Running your own business requires you to wear a ton of hats — too many to fit sometimes. It can feel like there’s not enough hours in the day to do everything you need to do and for every problem solved, a new one pops up like a big game of whack-a-mole.
We are hosting a series of workshops designed specifically for new and small, but growing businesses to help you focus your energy on tackling the most important and common operational challenges you’ll face as a business owner.
Workshops will cover topics such as: business registration compliance, crucial marketing foundations, pricing your products, tackling social media strategies, best practices for managing inventory, optimizing your eCommerce store, financial literacy, and advice for hiring your first employee(s).
Sponsored by:
Course Outline
March 20th: Side Hustle to Serious Business: Getting Set Up
Making your business official? Run through the required common — and not so common — places you’ll need to register, including information on registering your business with San Francisco, so you’re ready to hit the ground running.
March 27th: Marketing Foundations: Understand Your Customers and Competition
Make the most of your efforts by learning who is — and who is not — your target customers so you can focus your energy selling to them. Learn what your competition is doing, or not doing, to find opportunities to differentiate yourself.
April 3rd: Charging What You’re Worth with Daniel Wiser
Learn methodologies to help you tackle one of the toughest challenges: Charging the “right” price. Daniel Wiser will cover several strategies all with the goal of helping you find that ideal Manufacturers Recommended Retail Price (MSRP).
April 10th: Kicking Off Your Social Media with Marisa Ramos
Learn the benefits of using video in your social media strategy, how to craft and optimize content, and when to invest in ads and outsourcing.
April 17th: Inventory Management Best Practices
Whether it’s your garage, storage unit, or a small warehouse, learn about effective ways to organize, track and manage your inventory to keep your running smoothly and prepare you to scale.
April 24th: Optimizing Your eCommerce Store
You got customers to your website, now what? Keep them there! Learn methods and best practices for how to organize and layout your store so that you provide a great experience and promote additional sales.
May 1st: Understand Your Finances: Bookkeeping and P&L
Alright, so you spend some money, make some money, and so on, but how do you know when you’re profitable? This workshop will cover foundational tools and reports that you can use to ensure that you have quality information for those financial decisions.
May 8th: Hiring Your First Employee(s) with Kerry Lange
Too many hats not enough heads? This workshop will cover what you need to know and prepare for when making the very big decision to hire your first employee(s).
Participation Details
When and how to Participate
This special series of 8 workshops will be held weekly on Thursdays from 1-2PM entirely on Zoom for your convenience.
Maximize your learning!
Workshops are organized in a way so that the content builds off each other. To get the most out of the content, we request you attend all sessions and actively participate in discussions with your camera on — this fosters a more engaging experience for everyone!
Requirements to Participate
Must attend at minimum 6 workshops, though we recommend all of them.
Participants will need to meet with an SFMade advisor to fill out a quick Completion Form at the end of the program.
Participants are required to complete an online survey approximately 6 months after the program. SFMade advisors will be in touch when the survey is live and available to assist.
Register
A limited number of scholarships are available. Register today to see if you qualify.
Scholarship qualifications include manufacturing a product in the San Francisco Bay Area, fewer than 30 employees, business is woman, BIPOC, or, veteran-owned.
This collection of seasonal workshops has a registration fee of $400 per company without a scholarship.
Number of seats available: 18
FAQs
To fully participate in our workshop series, joining SFMade as a local manufacturer is necessary. This unlocks benefits such as exclusive access to workshops, 1:1 advising, networking opportunities, and resources to support your business growth.
You’ll receive an update on your application for the scholarship within 2 working days. We’ll send the email to the address you provided in your application.
If you haven’t heard from us after two days, feel free to email us at: [email protected].
SFMade has a limited number of sponsored scholarships for our programs and services every year. With a scholarship, you’ll have seasonal, unlimited access to our workshops and receive personalized guidance through 1:1 consultations with our expert business advisors.
Don’t miss this opportunity to take your business to the next level!
This collection of seasonal workshops has a registration fee of $850 per company without a scholarship.
We also offer free workshops, open to all, throughout the year. Check our calendar or contact advising@sfmade for additional information.
In addition to our workshops, you may be eligible to receive 1:1 advising from Staff Specialists and Expert Consultants along with workshop participation.
Our team has diverse expertise in:
- Financial planning & analysis: Optimize your cash flow, manage risk, and make informed financial decisions.
- Hiring & Talent: Skilled guidance on recruitment, onboarding, and building strong teams.
- Marketing & Growth: Develop winning strategies to attract customers and achieve sustainable growth.
- Operations & Efficiency: Optimize your processes for maximum productivity and profitability.
- Real Estate & Space: Locate the ideal space to optimize your operations and enhance your brand presence.
CMTC funds the scholarship for this program and requires any companies that qualify and utilize the scholarship to complete an online survey.
The survey asks for estimated impact from the program and working with SFMade and it’s 10 questions.
Surveys will be sent out between 6 and 12 months after the workshops. SFMade will keep you informed about when it’s time.
