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Small Business Workshops

As part of our mission to advance the vitality of Downtown Raleigh for everyone, DRA supports downtown's business owners with yearly small business workshops. 

Upcoming Workshops

Public Relations & Media Engagement Fundamentals for Small Business Growth

Wednesday, June 18th, 2025 from 10:00AM - 11:00AM

In-Person Workshop: Poyner YMCA (227 Fayetteville St, Raleigh, NC 27601). Registration is required. 

This interactive workshop will explore the fundamentals of public and media relations. Our panel will offer guidance on building your presence in Downtown Raleigh, telling your unique story effectively, and gaining positive exposure. Whether your goal is to attract new customers or strengthen community connections, this workshop will provide you with actionable tools and insights to make a lasting impression.

Speakers:

Previous Workshops

Building Your Business in Downtown Raleigh: From Idea to Opening

Thursday, March 27th, 2025 from 11:00AM - 12:00PM

Virtual Workshop: Link provided upon registration. Registration will close at 5:00PM on March 26th.

Are you considering starting a business in Downtown Raleigh? Join us for an informative workshop designed to help you navigate the process from idea to opening.

We’ve assembled a lineup of speakers who will share valuable insights and resources to guide you through key aspects of starting a business in Downtown Raleigh.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from local professionals and take the first steps toward building your business.

Speakers:

Crafting Your 2025 Marketing Plan: A Hands-On Workshop for Downtown Retailers and Restaurateurs 

Friday, January 31st, 2025 from 9:30AM - 10:30AM

In-Person Workshop: Hartwell (620 W South St, Raleigh, NC 27603)

Running a business day-to-day often leaves little time to focus on the big picture–including marketing opportunities. This hands-on workshop is designed to change that. During this interactive session, we will talk through the easiest and highest-impact ways that downtown retailers and restaurateurs can increase visibility and sales. You’ll leave with an actionable, easy-to-implement marketing plan and fresh ideas to energize your business.

Speaker: Cherith Roberson, Founder of Flourish in Growth and Author of The Guided Small Business Planner™

 

Optimize Your Online Presence with Google Business Training + IKE Digital Kiosks

Thursday, November 21st, 2024 from 2:00PM - 3:00PM

Virtual Workshop: Link provided upon registration

Join us on Thursday, November 21st from 2:00-3:00PM for an engaging small business workshop hosted by Downtown Raleigh Alliance in partnership with IKE Smart City and Main Street America.

The topic of this workshop is maximizing your businesses online presence through optimizing your google business platform. All businesses will benefit from attending this workshop and it provides a perfect opportunity to make sure your digital presence is ready to go in time for the holiday season.

Expert Tierra Norwood will be joining us to help your business navigate google platform integrations to ensure you're putting your best digital foot forward. Additionally, the IKE Smart City team will join our discussion to talk more about the new digital kiosks in Downtown Raleigh that provide wayfinding to our small business community.

 

Digital Tools for Small Businesses: Maximize Your Holiday Marketing

Friday, October 25th 2024 from 9:30AM - 10:30AM

In-Person Workshop: Raleigh Wine Shop (317 S Bloodworth St, Raleigh, NC 27601)

Join us on Friday, October 25th from 9:30-10:30AM for an engaging small business workshop hosted by Downtown Raleigh Alliance and Lake House Digital.

The topic of this workshop is maximizing your digital marketing plan– particularly as the holiday season approaches. This session is intended for small businesses of all budget levels, including what you can be doing with zero budget.

Lauren Schafer, founder of Lake House Digital, will share insights on practical tools to help you make informed decisions based on your budget. With the holidays and Small Business Saturday in mind, Lauren will share checklists of actions you can be taking to develop your strategy within your budget. Don't miss the opportunity to connect with fellow business owners and optimize your marketing strategy for success.

 

Raleigh Pride - How to be a More Inclusive Business for the LGBTQIA+ Community

Join Downtown Raleigh Alliance, the LGBT Center of Raleigh, LGBT Chamber, and Raleigh Pride for a virtual Small Business Workshop to discuss:

  • Inclusive language
  • How to hire with equity in mind
  • How to be a safer and more affirming place for the LGBTQIA+ community
  • How Downtown Raleigh businesses can get involved and celebrate Raleigh Pride this June

 

A Special Events How-To Guide for Storefront Businesses 

New City of Raleigh special event policies enacted in the last six months have made planning a special event to support your storefront easier than ever before. Join Downtown Raleigh Alliance and the City of Raleigh’s Office of Emergency Management, Special Events, & Hospitality team to learn more about the new options and process for hosting an event in Downtown Raleigh.

Given the scale, costs, and planning necessary for larger events, as well as changes in behavior from the pandemic, the City of Raleigh has implemented a new special events structure that makes it easier, more flexible, and more affordable for small-scale event producers. These policy changes came out of recommendations DRA provided in the Public Realm Study last year. New policies have reduced or eliminated the fees, shortened the application deadline, and have otherwise streamlined the process for conducting small-scale events in downtown.

In this Small Business Workshop, you will learn about the new changes to the special events process, including the addition of small-scale activations. You will also learn how events are defined and the processes to apply for them.

 

Financial Literacy For Small Businesses by M&F Bank 

Downtown Raleigh Alliance welcomes Soberina Traywick of M&F Bank for this virtual Small Business Workshop on financial literacy and small business support. Soberina is the Senior Vice President and Triangle Commercial Banking Team leader for M & F Bank. She formerly served as the Raleigh City Executive for the same company.  She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Economics. Soberina has been in banking for over 30 years and has been with M & F Bank for the past 15 years. She assists M & F Bank with its financial literacy mission by helping clients with banking and financial service needs.

 

2022 Small Business Recovery Grant Opportunities 

Downtown Raleigh Alliance's virtual webinar discusses new business recovery grant opportunities available to Raleigh-area small businesses in 2022. McKinley Wooten and Will Futrell with the NCDOR discussed NC’s Business Recovery Grant program, eligibility, and how to apply before the deadline of January 31, 2022. In addition, Mark Weldon shared updates on the City of Raleigh’s upcoming $5M COVID-19 relief funding opportunity. These programs and others like it will provide financial support to eligible businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

Social is Changing - Updates You Need to Make to Stay Relevant on Instagram and TikTok

Anna Sullivan, founder and CEO of the Creative Exchange joined DRA for a presentation covering how social media is changing and how businesses can stay relevant, leveraging Instagram, TikTok and other social platforms to reach customers.

 

Pop Up Market Events – A Pipeline for Entrepreneurial Growth 

June's workshop was aimed at women and minority-owned businesses who want to learn more about pop-up markets and business resources. Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) hosted a panel of market organizers to discuss the important role markets have in growing your business and brand awareness. The panelists included the visionaries behind Black Flea Market, Raleigh Night Market, Triangle Pop-Up, and Moore Square Market. They discussed how to participate in the markets and the opportunities and resources available for entrepreneurs.

Retail Resilience – Celebrating Small Wins

April's workshop highlighted small businesses as owners shared wins during COVID, lessons learned and future plans after a year of the pandemic. DRA shared trends and updates on downtown and planned initiatives for the coming months.

What Employers Need to Know about the COVID-19 Vaccine

Downtown Raleigh Alliance, with Shop Local Raleigh, Live It Up! Hillsborough Street and celito, hosted a virtual small business workshop focused on employer considerations with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.