Each of our training packages have been developed for the entrepreneur and the small business owner and manager. Each contains a leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's manual. Each provides the instructor or facilitator with everything needed to conduct a valuable yet practical and "hands on" learning experience.
THE NEW VENTURE DECISION - A complete one-day training package with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's manual. The program is designed to help entrepreneurs work through a complete a feasibility study for a new business idea or a business expansion program. The workshop is designed to help the entrepreneur analyze and assess his/her idea by answering two questions: is the idea workable? If it is workable, will it be profitable? E-Mail for more information.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT - A complete one-week training package with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's manual. The program outlines a leadership and management system that helps business owners achieve business goals through effective supervisory and team building practices. E-Mail for more information.
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGMENT - A complete one-week training package with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's manual. The program explains the concepts involved in Total Quality Management and provides participants with the skills and knowledge they need to implement a program in their business. E-Mail for more information.
MARKETING FOR SMALL BUSINESS - A complete one-week training package with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's manual. The program explains the concepts involved in developing a marketing program and provides participants with the skills and knowledge they need to implement a program in their business. E-Mail for more information.
SALES SKILLS AND STRATEGY - A four day training package with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's manual. The program translates the concepts of relationship selling and win-win selling into understandable steps. For more details see the Course Outline or E-Mail for more information.
MANAGING CUSTOMER RELATIONS - A three-day training package with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's material. The program is designed to give small business managers the skills they need to assure that their employees (1) develop self-control in a stressful job (2) employ skills that help customers and co-workers solve problems (3) utilize management practices that give feedback as reinforcement of appropriate performance and (4) confront nonperformance in a positive constructive manner. E-Mail for more information.
PRESENTATION SKILLS - A one to five-day training program with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's material. The program is designed to give small business owners and entrepreneurs the skills they need to make effective public presentations. The program develops skills that are useful when presenting a business idea to a banker, presenting your business concept to a potential partner or venture capitalist or presenting your product or service to a potential customer. E-Mail for more information.
"HOW TO" PREPARE A SALES FORECAST - A one day training program with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's material. The program is designed to give entrepreneurs and small business owners the skills they need to prepare a sales forecast for a new venture or a business expansion program. The program introduces the participants to both the "top down" and "bottom-up" methods. Participants are introduced to "top down sales forecasting by working through the Rita 's Romper Room case study. They are introduced to "bottom up" sales forecasting by working through ten different case scenarios. E-Mail for more information.
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS WORKSHOP - A two-day program with leader's guide, instructor resources and participant's material. The program gives entrepreneurs, small business owners and customer contact people the skills to prevent interpersonal tension form spoiling their effectiveness with customers, employees and co-workers. For more details see the Course Outline or E-Mail
HOW TO PREPARE A BUSINESS PLAN - To prepare a business plan for a new venture or the expansion of an existing enterprise or business line.
To use a format which includes 36 business plan elements in order to prepare the business plan in a systematic way following generally accepted principles and practices.
To use generally accepted principles and approaches to research the industry and market area size and trends.
To prepare a financial forecast for the new venture or expansion using "Launch" - a business planning software.
To prepare the strategic narrative elements of the business plan that include: a marketing plan, an operations plan, and a personnel plan.
To use effective business consulting skills to help entrepreneurs prepare their own business plan.
Course Content
The Business Plan - Its Structure and Use
The Sales Forecast
The Top Down Method - The Sales Analysis Approach
New Venture Analysis
Introduction to Venture Feasibility Analysis
The Sales Forecast
The Bottom Up Approach - The Capacity Model
The Parts of the Business Plan
Data Collection and Analysis
The Marketing Plan
The Operations Plan
The Personnel Plan
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneur Profile Analysis
Introduction to the Financial Model
The Computer Model
Completing the Data Entry Forms
Preparing Pro-Forma Financial Statements
Sensitivity, Risk and Return and Break-even Analysis
Business Plan Analysis
Looking at an Effective Plan
Looking at an Ineffective Plan
Special Features
The Personal Guide to Preparing A Business Plan (215 page step-by-step manual).
Launch Your Business A Windows 95 software program that accompanies the manual that is used to prepare pro-forma financial statements (New - a Windows 95 Version).
The Entrepreneurship Quiz to determine your Entrepreneurial Style.
STARTING A BUSINESS WITH STYLE - The program is built around the concept that people are different. They want different things, they have different motives, purposes, aims values, needs drives, impulses and needs. Nothing is more fundamental than that. They believe differently; they think, conceptualize, perceive, understand and comprehend differently. And of course, behaviour is governed by the way people think and what they belief - so behaviour follows suit and differs radically among people. Behind every business is a person, an entrepreneur who goes about starting a business in their own "style."
The objective of the program is for the professional business advisor to identify their own "style" with its inherent strengths and weaknesses. They can then use this information to better understand themselves, their motivations, strengths and potential areas for growth. This knowledge can be used to work with the entrepreneur more effectively. Too often the significance of interaction between the business advisor and the entrepreneur is overlooked. When advisors are forced to spend inordinate amounts of time resolving conflict or reducing tension they are not able to be at their advice.
Determining Your Style
Each participant completes a questionnaire that identifies operational style.
Understanding Style
Presents the way people interact with each other based on their operational styles.
Making Accurate Predictions about People
Focuses on applying the concept of "style" to classifying behaviour.
Developing Counselling and Support Strategies
Presents the skills of applying "style" to handling confrontations, supporting decision making and motivating clients.
Course Content
Business advisors and counsellors can develop the competencies needed to do these things:
Effectively help entrepreneurs meet their goals by recognizing and working with the unique strengths and weaknesses of each style.
Foster emergence of entrepreneurial talent by quickly and accurately discovering strengths and abilities.
Increase the effectiveness of business planning by reducing the amount of time spent resolving interpersonal conflict.
Readily identify the characteristics of each operational style.
Recognize interpersonal priorities for each style.
Develop and use the appropriate interpersonal strategy for managing decision making situations and counselling situations.
Develop greater personal enjoyment from interacting with people by understanding and recognizing each person's "style."
TRAINING THE SME TRAINER - To develop the self-management skills that a trainer can use to assure that "I am at my best" when presenting in front of a group.
To develop training program development skills that a trainer can use to assure that material is packaged and presented in a way that makes it easy for adults to learn.
To develop the interaction skills that a trainer uses to assure that trainer-participant interactions always provide the opportunity for learning and that they encourage participant interest, involvement and participation. These skills allow the trainer to create a peak learning environment and active participation during the session.
To develop content presentation skills that allow the trainer to prepare sessions that are both clear and meaningful and assure that the participants understand and are able to apply the content of the lesson to their work situation.
Content Outline;
The program is built around a presentation skills matrix which deals with each of the four skills sets: Self-Management, Course Development Skills, Interaction Skills and Content Presentation Skills in three different situations: Before the Session, During the Session and After the Session.
Self-Management Skills: Getting Ready to be your Best, Being at your Best, Evaluate and Adapt
Course Development Skills: Developing Curriculum According to How Adults Learn. Delivering the Content According to How Adults Learn.
Interaction Skills: Preparing a Positive Learning Environment. Managing Classroom Activities and Participation.
Presentation: Preparing Lesson Material that is Clear and Meaningful. Delivering Lesson Material that is Clear and Meaningful.
Course Content;
The Training Cycle
Comparing the Trainer Centered model with the Learner Centered model
Personal Attributes of the Learner Centered Trainer
The Trainer's Role
Group Dynamics
The Effective Learning Group
General Conditions in an Effective Learning Group
Course and Lesson Planning
The Format of a Lesson
Choosing the Training Approach
Developing Instructional Objectives
Interpersonal Skills for Trainers
Resolving Conflicts in the Classroom
The Key Principles of Trainer-Learner Interactions
Preventing Learner Defensiveness
The Leader/Trainer
Using different Instructional Styles
Tailoring Instructional Style to the Needs of the Group
Using Different Instructional Styles at Different Stages of the Learning Curve
Using Goal Setting and Positive Reinforcement to Encourage Learning
How Adults Learn
The Adult Learner
Looking at Learning Theory
Applying Learning Theory in Course Design and Classroom Delivery
Presentation Skills
A Catalogue of Common Teaching Faults
Verbal Skills
Non-Verbal Skills
Using Media
Questioning
Responding to Participants
Trainer/Participant Locations
The Role Play or Skill Practice Session
Clarity vs. Meaning
Building A Positive Classroom Culture
Identifying Classroom Norms
The Link between Culture and Learner Performance
Managing the Culture through: Mission, Goals, Rewards, Support and Feedback
The First Hour of the Program
Building Trust and Rapport
The Empathy Skill
Self-Management Skills for Trainers
Managing Ourselves so we can be More Effective with the Group
The ABC's of Behaviour
Managing Yourself by Managing Your Self-Talk
The Cornerstones of Excellence
Making Choices about How You Feel
Using Visualization and Mental Rehearsal to Improve Performance
Acknowledging and Using Your Personal Strengths
Learning Styles
Identifying Different Leaning Patterns
Identifying Different Teaching Styles
Matching Teaching Styles to Learning Patterns
Dealing with Problem Behaviour and Performance Problems in the Classroom
Problem Behaviours
Looking at the Balance of Consequences
Dealing with Miscommunication
Dealing with Disruptive Behaviour
Using the Change Interview to Deal with Major Problems
After the Lesson
Evaluating, Adjusting, Learning and Growing
Special Features
A 480 page manual/workbook guides the participants through the program. The manual includes, Planning Guides, Exercises and a thorough treatment of the course content.
Evaluation
Evaluation is done through frequent skill practice sessions. Participants are required to make numerous presentation designed around certain of the "training and facilitation skills." Evaluation is provided by feedback from the peer group.
Participants are encouraged to establish action plans for improvement through the development of positive affirmations formed from the feedback results.
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