Pierce County Business Skills Program

This course is designed to maximize your time and efforts to help make your business successful.  The length of time will vary for each entrepreneur and will depend on how in-depth you choose to dive into market research, and fully develop your financial documents.

You will learn the benefits of having a plan, choose a framework that works for you, or if you already have a business plan, it will help guide you through further development stages.

In this course, the objectives are for you to learn how to:

1. identify the difference between a “lean” and “traditional” business plan framework,
2. choose a framework for your business,
3. work on developing your business plan framework,
4. discover resources to further develop your working document.

You will learn how to set up your business properly, track your income and expenses and get your books ready for tax season.

In this course, the objectives are for you to learn how to:

1. set up your business properly,
2. track your income and expenses,
3. get your books ready for tax season.

In this course, we will walk you through the common tax mistakes made by small businesses, important tax due dates, how to prepare for tax season, when to hire a tax professional, why is it important to file your tax return and pay your taxes on time, and what to do when you can’t file and pay your taxes on time.

In this course, the objectives are for you to learn:

1. the common tax mistakes made by small businesses.
2. how to prepare for tax season.
3. the importance of filing and paying your taxes on time.

In this course you will learn:

1. how to look at business entity and other formation components from a business law lens.
2. what business contacts are and how having them is an essential part of being a business owner.
3. the importance of filing and paying your taxes on time.
4. the necessity of having a strong, personalized client service agreement and how to use it as not just a liability prevention tool but as a business procedure guide for clients.
5. how to determine the difference of whether a worker is an employee or contractor and why it matters.
6. what intellectual property is, what types of intellectual property you own and are creating, and how to protect them.
7. the importance of reflecting on your potential liability as a small business owner and how to plan and prepare accordingly.

In this course you will learn the most important aspects of getting started in marketing in today’s digital and customizable age including: why your small business marketing is not working, how to frame your marketing efforts for maximized impact; tips, tools, and strategies in effective marketing.

In this course, the objectives are for you to learn:

1. The most common misconception in marketing
2. How to approach marketing from the viewpoint of your consumer
3. The difference between marketing strategies and how to use them correctly

As I teach you the core organizing principles of revenue growth, you’ll learn how to sell more by selling better. By putting the principles you learn into practice, you’ll be able to grow your business and increase your profitability in balance with your other priorities.

By completing this course you will:

1. Improve the techniques you use to pitch your offerings to qualified Prospects.
2. Learn a manageable, repeatable, scalable selling system.
3. Sell more with less effort.
4. Focus your energy and effort on your most profitable prospects.
5. Uncover your authentic sales superpowers.
6. See yourself as a Master Seller.

This course includes three modules. Each of the modules includes three lessons. It will take approximately thirty minutes to an hour to complete each of the lessons.

In this course, the objectives are for you to learn how to:

1. Communicate effectively and appropriately with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
2. Cultivate cultural intelligence to grow your business.
3. Create and sustain an inclusive, multicultural workplace.

This course is designed to understand all the work that goes into designing a website that fits the purpose of your site, desired outcomes, and the work that takes place to maintain a web presence for your business.

In this course, you will learn:

1. Guiding Principles of Web Design, which include
2. Questions and Definitions: What questions you need to ask before deciding you need a website.
3. Identity/Branding/Design Fundamentals
4. Mobile First (responsive design)
5. Website Architecture and Homepage Layout
6. SEO and Web Accessibility
7. Website Checklist

The study of graphic design helps to understand how to communicate visually through digital visual forms. We will explore the foundational components of typography, grid systems, and information hierarchy. These are needed foundations and are elemental to the whole of what design is, and through this course, we will explore what it means to design.

Completing this course will provide you with:

1. A developed visual sensitivity;
2. An understanding of principles of a visual organization;
3. The ability to make workable connections between concepts and mediums;
4. The ability to work productively with design tools;
5. And knowledge and skills with basic tools and techniques for designing.