The Retail Road to Recovery

The Retail Road to Recovery is an intensive five-part class designed to assist existing brick-and-mortar businesses in their recovery from the challenges created by the COVID-19 shutdown and continually evolving regulations.

Each week’s class covers a different aspect of retail recovery, including financials, marketing, leases, hiring, operations, and accessing capital.

This program is available at no cost to small business owners located in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. Seats are limited – please apply using the link below to be considered.

About The Retail Road to Recovery

This five-session course is designed and taught by SBDC Advisor and small business expert Karie Armstrong.

What to Expect:

• An on-line cohort style learning environment of up to 35 participants.
• 5 interactive, working classes that meet every week for 2 hours each.
• Individual consulting sessions, with an SBDC Advisor between classes, to work on homework and specific issues.

Attendance to all 5 sessions is critical to your success with this program. See below for curriculum information.

Who Should Attend:

• Any Brick-and-mortar business owner is welcome to attend.
• A wait-list will be created for applicants once our capacity of 35 is filled. Future classes may be held if the demand is high.

Why Attend:

• Re-launching your business post-COVID will be a new adventure.
• Join us to learn NEW best practices from business advisors and cohort peers as we explore new ways of doing business.

Program Curriculum

Dates: April 14, 21, 28 | May 5 & 12
11:00am – 1:00pm |$0

Class 1: Wednesday, April 14, 2021 11am to 1:00pm

Understanding Key Financial Reports & Ratios

• Using your financial documents to recover your business
• Create personalized key performance indicators (KPI’s), Mile Markers, Success Indicators, Measuring Sticks

Class 2: Wednesday, April 21, 2021 – 11am to 1:00pm

Social Media as a Marketing & Sales Tool

• How to clarify social media marketing goals.
• How to structure your messaging to reach your ideal target market.
• Which social media platform(s) to be on.
• How to authentically connect with your audience so they like and trust you.
• How to schedule posts on various platforms.
• Where to find great content that will engage your audience and encourage sharing.
• Discover a powerful tool to immediately get engagement without spending a dime.

Class 3: Wednesday, April 28, 2021 – 11am to 1:00pm

Taking Your Business Online:

• Integrating an on-line marketplace
• Using your analytics to make changes in your business

Class 4: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 – 11am to 1:00pm

In-Store Operations:

• Inventory control, CRM, and more
• Team building – acquiring, developing and retaining talent

Class 5: Wednesday, May 12, 2021 – 11am to 1:30pm

Funding Recovery:

• Creating the plan
• Next steps

All sessions will be hosted virtually via Zoom to comply with local COVID-19 mandates.

About the Instructor

Karie Armstrong

SBDC Advisor

Karie Armstrong, SCSM (Senior Certified Shopping Center Manager) spent the last 22 years helping retailers, service providers, restaurants and entrepreneurs successfully launch in retail markets. Armstrong worked for some of the nation’s leading shopping center developers in California including Simon Property Group, The Mills Corp., and Centremark, managing financial operations, marketing, finance, and leasing. She focuses on empowering business owners to take the right risks, stack the right skills and actions, and get results.

Karie brings a deep level of expertise in business management and strategic planning to the Long Beach SBDC team of consultants. She has extensive experience writing successful business plans, property proformas, and sales projections as well as assisting owner-based retailers to grow their businesses into viable permanent tenants. This significant practical experience translates well into helping businesses prepare their business plans, revenue projections and marketing plans.