How Do I Choose the Best Small Business Workshops?

Choose the best small business workshops by first determining what it is you need to glean from a workshop. With this objective in mind, choose workshops that address your small business needs and eliminate those that focus heavily on topics that will not be particularly helpful to you at this time. You may also want to ask others who have attended small business workshops in the past for recommendations on which ones are the best. Taking into consideration the workshop leader's experience in business, select the workshop that covers topics that will benefit your business and that are offered at times and locations conducive to your schedule.

Small business workshops may cover a variety of subjects ranging from beginning a small business to tax matters to customer retention. Decide what it is you hope to learn from a workshop and focus your energy on selecting a workshop that will address these needs. While other information may be useful to you at another time, try to narrow your choices by only selecting workshops that cover topics that are relevant to you now or that will be relevant to your small business in the near future.

Ask colleagues in your business about small business workshops they have attended in the past. If you are experiencing a particular challenge in your business or would like to enhance your business by learning a new approach, consider contacting local small business consultants who specialize in the area you are struggling with and ask about workshops that address your concerns. Some government agencies also offer useful business workshops, advice and information at very little or no additional cost.

Before deciding on which small business workshop to attend, take the time to research the facilitator's reputation, experience and skill in the subject he or she will be presenting at the workshop you are considering. While this information is likely available on materials and websites advertising the workshop, be sure to also do independent research online or by asking others to get an unbiased opinion on the presenter's knowledge and effectiveness. The same diligent research should be performed on the company a speaker represents, when applicable.

Some small business workshops are featured in multiple formats, as well as at different times and locations. These formats include workshops that are held online, prerecorded video workshops, as well as audio recordings of previous workshops. Some even offer self-paced options, which can be engaged in online. While small business workshops at physical locations usually allow for question and answer periods as well as networking opportunities, alternative workshop choices also offer the opportunity to repeat a workshop multiple times or to study the workshop's content during your own time. Ultimately, it is important that you choose the small business workshops that offer the education and support you are seeking, as well as will fit comfortably into your busy schedule.