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Sign up for classes - lots to choose from in February and March!
DBE Business Academy: Making money
course 204 - Maximizing profit
Learn how to use accounting practices for your business needs. Review general ledger theory, income statements, job costing, payroll, and tax preparation. This is an intermediate-level course.
How to bid with MnDOT
Join us to learn the ins and outs of how to look for projects and submit a bid with MnDOT. We walk through the steps to take to prepare for a successful bid submission including how to register as a supplier in the SWIFT system, complete the MnDOT vendor form, find the plan room, and use Bid Express. This session is offered in partnership with Minnesota Department of Administration's PTAC (Procurement Technical Assistance Center).
DBE Business Academy: Bidding and estimating course 202 - Bid preparation
Prepare for bidding MnDOT work. In this intermediate-level course, we cover all bid documents, bidding strategies and the effects of economic factors. We’ll explain the differences between bidding on horizontal and vertical construction.
DBE Business Academy: Becoming successful
course 203 – Implementing operation strategies
Understand management units and how to identify short-term and long-term goals. Learn how to create a SWOT analysis and its benefits. Discuss MnDOT prequals, handling economic downtime and more. This is an intermediate-level course.
Drafting a business capability statement
Learn the requirements for a clear, concise, and accurate business capability statement. Work through exercises to identify your business priorities and focus. List your employees’ strengths and resources. Create a business capability statement founded on those priorities and abilities. See good and bad examples of business capability statements. Participants will work through creating several drafts. Receive resources for developing additional capabilities and learn about future classes addressing this. The instructor has expertise in teaching clear, concise writing classes for the public works industry. Join these classes via Zoom, or in person (bring a laptop).
Designing a business portfolio
Learn what makes a professional and high-quality business portfolio. Receive examples of company overviews, project descriptions, and resumes. Work through exercises to complete documents for your business portfolio. Create a document that describes your company's work and priorities. Assemble lists of completed projects, project details, accomplishments, references, photos, and dollar value. Format this information into a word document and then create a pdf for use in marketing. Create a professional resume and bio for each employee that emphasizes their strengths, abilities, credentials and experience. Join these classes via Zoom, or in person (bring a laptop).
DBE Business Academy: Staying out of trouble
course 207 – Contract protection
Understand the laws that affect the construction business. Discuss reducing business liabilities. Gain an understanding of business law, change orders, subcontracts liability, bonds and more. This is an intermediate-level course.
Creating and designing a website
Providing information on a company website is an effective way to help your clients discover more about your business and services. Websites should be attractive, up-to-date, easy to navigate, and informative. In this course, take the preliminary steps to build a business website. Participate in exercises that focus on website design and branding. Learn about different website-building platforms and hosting options. Learn where to get a domain name and its costs and terms. Gain an understanding of general website creation and updating, content placement, and site publication. Leave class with examples and templates for a website and your own electronic versions of some of those documents. Join these classes via Zoom or in person (bring a laptop).
DBE Business Academy: Strategic visibility
course 208 – Integrating marketing strategies
In this intermediate-level course, focus on types of marketing strategies and how to integrate them. Discuss and prepare a marketing plan and learn the value of using multiple strategies.
DBE Business Academy: Mastering QuickBooks
course 305 – QuickBooks tax prep and reporting
In this advanced-level course, learn how to prepare taxes and reports using QuickBooks.
DBE Business Academy: Winning MnDOT work
course 201 – Preparing the tools
Learn useful tools and tips for winning MnDOT work. In this intermediate-level course, MnDOT experts discuss alternative MnDOT contracting methods, small business contracting opportunities, prevailing wage, bid opportunities and how to do business with MnDOT.
DBE Business Academy: Making money
course 204 – Making more money
In this advanced-level course, evaluate your business's financial position and generate projections. Compare buying and leasing. Gain an understanding of balance sheets. Learn how to conduct a financial statement analysis.
Marketing strategy and the effective use of social media
Social media is an important tool for business owners to understand and use. A solid presence on social media can drive customers to your website and business. In this course, learn what social media is, the various platforms and how each works, and how customers use it. Using your business capability statement, create a vision or mission to use across platforms. We demonstrate how to create Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts. We outline the benefits and drawbacks of each, and who are their primary users. Using examples, we look at creating consistency across platforms as an important aspect of managing a company’s social media presence. Finally, we demonstrate how social media can be linked to a company website and used to promote businesses. You will use examples and templates, and your business portfolio to develop website content. Join these classes via Zoom or in person (bring a laptop).
DBE Business Academy: Building a viable business
course 206 – Cash flow forecasting
Use cash flow forecasting to set a budget using historical data and past sales figures. We will look at forecasting cash flow for three scenarios: business investment, business expansion, and project-specific costs. We’ll discuss examples of each scenario and create budgets by estimating projected revenue and expenses. This is an intermediate-level course.
Managing insurance needs, including bonding, workman’s comp, and liability
Working without insurance is like walking a tightrope without a safety net. In this class we discuss types of bonding, unemployment insurance, workman’s compensation, property and professional liability insurance. We look at insurance needs based upon a variety of work types and describe pre-award audit requirements. Learn about the many types of liability insurance available and how bonding may be a requirement to qualify for a given project or contract. Learn about how to prepare materials for a pre-award audit, and how to secure the coverage needed for MnDOT work.
Effective proposal writing
You have found an opportunity, now what? Learn how to write a proposal in response to a solicitation. Understand what is being requested and how to develop a successful response.
DBE Business Academy: Winning MnDOT work
course 301 – A successful submittal
In this advanced-level course, gain an understanding of the components of a successful bid and review the submittal process. Prime contractors will make presentations about their experiences, including what they look for from their sub-contractors.
DBE Business Academy: Staying out of trouble
course 307 – Construction law and contracts
Understand the legal components of a MnDOT contract, specifications, performance bonds and MnDOT forms. This is an advanced-level class.
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