Micro Business Workshops

The Micro Business Development Program is a program operating out of five community action agencies statewide. Here you will find classes and workshops designed and sponsored by the Micro Business Development Program at CVOEO.

Classes and workshops will be announced 4-6 weeks prior to the event.

Upcoming Workshops:

Keep filtering, you're bound to find something...

VT Law School: Litigation and Dispute Management for Small Businesses

Join Vermont Law & Graduate School professor Nicole Killoran from the Vermont Small Business Law Center for an engaging and practical webinar designed for business owners who understand problems and disagreements come up in the course of business. Through discussion and roleplaying exercises, this session will cover strategies for anticipating business disputes, managing them when they arise, and avoiding the costs of litigation (or preparing for it).

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class Virtual

Payroll Simplified

Understand the critical differences between W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, and learn which taxes apply to each. This course will help you streamline your payroll process and avoid costly mistakes from compliance to payroll tax management.

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class Virtual

Hiring the Right Bookkeeper

Finding the right bookkeeper can make or break your business's financial health. In this class, learn what qualities to look for, key questions to ask during interviews, and how to spot potential red flags. Empower your hiring decisions and ensure your business's finances are in expert hands!

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class Virtual

Bookkeeping Basics

Learn the essential building blocks of bookkeeping to keep your business financially sound. This class covers critical bookkeeping terms, different types of crucial reports to understand business financial standing and basic bookkeeping practices. This class is perfect for business owners looking to gain a foundation in their small business bookkeeping.

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class Virtual

Speaking with Confidence for Women Entrepreneurs

At Sisterhood of the Dreaded Elevator Pitch’s Taking the Next Step: Speaking with Confidence for Women Entrepreneur, participants will learn about cultural perceptions of women, leadership and communication, speaking and voice mechanics, and self-confidence when communicating. You will walk away empowered to take the next step in communication for your business by reframing your mindset to speak confidently in public.

VT Law School: Beyond Corporations and LLCs: Exploring Alternative Business Structures

Are you curious about business structures that aren't your typical corporations or LLCs? Join us for a presentation on alternative business entities that offer unique legal, tax, and operational advantages. We'll explore options like sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and nonprofit organizations and similar forms—each with its own set of rules, benefits, and challenges. Learn how these entities can simplify (or complicate!) operations and reduce liability, while staying true to your business's mission and ethical goals. Whether you're starting a new venture or considering a change, this session will equip you with the knowledge to choose the best structure that matches your values and business needs.

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class Virtual

VT Law School: Office Hours

Join us for 15 minutes or for the whole 2 hours! A panel of faculty and students from Vermont Law and Graduate School's Small Business Law Clinic will be hosting virtual drop-in office hours, where we invite you to stop by and ask any questions you might have about the law and your business. As a reminder, the VLGS team are unable to give legal advice; however, they may provide information and resources to help address your specific legal questions.

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class Virtual

Business Plan Writing

If you are interested in starting a business and have questions on writing a business plan, this session is for you! Join us for a conversation with our business counselor John Gergely who will help guide you through the process. In this session, John will: Introduce what goes into creating a business plan; Review examples of different templates you might use; Answer your questions!

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class

VT Law School: Business Transitions

Are you thinking about selling your business, passing it to your kids, or taking a community-centered approach to ownership? Join us for a webinar where experts from Vermont Law and Graduate School will explain the legal steps involved in closing, merging, or changing your business. We'll discuss legal tools for estate planning, including how to set up a business from the start for a future transition, and what it looks like to go cooperative.

Financial Futures Programs Virtual Workshop/Class

Complying with the new federal Beneficial Ownership Information reporting requirement

Do you know about the new Beneficial Ownership Information reporting (BOIR) requirement? As of January 1, the federal government now requires small, for-profit businesses registered with the VT Secretary of State to file information about who owns and who controls their business. In this one-hour webinar, a team of faculty and students from VLGS' Vermont Small Business Law Center will answer questions about this new requirement, and explain how to report accurately and on time so you avoid penalties. This class is appropriate for startup and existing businesses.

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class

VT Law School: Choosing the Right Business Entity for Your Goals

What is the best way to register a business with the VT Secretary of State? Should I become a sole proprietor or create an entity such as an LLC or something else? The answer is unique for every business. In this webinar, Vermont Law and Graduate School Professor Nicole Killoran, of Vermont Small Business Law Center, and a panel of experts will explore the different reasons businesses might pick a particular kind of legal form or entity, and how that choice impacts the business’s legal structure and protections. This class is intended for folks looking to start a business or those already in business with similar questions.

Sisterhood of the Dreaded Elevator Pitch

VT Works for Women, Mercy Connections, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, and Center for Women & Enterprise are hosting Sisterhood of the Dreaded Elevator Pitch on Friday, May 17, 2024 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM online via Zoom. Learn how to craft an elevator pitch that centers your passion and your purpose. We welcome all people who identify as women regardless of assignment at birth, or gender-expansive folks who are comfortable in a woman-centered space.

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class Virtual

ChatGPT & AI: Level Up Your Marketing & Content Creation in 2024

I'm sure you've heard of AI and ChatGPT, but do you know how to use it to create website content, social media posts, and email blasts that are trained to sound just like your brand? Invest 90 minutes with industry expert Mike Lannen of Eternity Marketing to guide you through artificial intelligence and how it can help your business. This event is in-person at the DoubleTree in Burlington, Vermont, but may be joined via Zoom.

Financial Futures Programs In-person Virtual

Lunch with Lenders: Exploring Funding Opportunities for Small Businesses

The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity/Financial Futures Program, Vermont’s Small Business Administration, and The Vermont Professionals of Color Network invite you to Lunch with Lenders: Exploring Funding Opportunities for Small Businesses on Saturday, February 3rd from 10am – 1pm at the O’Brien Center in Winooski. This business-oriented celebration of Black History Month brings together community members and lenders (both traditional and non-traditional) for conversations on accessing Capital. Bring your questions and come ready to share your experience! Lunch will be provided.

Financial Futures Programs Event

Business Taxes Webinar

Come learn about the elements of taxes and how to report them as a business owner. Some of the topics to be covered: Organizational structure and effect on taxes Types of taxes Self-employment Tax Sales Tax Income Taxes (Federal and Vermont) Do I need an EIN? What’s a Schedule C? Do I need an Accountant? John is not a CPA and cannot offer specific tax advice, but he has over 35 years of business experience and will help you understand tax basics.

Financial Futures Programs Workshop/Class

VT Law School: Financial Risk Management Webinar

Are you a one-person show or a small business owner taking the plunge into entrepreneurship, or taking the next step to grow your business? In this webinar, we will break down the financial risks you might face and how to handle them. Professor Nicole Killoran from Vermont Law and Graduate School, along with a panel of students, will guide you through the essential knowledge you need when it comes to loans, business partnerships, liability risks, insurance, and handling debt. Please join us as we help you discover how to spot and get ready for potential financial pitfalls in your microbusiness, and gain insights into what happens when you take on debt and how debt collections work.

Sisterhood of the Dreaded Elevator Pitch

Financial Futures Programs Community Event In-person

VT Law School: Contracts Webinar

What’s In a Good Contract, and Why Do They Go Wrong? How can businesses make contracts useful tools? Why do contracts go wrong, and what happens when they do? Vermont Law and Graduate School Professor Nicole Killoran and a panel of experts will explain in this webinar contract basics, when and why to put things in writing, setting customer expectations, and how contracts can protect your business. They will also explain the other side of contracts—what mistakes lead to lawsuits, what happens when someone breaks a contract, and how to navigate disputes.

Small Business Development

This class is in-person at the South Burlington Public Library (180 Market St, South Burlington, VT 05403) Join CVOEO's Micro Business Development Program for an evening of conversation on what goes into starting a business. Our Business Coach will help you identify the characteristics of successful small business owners, assess your own experience with small businesses, and examine your own personal strengths and resources. If starting a business has been on your mind, this is the session for you!

VT Law School: Employment Webinar

Taking the leap to hire your first employee as a business owner is both thrilling and daunting. Navigating the complexities of employment laws—from onboarding to handling taxes and addressing unemployment claims—can be a challenge. Join Vermont Law and Graduate School's Professor Nicole Killoran, alongside VLGS’ Entrepreneurial Legal Lab students, in this informative webinar. Together, they'll explain these legal hurdles, supporting you as you plan the expansion of your business with confidence and clarity.

North by Northeast

We are excited to announce that registration is open for North by Northeast: Navigating Your Small Business taking place on September 30, 2023 at Vermont State University’s Randolph Center. As co-hosts, we have joined together with our Community Navigator Pilot Program’s (CNPP) partners to support the growth of small businesses in Vermont, and to ensure that every small business owner knows about and has access to the services and support available to help you succeed. Whether you are a small business owner, a solo-preneur, someone thinking about starting a business, a resource provider, or a community partner, we hope you will join us!

VT Law School: Understanding Commercial Leases Webinar

Commercial leases can be confusing to navigate and hard to write, and yet it is important for both a commercial landlord and a tenant to have one in order to have a productive working relationship. In this webinar, Vermont Law and Graduate School Professor Nicole Killoran, and a panel of students, will break down some common parts of commercial leases, look at how different language in a lease might play out in a landlord-tenant relationship, and explore how to effectively negotiate a commercial lease.

VT Law School: Demystifying Intellectual Property

Have you ever wondered how to protect your art, your website, your designs, or your brand? Have you come up with a new innovation, but don’t know how to protect it? Registering one's creative or innovative work, and knowing when to ask for permission to use someone else’s work, can help a business build its assets and secure its rights. In this webinar, a panel of experts from Vermont Law and Graduate School's Small Business Law Clinic will demystify intellectual property, and identify tools you can use for your small business.

Insurance Basics for your Small Business

Join us for a presentation by Travis Spencer of Kinney Insurance Agency. Travis will share his knowledge and take your questions on what coverage a small business should have, how to go about shopping for the coverages you need, and how much you should expect to pay. Topics will include: General Liability Insurance, Workers Compensation Insurance, Property Casualty Insurance, and more!

Organizing Your Digital Files (Spanish)

In this class you will learn about the following topics: file management, the Cloud, calendars (outlook and Google), and best practices. An interpreter will be present to assist. This class is scheduled to take 2 hours (6-8pm), and is brought to you in partnership between Financial Futures and Technology4Tomorrow.

Organizing Your Digital Files (English)

In this class you will learn about the following topics: file management, the Cloud, calendars (outlook and Google), and best practices. This class is scheduled to take 1 hour (6-7pm), and is brought to you in partnership between Financial Futures and Technology4Tomorrow.

Staying Safe Online (Spanish)

In this class you will learn about the following topics: Overview and examples of scams, tips for safety, secure sites, creating unique and complex passwords, and tips and tricks. An interpreter will be present to assist. This class is scheduled to take 2 hours (6-8pm), and is brought to you in partnership between Financial Futures and Technology4Tomorrow.

Staying Safe Online (English)

In this class you will learn about the following topics: Overview and examples of scams, tips for safety, secure sites, creating unique and complex passwords, and tips and tricks. This class is scheduled to take 1 hour (6-7pm), and is brought to you in partnership between Financial Futures and Technology4Tomorrow.

Accessing Capital Panel

Meet our panelists from the Vermont Community Loan Fund, Community Capital of Vermont, and the City of Burlington’s Business and Workforce Development (BWD) department to learn how they can support your business. Whether you are in the planning stage or are already running your business, our panelists are ready to answer your questions. We will discuss the programs and benefits offered by each organization (including BWD's new Burlington Revolving Loan Fund), the application process and requirements, continued support for your business through growth and unexpected challenges, and much more!

Learn how the VT Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program Supports Small Businesses

Join Emily McDonnell, Small Business Advocate, to learn about the Vermont Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP). Participants will come away with important information on CAP’s free letter mediation service, scams impacting businesses, new regulations for contractors, and answers to common business questions. This class is appropriate for new and existing businesses.

Are You Ready for Small Business Ownership?

Join CVOEO's Micro Business Development Program for an evening of conversation on what goes into starting a business. Our Business Coach will help you identify the characteristics of successful small business owners, assess your own experience with small businesses, and examine your own personal strengths and resources. If starting a business has been on your mind, this is the session for you! This class workshop is a partnership between the SBA, CVOEO, and HUD.

Branding Webinar

Branding is the first step of creating the marketing for any business, and within your branding efforts, you need to know and understand your brand’s story. In this two-part webinar series, Jodi Lawaich, Chief Marketing Officer of Rural Solutions dives into the four key aspects of your brand story so that you find and understand the brand story of your business.

Lunch with Lenders: Exploring Funding Opportunities for Small Business

In celebration of Black History Month, we invite small business owners and those in the start-up phase to come together for a conversation on accessing capital for your business. Network with traditional and non-traditional lenders from Community Capital of Vermont, Opportunities Credit Union, and the Vermont Community Loan Fund. Learn what opportunities are available in Vermont, share challenges you have experienced, and ask questions! Interpreters will be present to assist if English is not your first language. This event is co-hosted by CVOEO, the SBA, and vt-SBDC. Lunch will be provided.

Customer Service (for small food businesses)

This third class is on how to start and run a successful Micro Food Business. This class discusses key customer service qualities. This class discusses the importance of customer service qualities and how they relate to sales, revenues, and customer loyalty.

Marketing and Advertising for Small Food Businesses

This second class is on how to start and run a successful Food Micro Business. In this class, you will learn the nuts and bolts of how to market and advertise your Micro Food Business. Key point covered in this class includes the 7 Ps Marketing Mix which includes; Product, promotion, price, place, people, process, and physical evidence in your business

Introduction to Running a Small Food Business

This first class will teach the participants the basics of how to start a food business, learn what skills are a must, and the resources and tools to help you become successful in this industry. This introductory class is for those interested in starting a small food business.

How to Build an Informal Sales Force by Maximizing Networking Groups

Gillian Franks, small business owner, will introduce you to the concept of an informal salesforce and discuss how to empower and practically motivate other small business owners in your networking groups to promote your business. Gillian will share how over 2 years she doubled her business through membership in networking groups. She will share strategies she thought were helpful and some that were not. Gillian will help you: Identify groups that can support your business Understand the effort, costs and pitfalls of having an informal salesforce Develop methods to overcome shy and overpowering personality traits so you can maximize this opportunity This is a workshop that will work best if you are willing to be interactive, present your issues and listen to others as well as give ideas. By the end of this workshop you will: Have a better understanding of the realities of building an informal salesforce Be able to determine if you want to move forward and use this marketing tactic Know which network groups to focus on building your network marketing around

Representation Matters

Ever wondered what it’s like to start your own business? What resources might be available to help? What are the fundamentals to business plans? Come hear from a stellar cast of business owners as they share their journeys, challenges, opportunities, and best advice.

How to Create a Website in the Google Suite (for Business Owners)

Did you know that Google is more than just a search engine and email provider? Join us to learn about the Google Suite and how to create a website in Google Sites. Attendees will learn what tools are available, how to access them, how to get started, and how to create a free website. This class is intended for small business owners. Bring your questions and come ready to learn! Brought to you by CVOEO and CNPP.

Are You Ready for Small Business Ownership?

Join CVOEO’s Micro Business Development Program for a morning of conversation on what goes into starting a business. Our business counselor will help you identify the characteristics of successful small business owners, assess your own experience with small businesses, and examine your own personal strengths and resources. If starting a business has been on your mind, this is the session for you!

Introduction to Excel

Micro Business Coach Pacifique Nsengiyumva leads an interactive workshop on the basics of Excel. Learn how to format a cell, basic functions (SUM, COUNT, DATE, TIME, SEARCH), and how to sort data. Intended for TRUE beginners! Sponsored by the Community Navigator Pilot Program in partnership with vt-SBDC and CVOEO.

Facebook Marketing for Beginners: Thursday, May 19th, 10am - 11am, Free Zoom Webinar

Social Media Marketing (Facebook)

This course is designed to teach you how to use Facebook Marketing for your business. This is a true beginner's guide to Facebook Marketing for Entrepreneurs and small business owners. Please create a Facebook profile before attending this event.

Small Business Lending Panel

This is a panel event, co-hosted by the SBA, designed for anyone with questions on the business loan process. Whether you are in the planning stage or you are already running your own business, our panelists are ready to answer your questions.

Business Law Basics

The Micro Business Development Program at CVOEO welcomes Jeff Wick, Attorney at Law from Wick and Maddocks, who will discuss what you need to know when it comes to business law as a small business owner. He will review the difference between sole proprietorships and LLCs, provide tips on separating your self from your business, and identify what should be considered when reviewing a lease or developing a contract. There will be plenty of time for your questions as well! This session will be led by Jeff Wick, Attorney at Law, Wick and Maddocks.

Hand holding paper with fi-fi symbol in outdoor space

Introduction to Business Taxes

What taxes do I need to pay?
What is self-employment tax?
How do I estimate my business taxes?
What other taxes do I pay if I have employees?
What should I ask an accountant before hiring them?

Two people working together on a business.

Insurance Basics

Interactive workshop answering questions on business insurance.
Topics covered: General Liability, Workers’ Comp, Property Casualty, and other insurance needs that small businesses owners should know about.
How to obtain needed coverages at affordable prices.

One hand giving another a pen to sign a contract, stack of money to the side.

Business Lending and Loans

The programs and benefits offered by local organizations.
The application process and requirements.
What you need to know if you want to borrow a very small amount of money for your business.
What’s changed about business lending since COVID-19.