Small Business Management

Are you a small business owner looking to take your business skills to the next level? Do you want work more “on” growing your business rather than working “in” it?

Clatsop Community College’s Small Business Management Program (SBM) offers professional instruction and hands-on business designed to give you access to the knowledge, insight and tools that will give you an edge while enjoying a safe environment to learn, experiment and share your successes and challenges with other business owners.

SBM is not traditional academic classroom learning. Instead, this is a unique program designed for busy business owners, where your business IS the textbook and what you take away from the class can immediately be applied. The whole goal of SBM is to make you and your business more successful!

Level 1: For business owners who are in the early stages of their small business management journey (typically less than 3 years with 1 or fewer employees) or who have never taken the Small Business Management Program.

Topics to be Explored:

Finance Is uncertainty about your financial situation keeping you awake at night? The finance module will cover:

• Read, analyze, and use the core financial statements (Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet & Cash Flow Statement) for better decision making
• Develop a financial forecast and budget to help improve profitability and income
• Make better tax and personal financial decisions to secure your financial health moving forward

Marketing Do you struggle to get new clients & grow your revenue? Are you worried about wasting money, time and resources on marketing activities because you don’t have a plan? The marketing module will cover:

• Leverage market research and insights to better target your ideal customers and sell more
• Develop a marketing plan that is achievable and drives a strong return on investment
• Identify ways to improve customer experience and generate revenue opportunities

Management Are you the best leader or manager you can be? Do you have a good grasp on best practices for hiring, management and coaching staff? Are you tired of making bad hires or having employee conflict? The management module will cover:

• Strategies for improving your leadership and management skills to improve workplace relationships
• Recordkeeping, signage and other workplace regulations for hiring, firing, payroll, and more
• Best practices and tools to improve employee performance and hiring

Operations Are your business operations running as smoothly as possible? Are you prepared for the future? Where does risk exist? The operations module will cover:

• Evaluate business operations and identify areas to improve systems and processes
• Analyze risk and create an action plan to better protect your employees, self, and assets
• Understand exit planning as a strategy to create a business with long term value

Program Includes:

• 13 2-hour classroom sessions facilitated by SBDC staff and subject matter experts (Combination of In Person and Zoom)
• 13 1- hour advising sessions per month
• All materials and resources

Class Begins 11/29 from 3-5pm and then are held every other Wednesday the Astoria Lexington Campus through May 22nd (13 total sessions)

*SBM Program Cost: $200

Non-credit Class/Workshop Refund Policy: For a class with three sessions or more, students must drop the class within two business days of the class start date in order to receive a full refund.