UHV SBDC luncheon workshops help businesses prepare for holidays
Crossroads entrepreneurs will have some help planning and preparing for this year’s holiday season thanks to a series of workshops hosted by the University of Houston-Victoria Small Business Development Center.
The Holiday Boot Camp Lunch and Learn Series will begin on Sept. 13. Each workshop will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UHV University North Room 110A, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. A box lunch will be provided.
“The holiday season is crucial for many businesses, big and small,” UHV SBDC Director Joe Humphreys said. “We want to help area entrepreneurs get into the holiday mindset now while there’s still time to prepare. The workshops about sales, promotions, marketing and seasonal employees will provide a well-rounded preparation for the holiday season.”
The dates and topics for each workshop are:
Sept. 13, Holiday Magic: Trends, Staging and Promotions – This workshop will examine trends in services and goods typically expected during the holidays. Because holidays boost sales, businesses need to pay attention to trends in the marketplace. Mark Martinez, a UHV SBDC business advisor, will present.
Sept. 27, Holiday Marketing Plan – This session will examine what kind of marketing businesses need to do. Attendees will learn how to create a marketing budget and plan, and how to find the best marketing options. Jason Holmes, Advocate Digital Media general manager, will present this workshop in partnership with the UHV SBDC.
Oct. 4, Seasonal Employee to Elf – This workshop will help entrepreneurs focus on customer service, especially when hiring and training seasonal employees. Attendees will learn how to train new employees in a short amount of time and make sure they know how to conduct business and treat customers. This workshop will be taught by members of the UHV SBDC staff.
Small business owners can attend a single workshop or multiple ones depending on their interests. There also will be refresher courses available later this year for those who are not able to attend or want to follow up on what they learned during this series.
Attendees can register online at www.uhvsbdc.org or contact the UHV SBDC at 361-485-4485 or sbdc@uhv.edu. The cost for each workshop is $15 for early registration or $25 at the door. Attendees also can pay $45 to register for the entire series.
The UHV SBDC offers assistance on starting, growing and financing a business; contracting opportunities; and recovering from disaster. Most of its services are free to area small business owners in Aransas, Bee, Calhoun, DeWitt, Gonzales, Goliad, Jackson, Karnes, Lavaca, Refugio and Victoria counties. It is part of a nationwide small business assistance program serving the small business community and federal, state and local governments.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
