Business Development

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Business Capacity Development Program (BCDP) is designed to increase the capacity and capabilities of small, women, minority, and veteran-owned businesses (S/W/MBE firms) to better compete for and participate on MMSD projects. The program increases business owners’ knowledge and confidence in key areas for business success.

In collaboration with established businesses, organizations, and mentors, program participants are able to partake in customized training and mentoring, including:

• In-person business development training seminars
• Online training curriculum
• One-on-one business mentoring

Participants prepare and plan for business improvement, increasing the likelihood of thriving in their industries, and thereby increasing their own success and creating opportunities for others to do the same.

WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE?

The BCDP is designed specifically for businesses that are certified or taking steps to become certified as an SBE, MBE, WBE, VBE, or DBE.  Individuals who should attend include:

• Business owner
• Operating officer or other key staff
• Critical decision maker from the firm

Representatives of local non-profit organizations or non-certified firms may also participate if their work relates to the District.

Firms should be in business for one year or have a written business plan.

HOW TO REGISTER

To register for the program, please visit https://bcdp2019.eventbrite.com.  Select the modules and in-person seminars you plan to attend.  All registered attendees will receive an e-mail notification with instructions on how to access the online curriculum.

PROGRAM CURRICULUM

The program includes two curriculum tracks: construction management and professional business development.  Each track includes both in-person seminars and online curriculum. 

Participants may participate in either, or both, tracks.  All courses and online curriculum are available at no cost to the participants.

Construction Management Track

This track is geared toward contractors wishing to hone their skills in estimating, bidding, and project management.  Professional services vendors (consultants) are welcome to attend these seminars, as well, but should keep in mind that the curriculum is primarily based on the construction bidding and operations process.

Each of the seminars in the construction management track will be followed by an online curriculum based on the topics discussed in the in-person seminar.  Participants are encouraged to follow up with the online curriculum to dive further into the topics discussed.

Professional Business Development Track

This track is geared toward professional services vendors wishing to hone their skills in marketing their business, developing proposals, and project management.  Contractors and other vendors are welcome to attend these seminars, although some modules may be geared to the request for proposal (RFP) process.

The professional business development track will be broken down into four modules: reputation and risks, marketing your firm, proposal development, and project management.  Each module will begin with an online curriculum and end with the in-person seminar.

One-On-One Business Mentoring

MMSD understands the benefits of one-on-one business mentoring.  By stepping back to work on the business, businesses are able to apply the business development concepts directly to their business with the guidance of a firm that has been through it before. 

Participants who are engaged in the in-person seminars and online curriculum will have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one business mentoring with MMSD consultants in various areas, such as:

• Targeted training sessions
• Estimating assistance
• Accounting, financing, and cash flow management

ONLINE CURRICULUM

New for 2019, participants will have access to online curriculum, which is intended to complement the in-person training seminars. 

The online curriculum allows participants to experience the value of business development training without taking valuable time away from their work.  Additionally, participants have more opportunity to incorporate what they are learning into their business and reflect on the impact of what they’re doing.

The online curriculum will include the following components.

Construction Management Seminar Training Videos

This video series will follow the 6-part in-person construction management seminar series.  Each in-person seminar will be broken down into subtopics that are no more than 30 minutes in duration, allowing participants to take the seminar at their own pace.

The online training videos will be made available after the associated in-person seminar has taken place, which allows those who attended the in-person seminars to revisit the topics discussed.

Recordings of Past In-Person Training Seminars

For those that cannot attend or would like to revisit the topics discussed, most of the in-person business development seminars will be recorded and made available online.

Audio Podcasts from Local Industry Professionals

Audio podcasts are another convenient option for participants to work on their business without taking time away from their business. The podcasts will touch on the real-world experiences of local industry professionals as well as relevant case studies.

Interactive Discussion Forum

Participants will be able to communicate with each other, as well as the instructors and other local industry professionals, through an online discussion forum (a.k.a. message board).  The instructors will post topics for discussion, case studies, and other program updates.  Participants will be encouraged to actively contribute to these posts, as well as utilize the forum to seek feedback on real-world challenges and ask follow-up questions about topics covered in the in-person seminars or online curriculum.

TRAINING SCHEDULE 

Download the 2019 BCDP program schedule here.