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.

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 of your current branding and positioning. She specializes in consumer products, especially food.

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.

Now offering advisory appointments in Elgin at the Greater Elgin Chamber (31 S Grove Ave).

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? This fall, Harper College is launching 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. More info coming soon.

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.

Is Instagram the new Facebook? With over 1 billion monthly active users, this social media platform can no longer be ignored as an incredible way to connect with your prospects. In this session, Vanessa will introduce you to the basics of Instagram, its features and how small business are seeing BIG results. Free. Thursday, May 23, 8:30-10:00am.

In this session Vanessa is going to help you connect the dots on how monetize your social media efforts. And it begin with creating the perfect opt-in your potential clients are WAITING FOR YOU TO OFFER! You'll learn: What is an opt-in, lead magnet, freebie and why you need one, The 3 key elements that make for an irresistible opt-in, Knowing what your ideal clients want, Different types of opt-ins you can use for your business, Using your opt-in to grow your list. Thursday, June 6, 2019. FREE.

Ever ask yourself, "What the heck am I going to send to my email list this week?" In this training you'll learn: How to structure your emails so they'll get read, the easiest way to get engagement by adding just one little thing to your emails, inspired content strategy that will position yourself as the expert, How to structure your emails so they'll get CLICKED on, How it's not killer sales copy that will have your readers taking massive action. Much more. Thursday, June 13, 2019. FREE.

In this introductory class, Joe Skibbie of JRS Marketing Communications will go over different social media platforms and teach you about this free form of advertising where you control the message and can promote any of your products or services. FREE. Tuesday, June 18.

Email automation can be a confusing and overwhelming concept for any small business/solopreneur to master. Perhaps you don't know what to say in these emails or you just never found the time to get these automated systems set up. By the end of this session, you'll not only have a clear understanding of how email automation works, you'll also be given EVERYTHING YOU NEED to finally create that automated welcome email series you always wanted to! Thursday, June 20, 2019. FREE.