Illinois Small Business Development Center at Harper College

Tony has been giving great business advice to hundreds of entrepreneurs and small business owners for 25 years. His experience includes a broad range of industries, including: real estate, wholesale distributors, trucking companies, retailers, contractors, education, chemical companies, contract manufacturers, farming, and business services.

Schedule a phone call with Tony Baldassano.

Tom Cassell has provided one-on-one business advising to over 1,000 small businesses across different industries and issues. Tom specializes in operations, profitability, strategy, SBA lending (7a, 504), and buy/sell. Startup friendly.

Business Coaching from a Sales Perspective! Every decision you make in business can have a profound effect on your ability to sell your product or service! I can show you how each decision you make can affect your sales efforts. After all, if you can't sell your product or service, what is your business worth? Dennis is "start up" friendly.

Please note, this session will be conducted over the phone so that we can offer you additional times to fit your schedule. Cheri can help with digital (email, social media, content) and traditional marketing, viability and commercialization analysis, budgeting, forecasting, P&L management, pricing, packaging and developing a marketing plan. Cheri will assess your current needs through a SWOT analysis, and review your branding/positioning.

Book an appointment with Jennie Johns if you need assistance with your website, email service, and/or other technology issues. Jennie specializes in web functionality, usability and customer experience. She can assist with your technical questions regarding website creation, deployment, and ongoing maintenance. Jennie has over 20 years experience in developing websites along with 8 years teaching website usability, programming, and Microsoft Office applications.

For clients needing expert help with a restaurant, bar or food service business. Kevin McVearry specializes in the restaurant and hospitality industry at all levels of operations from start-up concepts to existing businesses. He has spent 25 years opening and operating restaurants, bars, and events across the country. Kevin has extensive knowledge in new venues, including design, construction, budgeting, menu development, promotions, and customer acquisition and retention. Startup friendly.

For Elgin and surrounding area. Kevin McVearry has been an SBDC advisor since 2012. He helps both startup and established businesses in any industry. Kevin also specializes in the restaurant and hospitality industry at all levels of operations. He has spent 25 years opening and operating restaurants, bars, and events across the country. Startup friendly.

Brie A. Crawford focuses on intellectual property and entertainment law, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets both domestically and abroad. She can counsel clients as to whether IP protection is appropriate, and if so, what kind and how to secure the appropriate protection. Brie also focuses on drafting IP-related agreements. She is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Founded in 1989, Lavelle Law Ltd. is one of the most respected law firms in the Chicago area. Their expertise includes business and entrepreneurial law, estate planning, divorce and family law, criminal defense, commercial and residential real estate law, banking and securities law, law practice management, bankruptcy and more. The firm generously donates time to clients of the ISBDC.

Get tax, incorporation/business entity advice, QuickBooks help, and more with Margaret Borla, CPA with PorteBrown. 30 Minute appointments. Margaret and PorteBrown, LLC generously donate time to clients of Harper's ISBDC.

Attention entrepreneurs, inventors and small business owners! Do you need the space, equipment and tools to develop a design idea, prototype or product? Harper College has launched a DYI prototyping lab and maker space. Training will be provided to use the equipment independently. Equipment will include 3-D printers, laser cutters, 3-D scanners, CNC, electronics wiring stations and more. For more information visit: https://www.harpercollege.edu/maker/index.php

Even with the popularity of Instagram, Facebook is still the largest social media platform. Award winning marketing expert Vanessa Cabrera will reveal: how to use Facebook as a lead generating machine on Facebook; the 3 secrets to boost your business using Facebook and; steps you can take to start monetizing Facebook for your business. Wednesday, Oct 2nd. 11am-12:30pm

Email marketing still remains as one of the most cost effective ways to market your business online. When you combine the power of social media together with a focused email marketing you convert leads into sales. In this training, Vanessa Cabrera, a certified email marketing strategist will show you the simple yet effective strategies to increase your sales through email marketing. Wednesday, October 30. 11am-12:30pm

We're all fighting for attention. That's the name of the online game. If you're not visible and relevant, you may miss out on sales. In this training, online marketing expert Vanessa Cabrera, will reveal simple yet incredibly powerful strategies you can do right NOW that will amplify your online visibility and position you as the go-to expert. Wednesday, November 27. 11am - 12:30pm

Get your 2020 marketing, visibility and sales plan mapped out! Struggling on where to even start? Are you trying to figure out how to get things out of your head and into something engaging? Still questioning which social media platforms you should focus on? In this impact-full training, marketing expert Vanessa Cabrera will walk you through 5 steps that will help map out your entire 2020 online media strategy. Wednesday, December 18. 11am-12:30pm

Do you have the personal characteristics, the financial fitness and the business readiness skills to own a business? Find out if entrepreneurship is right for you. Learn about the critical steps to opening your own business including viability, business formation, financing, and more. Class is offered every month.

Intellectual property is a part of modern life. From clever inventions to art, photographs and blog posts, trade names and catchy advertising jingles, we encounter – and create – intellectual property every day. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about intellectual property. Patent Attorney Brie Crawford will explain what patents, copyrights, and trademarks actually are, how they function, and how to stay out of trouble when you encounter someone else’s. FREE. October 10. 8:30am-10:00am.

Do you have questions about workers' comp insurance and if it's needed in your business? Learn about workers' compensation insurance and how it pertains to small business. What are the benefits to the employer and employee? Learn what businesses are required to have coverage. Employee vs. independent contractor will also be discussed. Free. Tuesday, October 8th. 8:30am-10am.

Email marketing still remains as one of the most cost effective ways to market your business online. When you combine the power of social media together with a focused email marketing you convert leads into sales. In this training, Vanessa Cabrera, a certified email marketing strategist will show you the simple yet effective strategies to increase your sales through email marketing. Thursday, October 17th. 8:30am - 10am

The purpose of this peer-to-peer group is to bring Veteran Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs together to: discuss business ideas and best practices, strategies to improve and grow business, help resolve business issues and more. Startups and established businesses welcome. The group will be facilitated by Chad Eaves, Navy veteran, leadership coach and small business owner. Group meets 3rd Thursday of the month.

Certified Social Media Strategist Dee Reinhardt will explain the benefits of developing a business profile and how to use the platform to reach potential customers. In this session you'll learn: How to position your profile, Why you need a company profile, How to build your network, What to do to stay in touch with your network, Warming up cold leads through LinkedIn. Please bring your LinkedIn username and password. Thursday, October 24th. 8:30am-10am.

We're all fighting for attention. That's the name of the online game. If you're not visible and relevant, you may miss out on sales. In this training, online marketing expert Vanessa Cabrera, will reveal simple yet incredibly powerful strategies you can do right NOW that will amplify your online visibility and position you as the go-to expert. Thursday, November 14. 8:30am - 10am

Get your 2020 marketing, visibility and sales plan mapped out! Struggling on where to even start? Are you trying to figure out how to get things out of your head and into something engaging? Still questioning which social media platforms you should focus on? In this impact-full training, marketing expert Vanessa Cabrera will walk you through 5 steps that will help map out your entire 2020 online media strategy. Thursday, December 12. 8:30am - 10am