The Spring Session is now Sold out! Register for the Fall Session (September 16-October 28) here.

This unique program consists of seven seminars on topics ranging from writing a business plan to monitoring cash flow, preparing budgets, and increasing profitability. The seminars have been developed with the input of both state and local business experts and will be presented by various professionals. StartUpSmart will end with a special graduation ceremony for the participants. In addition, each participant will have the opportunity to receive individual business counseling at no cost from the Small Business Development Center at the University at Albany's School of Business or SCORE.

Sponsored by:       

Seminar Schedule

April 8-Business Planning 101 - you will be taught the components of writing a Business Plan for internal or external use utilizing the model developed by the Small Business Development Center, the SBA and local financial institutions. At the end of the session, you will be provided with the option of working with an SBDC or SCORE Business Advisor to assist with the development of your Business Plan.

April 15-Legal Issues and the Small Business - Understanding the legal ramifications of decisions when starting a business can be overwhelming and expensive. In a panel discussion format, you will have the benefit of the expertise of a corporate attorney, CPA, Intellectual Property Attorney and Commercial Insurance Agent to discuss some of the steps that every Small Business Owner should take to protect themselves, their business and their ideas.

April 22-Planning for Marketing Success - You will learn the concepts behind
developing a sound and cost effective marketing strategy for their business including Articulating what your business does through the eyes of your customers, completing a competitive analysis for the direct and indirect competitors of your business, identifying the key characteristics of your potential customers within the overall market, determining the actual marketing and advertising activities that your business will undertake, determining market share, potential, and trends and price-value-service matrix, and setting your marketing budget.

April 29-Developing Your Product, Service, and Brand - you will learn how to develop the deliverables associated with your business model and operational processes as well as how the development of your brand relates to your products/services and overall corporate image.

May 6-Cash Flow, Budgets and Profitability - One of the greatest challenges of developing a new business involves developing a business model that is both profitable and has a positive cash flow. You will learn from a CPA the processes for developing a business budget, managing cash flow and ensuring profitability of the business.

May 13-Financing a Small Business and Return on Investment - Discover the ins and outs of financing for a small business from experts in the field including banks, New York Business Development Center and other financial resources. Our experts will share with you what to expect from their organization and how to determine the viability of financing for your small business. In addition, the panelists will be prepared to answer questions specific to your particular business model and situation.