Customized Training for Business

Does your organization have a training challenge? Let us help!

It is an understood fact that productivity is increased through targeted quality training, but not everyone has the time or money to identify, develop and deliver the training needed. Our staff can offer you a way to meet your training needs and stay within your time and cost budget.

We bring years of expertise in the field of training and education to help you find the right solution. We have the wealth of knowledge and expertise of the Skagit Valley College faculty as well as many expert trainers. We can customize a program in any suitable location at the most affordable price available and we can help you identify if there are avenues to grant funds, loans or accreditation for your special program.

Call 360.416.7872 to talk to Darlene Mindrum about how we can help your organization take the next step. Here are some examples of classes available through our programs:

Broad range of safety training
Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007 – including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher
Quickbooks beginner and advanced
Customer service and communication
Languages including Spanish, Russian, Italian, French and more
Leadership, management and supervisory
Lean Manufacturing, ISO and quality training
Diversity, ADA and other

Small Business Education Mount Vernon Workshops

Business Planning & Management

Learn about business licenses, legal formation, management, marketing, financing and other common issues and questions that occur when starting a business. Participants will begin the preparation of a formal business plan.
6612 BRCG 030 AG 6-9pm Th 10/1 BRC Palmer $40

Recordkeeping and Taxes

Get tips on business start-up considerations including entity selection and accounting methods, basic accounting principles and recordkeeping requirements. Learn about federal and state tax reporting requirements and what to do when hiring employees. There will also be a demonstration of popular accounting software.
6624 BRCG 050 AG 6-9pm TTh 10/14 & 10/16 BRC Hudson

Marketing, Pricing & Advertising

Learn marketing techniques used by major corporations and how to apply them to your business at a price you can afford. Learn to develop marketing strategies, perform marketing research, assess competition, establish prices, how and when to advertise, and measuring results.
6618 BRCG 045 AG 6-9pm Th 10/29 BRC Palmer $40

Small Business Education Whidbey Island Campus Workshops

For more information: call 360.675.6656 ext 7873. Participants completing workshops A through C will receive a certificate in Basic Small Business Education.

Business Planning & Management

Learn about business licenses, legal formation, management, marketing, financing and other common issues and questions that occur when starting a business. Participants will begin the preparation of a formal business plan.
6639 BRCG 030 AGW 6-9pm Th 10/2 A306 Palmer $40

Recordkeeping and Taxes

Create and maintain effective financial records for your small business. Includes basic recordkeeping principles, classifying income and expenses, IRS and Department of Revenue requirements. If time permits, there will be a demonstration of popular accounting software.
6640 BRCG 050 AGW 6-9pm TTh 10/21 & 10/23

Marketing, Pricing & Advertising

Learn marketing techniques used by major corporations and how to apply them to your business at a price you can afford. Learn to develop marketing strategies, perform marketing research, assess competition, establish prices, how and when to advertise, and measuring results.
6641 BRCG 045 AGW 6-9pm Th 10/30 A306 Palmer $40

Starting an On-line Auction Business: The Basics of Selling on eBay

Learn from an eBay Top Seller the secrets of creating a profitable home business selling products on eBay. This 2 part workshop introducing the essentials of on-line auctions. Learn how to design a winning auction description, how to get paid, sales tax made easy, tips for success and pitfalls to avoid. This is a hands-on computer course. Keyboard experience is helpful. Cindy Shebley is an eBay Education Specialist.
6638 BRCG 025 AGW 1:30 - 5:30 MW 12/8 & 12/10

Home-Based Business

Starting an On-line Auction Business: Basics of Selling on eBay

Learn from an eBay Top Seller the secrets of creating a profitable home business selling products on eBay. This 2 part workshop introduces the essentials of on-line auctions. Learn how to design a winning auction description, how to get paid, sales tax made easy, tips for success and pitfalls to avoid. This is a hands-on computer course. Keyboard experience is helpful. Cindy Shebley is an eBay Education Specialist.
6610 BRCG 025 AG 5:30-9:30pm MW 11/17 & 11/19 S-161 Shebley $105

Starting an On-line Auction Business: Beyond the Basics of eBay Selling

If you’ve been selling on eBay occasionally, and want to learn how to get the most out of your listings, this is the right class for you. Learn how to start and/or grow an eBay-based business, use eBay listing tools, open an eBay store, pack and ship inventory. This is a hands-on computer course. eBay, Web and keyboard experience are helpful.
6611 BRCG 025 BG 5:30-9:30pm MW 12/1 & 12/3

Computerized Bookkeeping with QuickBooks

Introduction to QuickBooks

This workshop covers setting up basic financial information for a company such as company files, chart of accounts and master lists. Topics include standard transactions such as checks, sales entries and deposits, sales tax entries and reports. QuickBooks Pro will be used in this class.
6625 BRCG 055 AG 6-9pm TTh 11/4 & 11/6 S-161 Pearl $95
6626 BRCG 055 BG 9am-4pm Sa 11/8 S-161 Pearl $95

QuickBooks II - The Basics Plus

This workshop builds on Intro to QuickBooks and covers payroll, inventory and job costing setup, transactions and reports. Covers additional transactions and reports as time permits. QuickBooks Pro will be used in this class.
6627 BRCG 055 CG 6-9pm TTh 11/18 & 11/20 S-161 Pearl $95
6628 BRCG 055 DG 9am-4pm Sa 11/22 S-161 Pearl $95

QuickBooks III - Balancing QuickBooks

Adds to QuickBooks I and II classes by further covering job costing setup, entries and reports, including time-tracking functions, and other industry-specific setup samples. Also includes customer and vendor credits and refunds, bank reconciliations, and advanced QuickBooks reports, including use of reports to review, troubleshoot and balance QuickBooks. QuickBooks Pro will be used in this class.
6629 BRCG 055 EG 6-9pm TTh 12/2 & 12/4 S-161 Pearl $95

Management Skills

Using a Business Plan to Fuel Business Growth

Looking to grow your business? Looking for financing? Then you need a Business Plan! This workshop will give you the resources and tools you need to write your Business Plan and understand what lenders are looking for. Proper planning can make this sometimes daunting process easier on you and more successful for your business!
6613 BRCG 030 BG 2:30-5:30pm W 10/29 BRC Stark $25

WorkTalk: How to Communicate in Situations on the Job

In this practical, down-to-earth class, you’ll explore the latest techniques for handling some of the most challenging everyday workplace communication situations. You’ll learn not just theories, but the exact wording to use to initiate discussion and respond in a manner that is direct, honest, supportive and that best represents you and your organization.
6615 BRCG 031 BG 9am-4pm Th 10/19 BRC Buschmohle $75

Careers

Career Exploration and Decision-Making

Gain self-awareness in areas important to career and employment decisions and leave class with a career report based on your own natural preferences. You’ll also get access to Washington Occupation Information System for comprehensive state and local career and employment information, information on local training opportunities, and guides for decision-making and action planning. An optional one-hour individual appointment with career counselor can be arranged outside of this workshop.
6630 BRCG 060 AG 6-8pm W 10/8 & 10/15 H-112 Church $25

Getting the Job You Want

Learn how you can make the most of your resume and your interviewing skills to get the job you want. Information will include: how to get your resume noticed, preparing for the interview, strategies for career networking, and how to use online resources.
6631 BRCG 060 BG 6-8pm W 10/22 H-112 Jolly $25

Marketing & Advertising

Building Repeat and Referred Business

To build a loyal customer base in which “they” do the selling for you takes effort, but not necessarily in high-cost advertising. Learn sure-fire tactics for developing and building customer relationships, retaining your customer base and building repeat business, gaining more dollars from your existing customers, and inspiring them to talk about you and refer others.
6619 BRCG 046 AG 8-10:30am W 10/8 BRC Atherton $32

7 Steps to Generating New Sales

This seminar will prepare you for choosing the best markets to pursue and how to go about it. Discover easy, usable processes for identifying your most likely markets, ideas for learning more about those markets in order to build your customer base, sure-fire ways for creating the most direct sales messages, and gain simple, money-saving tactics for reaching your target markets with your messages.
6620 BRCG 046 BG 8-10:30am W 10/22 BRC Atherton $32

The Top No-Cost/Low-Cost Ways to Market Your Business

Discover what it takes to produce professional advertising, the difference between bad advertising and what really works, and how you don’t have to spend a fortune! Learn what motivates people to buy and how to make them buy from YOU, explore techniques to create the right advertising message for the right audience, and gain strategies for choosing the most effective media mix.
6621 BRCG 046 CG 8-10:30am W 11/12 BRC Atherton $32

Improving Your Website

People are drawn to what they are interested in, and it is no different on the Web. Structuring and focusing your Website around the interests of your visitors must be the primary goal when considering how to improve your Website. We will look at how to identify with visitors and stay away from superfluous content. A great class for anyone with a website.
6622 BRCG 046 DG 8-10:30am W 9/25 BRC Pederson $32

Driving Traffic to Your Website

First we will examine the important difference between “traffic” and “unique visitors,” then begin to unpack SEO, SEM, PPC, viral and social techniques used to help people discover your site in a meaningful way. Targeting the right visitors who will be interested in the products or services you have to offer is the heart of driving traffic to your site.
6623 BRCG 046 EG 8-10:30am W 10/21 BRC Pederson $32

Custumer Service Skills

Customer Basic Training: How to be great at customer service and love your job!

Customer service can be the best job, or the worst! It all depends on your training and attitude! In this workshop you will learn and practice the skills needed to communicate with all kinds of people (customers and co-workers!) despite any momentary lapse of reasoning! On their part, of course!
6616 BRCG 040 AG 8-10:30am W 10/8 BRC Porter $32

Customer Service Strategies: How to boom your business through great word of mouth

This workshop is for anyone who manages a group and wants to ensure that they ALWAYS deliver the BEST customer service. Subjects covered: customer service surveys, improving your customers perception of value, choosing the right personnel, motivating and training staff and more. Practical take-home-and-apply materials.
6617 BRCG 040 BG 6-9pm W 11/5 BRC Porter $32