Learn how to plan and use Facebook Advertising to grow your business. Online Management Consultant Steve Burnside will share his expertise in online marketing and social media strategy. Steve holds an MBA in strategic management and years of marketing industry experience.

Fill up your coffee cup and join the Cal Poly Small Business Development Join us to hear from SBDC Lead Consultant Jolie Ditmore, a San Luis Obispo local and Cal Poly graduate. Jolie has worked in the healthcare industry for 20 years, as a CEO of healthcare organizations and as the owner of a consulting practice. Jolie will discuss the real-world successes and failures of managing company growth and expanding a small business.

Disasters don’t plan ahead, but you can. Protect your business today. This workshop will focus on succeeding at Business Continuity after a disaster by preparing BEFORE the disaster strikes. Participants will also receive information, tips, tools and resources that are available to help businesses and communities rebound quickly and get back to business.

Follow Louis Camassa, Managing Partner at EMPATH and Michael Dunn, Global Brand Consultant at EMPATH, as they use their client experience working with brands like Apple, Disney, and Netflix, among others, to create experiences that transcend purchase decisions. You’ll learn the building blocks of creating a memorable brand, and how to transform your business to be design-led. Together, they’ll explore what a brand really is, why brand is important, and how to develop your “inside” and “outside” company brand. Plus, you’ll develop a Customer Journey Map, walkaway with a visual brand identity checklist, and be equipped to lead your creative team in experience design.

Learn from the SBDC’s own financial expert Rolando Locci how to: understand the Profit and Loss (P&L) structure, know your revenue and cost drivers, develop assumptions, translate assumptions into an Excel-based financial model and use the plan to run your business. We will utilize an example company to walk through the thought process and build an Excel model to convey some basic modeling techniques. Bring your laptop, Excel and questions! Rolando is the principal at Rolando Locci Consultants a professional services firm that provides CFO services to small and medium size businesses. Contact Rolando to learn more about him and his firm. 650.815.1446 · rolandolocci@gmail.com · www.rolandolocci.com.  

Join Damon Watkins, a motivated, personable business professional with a 15+ year track record in multiple aspects of financial control, management and policies/procedures. Damon has strong analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as the ability to work independently and with others. He will teach you how to set up your company with QuickBooks and how to carry out everyday transactions such as selling, buying, inventory and sales taxes.   

Heather Dopson is a Community Builder at GoDaddy and her mission in life is to help people lose their J-O-B and find their J-O-Y. She is an international speaker on the topics of social media, entrepreneurship, community and digital marketing. In this interactive workshop, Heather will navigate you through the various platforms and how each might be applicable to your business. One of the most overlooked components of social media is how to measure the effort you’re putting into it and if that work is really producing results for you. Walk away with actionable insights and steps to immediately implement to level up your social performance.

This workshop will provide you with the tools, tricks and information needed to successfully finance your entrepreneurial dreams. Learn more about loan qualifications, managing credit and local funding options from leading lenders, including a representative from the SBA District Office, Pacific Premier Bank and California Coast Rural Development Corporation (Cal Costal).

Fill up your coffee cup and join the Cal Poly Small Business Development Center as we view and discuss the latest in business ideas and trends. Informational videos and clips will be followed by a discussion led by an expert in the field. Attendance is always free of charge and coffee will be provided.