“Summer School” for small businesses: Flory Center slates free conferences

Flory Small Business Center, Inc. is well known for serving the Prince William County, Manassas City, and the Manassas Park area with a number of services including one-on-one business consultation and monthly start-up workshops for both beginning and aspiring entrepreneurs.

This summer, the Flory Center will host a conference series to address the most common questions and concerns of small business owners, new and old.

As with all services offered by the Flory Small Business Center, Inc. these conferences will be offered at no charge to the participant; however pre-registration is required to ensure sufficient handouts.

Each conference will feature speakers who are experts in the field–from bonding experts to a master of etiquette and including a presentation from a member of the Prince William County Police Department.

Running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., these conferences will cover the essentials skills and knowledge needed to better navigate through the finer details of running your own small business.

The schedule for the summer small business conference series is as follows:

Friday, May 6 – Bonding and 8(a) HUBZone Applications

Join a reputable sales manager from Construction Bond, Inc. as he explains the in’s and out’s of obtaining an accurate and timely bond. Bonding can be overwhelming for many in the construction and contracting industry, particularly for those in the small business community. Knowing how to acquire necessary bonds will allow your company to grow at a greater rate alongside large companies.

The second part of the May 6 conference will cover two of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s set aside programs, the 8(a) and HUBZone designation. These application processes can be extremely difficult when not taken seriously as the U.S. SBA sets high standards for all set aside programs.

The Flory Center, Inc. will help guide attendees though the application process while informing them of the benefits of these set asides and when is the best time for a company or individual to apply.

Friday, June 3 – Business Etiquette and Crime Prevention

Join The Pope Institute’s expert in protocol and etiquette Kimberly Pope in a informative and important session of how to best communicate through one’s opinions and actions.  There is always something new to learn when holding oneself and one’s business to the highest standards.

After the break, a representative of the Prince William County Police Department will be joining attendees is an informative discussion on safety and crime prevention for small businesses and their employees.

Friday, July 15th – U.S. Census Research and Intro to Quickbooks

When writing a business plan or applying for a loan it is essential for businesses to understand not only their competition and their industry, but whether they have grown or declined over time. The U.S. Census website provides a wealth of free information for business owners to track and document these trends to their advantage. This website can be intimidating at first glance, but the Flory Center and a representative of the U.S. Census will show attendees how to navigate the site and use it to one’s advantage.

In the Flory Center Inc.’s ‘Intro to Quickbooks’, a certified CPA will walk attendees through the often intimidating process.

Friday, August 5th – How to Read Financial Statements

In the final conference of the summer, the Flory Center will seek to answer one of the most commonly asked questions by clients and start-up entrepreneurs – How do you read and understand financial statements without a background in accounting?  Led by a Senior Vice President from Union Bank and Trust, this conference will inform attendees how to review and analyze the core financial statements that affect their company on a regular basis.

Registration for these conferences is available by phone at (703) 335-2500 or email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The Flory Small Business Center, Inc. was created by the Prince William County Industrial Development Authority in 1991 as an “economic gardening” program and the IDA continues to provide over 50% of the Center’s funding with non-taxpayer dollars. 

Economic gardening fosters the idea that economies can be grown locally by local entrepreneurs.

The Center’s 25 year old program is based on the needs and requests of the small businesses they serve and is recipient of state and national awards.

The Flory Center is funded by Prince William County, the Prince William County Industrial Development Authority, and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. 

Flory’s executive director Linda Decker points out that local entrepreneurs are fortunate that our jurisdictions are committed to assisting the potential “start-up” as well as the existing small business owner. 

For more information and to sign up for upcoming start-up workshops and conferences, contact the Flory Small Business Center, Inc. at 703-335-2500 or by email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)