Central Arkansas Area

ASBTDC Lead Center

To register for any of the following programs, contact the ASBTDC Lead Center at 1-800-862-2040 or 501-683-7700 or click on the Register Now button to register online.

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "How to Write a Business Plan." No matter how large or small, all businesses must have a business plan! A business plan will help you define your concept, evaluate your competition, determine risks, and estimate your costs. This seminar will explain and illustrate the business plan format.

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative and SCORE Representative

Cosponsor: SCORE

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Inbox Impact: Constant Contact & Email Marketing." Email marketing doesn't cost much. It doesn't take a lot of time. And it's effective. A perfect fit for small businesses! Target the customer you want to reach and get results with email marketing. Learn how to get your email opened, how to grow you list, and how to use Constant Contact software to create professional-looking email campaigns in a snap. No technical expertise is needed.

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative

Cosponsor: Centennial Bank

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Exceptional Customer Service". Any business can provide basic customer service, but not every business owner wants or has the knowledge to get to the next level - exceeding your customer's expectations. In this program you will learn what it takes for employees to work as a team to "give your customers the pickle" to keep them coming back again and again.

Speaker: Lee Ann Branch, Director of the Hot Springs Village Chamber of Commerce

Cosponsor: Hot Springs Village Chamber of Commerce

Seminar Highlights: Are you missing out on the Facebook frenzy? Don't be intimidated by the social media mania sweeping the globe. Join us for this Lunch and Learn seminar addressing the basics of Facebook and what it can do for you and your business. Learn about the initial set up process, uses, and applications of Facebook. Attendees will receive a step-by-step guide that will allow them to progress their social media efforts for your small business. This course is only one of a series of Lunch and Learn programs that will be offered on individual social media sites.

Speaker: Nancy Knighten, ASBTDC Representative

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "SBA Loan Programs." The U.S. Small Business Administration's loan program has helped thousands of small companies get started, expand, and prosper. Learn about business financing opportunities, credit requirements, and other services provided by the SBA.

Speaker: Johnna Bach, SBA Representative

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Starting a Business in Arkansas." This seminar prepares you for the intensive business planning process, identifies major steps crucial to starting a business, discusses key issues that affect the success of your business, and discusses start-up requirements and common pitfalls that you will face as an entrepreneur. Free New Business Guide and Feasibility Workbook!

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative

Cosponsor: ASU-Beebe

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Starting a Business in Arkansas." This seminar prepares you for the intensive business planning process, identifies major steps crucial to starting a business, discusses key issues that affect the success of your business, and discusses start-up requirements and common pitfalls that you will face as an entrepreneur. Free New Business Guide and Feasibility Workbook!

Speaker: SCORE Representative

Cosponsor: SCORE

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Designing Your Own Website - Basic". Need a Web site but don't think you can build it yourself? Designing a site for your business is easier than you think! In three hours, learn how to · Understand basic HTML · Add text and images · Change text and images · Create links · "Tweak" your pages for the best results Participants will develop a basic small business Web site and professional quality pages using HTML (hypertext markup language). A comprehensive workbook and CD with free software and clip art are included. Participants should have experience using word processing applications and Internet browsers. **Only 12 seats are available. Prepayment upon registration is required to guarantee your seat.**

Speaker: Speaker: Timothy Lee, ASBTDC Computer Specialist

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Search Engine Optimization." Is your web site underperforming? Would you like to dramatically increase online visitors and sales? Come attend Search Engine Optimization and learn how to optimize each page on your web site to attract qualified customers seeking your product or service. You learn how to find highly sought for search terms and where to place those terms to create a Perfect Page. You'll also learn about free online tools for researching keywords and for tracking and analyzing your online customers. Don't miss this opportunity to fine tune your web site and turn it into the sales machine it was meant to be!

Speaker: Tim Lee, ASBTDC Representative

Seminar Highlights: Chances are, your business could use some help about now. Let's face it, we all could. Once you realize this, you will see how much you will benefit from Cutting-Edge Marketing. That's because this treasure-trove of marketing tactics will help you weather the toughest times. It tells you exactly how to position your business so that you can propel to new heights that you never dreamt were possible. This seminar will cover topics such as: the importance of understanding your customer and how to better meet their needs, branding, e-marketing, 18 monumental secrets of a true marketer and the steps you need to take to put it all into action!

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Inbox Impact: Constant Contact & Email Marketing." Email marketing doesn't cost much. It doesn't take a lot of time. And it's effective. A perfect fit for small businesses! Target the customer you want to reach and get results with email marketing. Learn how to get your email opened, how to grow you list, and how to use Constant Contact software to create professional-looking email campaigns in a snap. No technical expertise is needed.

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative

Cosponsor: Centennial Bank

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Introduction to QuickBooks." Introduction to QuickBooks introduces this popular accounting software program to small business owners with little or no experience using it. Topics include: setting up a new company, chart of accounts overview, working with lists, and how to view transactions records and find information in your company file. Prerequisite: Intermediate computer, accounting and Windows operating system knowledge required. **Please note that only 12 seats are available. Payment is required at time of registration to guarantee your seat.**

Speaker: Paul Bax, Bax and Associates

Cosponsor: Bank of the Ozarks and Bax & Associates

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Designing Your Own Website - Advanced". Designing a web page for your business is easier than you think! Participants will develop a basic small business web site and professional quality "pages" using hypertext markup language (HTML). A comprehensive workbook is included in the fee! Participants should have worked with word processing and Internet browsers. **Only 12 seats are available. Prepayment upon registration is required to guarantee your seat.**

Speaker: Timothy Lee, ASBTDC Computer Specialist

Seminar Highlights: 10 Tips for Better E-Marketing: How do you make your online marketing communications relevant to an audience bombarded with messaging? This seminar with offer some tested tips and tricks to make your e-marketing communications more deliverable, track-able, and effective. We will cover topics like why your company needs a blog, best practices for email marketing, and improving organic search rankings through better writing.

Speaker: Megan Knight, Flex 360

Cosponsor: Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce and Flex360

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents"Intermediate QuickBooks." Intermediate QuickBooks offers instruction in recording transactions and maintaining your company's accounting information using this software package. Topics include: purchases, inventory, accounts receivable, accounts payable, classes, and reports. **Please note that only 12 seats are available. Payment is required at time of registration to guarantee your seat.**

Speaker: Paul Bax, Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor

Cosponsor: Bank of the Ozarks and Bax & Associates

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents: "Social Media Set-Up: Twitter". What is Twitter? Why would I tweet? Is an article worthy of retweeting? If you are on the edge about whether or not Twitter is right for you, join us for this Lunch and Learn seminar addressing the basics of Twitter and what it can do for you and your business. Learn about the basic setup and techniques that you can use. Attendees will receive a step-by-step guide that will allow them to progress their social media efforts for your small business. This course is only one of a series of Lunch and Learn programs that will be offered on individual social media sites.

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents, "Big Marketing Ideas on a Small Budget." Chances are, your business could use some help about now. Let's face it, we all could. Once you realize this, you will see how much you will benefit from Cutting-Edge Marketing. That's because this treasure-trove of marketing tactics will help you weather the toughest times. It tells you exactly how to position your business so that you can propel to new heights that you never dreamt were possible. This seminar will cover topics such as: the importance of understanding your customer and how to better meet their needs, branding, e-marketing, 18 monumental secrets of a true marketer and the steps you need to take to put it all into action!

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative

Cosponsor: ASU-Beebe

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Starting a Business in Arkansas." This seminar prepares you for the intensive business planning process, identifies major steps crucial to starting a business, discusses key issues that affect the success of your business, and discusses start-up requirements and common pitfalls that you will face as an entrepreneur. Free New Business Guide and Feasibility Workbook!

Speaker: SCORE Representative

Cosponsor: SCORE

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "How to Write a Business Plan." No matter how large or small, all businesses must have a business plan! A business plan will help you define your concept, evaluate your competition, determine risks, and estimate your costs. This seminar will explain and illustrate the business plan format.

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative and SCORE Representative

Cosponsor: SCORE

Seminar Highlights: Are you missing out on the Facebook frenzy? Don't be intimidated by the social media mania sweeping the globe. Join us for this Lunch and Learn seminar addressing the basics of Facebook and what it can do for you and your business. Learn about the initial set up process, uses, and applications of Facebook. Attendees will receive a step-by-step guide that will allow them to progress their social media efforts for your small business. This course is only one of a series of Lunch and Learn programs that will be offered on individual social media sites.

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents "Starting a Business in Arkansas." This seminar prepares you for the intensive business planning process, identifies major steps crucial to starting a business, discusses key issues that affect the success of your business, and discusses start-up requirements and common pitfalls that you will face as an entrepreneur. Free New Business Guide and Feasibility Workbook!

Speaker: SCORE Representative

Cosponsor: SCORE

Seminar Highlights: Have you ever wondered if you are effectively evaluating and managing your employees? With so many skill levels in the workplace, employees can be hard to manage. Come join us for tips and techniques on maximizing employee job performance.

Speaker: Sheryl Childs, HRM Consulting

Cosponsor: HRM Consulting

Seminar Highlights: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center presents: "Social Media Set-Up: Twitter". What is Twitter? Why would I tweet? Is an article worthy of retweeting? If you are on the edge about whether or not Twitter is right for you, join us for this Lunch and Learn seminar addressing the basics of Twitter and what it can do for you and your business. Learn about the basic setup and techniques that you can use. Attendees will receive a step-by-step guide that will allow them to progress their social media efforts for your small business. This course is only one of a series of Lunch and Learn programs that will be offered on individual social media sites.

Speaker: ASBTDC Representative

Seminar Highlights: Small businesses receive more than $2 billion in federal grants and contracts each year through the SBIR and STTR programs. The Phase I Proposal Writing Workshop being offered by Arkansas Small Business an Technology Development Center can help your business move from SBIR applicant to awardee. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program provides federal funding for business and product strategies that meet federal research and development needs. Covering all 11 agencies that participate in SBIR and STTR (a sister program), the eight-hour workshop is for early-stage, first-time or unsuccessful writers of SBIR Phase I proposals. The event will be held on the UALR campus in Little Rock, Arkansas. Instructor Sharon Ballard will focus on two areas key to winning SBIR funding: the work plan and the commercialization plan. Ballard will explain how to integrate knowledge of the state-of-the-art with the work plan, and how to master requirements unique to different federal agencies. Participants will receive guidance in researching government organizations, topics and financial and administrative requirements and will explore some specific steps to attract commercialization partners, even at the Phase I stage of the SBIR Program. In addition, the workshop will offer tips for approaching and structuring working arrangements with large corporations on government contracts. In contrast to informational seminars, this is an interactive, hands-on workshop, with in-class exercises using tools and techniques that help in writing more successful proposals. Proposal outlines from various agencies will be used, and each major proposal section will be considered in detail, with methods and techniques for covering each section. You will walk away with the essential elements of your Phase I proposal outlined.

Speaker: Sharon C. Ballard, President/CEO of EnableVentures, Inc.

Cosponsor: EnableVentures, Inc.

Seminar Highlights: Small businesses receive more than $2 billion in federal grants and contracts each year through the SBIR and STTR programs. The Phase I Proposal Writing Workshop being offered by Arkansas Small Business an Technology Development Center can help your business move from SBIR applicant to awardee.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program provides federal funding for business and product strategies that meet federal research and development needs. Covering all 11 agencies that participate in SBIR and STTR (a sister program), the eight-hour workshop is for early-stage, first-time or unsuccessful writers of SBIR Phase I proposals. The event will be held at UALR in Little Rock. Instructor Sharon Ballard will focus on two areas key to winning SBIR funding: the work plan and the commercialization plan. Ballard will explain how to integrate knowledge of the state-of-the-art with the work plan, and how to master requirements unique to different federal agencies. Participants will receive guidance in researching government organizations, topics and financial and administrative requirements and will explore some specific steps to attract commercialization partners, even at the Phase I stage of the SBIR Program.

In addition, the workshop will offer tips for approaching and structuring working arrangements with large corporations on government contracts.

In contrast to informational seminars, this is an interactive, hands-on workshop, with in-class exercises using tools and techniques that help in writing more successful proposals. Proposal outlines from various agencies will be used, and each major proposal section will be considered in detail, with methods and techniques for covering each section. You will walk away with the essential elements of your Phase I proposal outlined.

Speaker: Sharon C. Ballard, President/CEO of EnableVentures, Inc.

Cosponsor: EnableVentures, Inc.