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EDC APRIL AND MAY EVENT AND WEBINAR SCHEDULE
The Economic Development Collaborative encourages you to sign up for our no-cost events and webinars. Space is limited. Register today!
Plan ahead! Our full EDC and partner event schedule is updated at the start of each month.
IN-PERSON WORKSHOP: AI FOR SMALL BUSINESS: 10 USE CASES YOU CAN APPLY THIS MONTH
April 17 @ 8:30 am
Join SCORE, the City of Moorpark, the Economic Development Collaborative, and Accelerate CA for this information-packed workshop. Turn AI from buzzword into business results. Learn practical, low-cost tools and tips for marketing, sales, and operations, no IT or coding background needed. Leave with prompts, checklists and a 30-day action plan. Note: A free or paid Generative AI Account (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Co-Pilot) is required to get the most out of the hands-on portions of this workshop. Bring a fully charged laptop or device with your selected AI application installed and signed in to your account. Address: Moorpark City Hall | 323 Science Dr, Moorpark, CA 93021. The Accelerate California: Inclusive Innovation Hub (Accelerate CA Hub) is funded by the State of California and administered by CalOSBA. Price: FREE.
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IN-PERSON WORKSHOP: STOP GUESSING: UNDERSTAND YOUR BUSINESS NUMBERS WITH QUICKBOOKS REPORTS
April 21 @ 8:30 am
QuickBooks Online can generate dozens of reports, but which ones truly matter for running and growing your business? Join SCORE Ventura, City of Ventura, Accelerate CA and Economic Development Collaborative in this practical workshop, business owners will learn how to create and interpret the most important financial reports on QuickBooks Online. Whether you are new to QuickBooks or have been using it for years, understanding your financial reports is essential for making informed decisions and managing your business with confidence. Participants will explore a few of the most critical reports every business owner should review regularly and learn how to interpret the numbers behind them. Check-in: 8:00 am – Coffee and Pastries Provided; Event starts at 8:30 am. Address: Ventura City Hall | 501 Poli St, Ventura, CA 93001 | Community Room. #202. Price: FREE.
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IN-PERSON: QUICKBOOKS ESSENTIALS AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT: AN INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP FOR BUSINESSES PRESENTED BY THE CITY OF OXNARD
April 23 @ 9:00 am
Join the City of Oxnard, the Economic Development Collaborative, and the Accelerate CA Hub for this practical, interactive workshop designed for both beginners and experienced QuickBooks users in Oxnard. Whether you are starting from scratch or have been using QuickBooks for years and want to hone your skills, this session will cover essential features and explore more advanced topics based on participants’ questions. Check-in: 8:30 am. Address: Oxnard Public Library – Main Library, 251 S A St, Oxnard, CA 93030. The Accelerate California: Inclusive Innovation Hub Program (Accelerate CA) is funded by the State of California and administered by the California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA). Price: FREE.
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RESTAURANT 101
April 23 @ 12:00 pm
The restaurant industry operates on razor-thin margins, and those who survive understand their operational costs. This webinar is presented to give those in the industry, as well as those interested in starting a food business, the background in costs of goods, staffing needs, labor costs, weekly sales projections, Profit and Loss projections, and other cost-cutting best practices and offered as a Zoom meeting so that attendees can ask questions during the presentation. Price: FREE.
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IN-PERSON-WORKSHOP: EMERGING FRAUD THREATS
April 23 @ 5:00 pm
The ever-changing landscape of fraud and growing threats of cyber attacks pose a risk for everyone. In this 2-hour training session provided by City National Bank’s fraud team, you will gain valuable insights about how AI is used to enhance attacks, practical steps to protect your accounts and sensitive information, and tools to prevent these attacks. Check-In: 4:30 pm. Address: Ventura County Community Foundation Building, Board Room, 4001 Mission Oaks Blvd, Camarillo, CA. Price: FREE.
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HOW TO IMPORT COFFEE INTO THE UNITED STATES
May 1 @ 9:00 am
This session focuses on the operational and regulatory aspects of starting a coffee business that sources and imports its own coffee. Participants will learn how coffee moves from origin to the U.S., what is required to import legally, and how to structure their supply chain efficiently. Price: FREE.
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STEP BY STEP – HOW TO OPEN A RESTAURANT
May 7 @12:00 pm
“Step by Step – How to Open a Restaurant” gives an overview of opening a restaurant. Starting with the menu, a plan, and profitability, you can explore your dream before spending money. This webinar is for anyone who is interested in exploring the feasibility of opening a full-service, quick-service, or other brick-and-mortar location. Price: FREE.
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BUILDING YOUR COFFEE BRAND & CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRODUCT
May 18 @ 9:00 am
This session focuses on the commercial side of launching a coffee business. Participants will learn how to choose the right coffee for their target market, build a compelling brand, and create a simple go-to-market strategy. Price: FREE.
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AI 101 FOR SMALL BUSINESSES: WHAT IT IS, HOW IT WORKS, AND HOW TO USE IT TO SAVE TIME AND MAKE MONEY
May 21 @ 10:00 am
Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming one of the most powerful tools for small business owners to increase productivity, improve marketing, and streamline daily operations. But many entrepreneurs feel overwhelmed by all the new terminology and tools. In this beginner-friendly webinar, you’ll learn the key terminology, how large language models and chatbots work, and real-world business use cases that can save you time and help you grow faster. We’ll also cover important topics that responsible business owners need to understand, including cultural bias in AI, ethical and legal considerations, and how to implement AI to protect your brand and your customers. This session is designed to give you a clear, practical foundation so you can start using AI in your business immediately and confidently. Price: FREE.
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GOOGLE AI TOOLS FOR GROWTH AND SCALE: THE SMALL BUSINESS AI TOOLKIT
May 26 @ 10:00 am
There are powerful Google AI tools available right now that can help you research faster, create content, analyze your market, and scale your business without adding more staff. In this webinar, you’ll be introduced to tools like Gemini with Deep Research, NotebookLM, Flow, Nano Banana, Pomeli, and how each tool fits into your business workflow. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by too many AI platforms, you’ll learn how to build your own AI toolkit, knowing which tools to use for marketing, research, content creation, strategy, and automation. This session is perfect for small business owners who want to work smarter, make better decisions, and grow efficiently using AI. Price: FREE.
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EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND CULTURE
May 28 @ 12:00 pm
As employers nationwide continue to struggle to find quality employees, employers must focus on their current staff and company culture to attract the best candidates for new available positions. This webinar will touch on ways to improve your current staff morale, offer tips for recruiting the best available candidates, and focus on your overall company culture. This webinar is for all industries which rely on employees. Price: FREE.
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EDC PARTNER SCHEDULE
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD OF VENTURA COUNTY AND CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION: CHATGPT IN THE WORKPLACE
April 14 @ 10:00 am
Dubbed the biggest tech leap since the iPhone, ChatGPT is reshaping the future and has skyrocketed as the fastest-growing app ever. This cutting-edge AI can automate routine tasks, streamline workflows, and supercharge creativity. Imagine a workplace where even complex tasks are handled faster and smarter than ever before—it’s both thrilling and a little daunting! Embrace the potential and discover how ChatGPT can transform your organization today. This virtual event will be hosted live. Be sure to bring your questions and register now to reserve your spot! Price: FREE.
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SCORE: REDESIGN YOUR WEBSITE – 2026 BEST PRACTICES AND KEY CONSIDERATIONS
April 15 @ 1:00 pm
When did you last look at your business’s website? Or perhaps you are still developing one? Websites remain an incredibly popular destination for site traffic. When you add up all of the functions and ways they can work for and represent your business, nothing works harder online than a professional website. It can also be daunting to create one with various tools and design suggestions floating around. In this workshop, SCORE will cover recent trends in website design for businesses and other organizations, including the latest content and design best practices, the tools you can use to create a site, and why. But most importantly, SCORE will cover the 10 key elements of website design that determine whether a website is just OK or great. They will also touch on submitting your site to Google for rankings, security, and hosting considerations. So, if you want to super-charge your website and make it an active resource for getting new customers, this workshop is for you! Price: $10.00.
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SCORE: UNLOCK THE POWER OF GOOGLE ADS FOR SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS
April 17 @ 10:00 am
Leverage Google to put your business directly in front of people seeking your products and services. Google Ads offers fast, cost-effective solutions for businesses of all sizes. Learn about setting up a free Google My Business profile, what Google Search Ads are and why they are valuable, search trends for your business, how to budget for a campaign and common mistakes to avoid when running Google Ads. Price: $10.00.
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SCORE: VISUALIZE YOUR SUCCESS: STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLS
April 20 @ 8:00 am
Dive into the world of strategic planning with easy-to-use visual tools designed to bring clarity to your business goals. Whether you’re a start-up or an established business, learn how to define your purpose, understand your customers’ needs and craft effective plans for growth. This virtual workshop introduces powerful tools like the Value Proposition Canvas and Business Model Canvas, equipping you with the skills to create comprehensive business, marketing, and product development strategies. The Value Proposition Canvas and Business Model Canvas (Alex Osterwalder, Strategyzer) are easy-to-use, one-page visual tools that bring clarity to your business planning. Price: $10.00.
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SBA: HOW TO START A MANUFACTURING BUSINESS
April 20 @ 10:00 am
Are you interested in starting a manufacturing business? If you are please join the Small Business Administration (SBA) Los Angeles District Office for a virtual workshop to learn about SBA’s 10 Step Guide on How to Start a Manufacture Business. This virtual workshop, targeted to new entrepreneurs, covers topics such as creating a business plan, finding capital, registering your business, obtaining necessary permits and/or licenses, and opening a business bank account. This is a great opportunity to get any questions you may have answered and find out about the multiple resources available to help you. This webinar will take place online using Microsoft Teams. Please register to obtain the login information. Please note, if you are planning to use a mobile device or tablet to access this webinar, you must first download the Teams app to your device. SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. For a reasonable accommodation request, please email lado@sba.gov at least 7 days in advance. Price: FREE.
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EN ESPAÑOL: WOMEN’S ECONOMIC VENTURES: PON TU PEQUEÑO NEGOCIO EN LÍNEA
April 20 @ 6:00 pm
Este curso es ideal para dueñas y dueños de negocios que aún no cuentan con un sitio web, tienen una presencia básica en línea que desean mejorar, se sienten abrumados por el marketing digital o buscan orientación sobre herramientas, redes sociales y estrategias de marketing. Durante el programa, los participantes aprenderán a crear o mejorar un sitio web mediante plataformas como Wix o Squarespace, aumentar su visibilidad en línea a través de SEO, utilizar redes sociales y email marketing de manera efectiva, y explorar el comercio electrónico junto con estrategias de venta en línea. El curso se llevará a cabo del 20 de abril al 15 de junio de 2026, los lunes de 6:00 a 8:00 PM por Zoom, e incluye tres sesiones presenciales en Oxnard. Este curso ha sido creado por WEV en colaboración con el Colaborativo de Desarrollo Económico. Price: FREE.
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IN-PERSON EVENT: SBA: INFORMATION SESSION ON SBA’S SMALL BUSINESS CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS
April 22 @ 10:00 am
This event will provide an overview of SBA programs and services, with an emphasis on SBA’s federal contracting resources! This will be an intro to small business certification programs. Government contracts are a tremendous financial opportunity for small businesses, and the U.S. government is the world’s largest customer. It buys all types of products and services in both large and small quantities, and it’s required by law to consider buying from small businesses. The SBA has several contracting assistance programs and federal contracting resources available to assist entrepreneurs. This is a great opportunity to have any questions answered and learn about the multiple resources available to help you on your way to small business success. The event will take place in person at the SBA Los Angeles District Office, 312 N Spring St, 5th Floor, Suite 531, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Please allow extra time to find parking and to go through building security. SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. For reasonable accommodation requests or questions, please email LADO@sba.gov or call the Los Angeles District Office at 213.634.3855 at least 7 days in advance. Price: FREE.
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