Welcome
Greetings from the Solano Small Business Development Center team,

It is hard to believe that Fall is right around the corner but we don't want you to fall because you failed to prepare. Our growing team of expert advisors and trainers is here for you. Please take a look at our upcoming class schedule and be on the look out for bi-monthly newsletters with information on the additional classes we will be adding to the schedule in the coming weeks.

We are very excited to welcome three new team members to the Solano SBDC this month. Charlotte Thomas, our new office assistant, will be your first point of contact for questions about classes or general SBDC services. Luis Nanez is a new instructor working with us to bring new Spanish-language workshops to Vallejo in November and a full business startup, 10-part series in January. We are also excited to welcome a new marketing advisor to our team, John Smulo. John will teach some new digital marketing workshops this fall as well as providing counseling services. For more information on our SBDC team and our workshop schedule, please take a look at our website   www.SolanoSBDC.org

Ann Johnson-Stromberg
Director, Solano Small Business Development Center

Char brings over 15 years of administrative and customer service experience to the SBDC. She has worked for Wachovia Bank as a Mortgage Loan Documents Specialist Lead, for United Airlines as a Reservation Services Supervisor, has been the personal assistant to her pastor, and has small business experience running a residential and construction clean up service with her husband. She has volunteered countless hours with the Christian Help Center of Vallejo and New Gethsemane Church of God in Christ giving away food and other necessities to those in need. She believes it is our duty to help one another. Char is excited to be a part of SBDC's team.
John Smulo is the CEO and founder of the highly successful Purple Cow Agency, an innovative marketing firm that has worked with hundreds of businesses across multiple sectors and industries. He has also been involved in multiple startup tech companies, including most recently the restaurant tech startup, Feast.  Utilizing his extensive business experience, John has taught courses such as the New Ventures business planning course for the Contra Costa SBDC. He has also shared his expertise as a guest lecturer on digital marketing strategies for JFK University, as well as Berkeley City College.

Luis Nanez studied Business Administration at San Marcos University in Lima-Peru. His career in sales and small businesses has lasted more than 20 years. He has been a small business owner and service industry entrepreneur for 17 years and a real estate professional for more 14 years. Currently, he shares his extensive knowledge in classrooms all over the Bay Area. Luis combines classroom teaching, a "business-like" setting, an emphasis in student participation, and a good sense of humor to help students experience first-hand the excitement and reality of opening small businesses, learn about the possible challenges and obstacles they might face running their own business, and how to avoid them.

WEBINAR:
Retail Webinar Series: Marketing Your Business


Wednesday, August 29
10:00 am to 11:00 am
Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce
1111 Webster St.
Fairfield, CA 94533
Are you getting all the traffic and leads that you deserve? Don't have tons of time to devote to this aspect of your business?

Learn how to use Local Search optimization with Google My Business, Bing Places & Yelp to increase your digital presence and bottom line. This workshop will provide insights and hands-on training who want to be professional online efficiently as possible, so please bring your laptop and be prepared to optimize your business during the workshop.

You don't have to have any experience as a marketer to be successful at growing your digital presence!

Paula Mattisonsierra is the Retail Marketing Business Advisor with the San Mateo Small Business Development Center. She consults with a variety of retail businesses both in San Mateo & Alameda County. Ms. Mattisonsierra is also the Marketing Director & Founder of Power Marketing SF, an off-site marketing department targeting small to mid-sized businesses. She has successfully launched 4 businesses for herself.
WORKSHOP:
Getting Customers Online with
Google My Business, Bing and Yelpgettingonline


Wednesday, August 29
10:00 am to 12:30pm
Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce
1111 Webster St.
Fairfield, CA 94533
Are you getting all the traffic and leads that you deserve? Don't have tons of time to devote to this aspect of your business?

Learn how to use Local Search optimization with Google My Business, Bing Places & Yelp to increase your digital presence and bottom line. This workshop will provide insights and hands-on training who want to be professional online efficiently as possible, so please bring your laptop and be prepared to optimize your business during the workshop.

You don't have to have any experience as a marketer to be successful at growing your digital presence!

Elaine S. Bulawin is a self-taught balloon artist, face painter, author and entrepreneur with a passion to help small business owners unlock their social media success. Her children's entertainment business specializes in helping busy moms and corporate clients conquer children's entertainment challenges.
 
Author of Twist Balloons Profitably, How to Build a Balloon Twisting Side Hustle, she grew her online marketing presence leveraging social media platforms including Yelp, Facebook, Google My Business, Bing Places for Business and Instagram as well as creating a content rich, keyword focused website in her niche.
WEBINAR:
Retail Webinar Series:
Visual Merchandizing & Marketing Strategies


Wednesday, September 12, 2018 10:00am to 11:00am
Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce
1111 Webster St.
Fairfield, CA 94533
Visual merchandising encompasses the way that you present product to grab the customer's attention. Strategies to create effective visual marketing displays can help you maximize the impact of your retail floor space and your profitability. The class covers visual merchandising and how it is also tied to your marketing efforts.

Paula Mattisonsierra is the Retail Marketing Business Advisor with the San Mateo Small Business Development Center. She consults with a variety of retail businesses both in San Mateo & Alameda County. Ms. Mattisonsierra is also the Marketing Director & Founder of Power Marketing SF, an off-site marketing department targeting small to mid-sized businesses. She has successfully launched 4 businesses for herself.
WORKSHOP:
Managing your Restaurant and Retail Workforce:
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly


Monday, October 15, 2018 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce
1111 Webster St.
Fairfield, CA 94533
Are you struggling to manage your restaurant employees?  Do you wonder if you are doing things correctly?

Join restaurant specialist Louise Dawson and human relations expert Chana Anderson for a special presentation on Managing Your Restaurant Workforce.
In this workshop you will learn the do's and don'ts of HR restaurant management from Independent Contractor vs. Employee, Exempt vs. Non Exempt, Overtime, Meal and Rest Breaks, the hiring process, managing poor performance, managing paperwork, terminations and more.

There will be plenty of time for Q & A, so bring your questions and register today!


Louise Dawson is an SBDC Certified Business Advisor and Hospitality Specialist who brings to her clients over 30 years of industry experience: owning and operating bars, restaurants and retail consulting, advising, teaching, and training, Louise brings real-life experience to start-ups, with pre-opening education and organization and, to existing businesses, operational strategy and ongoing systems and training.
Chana Anderson is a HR leader with experience and expertise in leadership development, organizational effectiveness and change, executive coaching, employee and labor relations, and performance management. Her 20-year HR career spans a multitude of industries including banking, tourism, healthcare and non-profits.  Chana is certified as a Certified Executive Coach and Senior Professional in Human Resources.  She holds a certificate in Human Resource Management from University California San Diego, as well as a bachelor's degree in Organizational Studies, and a master's degree in Leadership from St. Mary's College of California


Solano SBDC
707.646.1071
solanosbdc.org






 

Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance of our workshops. Contact the Solano SBDC at 707.646.1071 or email [email protected]