Past Events

In this brief, 30-minute webinar we are hoping to give business owners guidance on how to prepare to do business with government agencies during the COVID-19/coronavirus crisis. Topics will focus primarily on the federal government, but we'll also touch on state and local procedures and opportunities. Our goal is to get business not currently set up into the appropriate systems and then search for solicitations.

Share with and learn from other small businesses at a Small Business Virtual Meet Up, Wednesday, April 1, 2 PM; register here.This is a peer to peer discussion for small businesses across the Golden Triangle. Our business situation is changing daily. What is of most concern to your business right now and for your continued operations. We'll have Coaches on the line and encourage you to submit questions in advance to Jolene at JSchalper@GrowGreatFalls.org.

This month, The LaunchPoint will be offered digitally in response to COVID-19 guidelines for social distancing. Have you been thinking about an idea and always wondered if you could make it a business? Are you a business owner but not a business school graduate? Are you passionate about the thing you do and don't know how to turn that passion into profit? Join GFDA and the Great Falls Small Business Development Center for The LaunchPoint, a business planning and strategies…

In this brief, 30-minute webinar we will provide business owners possible ways to make your business tougher and may enable it to recover more quickly, including: Staffing problems Incentives for customers to not cancel jobs, or services “Shoe leather” marketing Customer referral/loyalty programs Online freelancing options Strategic, and informal partnerships with your competitors Digital product creating Guerrilla marketing Selling non essential assets Beating your customer’s expectations

If your company plans to do business with the government, cybersecurity plans are now required for compliance. This three hour workshop with nationally recognized presenter, Adam Austin, will step companies through the process of getting compliant with cybersecurity requirements. Description: Adam Austin, Cybersecurity Lead at Totem.Tech--a small business DoD prime contractor--will lead a workshop on the evolving cybersecurity requirements for Federal government contractors. The workshop will focus on the two "complimentary and concurrent" DoD cybersecurity compliance frameworks: the DoD 800-171…

GFDA investors, developers and business people throughout the Golden Triangle, we want your experienced input. How can we recover as quickly as possible and get back to growth and diversification? Time: May 1, 2020 07:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81650354265?pwd=cFo5YWNsK0poRVQ5dit6SnJ0UFZwQT09 Meeting ID: 816 5035 4265 Password: 807700 TOPIC This Development Coffee will focus on: 1) What suggestions do you have for city and county officials to expedite projects that have been delayed by the COVID…

In this brief 30-minute webinar, we will provide some of the basics business owners will need to take into account as they reopen their business during the COVID-19 crisis.

In observance of social distancing guidelines, this board meeting will be conducted via Zoom. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88902131095?pwd=MVJSVXZkNEt0MCtQSzJPMWZhS3pKZz09 Meeting ID: 889 0213 1095 Password: 317117 For best audio, we recommend using your computer, but if you need to dial by phone: +16699009128,,88902131095#,,1#,317117# US

In this brief 30-minute webinar, we will provide some of the basics business owners will need to take into account as they reopen their business during the COVID-19 crisis.

GFDA Investors are invited join Senator Tester for a Zoom call to discuss COVID-19 economic recovery.

Have you been thinking about an idea and always wondered if you could make it a business? Are you a business owner but not a business school graduate? Are you passionate about the thing you do and don't know how to turn that passion into profit? Join GFDA and the Great Falls Small Business Development Center for The LaunchPoint, a business planning and strategies workshop that will walk through the key structures, available tools and why money is important before,…

GFDA Investors are invited join Senator Daines for a Zoom call to discuss COVID-19 economic recovery.

In this brief 30-minute webinar, we will step business owners through the liability concerns when reopening following the COVID-19 shutdown. Employment and labor law attorney with Church, Harris, Johnson, Williams P.C. in Great Falls, Bobbi Berkhof, will inform entrepreneurs why following local, state, and federal recommendations may help protect the business from lawsuits potentially stemming from employees and customers.

One thing that the Covid crisis has taught businesses is that they need to diversify their revenue streams and look to different markets for their customers.  These new customers maybe down the street, in the next town, another state or across the globe.  As such businesses need to have a strong digital presence now more than ever, including a fully functioning e-commerce website.   Our Website  Boot Camp will take take business owners who have no online store to a fully…

Please visit https://growgreatfallsmontana.org/about/governance/executive-committee/ for the agenda and Zoom meeting information.

Have you been thinking about an idea and always wondered if you could make it a business? Are you a business owner but not a business school graduate? Are you passionate about the thing you do and don't know how to turn that passion into profit? Join GFDA and the Great Falls Small Business Development Center for The LaunchPoint, a business planning and strategies workshop that will walk through the key structures, available tools and why money is important before,…

Have your sales been affected by COVD19? If you could would you increase your revenue, sales, traffic, and profitability?  The Destination Creation Course helps businesses do just that. You will define your unique positioning statement about products and services you do better than anyone else. You will pinpoint your most profitable customers and reach more people like them. The proven 14-point business success strategy developed by internationally-known business consultant Jon Schallert teaches techniques to increase your ability to attract customers who are…

Please visit https://growgreatfallsmontana.org/about/governance/board-of-directors/ for the agenda and Zoom meeting information.

In this webinar, we'll discuss addressing the challenges, barriers, team-building, resources, and mindset it will take for entrepreneurs to navigate reopening a business during Covid-19. Presenters Dena Johnson and Kevin Scharfe will discuss how the right state of mind and pivoting your business model can help build consumer confidence and employee buy-in during this challenging time.

Developers, investors and business professionals throughout the Golden Triangle: join us Friday, July 10th at 7 AM as we continue our virtual installment of Investor Development Coffee. Come share and learn from other members with questions, concerns and updates about projects throughout the region. Now more than ever, keeping in touch and discussing how we find opportunities in the trade area is crucial. Join us via Zoom. If you would like to attend the meeting, email TSchreiner@GrowGreatFalls.org or call 406.781.9499…

Please visit https://growgreatfallsmontana.org/about/governance/executive-committee/ for the agenda and Zoom meeting information.

Have you been thinking about an idea and always wondered if you could make it a business? Are you a business owner but not a business school graduate? Are you passionate about the thing you do and don't know how to turn that passion into profit? Join GFDA and the Great Falls Small Business Development Center for The LaunchPoint, a business planning and strategies workshop that will walk through the key structures, available tools and why money is important before,…

Please visit https://growgreatfallsmontana.org/about/governance/board-of-directors/ for the agenda and Zoom meeting information.

This brief 30-minute webinar will walk attendees through the best practices, reporting procedures, and forms to maximize the forgiveness of your Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

Developers, investors and business professionals throughout the Golden Triangle: join us Friday, August 7th at 7 AM as we continue our virtual installment of Investor Development Coffee. Come share and learn from other members with questions, concerns and updates about projects throughout the region. Now more than ever, keeping in touch and discussing how we find opportunities in the trade area is crucial. Join us via Zoom. If you would like to attend the meeting, email TSchreiner@GrowGreatFalls.org or call 406.781.9499…

Join us for a day with KRose Marketing & Consulting where we will be talking about design, content crea-tion, digital marketing, and social media management for Facebook, Instagram, e-mail marketing and web-sites.

Please visit https://growgreatfallsmontana.org/about/governance/executive-committee/ for the agenda and Zoom meeting information.

Have you been thinking about an idea and always wondered if you could make it a business? Are you a business owner but not a business school graduate? Are you passionate about the thing you do and don't know how to turn that passion into profit? Join GFDA and the Great Falls Small Business Development Center for The LaunchPoint, a business planning and strategies workshop that will walk through the key structures, available tools and why money is important before,…

The State of Montana purchases a wide array of products and services from private businesses each year. Procurement staff from the State of Montana will be presenting on how to do business with the State of Montana. Topics covered include: Contracting with the State of MT – Who buys what? – Goods & Services vs. Construction Contracts – Disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE program) – Where to find useful sources eMACS: – How to register as a vendor in eMACS –…

Tools, Grants, Loans, Marketing, Financials an hour discuss focused on helping your small business. NACDC Financial Services along with Great Falls Development Authority and SBDC will be hosting a virtual coffee meeting discussing various grants and programs available to small businesses on the Blackfeet Reservation at 10AM on Wednesday August 26th, 2020.  RSVP with Nathan Reiff (Great Falls Development Authority) in order to receive a link to the zoom call and a coupon for a free coffee at Hinman Coffee House in…

This short 30-min discussion will focus on businesses capital needs and how to access State COVID relief sources. RSVP for Zoom information.

Does your business need a website?   Are you intimidated or confused by the process?  Would you like to learn how to create and manage your own business  website?  Then join us for an in depth online training course we are calling our Website Bootcamp.  This three session course will teach participants how to create, build and maintain a business website from start to finish including the creation of an online store.  In this course our business advisor Rich Gannon will…

Come see how we accomplished a tough environmental project. This complex project took a lot of partners and resources but the team keeps it moving forward.

This short 30-min discussion will focus on businesses capital needs and how to access State COVID relief sources. RSVP for Zoom information.

The new challenges of working remotely can present daily stress that effects your staff. On September 25 at 8 AM GFDA is partnering with Stop the Stigma in a work force focused session on COVID-19 and Survival of the Quarantined: Workplace Stress and Wellbeing. This session, presented by Erin Butts, will increase your strategies and tools to aid your employees. Erin Butts was born and raised in Bigfork, MT.  She graduated from Carroll College, Helena and attained her Masters of Social Work…

Have you been thinking about an idea and always wondered if you could make it a business? Are you a business owner but not a business school graduate? Are you passionate about the thing you do and don't know how to turn that passion into profit? Join GFDA and the Great Falls Small Business Development Center for The LaunchPoint, a business planning and strategies workshop that will walk through the key structures, available tools and why money is important before,…

Topic: Steve Robertson from the Missoula City-County Health Department will discuss communication strategies business owners may need to utilize when working to implement mask-wearing procedures with their employees and customers. This is a 30-minute webinar from 11-11:30am Mountain Time. Presenter: Steve Robertson Liaison Officer – Covid Response Incident Command Staff Missoula City-County Health Department

Now is the time to Invest in Downtown Great Falls! Registration is open for our virtual Invest in Downtown Great Falls event on October 13 at 9 AM. Learn what made some of our most popular downtown businesses succeed; hear about new development opportunities; and explore the vision our community has for the future of Downtown Great Falls. Are you a developer, entrepreneur, business owner? This is for you. We want you in Downtown Great Falls!

There’s no way around it—the past year has been rough for retail. It’s about a little company in Seattle called Amazon, which is steadily eating the world of retail. And when I say eating, I mean in one bite. What does the future hold for retailers large and small? The tea leaves point to three major developments. Changing demographics are a key driver here Enhanced retail experiences and the journey Understanding, and designing to support the customers’ behavior Register here…

Which kinds of shopper experiences create trust, and what falls short in terms of customer expectations.   Win consumers over and gain their trust by anticipating their behavior, preferences and engaging on the consumers' terms. If they can do this, they have the opportunity to develop a new generation of brand fanatics and harness the influence of today's dynamic and empowered consumer. Customer satisfaction is worthless – customer loyalty is priceless Short-term & long-term strategies for gaining & keeping customers…

Have you been thinking about an idea and always wondered if you could make it a business? Are you a business owner but not a business school graduate? Are you passionate about the thing you do and don't know how to turn that passion into profit? Join GFDA and the Great Falls Small Business Development Center for The LaunchPoint, a business planning and strategies workshop that will walk through the key structures, available tools and why money is important before,…

Sharing of ideas and resources among like-minded retailers can lead to new found success. This seminar will give you ideas and tools to develop and plan for long-term partnerships that will help grow your business for years to come. The opportunities for these little kinds of partnerships are endless. No matter what community or city you're in, you share customers. Find yourself a business buddy or two and pass those customers around and keep them in your community. Register here…

Customer experience (CX) is the sum of all experiences at various touch points a customer has with a supplier of goods and/or services over the duration of their relationship with that supplier. The sales and customer service experience begins when a customer picks up the phone or walks in the door. Customers scrutinize how they are treated after the sale as much as they evaluate a business while making the decision to buy. They are closely watching how every situation…

From Mere Satisfaction to Real Advocacy I have an issue with the word “satisfaction”. Since when is being “satisfied” a good thing? It’s a mediocre achievement. You want ecstatically happy customers, evangelists and zealots that tell you everything they love. You want passion – not satisfaction, especially in todays’ retail environment. Gain from customer feedback. As a small business owner you rely on word of mouth marketing — do you want just “satisfied” customers? By being able to move customers…