Business Workshops & Training Resources

NxLevel, a highly acclaimed 12-session small business development program designed to help entrepreneurs advance their skills in growing and managing their companies, will be starting in March with classes held at Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster (SMBC) in Rohnert Park. NxLevel is offered through the Small Business Development Center, and sponsorship by the North Bay Entreprereneurship Center has reduced the price to $195 for Sonoma County businesses.  Free orientation and information sessions are being held on February 23 and March 1 at SMBC. 

Each year, several seminars for Sonoma Valley entrepreneurs are offered locally by a partnership of the Sonoma Valley Chamber with the Business & Entrepreneurship Center at Napa Valley College. Seminars held in 2011 included From Kitchen to Market, The Business Side of Art, and Marketing Your Small Winery. For the spring of 2012, a social media marketing series is being planned.

Workshops offered regularly through the Redwood Empire Smalll Business Development Center (SBDC) include So You Want to Start A Business; Product Development; and Success Through Invention (all offered monthly), as well as a variety of online classes. For more info on this and other workshops, visit the SBDC website event calendar. The SBDC also offers on-site workplace learning programs for employers, including a Customer Service Academy, Thrive & Survive, and Generational Diversity.

Workshop offerings at the Community Education Program at Santa Rosa JC include Business Blogs Using WordPress, Marketing Your One-Person Business, Do-It-Yourself Websites, Small Budget Advertising, and more.

The Sonoma Valley Adult School's offerings include a variety of business workshops, and the SVAS Workplace Training program for employers offers customized on-site training in computer applications, Spanish language training, and English as a Second Language.

SCORE offers a variety of low-cost workshops, including Quickbooks for Start-Ups (a hands-on lab), Writing an Effective Business Plan, and How to Start and Manage a Small Business.

In addition, a variety of business workshops can be found through the Napa Valley College SBDC .