Updated for 2023

Does your business need a mobile app?

In this bootcamp you will learn if your small business will benefit from having a mobile app, and the steps to successfully deploy and market your app on the app stores. Areas covered include:

• Market Research
• App Scoping
• Finding a Developer and Budget
• App Business Planning
• Marketing Approach
• Building a Prototype
• Launching an App
• Promoting App

Presented by Cameron Nelson, Technology Advisor for the Virginia SBDC.

There may be no more enjoyable way for a craft beverage company to grow their audience than a collaboration project. Whether the partner is a fellow producer, a top account, or a favorite artist, a well-designed collaboration can be a fun and mutually beneficial project.

In this webinar, Virginia SBDC Craft Beverage Assistance Manager Chris Van Orden asks Philip Runco, who currently oversees social media and coordinates special projects for one of the DC area’s leading breweries, about some of the best practices for teaming up.

Unfamiliar with patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets? Learn about intellectual property (IP) basics and potential ways to protect your innovations as you transition from idea to product. The session covers:

1. What is the USPTO?
2. An overview of intellectual property types: patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets
3. Why innovators and entrepreneurs should consider protecting their IP
4. How to get started in protecting your intellectual property.

Webinar presented in collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Speaker: Harry Kim – a Special Program Examiner in the International Patent Legal Administration (IPLA) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). 

An informative session led by the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) Grants team! VTC offers several funding programs to assist the Virginia travel industry and recently opened a Microbusiness Marketing Leverage Program grant for tourism-oriented small businesses with fewer than 20 full-time employees.

Staci Martin, Grants Director, Noah Salaah ad-Deen, Grants Specialist, and Caleb Leech, Grants Coordinator take a deep dive into the current and future programs.

After viewing you will have a better understanding of

• each program
• the marketing focus
• who is eligible
• in-kind and cash management requirements
• timelines and deadlines
• and how to apply for each program

Please note – the deadline for applying for the Micro Business Grant is September 28, 2023. But more programs are shared!

Updated for 2023

Learn how to create and/or better manage your WordPress website!

Are you looking for a simple, yet effective website to use for your business? WordPress might be a good option! In this workshop, we covered “the basics” on creating and updating a WordPress site, including:

• User management
• Page creation and editing
• Image and video uploads
• Plugin management
• Linking to social media

Instructor: Cameron Nelson, Chief Digital Advisor, VA SBDC

Mr. Nelson has over 19 years experience in technology, and as a senior tech consultant in Silicon Valley helping Fortune 500 companies improve their digital marketing and eCommerce. At the same time he founded several tech companies, including a SaaS website for tree preservation and a blockchain platform for nonprofits. Cameron is accomplished in language, culture, has an MBA and MA and believes new technology products have the ability to help shape our world for the better.

There’s no two ways about it: if you decide to manufacture alcohol, you’re going to be subject to a significant degree of regulations.

In this webinar, Craft Beverage Initiative Manager Chris Van Orden asks Kevin Anderson of Alcohol Industry Associates about the key Federal, state, and local agencies that oversee alcohol production and the ways in which producers can lay the groundwork for productive relationships.

Updated for 2023

Businesses need to understand the basics of digital marketing now more than ever, because digital marketing creates growth.

Learn about the basics of digital marketing, including:

• Social Media
• Email Marketing
• Paid Ads
• SEO
• Affiliate Marketing
• How to use analytics to measure your success