Thinking of Starting a Business?

The town of Hamden’s Department of Economic and Community Development, in conjunction with the Business Assistance Center, is offering a free seminar series for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs.

The first seminar will be on Wednesday, April 3 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in the 3rd floor of the Hamden Government Center, 2760 Dixwell Ave. and will discuss identifying business opportunities and choosing abusiness structure. 

For additional information or to RSVP, contact Dale Kroop, director of Economic and Community Development, at dkroop@hamden.com or call 203-287-7033. Seating is limited, so RSVP as soon as possible.

Seminar One: Wednesday 4/3/13
Identifying the right business opportunity for yourself 

a) Product or service?
b) Start from scratch
c) Buy an existing business
d) Purchase a franchise

Factors that should influence your decisions such as your skill sets, passions, and experience, in addition to the resources needed the relative risk involved and the potential rewards of each type of opportunity.

Choosing your business structure:Sole Proprietor, General Partnership, Limited Partnership, LLPLLCS-Corporation, C-Corporation, Not for Profit Corporation. The definitions, advantages and disadvantages of each business type will be explored and discussed.

Seminar Two: Thursday 4/11/13
Managing your business

a) Organizational policies and procedures (organizational chart, job descriptions,etc).
b) Management information systems (bookkeeping, financial reporting, data basemanagement, etc.)

Financing your business

a) Banks
b) Alternative lenders
c) State and Federal programs
d) Investors
e) Family & Friends

Seminar Three: Thursday 4/25/13
The Business Plan

a) Purpose for writing a business plan
b) Components of a business plan
c) How to construct financial projections

Personal Plan (Richard Pearce of the Hamden Business Assistance Center)

a) As it relates to business formation: A detailed discussion about what each component of a business plan should contain. A business plan outline, constructed by CTCIC and CSBDC, will be provided.

Seminar Four: Wednesday 5/1/13
Insuring your business

Common business insurances purposes and types.

Other insurance considerations

Bonding

Marketing your business

Networking

Website

Image making

Materials and methods (business cards, flyers, brochures, etc.)

Maximizing the value of your business (Richard Pearce of the HamdenBusiness Assistance Center)

a) Internal growth
b) Acquisition
c) Merger
d) Sale