Free Bookkeeping Session for Small Business Entrepreneurs

You just finished your taxes and it took much more time than necessary, the process was cumbersome and you felt somewhat out of control. After all, there are so many other important things on your plate!

If this sounds anything like your experience and you are a small business owner, this opportunity is for you. Whether you are just starting or your business is growing, now is the time.

Free Learning Opportunity: Bookkeeping made easy

This is a practical and instructive session offered by our friends at Strength in Numbers Bookkeeping Cooperative, specifically designed for small business owners.

• When: Thursday, May 12th 2016 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm

• Where: Centro Community Partners (825 Washington Street, Suite 228. Oakland, CA 94607)

• RSVP: Please email DJ Healy at daniel@centrocommunity.org by Monday, May 10th to confirm your attendance. 

Bookkeeping for sole proprietors is often an overwhelming and therefore neglected process, resulting in tax filing being a stressful process, with large payments owed, and sometimes penalties and late filing.

If you’ve avoided all of that, congratulations!  Come and share what worked for you with your fellow entrepreneurs.  You may still want to tune up your bookkeeping, and build on your good start.

Together, we'll review:

Estimated taxes

• How much to set aside so you won’t owe when you file your taxes.

Recordkeeping

• Design your bookkeeping to ease tax filing, and have your reports tell you other information you care about.

• How to discourage an IRS auditor (bore them and they’ll go away faster).

• What type  of bookkeeping program fits you and your business?

Records-keeping

• What you need, to document expenses properly for the IRS.

• Why a shoe box is a good beginning, and how to get better.

• How long to keep your records.

Entertainment/Meals & Travel

• Definitions, what is deductible and how much is deductible, and what the IRS requires to support the expense.

Employees vs. Contractors

• Why you should care and how to know.

Retirement

•  How to begin saving for retirement.

This may seem like a lot, but the beautiful thing is that it is not! Come and get organized, prepare to grow and make your entrepreneurial venture a success from beginning to end. 

Space is Limited

Please RSVP to DJ Healy at daniel@centrocommunity.org by Monday, May 10th to make sure we have a spot for you.

Basic Entrepreneurship Training in Spanish at The Latina Center

Join us and let us help you plan for the growth you have been wishing for your business. Never received any formal training? Not entirely comfortable speaking English? No problem! The sessions will be conducted in Spanish and are purposefully tailored to meet the needs of entrepreneurs who are self-taught or haven't attended a formal business school before. 

The workshop will be led using Centro's Business Planning App - a one-of-a-kind tool that guides you through the process of creating a business plan step by step, and right on your mobile phone. We'll combine simple and fun activities on the app with some interactive group sessions to help you analyze the strengths, the challenges and the opportunities ahead for your business.

The program covers: Basic strategy, personal finance, market analysis, value proposition, operations, marketing strategy and business finance.

• Dates: 9 consecutive Thursdays, beginning May 3rd (May 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31; June 7, 14, 21 and 28).
• Time: 6 - 9 pm
• Place: The Latina Center (3701 Barrett Ave., Richmond, CA 94805)
• Cost: $25 per person

To register or ask any questions:

• Maria Gamboa, mgamboa@thelatinacenter.org, (510) 685-1664
• Elena Restrepo, elena@centrocommunity.org, (650) 416-4578

July 2016 intake available

This training program will be repeated in July - August 2016. Please view the details here.

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Español

Taller Básico para Emprendedores en Español en The Latina Center

Ven y planifica con nosotros el crecimiento que tanto deseas para tu negocio. ¿Nunca has recibido ningún tipo de capacitación formal? ¿No te sientes completamente cómodo hablando inglés? ¡No hay problema! Las sesiones de este taller serán impartidas en español y están adaptadas a las necesidades de emprendedores autodidactas o que nunca han asistido a una escuela de negocios.

El taller será impartido usando la aplicación móvil "Centro Business Planning App" que te guiará paso a paso en el proceso de crear un plan de crecimiento para tu negocio. A través de actividades simples y divertidas, combinadas con dinámicas grupales, te ayudaremos a analizar las fortalezas, los retos y las opciones para crecer tu negocio.

El programa cubre: Estrategia básica, finanzas personales, análisis de mercado, propuesta de valor, operaciones, estrategia de marketing y finanzas del negocio.

• Fechas: 9 jueves consecutivos, empezando el 3 de mayo (mayo 3, 10, 17, 24 y 31; junio 7, 14, 21 y 28).
• Hora: 6 - 9 pm
• Lugar: The Latina Center (3701 Barrett Ave., Richmond, CA 94805)
• Costo: $25 por persona

Escríbenos para inscribirte o hacer preguntas:

• Maria Gamboa, mgamboa@thelatinacenter.org, (510) 685-1664
• Elena Restrepo, elena@centrocommunity.org, (650) 416-4578

Disponible también en julio 2016

Este programa será repetido en julio - agosto 2016. Por favor, consulte los detalles aquí.

Start a Business: Sign Up for a Basic 9-Week Entrepreneurship Program in SF

Have you always wanted to start a small business? To be your own boss? To offer something unique to others? To play a bigger part in your community? If you are not afraid to work hard for your dreams, join us!

Centro is partnering with Urban Solutions to offer a 9-week Basic Entrepreneurship program in San Francisco. Our missions of building communities through thriving businesses is at the heart of the workshop series, as is Centro's Business Planning App.

The coursework will be a guided, step-by-step process to create a business plan through simple and fun activities, in addition to interactive workshops that will help you analyze and develop further the concepts you put in paper. We will also cover Basic Strategy (i.e. vision, mission and values), Personal Finance, Market Analysis, Value Proposition, Operations, Marketing Strategy and Business Finance.

Program Details:

• 9 consecutive Thursdays from 4 - 7 pm, beginning April 28

• Cost: $99 (Scholarships available for low-income entrepreneurs)

For more information about the program and the scholarships available, please email: info@urbansolutionssf.org. They will be happy to chat and reserve a spot for you!

The program will take place in San Francisco in central Market St. - exact location to be confirmed soon.

Kiva Celebrates Oakland Small Businesses at a Special Party and Marketplace

Join us for an evening of camaraderie, networking and success stories from small business owners in Oakland, CA. This special party is organized by the person-to-person lending site Kiva and the City of Oakland. Their goal is to bring the community together and show everyone what's possible when we work hand in hand. 

If you are a small business owner yourself, this might be a very inspiring event as you explore the work and efforts of other small businesses in town. Come discover what Kiva can do for you too!

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, March 16th 2016

Time: 6 - 9 PM

Place: The historic Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak St, Oakland, CA 94607. Directions and parking) 

Cost: $25 (Will go towards supporting a small business owner)

Financial Projections Workshop for Small Business Entrepreneurs

Are you a small business entrepreneur? Would you like to create a realistic financial plan for 2016? We have a workshop for you!

Centro is offering a 6-hour Financial Projections Workshop in Oakland, Ca on January 28th. This is a rare opportunity, and an ideal time of the year to figure out the most important finance questions and challenges of your business. 

The financial template we'll use, will allow you to:

• Create a month-by-month financial plan to grow their business

• Understand how much their business really needs to sell to earn a profit

• Analyze how effectively you are spending money

• Set realistic expectations for how your business will perform

• Examine the financial implications of your business decisions

• Determine how much capital you need to grow and what you need to do to pay it back

Workshop Details:

• Date: Thursday, January 28th, 2016
• Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
• Place: 250 Frank H Ogawa Plaza, 3rd Floor in Computer Lab A Oakland, CA 94612 (12th Street Bart Station)
• Cost: $50 per business 

How to Sign Up

Please contact our Entrepreneurship Trainer and Program Manager, DJ Healy at daniel@centrocommunity.org or (307) 431-8084.

Deadline to Sign Up

Please contact us immediately. The application deadline is Tuesday, January 26th at noon time.