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SBDC- Startup Series
with SBDC
SBDC- Startup Series Developing Your Business Plan
A business plan is a key part of any successful business strategy. It allows entrepreneurs to validate their ideas, research the market and competitors, and develop financial forecasts and analysis. Beyond securing funding, a business plan serves as a roadmap to guide the business in the right direction. This class will cover the essential components of a business plan and give students the opportunity to begin drafting a plan for their own business ideas.
A pitch is a concise presentation that communicates a business idea to an audience, whether it’s a 30-second elevator pitch or a presentation to potential investors. A strong pitch must be clear, persuasive, and supported by research and data. This class will explore the core elements of an effective pitch and provide students with the opportunity to develop and present their ideas to their peers.
Starting a business requires founders to evaluate their personal readiness, finances, and goals while completing critical legal and operational steps. This class focuses on the key concepts and practical steps needed to start a business in Northern California. Students will learn about legal entity structures, tax considerations, and the operational tasks required to launch a business and set it up for long-term success.
Note: The local SBDC has partnered with Shasta College to bring a series of professional development courses. These courses are beneficial to anyone with a small business or those looking to start a small business. Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and grants with the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. All opinions, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA or the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least 72 hours in advance of this event; please send an email with the subject header ACCOMMODATION REQUEST to Shasta-Cascade SBDC, Alexander@siskiyoucounty.org, (530)222-8323
Date(s): Session 1: March 25th, 2026
Session 2: April 1st, 2026
Session 3: April 8th, 2026
Schedule: 1- Wednesday
Time: 5:00pm- 7:00pm
Location: Shasta College Community Leadership Center 1401 California St. Redding CA 96001 Room 9301
Facilitator: Bryan Rheem
Fee: $30.00
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A Nonprofit IS a Business and Needs to Be Operated That Way
with Bob Reich
A Nonprofit IS a Business and Needs to Be Operated That Way
Many people do not view nonprofits as a business, which can create problems. A nonprofit MUST be run in a business-like manner to ensure success and survival. This workshop will show you how nonprofits are a business, with some variations from a for-profit business.
Date(s): Session 1: March 31st, 2026
Schedule: 1 - Tuesday
Time: 6:30pm- 8:00pm
Location: Virtual Via Zoom- Link to be sent prior to class
Facilitator: Bob Reich
Fee: $45.00
MUST READ: click here to view refund policies -
Note: The instructor will email the Zoom link to participants prior to the start of class.
Notary Public Certification
with Tracy Boyum, Masters Notary Academy
6- Hour CA Notary Public Course and Exam
This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge and professional skills necessary to become a proficient California notary public and prepare for the State’s examination.
In addition, this course will satisfy the California State’s mandatory education requirement of reviewing notary laws and practices for current notary public professionals seeking reappointment. The successful applicant will become a more valuable employee or be able to start his/her own community business.
California State Proctors will administer the Notary Examination at the end of the class.
IMPORTANT: Class starts promptly at 8:00am. Please check in at the door prior to 8:00. Due to the mandated time to be in class, students who arrive after 8:30 will NOT be admitted, no exceptions. No refunds will be granted.
Class Schedule:
- 8:30-3:30 Class
- 8-8:30 Check-in/photos for application
- 10:30-10:40am break
- 12:00pm- 1:00pm lunch
- 2:20pm- 2:30pm break
- 3:30-4:30 Check-in for Exam
- 4:30-5:30 State Exam
PLEASE NOTE: There will be appropriate breaks throughout the day as well as a (no-host) lunch break. Participants may bring a cooler with beverages and food. There are also many places to eat in downtown Redding within walking distance.
Date(s): Session 1: April 10th, 2026
Session 2: July 10th, 2026
Schedule: 1- Friday
Time: 8:00am-5:30pm
Location: Shasta College Community Leadership Center 1401 California St Redding CA 96001 Room 9205/9206
Facilitator: Tracy Boyum, Masters Notary Academy
Fee: $150.00 (includes materials)
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Incident Safety Awareness For Hired Vendors (College of the Siskiyous)
with Greg McFadden
Incident Safety Awareness for Hired Vendors (College of the Siskiyous)
This course is held at College of the Siskiyous in Weed, CA. This course provides an awareness of fireline and incident safety to hired vendors who plan to engage in wildland fire suppression and other incident support activities. It includes an overview of hazards and safety issues, entrapment avoidance, incident organization, how to recognize and mitigate risk, maintain safe work practices while working under an agency supervision, fire shelter deployment, and case studies.
Designed For: Hired vendors working with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) or the United States Forest Service (USFS) on any active incident, including water tender operators, heavy equipment drivers or operators, crew bus drivers, vehicles with a driver, mechanics, fallers, and swampers.
Authority: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and United State Forest Service (USFS) agreements
Standard: State Fire Training (SFT) requires every student to attend the entire course, participate in classroom and group discussions, complete and pass all activities, and complete an oral evaluation.
Date(s): April 11th, 2026
Schedule: 1- Saturday
Time: 9:00am- 5:00pm
Location: College of the Sikiyous 800 College Ave, Weed, CA 96094- Room 3 (Distance Learning Center)
Facilitator: Greg McFadden
Fee: $200.00
MUST READ: click here to view refund policies -
Ask Better Questions, Get Better Results
with Jenn Snider
Ask Better Questions, Get Better Results
When your work depends on input from people, the quality of your questions matters. This practical workshop teaches you how to ask better questions—whether you’re planning programs, interviewing job candidates, gathering client feedback, or running a quick survey.
You’ll learn how to write clear, unbiased questions, choose effective response options, and avoid common pitfalls that lead to confusing answers. Designed for beginners, this class is friendly, hands-on, and immediately useful. You’ll leave with simple tools and templates you can apply right away.
Date(s): Session 1: April 16th, 2026
1- Thursday
Session 2: April 22nd, 2026
1- Wednesday
Schedule: 1- Wednesday or Thursday
Time: Wednesday 9:00am- 11:00am
Thursday 5:30pm- 7:30pm
Location: Shasta College Community Leadership Center 1401 California St, Redding, CA 96001 Room 9301
Facilitator: Jenn Snider
Fee: $75.00
MUST READ: click here to view refund policies -
Quick Tips for Microsoft Excel
with Rio Miner
Quick Tips for Microsoft Excel
Improve your MS Excel use with this refresher course. Learn to quickly review, analyze, and interpret data using MS Excel tricks, formulas, tables, and graphs.Become a better Excel spreadsheet user with this practical skill-enhancing class. Use simple tricks to quickly see patterns, identify outliers, and visualize the numbers better than ever. Learn useful Excelfunctions and formulas to make operations more efficient and identify problems before they grow. If understanding data is key to your business, let us help you unlock the analytical power of Excel.Course Overview:
1. Sort & filter; Conditional formatting; Text-to-Columns
2. How to create a pivot table and recognize patterns in large datasets
3. How to use basic & intermediate formulas
4. Quick Check formulas: sum, count, and average
Date(s): Session 1: April 16th, 2026
Schedule: 1- Wednesday
Time: 5:30pm- 7:00pm
Location: Shasta College Health Sciences 1400 Tehama St Redding CA 96001 Room 8113
Facilitator: Rio Miner
Fee: $50.00
MUST READ: click here to view refund policies -
Certified Flagger Training Course (College of the Siskiyous)
with Korey Conry
Certified Flagger Training Course
Learn how to be a safe and effective flagger with ATSSA’s certified flagger training courses. Understand why proper flagger operations are important and learn the standard skillset of a good flagger. Apply and identify standard work zone flagger control references and learn standard flagger practices for various situations. Certification is good for 4 years.
Date(s): Session 1: April 18th, 2026
Schedule: 1 - Saturday
Time: 8:00am- 12:00pm
Location: College of the Siskiyous 800 College Ave, Weed, CA 96094- Room 3 (Distance Learning Center)
Facilitator: Korey Conry
Fee: $75 (Regular fee $150.00. Reduced pricing brought to you by Strong Workforce Program funding)
MUST READ: click here to view refund policies -
Effective Nonprofit Fundraising and Grant Writing
with Bob Reich
Effective Nonprofit Fundraising and Grant Writing
Whether you are asking for organizational contributions, selling school fundraising items, putting on an event, or other requests, is asking for and bringing in funds to support your organization or program a challenge? You are not alone. You don’t have to apologize when asking for support and contributions for your organization. In this course you will learn techniques to bring in funds and resources for your project or organization. This workshop is valuable for staff, Boards, volunteers, and anyone who is involved with raising funds for your nonprofit organization.
Date(s): Session 1: April 22nd- May 6th, 2026
Schedule: 3- Wednesdays
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Location: Virtual Via Zoom- Link to be sent prior to class
Facilitator: Bob Reich
Fee: $110.00
MUST READ: click here to view refund policies -
Note: The instructor will email the Zoom link to all participants prior to the start of class.