The City of Chicago is going nuts with the workshops this month.
Their biggest event, Small Business Center on the Road, takes over the 12th floor of the Merchandise Mart on September 19th from 10 am-2 pm. Among the 40+ exhibitors will be various local Chambers of Commerce, the Department of Revenue and Secretary of State, as well as consultants from the Small Business Center. They’re offering a tax clinic, legal clinic, workshops on marketing, financing, and social media, and City of Chicago Business Consultants ready to help with licensing needs and answer questions. Register at chismallbizexpo.com — it’s FREE!
Also, The City of Chicago’s Outreach & Education group is offering a bunch of workshops this month. Please share with friends, family, or colleagues who could use the assistance!
How to Obtain a Mobile Food Dispenser/Prepare License
Presented by the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP).
This workshop will give you all the information you need to become either a Mobile Food Dispenser (MFD) or Mobile Food Preparer (MFP) licensed food truck operator. We will walk you through the MFD/MFP licensing process including inspections, the application, mobile food vehicle, and operational requirements, as well as the optional pre-application Mobile Food Vehicle Assessment.
Wednesday, September 16th
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
121 N. LaSalle
8th Floor – Room 805
Small Business Success
Presented by YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
Learn the ins and outs of starting a small business and gain insight that will help you reach your goals. This workshop will cover starting your entity, marketing it for success and the intangibles of navigating the start-up arena.
Friday, September 18th
9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
121 N. LaSalle
8th Floor – Room 805
How to Efficiently Manage Business Operations
Presented by Illinois SBDC at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and Blackwell Energies
This workshop will focus on operations management and how to find savings at the operational level. It will cover operations management, energy and utilities, and other areas where savings can be obtained in the operation of a business. You will learn techniques that can quickly result in savings on operational costs and fatten your bottom line in the process!
Wednesday, September 23rd
3:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
121 N. LaSalle
8th Floor – Room 805
LinkedIn: Converting Connections to New Business
Presented by Digital Professional Institute and Dean DeLisle, Founder and CEO of Forward Progress
Dean DeLisle, Founder and CEO of Forward Progress, will take proven steps from our Social Selling Boot Camp and show you the most effective methods of connecting with your targets, gaining quality appointments, and finding the potential new clients in your network. You will also see what it takes to get THEM to find YOU by using LinkedIn for less than 20 minutes a day! Topics include optimize your profile, attract new prospects, leverage your connections to close business, increase targeted referrals, gain more powerful introductions, expand your pipeline and find new business channels.
Friday, September 25th
9:30am to 11:00am
121 N. LaSalle
8th Floor – Room 805
Protecting your Tech Start Up: Legal Considerations
Presented by Lema Khorshid, Fuksa Khorshid, LLC
Before opening the doors to your new technology concept, it’s important to be aware of legal risks that exist so you can properly protect your business. This workshop will explore different sources to fund your business venture and teach you some basic principles of how to protect yourself in litigation. We will also discuss intellectual property laws and provide practical approaches on how to implement a solid intellectual property plan. Also, we will talk about important employment laws as well as review lease agreements to help demystify confusing legalese.
Wednesday, September 30th
3:00pm to 4:30pm
121 N. LaSalle
8th Floor – Room 805