With small businesses needing to make many adjustments to their operations amid COVID-19 restrictions and economic challenges, Extension is offering town halls this Wednesday to introduce small-business owners to resources available through two special chambers of commerce based in Las Vegas: the Urban Chamber of Commerce (presented in English) and the Latin Chamber of Commerce (presented in Spanish). Extension is also presenting a webinar on Friday, on how to run a small business during and after COVID-19. There will be both an English-language session and a Spanish-language session.
The events are part of a series of town halls and webinars for small businesses, “Coping With COVID-19,” being offered each week. The town halls begin with a presentation on a given topic, and then participants network with one another and drive the discussion. The webinars provide information on specific topics to help businesses plan strategically, adapt and succeed. This week’s sessions include:
- The town hall for English speakers, “The Urban Chamber of Commerce, its Mission and Resources” is at 9 a.m., Wednesday, July 8. Panelists include:
- Ken Evans, Urban Chamber of Commerce president
- Saul Ramos, Small Business Administration deputy director
- Reyna Mendez, Extension business development instructor
- Juan Salas, Extension business development instructor
- Mike Bindrup, Extension research associate
- The town hall for Spanish speakers, “The Latin Chamber of Commerce, its mission and resources” is at 2 p.m., Wednesday, July 8. Panelists Ramos, Mendez, Salas and Bindrup will be joined by Carlos Gomez, Latin Chamber of Commerce business development and membership specialist.
- The webinar, “Effective Sales, Operations and Taxes: How to Run Your Business After COVID-19” will be held Friday, July 10, at 9 a.m. for English speakers, and at 11:30 a.m. for Spanish speakers. Speakers Mendez, Salas and Bindrup will be joined by Noe Gonzalez, Prestamos business advisor. They will discuss the financial and operational aspects of a small business, including:
- Planning for taxes and keeping compliance
- Planning, organizing, and supervising effective internal procedures
- Matching a business’s product or service to an ideal client, including sales techniques and market segmentation
- Using effective tools to measure outreach efforts
“We have various chambers of commerce in this state that can provide some really useful resources to small businesses, especially during this challenging time,” said Buddy Borden, economic development specialist with Extension’s Business Development Program. “We want to make sure our businesses are aware of these resources, as well as give them some tips on sales, operations and taxes that they will find useful during this time.”
Both the town halls and the webinars are free, and usually run about an hour. To register:
- Register for the July 8, 9 a.m., English-language town hall.
- Register for the July 8, 2 p.m., Spanish-language town hall.
- Register for the July 10, 9 a.m., English-language webinar.
- Register for the July 10, 11:30 a.m., Spanish-language webinar.
For more information, go to the Extension Business Development Program website. There are also other resources at the website to assist businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. For more information, email Borden.
