Training and Workshops

Read about our Training and Workshops, and what some of our attendees thought about our business classes.

1 Million Cups

Join us in Oakland County — Michigan’s only location for the Kauffman Foundation’s free, nationally-renowned 1 Million Cups (1MC) program for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs.

The second Wednesday of every month, two early-stage startups have the opportunity to do a six-minute presentation on their companies to potential advisors, investors and fellow entrepreneurs. (Training materials are available through the Kauffman Foundation to help you prepare)

The presentations are followed by a 20-minute Q&A session with the audience. You are encouraged to be open and honest about your business and the challenges you face. Everyone that attends 1MC is there to support each other and learn as part of their entrepreneurial journey. As volunteers across the U.S., we network and discover solutions together over “a million cups of coffee.”

You have an opportunity to practice your presentation skills, get feedback and develop contacts that will help you be successful as an entrepreneur. Apply today to get on the schedule to present your business

A 360° Perspective on Your Business

This workshop is designed to help existing businesses

When everything is important all the time, the question becomes “what do we focus on now?” In this workshop you’ll be introduced to a suite of visual tools to help you quickly evaluate where you’re at with your business and what areas to focus on if you want to grow the company.

The Business of Leadership

Master The Leadership Skills Needed To Keep Your Company Growing

Effective leadership and people skills are critical to the success of your growing business. When leadership is effective, it improves:

Employee Morale
Customer Satisfaction
Product and Service Quality
Profitability

As your company and staff grow, more advanced leadership skills are required to manage the progress and rapid change. This leadership program is designed to address the special demands you face during the growth stage of your business. You’ll learn how to:

Cultivate stronger relationships with clients and partners
Delegate and empower others
Build confidence with new managers/ supervisors promoted from within
Coach people to reach their full potential
Foster cooperation and build teams to achieve bold goals

As part of this course, you will develop a strategic action plan to apply your new skills at work immediately. You can reinforce your learning through on-going sessions with your Oakland County business consultant.

CEED Small Business Loan Orientation

"I feel truly blessed that these workshops are available, and the presenters are very giving and knowledgeable."

"Excellent information. Was presented efficiently, cohesively and in an interesting manner."

Have a need for alternative financing for your business? Is your business located in Oakland County? Consider learning more about the CEED Lending Small Business Loan Program. Discover the requirements and processes necessary to apply for and obtain a small business loan. If you are interested in alternative financing for your Oakland County small business, then the CEED Lending Small Business Orientation is for you. CEED Lending is an initiative of the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council.

Consumers have Changed, Will You?

This workshop is designed to help existing businesses.

While it’s impossible to predict what the “new normal” will look like once your business reopens during the coronavirus, understanding customer expectations, incomes, spending habits and behaviors will be key in these uncertain times. This workshop examines changes in consumer behavior for business-to-consumer establishments (B2C) as a result of the pandemic, which behaviors may stick long term and market research resources available to you to help you attract and retain customers.

Five Steps to Networking Mastery

We have all heard that it is not what you know but whom you know. Nonsense! It's all about how you are known. This brief, impactful training will teach you how to become an individual to whom people want to refer more business.

You will learn…

why networking works
how to be ready to network anywhere you are whenever you are there
which online sites are worth your time
how to identify your ideal referral partners
the components of a solid ask
how to grow your business

Consider attending if you are frustrated with the results of your current networking; uncomfortable networking but know you need to do it more; or have a new position and want to increase your pipeline. The better we all get at networking, the better all of our networking will be.

From Good Idea to Great Concept

Congratulations! You’ve come up with an idea for a brand-new business. Now what?

From Good Idea to Great Concept is designed to show you how to take your idea and build a great business concept that you can implement. Learn how to move from idea to concept and how successful entrepreneurs adjust their concept to give them the best chance at creating a successful business.

How to Write a Business Plan in the New Economy

This workshop is designed to help existing and startup businesses

This workshop is an updated instructional class on how to write your business plan and re-invent your business
during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. In the new economy, there are innovative ways to market your business, your employees and yourself. Your customers will be satisfied and feel safe with your new great service, and your business will prosper now and in the future.

Market Research Basics

"Great presentation. I so much appreciate that this service is available"

"Great class, great resource – will be back."

Ready to grow your business? Our Market Research Basics workshop helps you discover ways to find your ideal customers, identify your competitors, perform competitive analysis, identify new site locations, target direct mail campaigns, reveal untapped markets and expand to new and appropriate markets. If you are ready to grow your business, the Market Research Basics workshop is for you.

Pivoting your Business to Thrive in a New Environment

This workshop is designed to help existing and startup businesses.

Most often we talk about a business pivoting during the startup phase, but when something as drastic as
COVID-19 strikes, even established businesses need to think about their business model. This workshop will discuss the three areas of your business that hold clues to a successful pivot.

Projecting Cash Flow

"This may be the most important class a small business owner will ever take!"
This workshop is designed to help existing businesses.

Projecting Cash Flow is designed for individuals who need a better understanding of the cash demands required to successfully manage a business before, during and after critical interruptions. The use and concepts of the Cash Flow Projection workbook will be discussed. Having a good system in place to manage cash flow will contribute to your organization’s success now and in the future. This workshop is designed to help existing business es.

For a video tutorial and cash flow templates visit the Tools & Templates page.

Social Media for Business Growth

Business Power Tools – An overview for using LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to grow any business NOW

Whether you call it social media or social networking or web 2.0 or internet marketing, the question on every professional's mind is this: "Is social media a waste of time or an essential power tool for business in a post phonebook world?"

The simple answer is "yes".

Amid all of the distractions, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are emerging as essential tools for marketing your business. Join Terry Bean from Motor City Connect for this entertaining and educational seminar as he takes you through the tools and rules of social media. You'll learn what works, what to avoid and how to use LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to grow your network, engage prospects and generate profit. Get ready to kick your internet marketing presence into gear.

This class is designed to use these tools for profit. We will cover:

Three Things You MUST do to Find Success on Each Platform
How to Use Status Updates That Gain Attention
Ways to Manage Priorities So You're Not Stuck in an Endless Loop
How to Make Posting Simpler
The Fastest Way to Grow Your Audience
Which 2-3 Platforms Should Are Best for You

Starting a Business

"Very friendly and 'real world' content. Thank you!!!"

"Well worth the time investment. Answered what I needed to move on to the next step. Was able to make great connections, too."

Thinking about starting a business? This workshop is designed for individuals who are at the beginning stages of starting a business. This workshop will help aspiring entrepreneurs assess their abilities to lead and manage a company as well as evaluate market and sales potential for their products and services. Topics like startup costs, financing options and business planning are introduced, along with the necessary steps to getting started. If you are ready to start your business this workshop is for you.

Startup Cash Flow Analysis – Don’t Get in Over Your Head

This workshop is designed to help startup businesses

Fifty percent of new businesses fail within the first five years. Start-Up Cash Analysis is designed for individuals who need a better understanding of the cash demands required to successfully start a business and how to plan them.

The use and concepts of the Start-Up Cash Analysis workbook including estimating cash needs will be discussed. Proper estimation of start-up needs is critical to the successful launch of your business. Don’t be a statistic.

For a video tutorial and cash flow templates visit the Tools & Templates page.

Team SBA Financing Roundtable

"Incredibly helpful and informative. Very accessible! Thank you for spending the time to educate. Amen!"

Do you know the secret to getting a business loan? Attend this free Financing Roundtable and find out how banks look at your application, what you can do to improve your chances for a loan and how Small Business Administration loan guarantee programs can help you get the financing you need.

This session is best suited to those who have good credit, a solid business idea and some money to invest in their business.
NOTE: The SBA does not provide loan guarantees to real estate investment firms, including purchasing and rehabbing houses for resale and this type of financing will not be discussed.

Understanding Cash Flow

"This may be the most important class a small business owner will ever take!"

Understanding Cash Flow is designed for individuals who need a better understanding of the cash demands required to successfully start and manage a business. The use of Startup Cash Analysis and Cash Flow Projections will be discussed.

Forecasting cash flow more accurately and maintaining liquidity are two of the biggest issues facing businesses today. Having a good system in place to manage cash flow will contribute to your organization’s success.

For a video tutorial and cash flow templates visit the Tools & Templates page.

Start-Up Thursdays

Start-Up Thursdays small business counseling is available every Thursday. We provide direction for people interested in launching a business but don't know where to begin. These are confidential, one-on-one sessions with our business counselors.

Get direct answers, next steps and professional business guidance. For more information visit the website

Women’s Business Enterprise Certification Orientation

Learn about the benefits and process of becoming part of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Accepted by thousands of corporations throughout the country and a number of federal and government agencies, your WBENC certification will be an important marketing tool for expanding your company's visibility among decision makers in corporate procurement.
Presented by the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council.

Writing Your Business Plan

So, you’ve decided that it’s finally time to write that business plan everyone says you need.

Excited? Dreading it? Unmotivated? Not sure where to start? Confused? We can help!

Follow along with our step by step approach. Prepare a business plan that gives your business direction, defines your objectives, maps out strategies to achieve your goals and helps you to manage possible bumps in the road. This workshop is designed for entrepreneurs who are interested in writing their first business plan or want to improve a plan to get their business to the next level.

​​​​Get The Training You Need To Succeed

1 Million Cups

A 360° Perspective on Your Business

The Business of Leadership

CEED Small Business Loan Orientation

Consumers have Changed, Will You?

Five Steps to Networking Mastery

From Good Idea to Great Concept

How to Write a Business Plan in the New Economy

Market Research Basics

Pivoting your Business to Thrive in a New Environment

Projecting Cash Flow

Social Media for Business Growth

Starting a Business

Startup Cash Flow Analysis – Don’t Get in Over Your Head

Team SBA Financing Roundtable

Understanding Cash Flow

Start-Up Thursdays

Women’s Business Enterprise Certification Orientation

Writing Your Business Plan

Get The Training You Need To Succeed