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  • Crafted Connections: Creating Content That Sticks

    Visit SLO CAL Office 81 Higuera Street Suite 220 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 81 Higuera Street Suite 220, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

    Educational & Networking Series Designed for Makers and Small Local Businesses in SLO CAL Visit SLO CAL and the Cal Poly CIE Small Business Development Center are excited to present Crafted Connections, a four-part educational and networking series designed for our maker and small business community. From social media strategy and PR storytelling to peer conversations, these events are designed to elevate your marketing, create connections and help you grow in 2026! Learn social media strategy directly from Haley Pavone, CEO & Founder of Pashion Footwear with 2.2 M followers across Instagram and Tiktok - featuring practical insights, creative approaches and maker-focused tips to elevate your online presence.

    Free

  • How to Plan for a Successful Business Exit

    Zoom

    Planning for a successful business exit is one of the most important and often overlooked parts of building a business. Whether you’re years away from exiting or just beginning to think about what’s next, having a clear strategy in place can help you maximize value, protect your wealth, and transition on your own terms. This virtual workshop led by Chad Kihm will provide a practical overview of the exit planning process and the key decisions that shape both your financial and personal outcomes. You’ll walk away with: A clear understanding of what an exit plan is and why it matters Insight into the six-step exit planning process, including setting goals, evaluating readiness, and exploring your options An understanding of your “value gap” and how it impacts your exit An overview of valuation methods, M&A fees, and key financial considerations Guidance on buy/sell agreements and how to build the right advisory team About the Speaker Chad Kihm is a Private Wealth Advisor who works with ultra-high-net-worth, family-oriented business owners. He helps clients align their financial strategies with their personal values—enabling them to spend more time with family while protecting and preserving wealth for future generations. Instructions: This workshop is virtual and attendance is […]

    Free

  • Crafted Connections: Shaping Your Story

    Visit SLO CAL Office 81 Higuera Street Suite 220 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 81 Higuera Street Suite 220, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

    Educational & Networking Series Designed for Makers and Small Local Businesses in SLO CAL Visit SLO CAL and the Cal Poly CIE Small Business Development Center are excited to present Crafted Connections, a four-part educational and networking series designed for our maker and small business community. From social media strategy and PR storytelling to peer conversations, these events are designed to elevate your marketing, create connections and help you grow in 2026! An interactive workshop led by communications professional Becky Mosgofian, Founder of YOBECKO marketing firm, to help refine your brand story, understand PR fundamentals and craft compelling narratives that resonate with your audience.

    Free

  • Crafted Connections: Hear From Your Peers By Visit SLO CAL

    Visit SLO CAL Office 81 Higuera Street Suite 220 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 81 Higuera Street Suite 220, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

    Educational & Networking Series Designed for Makers and Small Local Businesses in SLO CAL Visit SLO CAL and the Cal Poly CIE Small Business Development Center are excited to present Crafted Connections, a four-part educational and networking series designed for our maker and small business community. From social media strategy and PR storytelling to peer conversations, these events are designed to elevate your marketing, create connections and help you grow in 2026!

    Free

  • Controlling the Chaos: Operational Habits for Sustainable Work

    CIE HotHouse + Zoom 872 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

    Running a business shouldn't mean running yourself into the ground. This workshop led by operations expert, Aline Kubiak, gives solopreneurs and small business owners a practical framework for reclaiming their week, without adding more to it. We'll work through four moves: Deciding what actually matters, protecting time for the work that drives the business forward Reducing the daily decisions that drain your energy Handing off the rest (whether to a person, a tool, or an automation) You'll leave with a one-page worksheet to map your own week and a clear next step you can take immediately Come join us at our new HotHouse location to learn how to streamline your business operations and create a more sustainable way of working! About the Speaker: Aline is an operations practitioner with over a decade of experience helping organizations build systems that actually work. She specializes in translating operational complexity into clear, actionable structure, and giving business owners the frameworks they need to protect their time, reduce decision fatigue, and build teams they can trust. Her work is grounded in the belief that the conditions for sustainable, healthy work are created through process — and operations is where process lives. Instructions: There are two attendance […]

  • User Research & Design, Part II: Design, Iterate, and Develop

    CIE HotHouse 1134 Chorro St., San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

    Understanding your customers is only the first step. The next challenge is turning those insights into a product that works for users and can be developed effectively. In User Research & Design, Part II: Design, Iterate & Develop, Janice Rohn will build on the research and validation principles introduced in Part I (Validate Before You Build) covered last month and explore how to move from customer insights into product design and development. Drawing on decades of experience leading product development and UX teams at companies like Apple and Intel, she’ll walk through key stages of the design process, including storyboarding, prototyping, testing, and transitioning to development. This workshop will explore key stages of the design process, including storyboarding, creating and testing prototypes, incorporating user feedback, and transitioning into development. You'll walk away with: An understanding of how to use storyboarding as part of the product design process Practical approaches for creating and testing prototypes Strategies for gathering user feedback and using it to iterate on your product A better understanding of how to move from design and testing into development

    Free