop skills, methods, and strategies as you draft your business plans.
  
  
• What Can the Wharton SBDC Do for Your Business?
  
  The Wharton SBDC Program for Entrepreneurs begins with Introductory Meetings, where you will meet our professional staff, learn about the program, and begin your consulting engagement.
  
  

Special Events

• Become An Effective Schmoozer...and Take Your Network to the Next Level!
  
  Learn to network to increase your sales!
  This seminar has postponed. Please check back for a future date!
  
  
• National Entrepreneurship Week: First Step
  
  The First Step: Getting to the Starting Line!
  
  

Finance & Funding Series

• 9 Steps to Maximize the Value of Your Business
  
  Participants will learn how to increase the value of their business in preparation for finding investors, lenders, or buyers.
  
  
• Introduction to Financial Planning
  
  This course is designed to support small business owners in developing their own financial plans and financial statements for their business. The course will address sources of funding, estimating funding needs, and strategies for acquiring funding.
  
  
• Meet the Lenders and Funders
  
  Learn how a wide range of banks and other lending organizations evaluate your loan applications and the kind of funding they can provide.
  
  
• Understanding Your Financial Statements
  
  Learn how to make good business decisions, how to monitor your business, and how to plan your future growth with some basic accounting tools.
  
  

Workshops

• 6 Easy Ways to Drive Customers to Your Website
  
  Participants will learn how search engines work, good website design practices, search engine optimization strategies, link popularity strategies for increased visibility, E-mail marketing, and traditional marketing strategies.
  
  
• Meet the Benefits Providers
  
  Find out about the options for benefits for your small business. Meet with representatives from benefits providers.
  
  

The Wharton SBDC is partially funded under Cooperative Agreement No. 5-603001-Z-0040-25 by the U. S. Small Business Administration. The support given by the U. S. Small Business Administration through such funding does not constitute an express or implied endorsement of any of the co-sponsor(s)’ or participants’ opinions, findings, conclusion, recommendations, products or services.

All SBDC programs are non-discriminatory and open to the public. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least two weeks in advance. Please contact Therese Flaherty, Wharton SBDC, 3733 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 215-898-4861.

This project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development.