SCORE wins for your business with free suburban programs

SCORE Chicago continues to offer free quality programs to entrepreneurs and business owners through a variety of experts who speak at various venues throughout the northwest suburbs and other areas.

These programs aim to help small business owners and potential entrepreneurs grow their businesses. All the programs being offered, starting with those planned for January through March, are open to the public. There is a small cover fee for programs sponsored by the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce.

• Starting the new year on a practical note, Norbert Barszczewski of Constant Contact will discuss "Email Marketing: Practical Training and Tutorial for Beginners and Intermediate Users" from 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 18, at the Vernon Area Public Library, 300 Olde Half Day Road in Lincolnshire. This session will offer practical resources necessary to create an email campaign and tips on how to create a great newsletter. In addition, Barszczewski will discuss the key aspects involved in setting up a professional email marketing campaign, including a large-screen demonstration, allowing attendees to leave armed with the ability to send a professional caliber first email marketing campaign.

• On Tuesday, Jan. 26, SCORE volunteer David Beasley will discuss "Using Videos for Marketing: How Videos Can Help Acquire and Retain Customers," showing how video impressions more effectively grabs audience attention. He focuses on the key elements of effective video production, including types of video and mistakes to avoid and marketing tips. The session will be 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Indian Trails Public Library, 355 Schoenbeck Road in Wheeling.

• On Thursday, Jan. 28, SCORE volunteer Sasha Berson will discuss "Eight Steps to Develop a Steady Stream of New and Repeat Business in 90 Days," from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Barrington Area Public Library, 505 N. Northwest Hwy. Berson will explore the reasons why most business owners struggle to attract new customers and grow revenues. He will offer an eight-step systematic process that generates a steady flow of new and repeat business as well as information on how to create an action plan.

• On Tuesday, Feb. 2, the Morton Grove Public Library, 6140 Lincoln Ave. in Morton Grove, will host "Social Media 101: The Basics of Social Media for Small Businesses," presented by Norbert Barszczewski, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The program will be repeated on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at Wheeling's Indian Trails Public Library, 355 Schoenbeck Road. This program is ideal for anyone thinking about marketing their business with social media or those who feel overwhelmed by it or who are unsure of how to get started. This presentation will examine the five most popular social media networks - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest - to help determine which is best to promote specific businesses.

• On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Mike Yesner, principal of Yesner Marketing Inc., will talk about "Marketing: What You Must Do to Make Your Advertising and Promotion More Effective" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Barrington Area Public Library, 505 N. Northwest Hwy. Learn how to make every dollar being spent work harder with targeted positioning and an integrated marketing campaign and learn how to analyze the company in terms of what potential customers want before incurring any expenses or making any investments.

• "Funding Alternatives and How They Affect Your Small Business" will be addressed by SCORE volunteer Arnold Goldberg from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at the Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St. in Skokie. This seminar will go over options and tax consequences for raising money for working capital, equipment acquisitions and growth opportunities, as well as types of debt financing and sources. Also being covered will be types of debt financing and sources; the lease versus loan alternative and how to work with a banker, and equity as an alternative to debt. It will cover finding an investment partner and discuss equity funds, angel investors and crowd funding.

• Learn "The Keys to Obtaining Media Coverage for Your Business" from Robert Lambert, partner at Samurai Business Group LLC, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, at the Warren Newport Public Library, 224 O'Plaine Road in Gurnee. What makes a business newsworthy? During this session, find out how to generate media interest to help attract more customers based on either what is happening in the news or what makes a difference in the world to enhance reputation and build business buzz.

• The Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce, 1401 Oakton Street in Des Plaines, will host "Financials: Accounting Tools for Small Business Money Management" with Arnold Goldberg from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24. It will be an overview of the fundamentals of financial and managerial accounting, as well as basic accounting principles used to measure business success. This knowledge can be used to make better business decisions based on limited resources, pricing decisions, break-even analysis and business ratios, among other topics.

• For a beginner's guide to marketing, plan to attend "Facebook 101: The Small Business Beginner's Guide to Marketing" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, at the Highland Park Public Library, 494 Laurel Ave. in Highland Park. Although many small business owners are on Facebook already, they may be just talking to friends and family. However, as entrepreneurs, so much more is possible when this tool is used effectively. Learn some of the best strategies and tools for setting up a profile, crafting a fan page and creating a Facebook ad. The session is being led by Andy Nathan, principal of Smart at the Start.

• On Thursday, March 10, SCORE volunteer Mark Lieberman will address "Going into Business: Evaluate Yourself and Take the First Steps." The workshop will help assess prospects, provide an initial direction and offer inspiration to move forward to realize any dream. This session will be 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Barrington Area Public Library, 505 N. Northwest Hwy. in Barrington.

• The Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St. in Skokie, will feature SCORE volunteer Joel Shabsin on Wednesday, March 16. From 7 to 8:30 p.m., Shabsin will discuss "What You Need to Know about Federal Taxes and Your New or Existing Business." This session will offer information about the five different forms of business organizations and the nontax advantages and disadvantages of each type of structure, as well as the tax issues for each type of organization, record keeping requirements for business in general and general income tax deductions unique to each structure. He also will discuss depreciation.

• Mike Yesner will discuss "Marketing: What You Must Do to Make Your Advertising and Promotion More Effective" from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 22, at the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce, 1401 Oakton St. in Des Plaines. Learn how to make every dollar being spent work harder with targeted positioning and an integrated marketing campaign and learn how to analyze the company in terms of what potential customers want before incurring any expenses or making any investments.

Reservations are recommended for all these programs due to space constraints. For more information about SCORE and its programs, please call the local office at (312) 353-7724 or visit the Chicago SCORE website at chicago.score.org.

SCORE, formerly known as Service Corps of Retired Executives, is an organization dedicated to serving as "Counselors to America's Small Business." Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 10 million aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners through mentoring and business workshops. More than 11,000 volunteer business mentors in over 300 chapters serve their communities through entrepreneur education dedicated to "helping small businesses get started, grow, and operate effectively."