CITY SMALL BUSINESS CENTER IS ‘ON THE ROAD’ TO THE SOUTH SHORE CULTURAL CENTER
The 3rd Small Business Expo will host the first graduation of the Business Start-Up Certificate Program
The City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) through the Small Business Center (SBC) is hosting the third of five small business on expos Saturday, June 25, 2016, from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive, Chicago. Michelle Williams, entrepreneur and Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter will be the keynote speaker.
During the expo, business owners and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to consult, network and gather information from more than 40 government and non-profit agencies including the Chicago Department of Procurement Services, the Illinois Secretary of State, and the U.S. Department of Labor. The goal of the expo series is to provide free, expert advice to all entrepreneurs on topics such as licensing, financing and business planning.
“This expo series is part of Mayor Emanuel’s commitment to supporting Chicago’s neighborhood businesses by bringing every helpful resource we have or know of straight to them,” BACP Commissioner Maria Guerra Lapacek said. “It will have something for all kinds of businesses and we encourage everyone to swing by and see what we have to offer.”
New at this expo will be a graduation ceremony for participants who have successfully completed the center’s ‘Business Start-up’ workshops. The Small Business Center (SBC) hosts twice-weekly business education workshops throughout the year. As well as hair makeovers, by a celebrity stylist from BLOWN by Bocaj.
The expo also offers free makeovers, professional head shots, tax and legal clinic, consumer and financial help and free document shredding. There will be two free workshops immediately following the keynote speech from noon until 1P.M.
Workshop 1: Access to Capital: Helping Your Business Grow”
Presented by: Fifth Third Bank and Chatham Business Association
While businesses often need capital to grow, sometimes capital isn’t always easy to secure. This workshop addresses traditional and non-traditional credit sources and how to best prepare for when your company needs it most.
Workshop 2: X-Factors of Business Success
Presented by: YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and Katherine Toll from ‘Expert On Time Consulting’
Having a viable product and/or service are key to a business’s success but what other skills and areas could take your business to the next level? Join the workshop discussion about how your communication, your confidence and your presence affect your bottom line.
The Small Business Center ‘On the Road’ is a series of five free expos in neighborhoods throughout Chicago. The series is a partnership between the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), the Office of New Americans (ONA), Western Union, Fifth Third Bank and COUNTRY Financial®.
The expo is part of the Mayor’s agenda to support neighborhood businesses and economic development. Each expo offers business consultants from the (SBC) to help attendees apply or renew for a business license. In addition, the Center for Economic Progress will provide a free tax clinic and The Law Project will provide a free legal clinic with representatives offering 20-minute consultations. A one-hour networking session, hosted by City Treasurer Kurt Summers, will wrap up the expo from 1 P.M. to 2 P.M.
The 2016 Small Business Center ‘On the Road’ expo series remaining dates and locations:
- September 10, 2016 @ Columbus Park Refectory
- October 29, 2016 @ Copernicus Center
To register for an expo or for more information, visit www.chismallbizexpo.com, call (312) 744-2086 or email [email protected]. For more information about the City of Chicago’s Small Business Center visit www.cityofchicago.org/sbc.
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| City of Chicago | Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP)
City Hall, Room 805, 121 N. LaSalle St., 60602 @ChiSmallBiz @ChicagoBACP |
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