The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) offers free business education workshops or webinars every Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning. Due to COVID-19, all programs are currently being offered as webinars. Topics include business licensing, operations, financial resources, marketing, and more. Programs are free and open to the public and taught by industry professionals, not-for-profit agencies, and government agencies.
Effective Niche Marketing Strategies
Wednesday, 2/17 Webinar at 3:00 PM
Presented by Score Chicago
Niche Marketing can be an effective way to stand out from your competition. In this webinar, they'll do a deep dive into niche marketing – what it is, the benefits and risks and discuss how to know if it’s the right strategy for you. It will also cover how to find your niche and provide examples of successful niche marketing strategies.
Topics to be covered:
Benefits and Risks to a Niche Marketing Strategy
Using Market Research and Competitive Analysis to Identify the Right Niche Market for Your Business
Creating your Unique Selling Proposition for your Ideal Customer
Determining How and Where to Most Effectively Reach your Ideal Customer
Register for the 2/17 Webinar
Coronavation: A Simple Approach to Pivoting or Creating New Revenue Streams for your Business
Friday, 2/19 Webinar at 9:30 AM
Presented by Jason William Johnson, PhD(c) Director, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Chicago Urban League
In recognition of 'Black History Month' join us for a webinar that teaches business owners a methodology for identifying opportunities for new products, services, and business models. This process can also be used for new venture creation as well.
Participants will learn:
How to scan the environment for new opportunities
How to effectively evaluate the viability of a new offering or business model prior to launching it
The different forms of capital that they already possess and how to leverage them
How to evaluate the performance of their new offering or business model.
Register for the 2/19 Webinar
Grow Your Small Business with Grants Up to $250K
Wednesday, 2/24 Webinar at 3:00 PM
Presented by The City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD)
Staff from the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) will provide summary, timeline, and application information for the department's two biggest grant programs: the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) and the Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF), each of which offer cash assistance to businesses looking to start or grow their operation.
Register for the 2/24 Webinar
Google Analytics 101
Friday, 2/26 Webinar at 9:30 AM
Presented by Francisco Ramirez, Chimbly Consultants
If you want to know where you're going, first you have to know where you are. This workshop will teach you how to get started with Google Analytics and give you a basic understanding of the metrics and tools it offers. You will be able to analyze how your website currently performs and generate actionable insights so that you can create SMART goals to move your business forward.
Register for the 2/26 Webinar
Please email BACPoutreach@cityofchicago.org with any webinar questions.