SBC Network Luncheons are held the second Thursday of each month at various locations. 

This month's luncheon will be held at the TAU Bearcat Clubroom of the Events Center on the Binghamton University Campus and is sponsored by Empower Federal Credit Union.

Connect with Chamber colleagues at our monthly SBC Network Luncheon.  Don't miss out on the chance to network with 60-70 Chamber members, promote your product/service to a room full of people, and hear more about important chamber programs and upcoming events.  At the luncheons, members are given the opportunity to introduce themselves and tell about their products or services and other events they may be participating in that are of interest to the community. 

Members are urged to bring their brochures, flyers, business cards, etc. 

Registration is Required:  Contact Kathy Murphy at 607-772-8860 or kmurphy@greaterbinghamtonchamber.com

Fee:  Member Advance:  $17.00/Member At Door:  $19.00/Not-For-Profit Advance: $13.60/Not-For-Profit At Door: $15.20

Tioga County Chamber of Commerce offers FREE

 Small Business Counseling

The Chamber is host to both SCORE and the NYS Small Business Development Center (SBDC) advisors. 

SBDC advisors are available BY APPOINTMENT ONLY on the first Thursday of each month. 

*To schedule an appointment with a NYS SBDC advisor, contact the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce at 687-2020

Southern Tier Opportunity Coalition (STOC) Networking Cafe  

"...the Premier Academic/Private Sector Partnership Driving Economic Growth in Greater Binghamton, NY"

Every 2nd Monday of the month.  Hors doeuvres provided with cash bar available. 

Fee:  FREE OF CHARGE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

REGISTRATION REQUIRED:  E-mail Natalia Czabala, STOC Administrative Assistant at nczabala@gmail.com

Program/Speaker:  BlueStorm Technologies - "Taming the I.T. Monster" 

Hey, it's great to know people in the IT business.  It's even better to know they're right around the corner.  Some local businesses, both large and small, that rely on top-flight IT support sometimes overlook that there are outstanding companies in that category right here in our backyard.  BlueStorm Technologies, one of STOC's newer member companies, serves customers across the United States with Systems Integration, Application Development, Collaborative Systems, and Infrastructure Services.  An Enterprise - Class solutions provider, BlueStorm brings to bear the offerings from IBN, Oracle, Microsoft, Dell, Sun, Lenovo, and HP for customers in need of responsive and flexible leading-edge information systems. 

Earlier this year, BlueStorm merged with a long-time STOC member, CyberCity, in order to broaden its range of services and customer base.  Both BlueStorm and CyberCity are located in the City of Binghamton.  Learn about their merger, about how BlueStorm was founded, why it chose Binghamton as home, and the company's plans for the future. 

Meet other business people and students from Greater Binghamton and learn about common problems and opportunities. 

SCORE COUNSELING IN BROOME COUNTY

SCORE offers FREE OF CHARGE small business assistance by appointment only in the Broome County area to those interested in starting a new business, assistance with creating a business and financial plan for new and existing businesses, ongoing assistance to start up businesses, and assistance with businesses concerns for existing businesses or those wishing to expand. 

SCORE Counselors are all experienced, professional business people who volunteer their time, unpaid, to assist the business community of our area.  SCORE has no ties to any banking or educational institution.  All counseling and discussions are strictly confidential per the US Government Small Business Administration (SBA) requirements. 

SCORE has been in existence since 1964 and is a nationwide business help group of 390 Chapters across the US and has about 11,000 unpaid volunteer counselors. 

Counseling Days and Times - Year Round:

• 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Tuesdays @ 10:00 AM - Call for location
• 1st and 3rd Thursdays @ 6:30 PM - Greater Binghamton Chamber Offices, Metro Center, 2nd Floor, Binghamton
• 2nd Thursdays (starting September 2009) - Broome County Library, Ahearn Center

All SCORE Counseling sessions are BY APPOINTMENT ONLY - Call 607-772-8860 and ask for an appointment w/SCORE.

Cornell Cooperative Extension - Broome County

presents

ONLINE COURSES FOR NEW FARMERS

Are you a new or aspiring farmer who would like some guidance in the development of a farm enterprise, but has been unable to locate or attend any trainings near you?  Are you comfortable enough with a computer to consider learning online?  Cornell Cooperative Extension and the NY Beginning Farmer Project have created two basic online courses to help you think through the major factors related to farm start-up.  Join experienced CCE educators and 29 of your new farmer peers in a dynamic learning experience that incorporates both self-paced readings and real-time virtual meetings with discussion forums, homework activities, guest presenters, and developing a customized plan for your next steps in farming. 

Markets and Profits:  Make Money Selling What Your Grow:

For most farmers, growing their product is the fun part.  But you don't put any money back into your pocket until you sell your product.  And the money in your pocket doesn't grow unless you're selling at a profit.  This may seem obvious, but it's what trips up so many new farmers who don't think of their operation as a business.  Join this course to set or review your farm goals, learn about marketing options that are right for you, and take a hard look at your ability to create profit.  This course features live weekly office hour sessions as well as real-time presentations by CCE farm business specialists. 

Course Duration:  6 weeks - Beginning January 8, 2010

Instructors:  Steve Hadcock - CCE Columbia County and Dan Welch - CCE Cayuga County

Fee:  $100.00

Registration Required:  Please visit http://www.nybeginningfarmers.org/index.php?page=onlinecourse

Binghamton University's Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

presents

Small Business Training Program

Wednesdays; January 6th, 13th, and 20th

Are you starting a business? 

Are you already in business and need an entrepreneurial "tune-up"?

If so, the Small Business Training Program is for you.  Strengthen your opportunities for business success with this 20-hour training program.  Learn from the experts how to build your idea into a profitable venture. 

The classes take place on three (3) consecutive Wednesdays.  Each session is a full-day of classroom training beginning at 9:00 a.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m.  The sessions are offered on a regular basis and there are about four 20-hour sessions each year. 

All three sessions are included in the price of $60.00.  An SBDC Certificate of Completion will be awarded at the end of the 3 sessions.  More importantly, you will walk away with valuable knowledge, ideas, motivation and resources.  Hundreds have already taken this class and have benefited from the wealth of information and assistance. 

Day 1 - The Basics of Business Ownership (1/6/10 - 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)

• Learn what it takes to own your own business and build market share
• Discover how to improve your chances of success
• Evaluate your leadership style and predict your success
• Assess the financial and market feasibility of your small business
• Hear a presentation by a local banker on how to finance your business*

  Day 2 - Developing the Business Plan (1/13/10 - 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)

• Study a step-by-step process that will lead to your business success - a process that most bankers require and that you will need to manage your business
• Learn about market research, marketing strategies, competitive analysis, pricing and operations
• Hear a presentation by an insurance agent about the types of coverage you need to protect your business, your family and you.
• Learn methods to set up and maintain your business records from an accountant*

Day 3 - Managing by the Numbers/Essential Decisions (1/20/10 - (9:00 a.m. -4:30 p.m.)

• Discover how to understand and develop financial statements - the key to effective planning and profits
• Learn about hiring employees, dealing with supliers, planning your inventory and launching your grand opening
• Find out about the basics of sales, advertising, networking and customer service
• Understand what you need to know about choosing the right business entity and other legal issues from a small business attorney*
• Hear how an entrepreneur started his/her business, overcame challenges and became successful*

*Dates of individual speakers' presentations might change based on their availability. 

Alternatives Federal Credit Union is hosting a 9-session winter course on

Getting Down to Business

Wednesdays; January 13th - March 10th

The winter course is starting in January, so save your dates now -- registration opens on Tuesday, Dec. 1st.

"Getting Down to Business" is our comprehensive business planning course, covering all major aspects of the business start-up process.  We'll address bookkeeping and financial feasibility, financial statements, business taxes, marketing strategies and foundations, legal issues for small businesses, banking and financing, and more!

Getting Down to Business is designed for people who:

• have a definite business concept that they are committed to, and
• are ready to move forward with their business planning process, and
• expect to get their business off the ground within the next 6-12 months, OR
• have very recently started a business and need help.

Class participants must be able to commit to an intensive, nine-week course with outside research and homework.   It takes time and dedication to create a successful enterprise!

Fee:  Sliding Scale - $80.00 - $300.00

Registration Required:  Registration begins on December 1st - Contact Alison at 607-216-3442 or e-mail alison@alternatives.org

Binghamton University's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hosts monthly

Women Business Owners (WBO) Roundtable Meetings

This month's program is:  TOP FIVE HABITS OF SUCCESS 

Mary Ann Thompson, a life coach and owner of the local business Achieve, will explain why there are more people who can start a business than those who can actually run one. 

FEE;  $10.00 per person payable at the door and includes breakfast

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED:  Call SBDC at 607-777-4024 or e-mail SBDC@binghamton.edu to register. 

~~All attendees are encouraged to bring business cards and brochures to share~~

Alternatives Federal Credit Union

BUSINESS CENTS® (Community Enterprise Networking and Training Services) Program

is hosting a two-session workshop on

"Business Marketing with Facebook and Twitter"

Increasing numbers of businesses both large and small are marketing in new and powerful ways through free social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  How can you take advantage of this exciting and pervasive trend?  How much of your time and resources do you need to commit, and how can you tell if your efforts are effective. 

Learn the ins-and-outs of how to use these new and extremely popular forms of rapid communication.  This hands-on workshop includes two sessions of three-hours each, one spent on Facebook and one on Twitter. 

FEE:  Sliding Scale:  $30.00 - $60.00

REGISTRATION REQUIRED:  Contact Alison:  Alison@alternatives.org

Tioga County Agencies Offer Marcellus Shale Breakfast Seminars

Your Business & Marcellus Shale:  Voices of Experience

Marcellus Shale has the potential to fundamentally transform the Southern Tier as interest in the development of Natural Gas grows in New York State.  To help better prepare local businesses Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County partnered with Tioga County Economic Development & Planning and the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce to host a series of educational webinars from PennSate entitled Your Business & Marcellus Shale: Voices of Experience. 

This series is a follow-up to the successful Fall 2009 webinar program, which introduced participants to Marcellus business opportunities.  Over 500 local businesses participated in that series, at 19 local sites within Pennsylvania and New York. 

The Your Business & Marcellus Shale: Voices of Experience consists of four weekly breakfast webinars for small and medium-sized local businesses, and entrepreneurs, and is designed to help them understand and take advantage of the business opportunities arising from Marcellus Shale.  Each session will highlight successful local Pennsylvania businesses who are adapting to the opportunities, as a way of helping other businesses learn how they can explore and take advantage of these opportunities.  Several sessions will include natural gas industry representatives, discussing what they're looking for from local business partners, and how to establish such business relationships. 

The following provides the session topic for each date:

• January 27th:  Local Business Success Stories and Leassons Learned I
• February 3rd:  Working with the Industry: Natural Gas Company Perspectives
• February 10th: Local Business Success Stories and Lessons Learned II
• February 17th:  Partnering: Industry and Local Business Panel

FEE:  $5.00 per session or for those who are interested in the entire series can attend all four at the discounted rate of $15.00.  Coffee and breakfast items will be available. 

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED:  Pre-register by phone at 607-687-4020 as we expect the session to fill fast.  We encourage all Tioga County businesses to attend.