Calendar Notes provides beenetworknews viewers / readers with a schedule of events, workshops, seminars  and expo’s that educate, entertain and inform.

 SOURCE:  Yoshi’s San Francisco / Yoshi’s Oakland

SOURCE:  U.S. Small Business Administration

SBA and Yelp Present: Success with Online Reviews

How are other business owners successfully navigating the world of online reviews?  What online tools are available to help me attract more customers?  Who are online reviewers and what motivates them to write?

RSVP to reserve your seat at our free business owner event at the Eureka Building on April 9, 2014 at 9:00 AM where we’ll answer these questions and more. Join us for complimentary bites, drinks, and insights from other local business owner experts at our interactive session which will feature:

• An insightful panel discussion with local business owner experts and members of Yelp’s Elite squad
• Information about the ins and outs of online review and tips on how to utilize online tools to respond
• Audience Q&A

Be sure to RSVP for this event as we have a limited number of seats. People who have not RSVPed will not be admitted.  We hope to see you there!

About the Success With Online Reviews Initiative

The U.S. Small Business Administration and Yelp are partnering to provide America’s small businesses with the information they need to successfully engage with online reviewers and tips for monitoring their online reputation. This new partnership will include a series of free educational webinars and workshops around the country in an effort to help small businesses adjust to the new realities of online word-of-mouth and address the challenges and opportunities that come along with this change.

We often hear from small business owners that they do not know where to begin when it comes to managing their online reputation. Through this partnership, SBA and Yelp will walk them through the simple steps they should take to join the conversations that are happening about them on online review sites. During the educational events, business owners will also have an opportunity to learn online marketing insights from a panel of local business owner experts and reviewers from Yelp’s Elite squad.

In addition to best practices for getting started, SBA and Yelp will share advice for handling critical feedback, responding to reviews, ways to generate more buzz by creating exciting promotions and monitoring the customer leads.

Export Trade Finance Seminar April 9

For established businesses currently exporting or looking to export as a way to grow revenue, you are invited to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Washington Metropolitan Area District Office’s monthly seminar on export trade finance on April 9, 2014. Each session will consist of SBA staff providing methods of risk mitigation and creative uses of loan proceeds under its export loan guarantee programs. SBA’s export loan guarantee programs can be used to finance a company’s entire export business plan, from making overseas trips to financing equipment and real estate.

Date: April 9, 2014
Time: 10 a.m.-12 noon
Place: US Export Assistance Center, 2800 S. Randolph Street, Arlington, VA, 3rd floor, 22206 (free parking in garage behind the building).