Technology training day on the way

As a small business owner, you wear many hats: salesperson, bookkeeper, customer service manager, janitor and information technology manager, among other duties.

It is unlikely that most small business owners have expertise in every area of running a business. Managing technology to most effectively operate a business is a challenge to many business owners.

There is technology to manage finances, marketing, customer relations and communication systems and even to keep the office copy machine operating.

As technology speeds ahead, many of us find it difficult to use the technology that we have to make our businesses more productive and profitable.

One resource for Northern California businesses is the Small Business Development Center Technology Advisory Program which provides technology training and counseling.

The focus of the SBDC TAP technology advisors are to help build technology awareness, to provide no-cost consulting and to help businesses get technology in place.

Thanks to funding from Citibank, the Napa Valley College and Solano College Small Business Development Centers are bringing TAP to the North Bay to conduct a Technology Training Day.

The event is Nov. 28 at Copia's Meyer Food Forum from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The training is tailored for businesses with 12 employees or fewer with a limited understanding of information technologies. The training sessions will be run by business and technology experts from SBDC TAP, and will include case studies, real scenarios and direct examples.

Technology Training Day will focus on four areas that small business owners need: small office networking, technology tools for managing financing, Web fundamentals and e-commerce principles and advertising on the Internet.

The classes are:

"Small Office Computer Networking Made Simple" is a hands-on laboratory where participants will build and configure a simple network and learn to share Internet connections, files and printers. The class goes through wireless and wired networking principles, hardware, software, security and setup.

"Smart Tools to Manage Your Small Business Finances" explains how information technologies can help with the financial tasks all small businesses have with a comprehensive review of the costs, benefits and tradeoffs of electronic banking, billing, invoicing, payroll services, tax management, accounting software and timekeeping systems.

"Web Fundamentals and eCommerce Principles" examines what makes a successful Web site for small businesses: planning, working with developers, search engines, Web site marketing, Web site statistics, typical costs and available tools and resources.

"Online Marketing and Advertising" focuses on how to create demand for products and services using digital marketing, elements of online marketing and advertising methodologies, models, successful practices and cost analysis.

The best news is: The entire day of training including coffee and a boxed lunch costs only $20, thanks to a generous contribution by Citibank.

After the Technology Training Day event, businesses may continue receiving complementary consulting services from SBDC TAP.

Before you go into battle on the technology front, you may want to consider going through Citibank-SBDC TAP Technology Training Day. For more information, call 253-3210. Pre-registration is required.