Events

The Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, in partnership with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at The University of Mary Washington (UMW), offers one-on-one counseling sessions on how to conduct business with Virginia state agencies by appointment at the UMW SBDC in Fredericksburg’s Eagle Village .

Learn how to position your company to bid on and win contracts with Virginia state agencies as well as many of the local government agencies across the region.

** The targeted audience for these sessions is made up of owners of small businesses which have been SWaM and Micro certified and are also registered in eVA, Virginia’s electronic procurement portal.

To schedule an appointment with Courtney Mustin, Business Services Manager for Central Virginia, please email:

Susan Ball at sbdc@umw.edu, or call the SBDC at (540) 654-1383.

In partnership with the Lord Fairfax Community College Small Business Development Center in Culpeper, the Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity conducts this workshop to inform small business entrepreneurs and owners of emerging small businesses about the benefits of the small business set-aside preference program in place for state agency and many local government agency procurements. The presentation highlights how to position a start-up or emerging small business to obtain contracts with state government agencies as well as local government agencies which use eVA as their procurement portal. Other topics include the application process for SWaM and Micro Business certification along with how to register as a vendor in eVA.

This workshop is free and is approximately 2.5 hours in duration. It is open to entrepreneurs considering the start-up of a business as well as owners of existing and emerging small businesses.

Registration is requested.  To register for this class, call Dave Reardon at 540-727-0638.

In partnership with the Lord Fairfax Community College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Culpeper, Courtney Mustin, Business Services Manager for Central Virginia at the Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity (SBSD), provides one-on-one meetings with small business owners whose companies are SWaM and Micro Certified as well as registered in eVA–Virginia’s eProcurement Portal. She will discuss marketing strategies, tips and best practices for identifying potential buyers and for positioning the company to bid on and win state contract awards.

These sessions are free and are usually 1.5 hours in length, and they are most effective for businesses both certified as Small and also registered in eVA.

To make an appointment with Courtney, please call Dave Reardon at Call 540-727-0638.

This workshop will specifically discuss the definition and benefits of becoming a SWaM (Small, Women, and/or Minority Owned) Certified Business. Angela Barber, Business Services Manager with the Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity (SBSD) will provide information on how to obtain your SWaM Certification.

Workshop Topics to be Covered:

* SAM Registration Process * SWAM Certification Process * Resources available for small business through the Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity * and much more!

Cost : $10 per person! Register at: CHAMBER EVENT REGISTRATION

Peninsula Workforce Development Center
600 Butler Farm Rd, Room 1301-1303
Hampton VA 23666

Following the workshop… 45 minute one-on-one counseling sessions will be offered between 1:00pm-5:00pm… FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE… at no cost!   To schedule a counseling session, email:  angela.barber@sbsd.virginia.gov

To register for any of these event, or for more information, please visit our website: www.hrsbdc.org or contact 757-865-5872

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Opinion, conclusions or recommendations expresses are those of the author (s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA

Selling to the Government:  eVA is Virginia’s online, electronic procurement system.  A web-based vendor registration and purchasing system that allows state agencies, colleges, universities and many local governments to conduct all purchasing and sourcing activities for goods and services. Learn how eVA can be used to identify the right business opportunities & government buyers, as well as information on B2B Connect (Business-to-Business Connect).

Each year the Commonwealth of Virginia spends billions of dollars on goods and services. The Commonwealth wants to do business with small, women owned, and minority-owned businesses. This workshop will provide information about the Virginia procurement process.  The first step to do business with the Commonwealth is to become registered on the eVA system!

• Session 1:
  • Introduction to Purchasing in the Commonwealth—A Vendor’s Perspective
  • How buyers use the eVA system to “shop.”
• Session 2:
  • Navigating eVA’s Free Public Reports
  • Live demo and walk thru of eVA’s Public Reports

8:30 am – 9:00 am (Sign in/Networking)

9:00 am – Noon (Workshop)

Presented by Kim Madison, Marketing & Outreach, eVA Bureau, Division of Purchases & Supply, Virginia Department of General Services

Questions regarding SWaM Certification? 

Angela Barber, Business Services Manager, Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity – Hampton Roads, will also be available to answer questions on the SWaM Program and how to apply.

No Fee.  Advanced registration is required

YOU ARE WELCOME TO BRING YOUR LAPTOPS/TABLETS – WIFI PROVIDED

The Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) will be conducting one-on-one counseling sessions on how to do business with Virginia state agencies and how to access business development resources, including SWaM Certification and State financing programs.  These 1 hour sessions are by appointment only.

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Chesapeake Economic Development Office

Sessions beginning 1:00pm … Last appointment at 4:00pm

Sessions will be conducted by Angela Barber, Business Service Manager – Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity.

 No fee to attend, but appointment is required!

Email: angela.barber@sbsd.virginia.gov to schedule an appointment

If you need assistance with certification (new or re-cert) application, please let me know as these appointments take more time.

If you are a FOR-PROFIT business interested in becoming SWaM Certified in order to do business with the Commonwealth of Virginia, SBSD staff will be on-site to provide assistance with the on-line process to apply for the SWaM Certification.  In this session you will create your account, receive assistance with uploading REQUIRED documents and submitting your application.

THIS IS NOT AN INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP

These sessions are for NEW and RE-CERTIFYING state applicants who need assistance with submitting application!!

Seating is limited in each session … please bring your REQUIRED documents (scanned separately according to list) on a flash drive (scanning help is also available) and your laptops or tablets (Chrome works best) – WiFi will be provided.

CLICK HERE for list of REQUIRED documents.  Once application submitted, processing time takes a minimum of 60 BUSINESS days.

9:30 am – 11:30 am (Session I)

1:00 pm – 2:30pm (Session II)

No Fee.  Advanced registration is REQUIRED… Seating is Limited

To schedule your session or ask questions … email: Angela Barber at angela.barber@sbsd.virginia.gov

The Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) will be conducting one-on-one counseling sessions to help grow small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs by providing assistance with the State (SWaM) Certification process; registering in and navigating the Commonwealth’s electronic procurement process (eVA); various business topics such as resources for financing programs; marketing, networking and connecting with other business resources.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

1 hour sessions from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Sessions will be conducted by Angela Barber, Business Service Manager

Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity

 No fee to attend, but appointment is required!

IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WITH SWAM CERTIFICATION, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS THESE APPOINTMENTS TAKE MORE TIME

Email: angela.barber@sbsd.virginia.gov to schedule an appointment

Walk-in Wednesday allows you to meet face-to- face with Transportation Business Development Specialist Nina Britton and Elizabeth Goff with the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity .

Questions regarding:

• Small, Women & Minority (SWaM)
• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
• Portal Assistance
• Document Review

This is a free event but RSVP is required.

Questions contact Nina Britton at nina.britton@sbsd.virginia.gov or Elizabeth Goff at elizabeth.goff@sbsd.virginia.gov

Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center

An important part of owning a small business is understanding how to set up and manage your business finances Preparation is the key to securing funding.

Financial institutions, finance companies, family and friends and crowd funding are just a few options for funding sources. Most banks and financial institutions have specialized services for small business.

In this workshop, a panel of Small Business Development and Loan Officers from a variety of lending/banking institutions (including VSBFA) will be assembled to discuss funding a Small Business. During this interactive session, ask questions and receive information on small business lending and additional resources available.

FREE TO ATTEND

Peninsula Workforce Development Center
600 Butler Farm Road
Hampton VA 23666

For more information, please contact 757-865-3128 | staleyd@tncc.edu

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

If you are a FOR-PROFIT business interested in becoming SWaM Certified in order to do business with the Commonwealth of Virginia, SBSD staff will be on-site to provide assistance with the on-line process to apply for the SWaM Certification.  In this session you will create your account, receive assistance with uploading REQUIRED documents and submitting your application.

THIS IS NOT AN INFORMATIONAL WORKSHOP

These sessions are for NEW and RE-CERTIFYING state applicants who need assistance with submitting application!!

Seating is limited in each session … please bring your REQUIRED documents (scanned separately according to list) on a flash drive (scanning help is also available) and your laptops or tablets (Chrome works best) – WiFi will be provided.

CLICK HERE for list of REQUIRED documents.  Once application submitted, processing time takes a minimum of 60 BUSINESS days.

9:30 am – 11:30 am (Session I)

1:00 pm – 2:30pm (Session II)

No Fee.  Advanced registration is REQUIRED… Seating is Limited

To schedule your session or ask questions … email: Angela Barber at angela.barber@sbsd.virginia.gov

Presented by Dona Storey – GOVtips.biz

GOVtips will be providing an interactive hands-on workshop on how to create proposals that win contracts. The workshop will teach you how to respond with a winning proposal through the application of a Proposal Management process utilizing the Quick Capture System® specifically tailored for implementation by small and micro businesses.

Workshop participants will learn:
• How to analyze the RFP to make a bid/no bid decision
• How to create your proposal strategy (“must haves”)
• How to create your pricing strategies
• How to evaluate risk versus reward
• How to write your response
• What actions to take after you have submitted your response?
• Participants will be provided templates, guides and checklists

Workshop participants will benefit from an understanding of a proposal management process that is uniquely aligned with the challenges faced by small businesses. They will understand how this process should align with their strategic marketing plan and business development efforts so that they have the ability to respond to opportunities with a winning proposal.

We are accepting a limited number of participants in order to provide more personalized interaction and attention to each participant.

Angela Barber, Business Services Manager with the Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity will also be available to answer questions regarding SWaM Certification.

For registration fee and information, email dave.storey@govtips.biZ

The Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity (SBSD), in collaboration with the Dan River Business Development Center offers one-on-one business counseling sessions. These sessions are designed to help businesses like yours better understand how to do business with the Commonwealth of Virginia state agencies (of which there are approximately 270).

Whether it’s helping your business become certified in Virginia’s small business set-aside programs (SWaM and Micro), navigating the electronic portal which ALL state agencies use for solicitations (eVa), or helping you connect with key agency buyers; these sessions will help! Some of the market research tools eVa offers are:

• Identifying which state agencies are buying what you sell
• How much the agencies are paying for those products and services
• Who are the buyers and how to contact them
• Who are your competitors
• And much more

Armed with this information, your company will be in a better position to win state contracts as well as contracts with many local government agencies across the region.

The appointment time slots are:

• 8:15 – 9:45
• 10:00 – 11:30
• 11:45 – 1:15
• 2:30 – 4:00
• 4:00 – 5:30

To schedule an appointment with Randy Brown, Business Services Manager for Central / South Virginia, please contact Jean Martin (tricia@xrecova.net) or Christy Willard (tricia@xrecova.net). They can be reached by phone at 434 793-9100.

The Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) in conjunction with BizWorks will be conducting one-on-one counseling sessions designed to help you grow your business with the Commonwealth. Some topics we’ll cover may include SWaM / Micro business certification, eVa (Virginia’s electronic procurement portal), etc. Examples of what the eVa portal include are:

• Identifying which state agencies are buying what you sell
• How much the agencies are paying for those products and services
• Who are the buyers and how to contact them
• Who are your competitors
• And much more

These 90 minute sessions are by appointment only. The appointment times are:

There is no fee for these sessions. However, an appointment is required. To make an appointment, submit an email to darla.hancock@bizworkscenter.org. The subject line should read “One On One” and indicate your 1^st and 2^nd preferred appointment times.

The sessions will be conducted by Randy Brown, Business Services Manager – Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity.

The Roanoke County Communications & Information Technology, Roanoke County Economic Development, and City of Roanoke Economic Development Departments are co-sponsoring a FREE CYBERSECURITY WORKSHOP.

Topics to be covered include prevention strategies, types of attacks, cybersecurity tips, ransomware. security solutions, cybersecurity insurance, breach response, and best practices.

The workshop is FREE, but ADVANCED REGISTRATION is required at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cybersecurity-workshop-tickets-45561746410?aff=es2

For more information contact:

Jessica Fintel, Roanoke County Economic Development, (540) 772-2185

Lisa Soltis, City of Roanoke Economic Development, (540) 853-1694

Are you looking for new avenues to grow your business?
Learn how you can provide your services and products to State of Virginia

The Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) in partnership with Roanoke County Economic Development Department will be conducting free one-on-one counseling sessions on how to access business development resources, State financing programs (VSBFA), including technical assistance for conducting business with State agencies through SWaM Certification and eVA (Virginia’s Online Procurement Portal).

 These 1-hour sessions are by appointment only.

Appointment

No fee, but appointment is REQUIRED

ramain.gohar@sbsd.virginia.gov to schedule an appointment

If you own and manage a small, women-owned, or a minority-owned business and want to do business with Commonwealth of Virginia, then you need to get SWaM’d!

SWaM certification currently takes 60 – 90 days for processing. However, a new portal is being tested that that can dramatically improve the length of time needed for processing. Come to this FREE session to take advantage of the new portal.

You are encouraged to bring your laptop, (no iPad or tablet)

To register for a session email: Ramain.Gohar@sbsd.virginia.gov

These 1-hour sessions

Date

Thursday June 7th, 2018

1:00 Pm to 2:00 Pm

Location

Patrick County Economic Development

106 Rucker St, Stuart, VA 24171

Appointment

No fee, but appointment is Recommended.

ramain.gohar@sbsd.virginia.gov to schedule an appointment

If you own and manage a small, women-owned, or a minority-owned business and want to do business with Commonwealth of Virginia, then you need to get SWaM’d!

 SWaM certification currently takes 60 – 90 days for processing. However, a new portal is being tested that that can dramatically improve the length of time needed for processing. Come to this FREE session to take advantage of the new portal.

You are encouraged to bring your laptop, (no iPad or tablet)

To register for a session email: Ramain.Gohar@sbsd.virginia.gov

These 1-hour sessions

Date

Tuesday June 12th, 2018

11:30 Pm to 12:30 Pm

Location

Wythe County Library

300 E Monroe St, Wytheville, VA 24382

Appointment

No fee, but appointment is required.

ramain.gohar@sbsd.virginia.gov to schedule an appointment

Topic: Start-up Assistance

Speaker(s): Tom Tanner

Fee: $ 20.00

For questions please call Tom Tanner at 983-0717 ext 103.

Are you considering starting a new business? Not sure what you need to do and what steps to take? Then Start Your Business Smart! Business Smart Start is an introduction to owning your own business.

Topics covered include deciding on a legal entity structure, basic accounting and tax issues, steps you need to take for permits and licensing, steps to writing a business plan and basics of marketing and market research. We cover the nine steps to market research to determine if your business idea makes sense.

Class is for individuals in business, thinking of starting a business even if it might be years in the future.

The class is 3.0 hours long so these topics will only be briefly covered. Upon completing the class you will have the opportunity to schedule a one-on-one appointment with one of the professional business counselors in our office.

CLASS IS LOCATED AT THE ROANOKE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LOCATED DOWNTOWN AT 210 S. Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke

The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), in partnership with the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD), the Community Business Partnership (CBP) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), conducts a free monthly workshop for those persons that are interested in starting a business in Fairfax County.

The workshop provides an overview of start-up basics (licenses and permits), workforce services and training programs, and SBA resources including financing and certification programs.  The workshops are typically held the first Tuesday of each month from 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM.   There is no cost to attend the workshops however pre-registration is required.

To register, go to: http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/event

If you need further information, please contact the FCEDA at 703-790-0600 or email: info@fceda.org.

The SkillSource Center and the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (SBSD) present the “Selling to the Commonwealth” lab. Each year the state buys goods and services totaling more than $8 billion. The Commonwealth of Virginia wants to do business with you and increase participation of small, women owned, and minority-owned businesses.

This 2-hour workshop is designed to educate small, woman and/or minority business owners about Virginia’s Procurement system and SBSD certifications for award priority in the procurement process.

Workshop Goals:
Learn about eVA system
Register your business in the eVA system (need to have EIN)
Learn about tools in eVA for market research
Learn about the benefits of SWaM certification
Learn how to apply for the SWaM certification

This workshop will be in a computer lab so seating is limited.

Highly recommend that you bring your laptop or iPad to this workshop.