UPDATE: Due to conflicts the event has been rescheduled for Nov. 5.
FLOYDADA– The Northwest Texas Rural Business Opportunity Program is hosting an exciting half-day workshop – “Build Your Business Team & Boost Your Holiday Sales” on Saturday, November 5, 2022. Workshop topics will focus on helping small business owners curate and retain a good team of employees as well as market their products or services in time for the holidays. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall located at 203 W. Kentucky St, in Floydada. Refreshments and lunch will be provided by the Floydada Economic Development Corporation.
“We’re excited to bring this training opportunity to rural communities who often miss out on such events due to their distance from cities where business assistance is readily available,” said Brandy Reed, Business Field Advisor for the Northwest Texas Rural Business Opportunity Program (RBOP). “The business world was heavily impacted by the shifts in the way people now want to work and the momentum of e-commerce. We want to help rural small business owners find and keep good employees and capitalize on the free or low-cost marketing tools at their disposal, particularly, ahead of the holidays,” Reed added.
The “Build Your Business Team & Boost Your Holiday Sales” workshop is open to anyone who would like to attend. Pre-registration for the workshop is available online at https://nwtsbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/15952. Walk-in registrations will be allowed, but lunch tickets will be allotted to pre-registered attendees. The event will kick off with check-in at 8:30 a.m. and a 9 a.m. start for the first presentation.
Since area business owners who have attended RBOP meetings and training workshops have expressed a need for finding good employees and being able to offer affordable benefits to keep them, the first presentation will address some potential choices for small businesses. Megan Rowland, a financial advisor with Northwestern Mutual in Amarillo, will present information on inexpensive benefits and investment options that can provide safety nets for employers and entice
employees to stay and work in rural areas.
Due to the pandemic rocketing the demand for online learning and shopping with people staying and working in their homes, there also has been an increase in demand for e-commerce tools for small businesses. The stage also has been set for rural businesses to tap into a more global reach than ever before. Reed will present marketing strategies and tools business owners can use to “boost” their online presence and sales as the holiday season approaches. Attendees also will be given access to some social media graphics to personalize and use in posts on their Facebook or Instagram pages.
A panel with rural small business experience will hold a discussion and share their stories of the advantages of small-town life and overcoming the obstacles unique to businesses in those places. “Hopefully, their stories will encourage more entrepreneurs to start businesses in small towns or inspire current (rural) business owners to keep going and try new things,” Reed said. “Running a business isn’t for the faint of heart in any locale, but we’re here to help business owners almost every step of the way.”
Reed recommends that those interested in learning more about the workshop and the business technical assistance and training opportunities available through the Northwest Texas Rural Business Opportunity Program follow the program on Facebook. For more information about the workshop or other training opportunities, email Reed at brandy.reed@ttu.edu or call (806) 745-3973.
###
The Rural Business Opportunity Program (RBOP) is funded in part by a grant from the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and in cooperation with the Texas Tech University.
USDA is an Equal Opportunity program. Discrimination is prohibited by Federal Law
