Blount County Chamber and Blount County Library Partner to Offer Free Business Operation Workshops
The Blount County Chamber of Commerce and the Blount County Library have partnered with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center to present 15 free business operation workshops from Feb. 12-Nov. 12 on Google, social media, business marketing and planning, starting a business and government contracting for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Workshops are held at the Blount County Chamber, 201 S. Washington St., Maryville, TN, and at the Blount County Library, 508 North Cusick Street, Maryville, TN. Participants are free to bring their own lunch.
To attend any of the following workshops, participants are asked to register by clicking on the Training tab at www.tsbdc.org.
“The Blount County Chamber and Blount County Library are proud to work with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center in offering the business community workshops to help them in everything from marketing to public relations to building a business model,” said Blount County Chamber Vice President Tammi Ford. “These sessions really nail down everything a small business owner needs to know to keep up with the ever-changing consumer environment.”
The first session entitled Growth Wheel Marketing takes place at the Blount County Library on Feb. 12 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Register here: https://clients.tsbdc.org/
Other Growth Wheel Marketing workshops will be held at the library from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., on June 11 for business legal issues, Aug. 6 on business processes, Sept. 10 on choosing employees and Oct. 22 on ownership and management
A social media class, entitled Pin and Tweet Your Business to Success, is set for Feb. 26 at the Chamber from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Register here: https://clients.tsbdc.org/
A special workshop on understanding government contracting is set for March 19 from 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Chamber. (Register here: https://clients.tsbdc.org/
The library also plays host to a pair of Google workshops. The first, entitled “Google-ize My Business,” is set for April 9 from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sandi and Wayne Strum show how to optimize your Google presence and develop an online and inbound marketing strategy. Learn what Google really favors for proper SEO, blogging, and social media promotions. Also, discover useful tools to create lead generation campaigns and take advantage of mobile opportunities and learn more about “Google My Business” interface.
On April 21, the library offers Google My Business from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. This session is an extension of the “Google-ize Your Business” program. To understand and receive the maximum benefit of this program people need to attend the Google-ize My Business program first. Attendees need to bring a laptop computer, have a Gmail account, business address and phone number. The Strum’s will show how to set up Google accounts that enrich a business profile with Google Maps, Google Search and Google Plus. Participants will learn the importance of name, address, phone, the effectiveness of getting reviews and monitoring reviews on Google as well as how to use the “Google My Business dashboard.”
Two additional seminars on social media marketing will be offered on Aug. 20 and Oct. 8 at the Chamber from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. for both sessions.
Two seminars on starting a business are set for March 12 (Register here: https://clients.tsbdc.org/
Finally, two workshops on business planning are also set for June 25 and Nov. 12 at the Chamber from 9 a.m.-noon.
A complete schedule of lunch and learn workshops is listed below.
Location Date Seminar Topic
Library Feb. 12 Growth Wheel – Marketing
Chamber Feb. 26 Pin and Tweet Your Business to Success
Chamber March 12 Starting a Business
Chamber March 19 Government Contracting
Library April 9 Google-ize My Business
Library April 21 Google My Business
Library June 11 Growth Wheel – Business Legal Issues 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Chamber June 25 Business Planning
Library Aug. 6 Growth Wheel – Business Processes
Chamber Aug. 20 Social Media
Library Sept. 10 Growth Wheel – Choosing Employees 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Chamber Sept. 24 Starting a Business
Chamber Oct. 8 Social Media
Library Oct. 22 Growth Wheel – Ownership & Management 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Chamber Nov. 12 Business Planning
About Blount Partnership
The Blount Partnership is the key economic development agency for Blount County. It represents three advancement entities for the community: Blount Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Board of Blount County and the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority. The organization provides opportunities for small businesses, corporate locations, manufacturing, technology commercialization, leisure travel and corporate retreats. The goal is to ensure the community continues to enjoy a robust economy and opportunities to live an unrivaled quality of life. The Blount Partnership is used by the state of Tennessee as a benchmark for combining community resources and programming to support a shared economic development goal. For more information, contact the Blount Partnership at 201 S. Washington St., Maryville, TN 37804 or call 865.983.2241 or www.BlountPartnership.com
