Milford, Feds Partner Up for Small Business Workshop Series

The City of Milford and the Milford Chamber of Commerce are partnering up with the U.S. Small Businesses Administration to offer free seminars for small business owners, as well as those who are thinking of — or about to enter — the world of entrepreneurship.

The joint program will be a four-part series ranging in topics from starting your own business to how to navigate the state and federal bid process.  

“We are always looking for a way to encourage small business growth and this education opportunity was a good fit for those looking to start their own business or to navigate the, sometimes complex, bid process," Mayor Ben Blake stated in a press release.

All workshops will run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Milford Public Library's program room.

The series is as follows:

• Tuesday, March 11: How to Start Your Own Business - Have you ever thought about starting a business?  Doing it right from the start is a key to your success.  A great place to start is this free seminar that helps point you in the right direction.  This seminar will cover topics such as choosing a business name/structure, licensing, registrations, importance of business plan, etc.
• Tuesday, March 18: Financing Your Small Business - Finding capital for your small business is not impossible.  Get pointers from the SBA that will help you get your business moving toward financial stability.  Topics discussed will be traditional (SBA’s guaranteed loan program) and non-traditional (SBA’s micro-loan program) ways of financing.
• Tuesday, March 25: How to Navigate and Search for Bids - This seminar will cover where you need to be registered in order to do business with the State of Connecticut and the Federal Government.  You will be shown the websites for locating federal bids over $25,000 and the State’s bid portal where State and Municipal bids can be found.  Also covered will be State and Federal Set-aside programs.
• April 1: How to Prepare a Bid Package - This seminar will use a current solicitation from the State’s Bid Portal and FedBizOps as examples.  Discussions will be an understanding of the contract terminology, what to look for such as pricing, delivery instructions, geographic areas, what additional documents should be provided, should be it be submitted electronically or had copy, etc.

To register contact Lisa Powell at 860.240.4892 or lisa.powell@sba.gov, or for more information call Milford Economic and Community Development Director Julie Nash at 203-783-3230.