Bradley Helps Local Businesses Succeed

Bradley University's Turner Center for Entrepreneurship is offering a number of events and programs next month to help local small businesses succeed.

Business Accounting Educational Series

The Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Bradley is offering a 4-part educational series titled “Business Accounting Training: Building Your Financial Literacy to Grow Your Business” at no cost. The series is designed to help build a foundation of accounting knowledge and practices small business owners can use to improve cash flow, improve profitability and build net worth over time. Most entrepreneurs are passionate about the products/services they provide and the clients they serve. However, to get into business and stay in business, you also need to know how your business is doing financially as well. Therefore, it’s important to learn how to gather, organize, store and review your crucial financial data. This series is co-sponsored by the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center and Minority Business Development Center. Ten lucky participants who attend all four of the sessions will be drawn from a pool to receive 30 minutes of discounted time with guest speaker Grant Seshul, CPA. Additionally, Seshul will provide online QuickBooks at a discounted price to anyone interested. This series will consist of instruction in multiple segments; continue reading to learn more.

Business Accounting 101: Basic Concepts
Tuesday | June 7
Noon - 1 p.m. | Online
Accounting can be defined as “the system of recording and summarizing business and financial transactions, and analyzing, verifying, and reporting the results.” This seminar will cover basic accounting principles and practices helpful to any small business owner. Understanding accounting concepts can assist small business owners in establishing recordkeeping and reporting practices that will save them time, trouble and money in the long run. This presentation will prepare participants to handle their income, pay their bills and track expenditures as they establish a solid accounting system for their business.

Business Accounting 201: Concepts into Action
Thursday | June 9
Noon - 1 p.m. | Online
The most important reason for recording and measuring the economic activity of a business via proper accounting practices is to report information to the owner in such a manner that they can make knowledgeable decisions. Profitable businesses fail all the time because they can’t get past the cash flow hurdle. This session will explore the three core financial statements of a business and how these statements provide clues about the company's financial well-being.

QuickBooks: The Basics
Thursday | June 16
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. | Online
QuickBooks is one of the most common computer accounting software packages used by small-to-medium-sized businesses to manage invoicing and sales, and to track expenses, payroll and inventory. Reporting is one of QuickBooks’ best kept secrets (profit/loss and balance sheet). Most business owners only touch the surface of QuickBooks’ full capacities. QuickBooks requires having some previous knowledge of computers; this session will help you apply that knowledge more efficiently.

QuickBooks: Advanced
Thursday | June 16
Noon - 1 p.m. | Online
This session will help participants grow their business by taking their QuickBooks knowledge to the next level.

Starting Your Business in Illinois Workshop

Wednesday | June 8 | 10 a.m. - Noon | Online
Wednesday | June 22 | 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m Online
This workshop is for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to learn all the components of starting a successful business in Illinois. Participants will get a realistic view of the requirements to start a business and the resources available to support a new venture. While attending this two-hour workshop, at no cost, they will learn how to get their business name registered, where to obtain a tax ID number, which legal form to choose, business planning, taxes, financing options and much more! These events are sponsored by the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Bradley and co-sponsored by Morton Community Bank. After registering, participants will receive an email confirmation containing the link to the workshop. For questions, contact sybil@bradley.edu.