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.
El Programa de Protección de Cheques de Pago y Cómo Solicitarlo (seminario web en español)
Martes 9 de Febrero a las 10:00 a.m.
Este seminario web se presentará en español. This webinar will be in Spanish.
Presentado por la U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) y la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Illinois
El Programa de Protección de Cheques de Pago (PPP) de la SBA se abrió para una tercera ronda de solicitudes. Este programa proporciona a las pequeñas empresas fondos para costos de nómina, alquiler, servicios públicos y categorías de gastos adicionales. El programa está abierto a solicitudes a través de prestamistas participantes. El seminario web cubrirá el préstamo de PPP y otras oportunidades de financiamiento disponibles a través de la SBA de EE. UU. También cubriremos preguntas comunes y cómo presentar la solicitud.
Capital, Coaching, and Collaboration for Small Businesses
Wednesday, 2/10 Webinar at 3:00 PM
Presented by Allies for Community Business
Allies for Community Business (formerly Accion Serving Illinois & Indiana) offers loans between $500 and $100,000 to early, emerging, and established businesses at fair prices. Learn about their new lending process and their partnerships with other lenders for opportunities like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Also learn about how A4CB provides free 1:1 coaching to anyone who wants to start or grow his or her business. Finally, get information about A4CB’s additional services including kitchen space at the Hatchery, City licensing, and procurement certification assistance.
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 will 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
Coronavation: A Simple Approach to Pivoting or Creating New Revenue Streams for your Business
Friday, February 19, 2021 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.
Please email BACPoutreach@cityofchicago.org with any webinar questions.