Quick-Start Shoreline on Tuesday, May 28

The Tuesday Quick-Start Shoreline Business Workshop for start-up, existing or potential business owners will be held on Tuesday, May 28th from 12 noon to 1:30 pm at Shoreline City Hall, 17500 Midvale Avenue N.

Quick-Start Shoreline is presented by Shoreline Community College Small Business Accelerator and the City of Shoreline. The sessions are free and open to the public; feel free to bring a brown bag lunch or a snack.

• Are you a business owner looking for new ways to engage new customers?
• Are you an artist wanting to learn how to turn what you love doing into something that pays the bills?

On January 28, the Shoreline City Council launched a pilot Business Mini-Grant program to help you do just that! The program will award up to $10,000 in matching funds for businesses to collaborate with local artists.

The program is designed to contribute to the Office of Economic Development's place-making initiative. Place-making is the thing that "turns a City from a place you can't wait to get through to a place you never want to leave." 

Artists have the unique ability to identify the thing that makes a place special, and they often possess the tools to highlight it. By tapping into this ability, Shoreline businesses will gain a competitive edge and Shoreline artists will hone their skills and gain new clients.

Both artists and business owners interested in grant funding are highly encouraged to participate in the Connect Designated Quick-Start workshops. 

These workshops will cover such topics as tips on how to turn your hobby into a business, successfully applying for grant funding, how to leverage grand openings and other events to help you gain a competitive edge, and information on how to navigate the contracts and permits you need to make it all happen.

This week's Connect designated QuickStart Shoreline is entitled:

How to incorporate the community and artists for a ribbon cutting that will forever impact your business

A ribbon cutting or groundbreaking represents an important day for your business. Our workshop is designed to help you plan your ceremony with an emphasis on how to use it to help grow your client base and exposure to your community.

We will cover:

• Elements of your invitation (including who to send it to)
• How to choose an Emcee
• Detailing the Activities
• Who should hold the ribbon...who should cut it
• Developing a media strategy and writing a press release
• Designating coordinators for the tasks
• Choosing Post Event Tasks
• How to utilize your Chamber of Commerce (including benefits of membership), Elected Officials, Local Economic Development offices, your local College and other local Organizations.
• Utilizing social-media and strategies for a “Virtual Ribbon Cutting”

Lisa Haynes and Mark McVeety
teach how to organize a ribbon-cutting

Lisa Haynes joined Mark McVeety's Entrepreneurship class at Shoreline Community College and taught the students how to organize a ribbon cutting event, including the benefits it can have to a new or existing business. Lisa has organized and performed dozens of Shoreline area Grand Openings and Ribbon Cuttings through her role as Ambassador President for the Local Chamber of Commerce.