As the owner of a small business, do you understand the importance of keeping good records? Pottstown SCORE will offer an informative workshop, “Bookkeeping Basics for A Small Business” on Monday, June 6 from 7:00 to 9:30 pm for entrepreneurs, business owners, and anyone who needs to understand the concepts and applications of business transactions. The information provided in this workshop will enable the attendees to handle day to day business transactions in a logical and concise manner. Some of the specific topics include the following: preparing financial reports, balance sheets, income statements, statement of cash flows, trial balance, the accounting equation, journals and adjustments, ledgers, worksheets and software applications.
The instructor for the workshop is Scott Rakowski, CPA, of Rakowski and Company, Pottstown, PA. The class is held at the Pottstown SCORE office in the New York Plaza Building, 244 High Street, Suite 102. The cost of the course is $25 and there is a 50% discount for a partner registering at the same time. Registrations are being taken online at www.pottstownscore.org or by phone at 610-327-2673.
SCORE is a nonprofit association sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration. SCORE volunteers are retired CEO’s, executives, and small businessmen who provide free and confidential counseling to start-up businesses. They also offer low-cost workshops and mentor existing businesses through the challenges that they face in today’s market place.
Bookkeeping Basics Offered by Pottstown SCORE
A Makeover Can Freshen Up A Stale Business
Have those good ideas stopping coming? Do your employees appear to be doing little more than going through the motions? Are your competitors making splashes in the media that you can’t answer?
If so, a makeover could be just the thing to re-energize your business. It need not be a major overhaul; some minor tweaks may be enough. What’s important is that you recognize the need for action, and learn all you can to make informed decisions.
In order to identify where changes are most needed, you’ll have to dig for details about various aspects of your business. Remember to focus not just on the individual elements, but also how they all fit together.
For example, has your customer base changed since you first started? Is it broader or narrower? Older or younger? More upscale or less? You may need a new image, revved-up branding or perhaps just a rewrite of your marketing materials to address the needs of this changing customer base.
Take a hard look at whether your products or services are performing to customer expectations. Remember that your goal should be to exceed expectations, not simply meet them. Perhaps competitors are doing a better job, or maybe they’ve created add-on products and services that you haven’t. Your own customers can help with your makeover if you ask them for feedback.
If your marketing message has never changed, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate and devise a new one. Try revisiting your original business plan. You might be able to recapture some of the insight and enthusiasm you originally had from that document. Think back to your most successful promotions, presentations or sales efforts. Rather than reinventing the wheel, you might be able to update and expand an approach that has already worked for your business.
Don’t be afraid to seek out other perspectives. After all, you may be “too close” to the issues to understand the sources and solutions. Meet and brainstorm with your trusted advisors, mentors, friends, partners, employees, and outside consultants. Ask customers to give you a frank assessment of what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and what you can do to better serve their needs. The more ideas you receive, the more options you’ll have for getting your business back on the fast-track.
For more business makeover ideas, contact SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business.” SCORE is a nonprofit organization of more than 12,500 volunteer business counselors who provide free, confidential business counseling and training workshops to small business owners. Call (610) 327-2673 for the Pottstown SCORE office, or visit on the web at www.pottstownscore.org.
New Location for SCORE Workshop Series
The Upper Perkiomen Chamber of Commerce will host the popular SCORE workshop series, “How to Start and Operate a Small Business.” This seminar is scheduled to be presented from 7:00 to 9:30 pm on four consecutive evenings beginning on February 21. All classes will be held at the Upper Perkiomen Chamber of Commerce Office, 300 Main Street, East Greenville, PA 18041.
This workshop series, presented by SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Business, is for those who are considering starting a business as well as those who are currently operating a small business. All courses are taught by experienced members of SCORE and outside practitioners recognized as experts in their specific fields.
The workshop sessions are as follows:
1. Sources of Information and the Tax and Legal Implications of the Different Legal Structures, February 21
2. The Business Plan and The Business Loan, February 22
3. Sources of Market Information, Marketing, February 23
4. It’s All About Profit, February 24
The instructors for this workshop series are local business partners and experienced SCORE counselors. Tap into their expertise to gain practical, real-life information on how to start and operate a small business. The instructors are as follows: Hanna Hartman, Vice President and Branch Manager at National Penn Bank; Don Havas, President of Applied Technology and Sciences, Inc; Jeff Kofsky, President of Higher Vision Coaching and Counseling; Mike Mayor, President of Systems Science LLC, and retired VP, ITT Corporation, Defense Electronics and Services; David Megay, Esq., Attorney with O’Donnell, Weiss & Mattei, PC; Scott Rakowski, CPA for Rakowski and Company; and Carolyn Wiker, Head of Adult Services at the Pottstown Public Library.
Registration begins at 6:45 pm, and all classes start promptly at 7:00 pm.
Each session costs $25. A manual on preparing a business plan will be available for $20. A special price of $100 is offered for the 4 courses as a package, and this includes the manual. As an added bonus, there is a 50% discount off the workshop fee for each additional person.
This has been an extremely successful and well-attended workshop. Early paid reservations guarantee a seat. For more information or to register, call the Pottstown SCORE office at 610-327-2673 or visit the website at www.pottstownscore.org.
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