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Business Entrepreneur Success Training (BEST). The BEST program is designed to help you begin and grow your business, learn to develop new entrepreneurial skills and strengthen existing ones. Course listings include: Starting a Successful Business, Marketing Strategies for Small Business, Legal and Tax Consequences of Starting a Business, and more! Not all classes are offered every semester. The "At A Glance" schedule is provided for planning purposes. How to Register.

Course Descriptions

Choose from one or more of the following course offerings:

• Accounting Principles for Small Business, SMB029

  Is your business lost in the black hole of accounting? If so, increase your financial awareness and accountability. Learn the basics of accounts receivable, accounts payable, debts, credits, and more.

• Blogging for Business, Consulting and Employment, ITI024

  Learn how to set up and manage a blog using leading blog software and a local ISP. Learn how to manage postings, moderate/publish visitor comments; use pages, themes, widgets and plug-ins; and perform trouble-shooting and maintenance. Topics include blog design, credentialing, building audiences, reaching customers, supplementing resumes, blog optimization and other marketing objectives.

• Business Education

  See Business Education for a wide variety of classes for you and your business.

• Constructing a Sound Business Plan, SMB286

  Learn how to maximize your chances of success in your business by constructing a sound business plan. Whether you are starting a business or have already established one, a good business plan will help you discover how to determine your market in terms of customers, competitors, contents, financial management, purposes, and process.

• Cost Effective Marketing That Won't Break the Bank, SMB328

  Is your business paying exorbitant marketing fees with little or no results? Learn how to develop strategies to achieve goals and objectives to make your business a success!

• Creating Your Personal and Small Business Web Sites, CMP868

  This course offers a basic introduction to Web Design for people interested in creating personal or business web sites on their own without spending a lot of money for software or professional help. Participants will learn how to design web pages using HTML and free web authoring tools. Topics will include every phase of the web design process -- planning, designing, and implementing. Participants will also learn about choosing the right Internet Service Provider, creating web accounts, and how to upload web pages using FTP.

• Facebook: Create and Effectively Manage a Facebook Site, ITI026

  Learn how to design and effectively manage a Facebook site for business, non-profit, marketing, or employment. Create a professional Facebook site or improve an existing site. Learn about effective Facebook site management; new techniques and emerging trends; tools; plug-ins; and third party applications customized for your business, non-profit, or association use. Topics include targeting groups, hosting events, Facebook ads, the Facebook Marketplace, non-profit fund-raising techniques, and advanced marketing techniques.

• Grow Your Business Using Social Media, SMB326

  Do you tweet? Are you LinkedIn with your competition? Learn to utilize social media to increase marketing, traffic, sales, and optimize ROI. Develop a social media strategy by exploring the various options. Set up an online presence. Students who take this introductory course may be interested in more in-depth computer courses in Social Networking in Facebook, Blogging and LinkedIn, see computer technology courses.

• How to Write a Marketing Plan, AMA026

  A winning competitive strategy is founded on consistently understanding and predicting changing market conditions and customer needs, and out performing your competitors. Global developments are rapidly changing the business landscape and impact every aspect of competitive strategy, from target marketing to market access and supply chain management. Stay on top of emerging trends and competitor actions to expand your market leadership, and protect your market share!

• Introduction to Profitable Federal Contracting, SMB323

  With the federal contracting market expected to exceed $500 billion this year, whatever products or service your company offers, it's a sure bet that the government needs them somewhere. Understand the proposal process and how to bid a project successfully as well as the process to win a federal contract.

• Legal and Tax Consequences of Starting a Business, SMB006

  Learn valuable tax saving tips and ways to avoid costly tax traps and pitfalls. Also examine how to choose a specific entity. These topics along with various federal, state, and local government regulation will be discusses with a lawyer and a CPA. Students who take this may also be interested in enrolling in Legal Issues Facing Small Business Owners, SMB031.

• Legal Issues Facing Small Business Owners, SMB031

Know your rights and liability under the law, including what to do if you are sued; limiting your exposure; and what form of ownership to be and why--corporation, sole proprietorship, partnership, limited Liability Company. Explore these topics and more with a business attorney with more than 30 years in the practice of law.

• LinkedIn®: Create and Effectively Manage a LinkedIn® Site, ITI027

  LinkedIn is a social collaboration tool focused on helping business professionals, consultants, freelancers, job seekers, and others develop a network of connections. Learn how to de sing, modify, and effectively manage a LinkedIn site in an instructor led computer lab. Topics include effective profile setup, networking techniques, market-specific connections, (e.g. real estate, graphic design, IT, healthcare, etc.), job searches, recruiting and HR uses, resume design, blog marketing techniques, and other uses. LinkedIn tools, techniques, and emerging trends will also be covered.

• MS Project Introduction, CMP846

  Microsoft Project - Introduction Whether you manage a corporate project of your own business, Microsoft Project Software will help you be more efficient and productive. Microsoft Project 2007 - Level I is an introductory course designed to teach you how to create and modify a project plan file, assign project resources, establish a project calendar, set deadlines, resolve resources conflicts, and finalize your project plan. This course is the first of two classes in the series.

• MS Project Intermediate/Advanced, CMP847

  Microsoft Project - Level II Build on your project management skills, create a complete project plan, and enter actual progress information. Learn how to exchange project plan information with other applications: import a task list from an Excel file into a project plan, export project plan cost data into Excel, and saving project plan information as a Web page. Develop proficiency in how to enter task progress information, reschedule a task, filter tasks in a project plan, create a custom table, hyperlink tasks to external documents, create custom reports, create a project plan template to use in other projects, share resources between projects, and create a master project plan to consolidate multiple projects.

• Promoting Your Small Business Effectively Through the Web, CMP872

  Does your web site include effective marketing tools to increase search engine "hits" and help customers find your web site? Are you mounting effective ad campaigns through web marketing programs with help you advertise on a limited marketing budget? This course will cover effective web site promotion techniques for maximizing search engine and directory "top 20" placement, including the proper use of META tags, file and page names, understanding and exploiting search engine formulas (algorithms), and other important web site promotion tools, This course also shows you how to design a successful "target marketing" web advertising program through Google and/ or other major search engines that help generate small business results on limited ad budgets. You will learn how to develop a successful web-based ad campaign, and how to use search engine research formulas and ad programs to your advantage.

• QuickBooks--Level I, CMP078

  Trying to get your small business finances organized? Learn how to use QuickBooks version 2008 software to manage business finances. Course includes setting up a company data file, managing inventory, creating estimates and sales documents, paying bills, using bank accounts, tracking time, and using the QuickBooks financial reports. CPA/CPE accredited.

• QuickBooks--Level II, CMP080

  Need to expand your QuickBooks knowledge? Come learn how to customize financial reports; export to Excel and other Windows programs; import from Excel; memorize transactions; track customer costs for rebilling; resolve various A/R, A/P, and bank discrepancies; and run payroll. CPA/CPE accredited.

• Small Business Marketing: Positioning Your Company for Success, SMB952

  Learn the key marketing concepts and practices to successfully position a small business in today's market environment. Examine the do's and don'ts of basic management and explore various marketing channels.

• Starting a Successful Business, SMB022

  Great ideas do not always translate into successful businesses. This course is designed to help you validate your idea, identify needed resources, and design your model for business success.

Clases EN ESPAÑOL

• Curso Básico de Capacitación Empresarial (Basic Business and Start-Up Course in Spanish), HBI-034

  Este curso está diseñado para aquellas personas que desean comenzar un negocio o están en las etapas iniciales de su compañía. El curso le ofrece las herramientas para definir la idea comercial y el mercado al que se orientará, como armar el plan estratégico, requisitos para registrar su compañía, estructuras legales, licencias, impuestos y conceptos básicos de contabilidad.

• Contabilidad Computarizada; Quick Books I (Computerized Accounting in Spanish), HBI-055

  Curso práctico en el uso de computadoras para la contabilidad de pequeñas empresas con el programa QuickBooks. Se enseñarán los principios básicos de contabilidad, a crear las cuentas de una compañía, a escribir cheques, a entrar datos de la manera correcta para obtener los reportes financieros entre otras cosas.

• Contabilidad Computarizada; Quick Books II (Computerized Accounting in Spanish, part two), HBI-056

  Este curso es la continuación de QuickBooks I. El estudiante aprenderá entre otras cosas a procesar la planilla de pagos, a pagar y a procesar los formularios de impuestos (W2 y 1099), etc.

• Claves para un Negocio Exitoso, HBI058

  Este curso de 5 horas le enseñará las bases para comenzar y registrar su negocio.También le ofrecerá información sobre los recursos que el Condado tiene para asistirle. El curso incluye mercadeo finanzas y la estructura básica para un plan de negocios. Las personas mayores de 60 años no pagan la matrícula, solo el derecho de admisión

• Como Importar y Exportar Productos a/de USA,

  course description coming soon

• Como Vender Productos y Servicios al Gobierno, HBI138

  Si su empresa está establecida y quiere vender al estado, en este curso encontrará los recursos necpara hacerlo. Aprenda sobre los distintos programas de contratación para pequeñas empresas y empresas minoritarias que ofrecen Montgomery County, el gobierno de Maryland y el gobierno fedAdemás conocerá los requisitos para participar en cada uno de estos programas y consejos útiles para licitar y ganar contratos. Las personas mayores de 60 años no pagan la matrícula, solo el derecho de admisión.

• Como Usar la Internet para su Negocio, HBI151

  Aprenda como poner la internet al servicio de su empresa. Ahorre tiempo y dinero aprendiendo como encontrar proveedores y conmejores precios. Aprenda donde puede conseguir tarjetas y material de promoción a bajo costo, averigue sobre sitios para registrarse en ferias y eventos, aprenda como participar de progradel gobierno y encuentre oportunidades para su negocio. Las personas mayores de 60 años no pagan la matrícula, solo el derecho de admisión.

Want to know more? See our BEST course descriptions, and the "At a Glance" course schedule. Are you ready to register? See How to Register,