All classes require pre-registration.
For more information and to register, contact Seth I. at 413-296-4536 x12.

Click Here to Request Class Registration Materials

Tuition waivers are available for low and moderate-income residents of the Hilltowns. Information on tuition waivers will be provided with your registration form. 

New Series of Computer Workshops for Businesses begins March 31 

(Hilltowns)  Hilltown CDC’s Economic Development Program announces a new series of computer workshops for businesses, beginning March 31.  The first three workshops are Basic Computers, on March 31, Word for Beginners, on April 7, and Intermediate Word on April 14.  The computer workshops meet from 6 to 9 PM at the Hilltown CDC Office in Chesterfield.  Workshop fee for each is $35, including computer use and training materials, with tuition waivers available for low and moderate income hilltown residents.  For further information and a full schedule of workshops, see www.hilltowncdc.org.

Growing Your Business
Our most comprehensive business-planning workshop.
Twelve Wednesday evenings from March 5 through May 21.
Taught by Laura Howard of Sustainable Business Solutions, with guest speakers.

Participants complete a comprehensive business plan that prepares them to adjust to changing market needs, increase operational efficiency, increase profits, and grow their businesses.  This course is designed for owners of existing businesses who are ready to expand their businesses, or for entrepreneurial start-ups that are very near launch. After the twelve sessions are completed, individual counseling is provided at no charge.  Fee: $375, including textbook and workbook.  Income-eligible people pay only $75 for the textbook and workbook.

Hilltown CDC’s Past and Future Classes

Advanced PowerPoint

This class will be fast-paced, with the goal of designing your own slide templates, learning how to deliver animated presentations, and creating presentations that can be viewed at meetings, on the internet or at a kiosk. We will review design do’s and don’ts, how to present a timed presentation, and how to use animation on both slide transition and within the slide. We will also insert sounds, music clips, and movies into the presentation. Prerequisites: basic knowledge of PowerPoint (either MAC or PC).

Intro to PowerPoint

PowerPoint is presentation software used to create slides for presentations. These slides can be printed or viewed electronically using your computer as a projector. In the Intro to PowerPoint class, we will create basic PowerPoint slides using templates and auto-content outlines. We will create handouts and speaker notes for the presentations.

The course will also investigate the slide master and how it is used to create your own slide style. We will look at the different types of slides and how to change them by adding graphics, charts, and graphs. You will learn pointers on how to create a polished presentation. Folks attending the Intro class will be able to create a simple presentation by the end of the class; have the knowledge required to print the presentation, notes, and handouts; and have the ability to use the computer as a presentation medium.
Requirements: basic knowledge of a computer (MAC or PC) and knowledge of a word-processing software.

Introduction to Outlook

This workshop explores the many functions available in Outlook. You will explore how to organize your received emails; how to save attachments how to create a custom signature for your company (or yourself!) that includes your company logo; how to use the calendar functions to schedule meetings and keep track of your time commitments; how to organize your Contact list – create individual addresses and create mailing lists; and how to use the Tasks “To Do” list. Basic understanding of email is required.

Marketing Your Website

Even the best-designed website is essentially ineffective if it doesn’t reach its target audience. Although search engine optimization is important, it is often overemphasized, particularly by companies that are eager to provide the service for a fee. Nobody understands a small business better than its owner; you are probably the most capable person to promote your own company’s website. This workshop will walk you step-by-step through hands-on, real world exercises. You will learn how to measure and evaluate performance, how to confirm that your site is fully search engine ready and search engine friendly, how to read and interpret web traffic statistics, how to uncover your competitors’ secrets and strategies, how to use “offline” marketing to your maximum advantage, how to use powerful free tools from Google, and how to take an overall “guerrilla” approach to your website’s marketing ---- all with a minimal commitment of time and on a shoestring budget. Taught by Peter Pelland of Pelland Advertising.

Creating a Simple Website

In this three-session workshop, you will learn the basics of a website. The first section will look at the basics of a web page – layout, background colors and text. Section two will explore graphics – how to use graphics in your site and how to use thumbnails and then explore the types of hyperlinks within a website. The third workshop will assemble the whole site and show you how to post your site onto the web. This workshop requires basic knowledge of the computer (typing, highlighting, and mouse usage) and the sites will be created with FrontPage.

30 Ways to a Better Website 
Taught by marketing consultant Karen Lauter Utgoff, website designer Silvana Gravini, and writer Jeanne Yocum.

Whether your website is a simple brochure or a database-driven, e-commerce enabled profit center, you want to maximize its value to your organization. This program brings together considerations from strategic marketing, web content creation, and website design and management to present 30 ways to improve your website without busting your budget.

Choosing the Right Designer/Developer for Your Next Website Project

The right designer/developer can make your website project a pleasant and, more importantly, a profitable experience. That said, more often than you’d suspect, predatory practices, incompetence and/or a misaligned sense of service in your vendor could cause you stress headaches and loss of valuable time and revenues.

This program walks you through the very important process leading up to the production of your next website. Learn about how you need to prepare before you ever talk to a potential vendor. As a result, you’ll do a much better job of selecting the proper designer/developer for your project – one who’s a good fit and makes a satisfactory partner in your organization’s online marketing efforts.

Presenter: Silvana Gravini, Silvana.net (www.silvana.net)

Prospecting, Cold Calls and Sales

In two 2 hour workshops you will explore the essential skills necessary to boost profits in the most time tested of ways – direct selling.

You will learn how to approach, qualify and close prospects in a way that keeps your ego and integrity intact, and your prospects feeling good about your call – whether they buy from you or not.

You will gain insight on how to manage your mindset when calling someone new in order to eliminate the anxiety, tension or stress that often accompanies such calls.

You will learn how to quickly distinguish between a high probability prospect and a low probability suspect, the most effective ways to get appointments with decision makers, and how to present what you do, who you are, and why any prospect should care.

These two, two hour, power packed workshops include a complete workbook, self assessments and an action planning tool to implement what you learned.

Your Sales Coach is J. Sheldon Snodgrass, owner of The Steady Sales Group. Sheldon will share his expertise so you can learn how to get a dollar out of every dime spent on sales and marketing. Visit www.steadysales.com for free advice and resources.

Financial Planning for the Self Employed
A Financial Checkup with Tim Clegg, Certified Financial Planner from CBFP (Community Based Financial Planners)

In two hours, gain a much better understanding of where you stand financially, and what you can do to make it better. In addition, a “Personal Money Makeover” will be available by appointment. This is private, confidential, one-to-one financial planning with a Certified Financial Planner. It includes two separate meetings of at least one hour each. There is no fee for low and moderate income people; there is a sliding scale for others up to $120.

Viruses, Spyware & Crashes

Keep your computer safe, keep it going in general, learn about routine maintenance, tips and tricks. Most importantly...learn how to back up. A little routine knowledge and maintenance can keep the consultant away, and save you lost time, data and money. Much of the best software for protecting your computer is free. Herb Geiling of WillRun PC Support will show you how to get it and how to use it. In fact he will hand out a CD with the software on it! Ironically some of the most destructive software is the very software that you pay for to "help" your computer. Herb will teach you how to find out for yourself what to buy whenever are considering making a purchase.

How To Grow Your Small Business --
Simple Things You Can Do Right Now To Get More Sales

Boosting sales is one of those things that is quite simple, but not easy. In this workshop you will learn the seven steps of the sales process, and where best to focus your efforts to grow your small business. You will also be given tools to help you plan and implement a low-cost or no-cost sales program.

Whatever you are selling, the same basic sales principles apply: you need to articulate something of value to the customer, find qualified prospects, assess their needs, deliver the product or service, and follow up.

This workshop will give you feedback on your current selling methods, will help you harness group wisdom to make improvements, and will leave you energized with a new plan to get more sales.

Taught by J. Sheldon Snodgrass of The Steady Sales Group. Sheldon offers big-business sales and marketing know-how to small companies. He specializes in helping people get a dollar out of every dime spent on sales and marketing.

Tax & Legal Aspects of Small Business Ownership

This class will examine the implications of sole proprietorships, partnerships, S and C corporations, and limited liability companies. It will cover the general guidelines for choosing a form of business ownership, and will allow time for participants’ questions on specific issues. Mikal Weiss is a partner in the Northampton law firm of Burrows, Weiss and Bloomberg. He has been practicing law since 1983, with a primary focus on business law. Caleb Harris is a CPA with over 25 years of individual and small business tax experience. He has a home-based practice located in Worthington.