Contact: Tess Mayer
Director of Library Services
Berkeley Public Library
(510) 981-6195
tmayer@cityofberkeley.info
BERKELEY SMALL BUSINESS BOOTCAMP: A SERIES OF ONLINE CLASSES
Presented by Berkeley Public Library and the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce
Berkeley, California (October 21, 2020) – Berkeley Public Library is partnering with the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce to present Berkeley Business Bootcamp, a free, six-part series of online classes for the small business community and anyone interested in learning small business skills.
The first workshop will be held Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 10am. The session features business plan expert, Paul Kremer, who will cover the basics of creating and implementing a successful business plan. A question and answer (Q&A) period will follow Kremer’s presentation. To participate, community members can sign up in advance on the Library’s website.
Berkeley Business Bootcamp classes will be offered monthly. Additional topics covered include marketing and online sales, human resources for small businesses, and best networking practices.
This partnership between the Berkeley Public Library and the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce grew out of the City of Berkeley’s COVID-19 response.
Since March, many Library staff have been deployed as disaster service workers which has included supporting the City of Berkeley’s Office of Economic Development (OED) outreach to small businesses during the pandemic. Library staff offered businesses information about time-sensitive grant opportunities, reviewed grant requests, and disseminated information to small businesses to support effective compliance with health orders. Through this work with the OED, and in discussions with the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, Library staff learned more about the needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Berkeley.
“Working with the OED to help businesses navigate the changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown me how resilient and creative Berkeley businesses truly are,” says librarian Julia Wiswell, “Being able to provide this educational opportunity for our local business owners and entrepreneurs, in collaboration with the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, is both exciting and rewarding.”
The Library and Chamber have unified and streamlined their resources for this offering. This new partnership and the resulting speaker series supports the Library’s commitment to providing excellent, timely, easily-accessible service and information to the community, especially important during this time of immense challenges.
This free program is made possible by the generous support of the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library.
For questions regarding Berkeley Business Bootcamp, please call Julia Wiswell at (510) 981-6151.
For questions regarding other Library programs, services and collections, please call (510) 981-6100 during Central Open Hours: Monday, 12:00-8:00 pm; Tuesday, 10:00 am-8:00 pm; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 10:00 am-6:00 pm.
For Library locations, Outdoor Pickup hours, Library Collections and the Event Calendar listing other virtual programs, visit the Library’s website www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org.
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