Each month the City of Chicago offers twice-weekly (Wed & Fri) FREE business education workshops presented by experts in private practice as well as representatives from various city departments. There are quite a few good ones this month — see the list below — and they’re all offered at City Hall (right downtown and near public transit). To register for any of them, email BACPoutreach@cityofchicago.org or call 312.744.2086.
Everything You Need To Know About Business Insurance
Wed, July 3, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. – 8th Floor, Room 805
Presented by Sandra Cavato Insurance Agency
In this session, attendees will learn the coverages needed for their business. We’ll discuss the right questions to ask your insurance professional and how to protect yourself and your business against lawsuits.
NO WORKSHOP DUE TO HOLIDAY
2019-07-05
City Inspections – Ask Questions, Get Answers
Wed, July 10, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. – 8th Floor, Room 805
Presented by the City of Chicago
To operate a successful business in Chicago you need to know what it takes to maintain compliance. Officials from several City departments will provide insight on how to operate safely, stay compliant, help prepare for inspections and highlight the do’s and don’ts of operating a business.
A Simple Recipe for Social Media Success
Fri, July 12, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM
City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. – 11th Floor, Room 1103
Presented by Stephanie Walters, MBA, Blue Top Marketing
As a small business, social media is overwhelming and often feels like you’re just spinning your wheels. You have to figure out where to be, how to be engaging, and how to get results—all with a limited amount of time and resources. That’s why in this session we’ll provide a recipe for social media that saves time and gets results to grow your business. You’ll learn how to choose the right social networks for your business, the 15-minute social media plan and getting started in the pay-to-play world of social media.
Get Capital for Your Small Business with Kiva and Accion
Wed, July 17, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. – 8th Floor, Room 805
Presented by David Johnson, Accion & Ryan Holland, Kiva
Hear from Kiva, a nonprofit that provides 0% interest loans of up to $10,000 to small business owners and entrepreneurs, and from Accion, a small business lender with loan ranges of up to $100,000 for small and existing businesses.
Recognizing and Protecting Your Company’s Trademarks, Patents, Trade Secrets, and Copyrights
Fri, July 19, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM
City Hall, 121 N. La Salle Street – 11th Floor, Room 1103
Presented by Patrick J. Smith, Partner, registered patent attorney at Greer, Burns & Crain, Ltd.
Learn the basic differences between copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets and the assets they protect. Knowing the differences will help you to take the right steps and make the right decisions to protect your company’s intellectual property assets.
How To Use Facebook Live And Other Streams To Build Your Business
Wed, July 24, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St – 8th Floor, Room 805
Presented by Jackson DeLisle, Social Jack
Video has proven to be the best method to increase engagement, over 10x more response than regular text and images! Now we have Instagram, YouTube, Facebook LIVE Streaming and others, even LinkedIn is getting in on the action, and Jackson will share his team’s best video and streaming techniques and case studies. Social Jack™ has produced and worked with over 2,000 videos and streams as it relates to Social Media. He will share how they use multiple stream options to test and feed video content for quick use, test and conversion. Then once those streams are over, it’s time to turn those videos into a campaign. You will leave with an easy to follow overview of their process so that you can implement and enjoy the rewards of live streaming and video conversion. In this session, you’ll leave with tips to kick up your live stream attendance, how to setup and use Facebook LIVE, steps to optimize your YouTube Channel, easy to follow production steps , hacks to quickly convert your video to a campaign, how to leverage team’s members and influencers and a simple checklist to put this into practice.
The Business of Entrepreneurship
Fri, July 26, 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM
City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. – 11th Floor, Room 1103
Presented by Vincent Williams , Director of Business & Entrepreneurship – YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
Starting a business is not easy. It takes commitment, dedication, support and follow thought. Join us in the workshop to learn our top tips for startup success.
To register for a workshop, email BACPoutreach@cityofchicago.org or call 312.744.2086.
Also, in case you weren’t aware, BACP offers a Business Start-Up Certificate Program, designed to give business owners the essential elements in starting and growing a business. Attend nine workshops at BACP and learn the essentials of business planning, financing, marketing, legal issues, technology and more. Complete the program workshops within six months and earn your certificate, as well as get free advice on your business plan. You can register for the Business Start-Up Certificate Program at any BACP workshop. Learn about the full set of BACP offerings here.
And visit their Business Video Library here.
Source: City of Chicago :: Business Education Workshop Calendar