Learn about the current lending environment and SBA loan guarantee products. In addition to having an SBA representative, there will be local loan officers from area financial institutions co-presenting to provide their insights on successful commercial loan applications.

• April 18 – Southwest Michigan Region – Team SBA Roundtable, Noon to 2 p.m. EST 
• April 28 – Northwest Michigan – Team SBA Roundtable 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 
• June 14 – Mid Michigan Region – Team SBA Roundtable 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The City of South Haven, in partnership with the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, Lake MIchigan College and Greater Kalamazoo Business Resources, is offering a series of business workshops and informational roundtables to help local small businesses grow. 

The sessions are designed to help the budding entrepreneur, the early start-up or the existing business improve their business acumen, marketing, and operations, and find new sources of funding and investment to support growth.

Each session will be hosted at Lake Michigan College – South Haven.

For more information: Email Debi Howe or call 269-207-0747.

Don’t miss the next session of Scale Kalamazoo—grow your business to the next level with lots of help: https://wmich.edu/smallbusiness. Registration closes and application requirements are due June 10!

Applicants to the program are required to:

• Have been in business over one year
• Have at least one employee
• Have annual revenue of $50,000 or more.

By participating in Scale Kalamazoo 2022 you’ll have the opportunity to take a step back, look at the big picture and work on your business, not just in your business. Over the 11 weeks, you will have the opportunity to build your business strategy, create your vision, determine your competitive advantage and to align all aspects of your business. To qualify for consideration into the program, please complete and e-mail your application to the address shown in the application form.

• Application closes June 10
• Applicants notified June 15
• Program begins June 29

This is a free program with an incentive offered for completing the series.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Kalamazoo is a local office of the nation’s leading community development support organization, working in Kalamazoo neighborhoods. We help make neighborhoods stronger!

Setting a big goal can be daunting, but help is here. We’ve just launched 11 new courses. 

• Money mindset: Removing blockers
• Customer journey: Map the steps to success
• Effective funnels: How to turn leads into sales
• Email marketing: Creating a winning strategy
• Social media marketing: Keeping the conversation going
• Boost your business: Leveraging technology for productivity and profit
• Pay yourself
• A/B testing: Optimizing through experimentation
• Optimizing eCommerce logistics
• Digital tools for financial readiness
• Navigating online loans

February – March 2022

Pre-registration is required for each day. Registrants are encouraged to attend both virtual sessions offered each day, however, it is acceptable to attend only those of most interest. A link to attend is sent to those pre-registered on the day of each session.

Sample topics include 

• The #1 Reason Most Federal Contractors Fail At Marketing
• How Federal Contractors Can Tighten Up Their SEO
• Content Marketing & What Every Federal Contractor Needs To Know
• 7 Low Cost Tools Federal Contractors Can Use To Reach More Customers

Lonna Hardin received her Masters of Science in Digital Marketing from Full Sail University and holds 11 certifications in specializations including content marketing, funnel development, search engine marketing, social media marketing, ecommerce, email marketing, analytics, and more. She is Google Analytics and Adwords certified.

Check out the flyer

The City of Kalamazoo is still offering programs through United Way for small business owners. Click the buttons below to learn more about the programs and their eligibility requirements.

Small businesses in the City of Kalamazoo area may be eligible for reimbursement of up to $2,500 for health and human safety costs associated with COVID-19. Applications have reopened and grant funds can be used for COVID-19 related costs. For more information, contact Molly Trueblood.

The Southwest Michigan PTAC team is ready to assist you with your government contracting needs.

This training is available to businesses in Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties of Southwest Michigan.