Seminar Series to Celebrate Small Business Month

Submitted by the Bedford Chamber of Commerce

The Bedford Chamber and Middlesex Savings Bank are celebrating Small Business Month by offering a week’s-worth of workshops for your small business. You can attend as many as you like, but you have to register for each one. There are only 30 spots for each seminar so don’t wait to sign up.

Each morning focuses on a new topic including Fundamentals of Employment Law, Simple Yet Effective Marketing with Your Eyes Closed, Who Benefits from Benefits, Improving Profitability Using Financial Reporting, and Google Says Go Mobile. All workshops will be held from 7:30 to 9:15 am at the Doubletree Bedford Glen Hotel, 44 Middlesex Turnpike, Bedford, and a complimentary breakfast will be served.

Monday, May 4^th – Fundamental of Employment Law
Speaker: Christopher J. Campbell, Employment Law Attorney, Jackson Lewis, P.C.

Businesses need to approach employment law strategically, so that employment issues stay small, internal and are addressed without a major impact on your business. This interactive talk will review a number of areas in which employers frequently run into trouble, including managing concerns raised by employees, employee/independent contractor issues, wage and hour traps, and documentation. Attendees will receive clear, useful tips and strategies that they can use in their businesses.

Since joining Jackson Lewis P.C. in 1996, Chris Campbell has provided advice and strategies to employers to prevent employment issues from arising in the first place, and to addressing the issues if/when they arise. Chris specializes in providing practical and effective tools for management to ensure that the focus of a business stays on the business – and not on employee disputes or lawsuits.

Tuesday, May 5^th Simple Yet Effective Marketing: Done with your eyes closed!
Speaker: Matt Ward, CEO of inConcert Web Solutions

Marketing is about staying in front of your customers and prospects and being present when they are ready to buy. Many business owners struggle with where, how often and how much time to put into marketing. But did you know that you could automate your marketing to ensure a consistently delivered message to your prospect?

In this presentation, Matt Ward, a Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert and President and CEO of inConcert Web Solutions is going to show you how to automate your marketing….so that you can be marketing with your eyes closed, while you are sleeping!

Matt Ward is CEO of inConcert Web Solutions. He is a Master Certified Authorized Local Expert for Constant Contact, and was recognized at a 2011 Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty. He is the author of Making Your Website Effective, a guide to understanding how to get much more out of your website.

BONUS Tuesday, May 5^th Special Bonus Guest Speaker: Lisa Gonzalez Welch, Small Business Administration – Lisa will discuss how the SBA can provide advice on how to finance, market and manage your business.

Wednesday, May 6^th Who Benefits from Benefits – and WIIFM** What’s In It For Me?
Speaker: Gail Kelly, TriNet Regional Sales Consultant

To offer or not offer benefits – that is the question (and overhead expense) that every small business owner will wrestle with at some point in their business lifecycle. With Healthcare Mandates in full swing, every employee (and business owner) has this question of their mind – What’s in it for me?
Where do benefits fit in with your long term business strategy – what benefits are most attractive, and how do you develop a tactic to manage these expenses? As with most things in business, the answer is . . . . it depends.

This interactive talk will address some of the challenges and rewards of offering health benefits, how you and your company are impacted by the Affordable Care Act, and how to ensure that your company has the right approach to this costly decision.

Gail Kelly has been consulting with small businesses in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for over 20 years. She works with companies on building efficiencies within the organization so that costs are contained and predictable. She is licensed in both states to provide Life, Accident and Health Insurance. Currently, she is a Regional Sales Consultant with TriNet, a national Professional Employer Organization providing outsourced Human Resources support and services.

Thursday, May 7^th Improving Profitability Using Financial Reporting
Speaker: Marty Croyle, Founder and President of Croyle & Associates, P.C

Case Study: While revenues significantly increased, the Company’s net income decreased from profit to a substantial loss. How did this happen?

CPA Marty Croyle will explain what happened as well as describe how the company rebounded to achieve significant net income in the first half of 2014. Using examples of financial reporting from small businesses like yours, Marty will provide strategies to overcome the five key obstacles which keep CEO’s from using financial information as a tool to run more profitable businesses. He will share his insights as to why financial reporting is vitally important and will show non-financial CEO’s how to extract important operating information from this financial data.

If you are a CEO who wishes to take more control of your company’s financial performance, wants to understand what financial information matters most, and wants to learn how to use this financial data to improve your company’s profitability, this session is for you.

Marty Croyle is the founder and President of Croyle & Associates, P.C., a CPA and business consulting firm in Lynnfield, MA. He teaches CEOs how to understand and use financial reporting to take control of profitability and their businesses. His firm services corporate clients and their owners with accounting, tax and business consulting.

Friday, May 8^th: Google Says Go Mobile: So do consumers!
Speaker: Matt Ward, CEO of inConcert Web Solutions

Today, lots of consumers are using mobile devices to find what they need, to assess their options, to make decisions, and to make purchases. Small businesses and nonprofits who start embracing mobile now will be the ones best able to compete. Let us help you understand this mobile transition so you don’t get left behind.

In this session we’ll be covering: