Business Advice

Advantages Of Online Learning It’s the time of year when people look back on 2018 and begin planning their training needs for 2019. To any business, knowledge is its greatest asset and the biggest key to achieving business goals. How can you better prepare your teams to perform in a highly competitive environment? Through training. During our in person events, we often hear questions about how to start a business, should I start a non-profit, do you know a good CPA, who is good at raising funds? In 2019, we are committed to providing you with online resources. We reviewed many online learning platforms, took the courses ourselves and are now offering online courses. Check out our on-line course tab on our website. All courses… • are designed for a wide array of learners • combine interactive exercises, videos, and real-world examples or case studies • provides access to an expert in a related field who will answer your questions within 24-hours—through “Ask the Expert” feature • have been approved for CFRE and/or CEU credits among others • are available 24/7 via the Mobile app What are the top 5 benefits of on-line learning? 1. You can learn whatever you want! With online education, you can take any program or course present in traditional four-year universities. For example, let’s say you’re mostly interested in starting a non profit or growing your for – profit business. All it takes is a Google search for such online course, and you’ll easily find the online programs offered by some of the most prestigious universities from all around the world. The great variety of online programs and courses is a huge advantage of this type of education. It doesn’t matter where you live and what you want to study – you can always find a suitable course or even a degree program that you can follow from home. 2. Comfort. Forget about attending classes for hours, sitting in an uncomfortable chair, and suffering from back pain by the end of the day. You will not be bound to physical class session when you opt for online education. All lectures and needed materials are provided via online platforms, so you’ll easily access them from the comfort of your home. 3. Online courses look great on a resume. It doesn’t matter where your career stands at this moment; an online program will always look good on your resume. It will show potential employers that you’re committed to learning and you’re eager to obtain more knowledge and new skills. 4. Self-paced...

Today’s episode of Coffee With focuses on careers, specifically career building and training. Joining our discussion is Mrs. Valerie Njie, the Executive Director and Senior Vice President of Bidwell Training Center (BTC). Bidwell Training Center is a non-profit career training school that has been changing people’s lives since 1968. At Bidwell, Mrs. Njie is part of an amazing organization that equips students with superb skills that can lead them to meaningful employment and empower them to become more confident, productive, and professional. Bidwell Training Center has almost 50 years of experience providing top-of-the-line career training and consistently attracts national attention for their innovative training programs. Beyond that, Bidwell Training Center is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges and is a member of over 10 national and regional professional organizations. The majors offered at BTC provide learners with the hands-on skillsets they need to be prepared and competitive in the marketplace. Mrs. Njie has committed decades towards serving the Pittsburgh community and enriching the lives of others. In 2014, she was elected to serve as School Commissioner by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Mrs. Njie has been one of the ACCSC’s most active volunteers, and was selected as Volunteer of the Year in 2009. Beyond that, she has been honored with the 2009 Duquesne Light African American Leadership Award for Education as well as a 2006 Women of Influence designation from the New Pittsburgh Courier. Mrs. Njie’s outstanding dedication to the Pittsburgh community was most recently recognized in 2015 when she received the University of Pittsburgh’s Volunteer Excellence Award. The award annually recognizes Pitt alumni who have enriched the lives of others through extraordinary efforts in the...

  Welcoming a seasoned Pittsburgh resident and veteran real estate agent, the Coffee With Show is excited to have Dani Gundlach on the show to talk about all of the reasons Pittsburgh is the place to live. Today on the Coffee With Show we are having Coffee With a Real estate Expert. Dani is the founder of INHABIT Pittsburgh, a real estate collective that uses an innovative cooperative approach to produce amazing results for their clients. Dani is time-after-time one of the most successful and accommodating real estate agents in Pittsburgh, having been recognized for her excellent service on multiple occasions. Dani has been working in Pittsburgh real estate for 15 years, and has been living in the East End for 20. After observing that the city and its real estate climate was quickly changing, Dani took the initiative to found a brokerage unique and innovative enough to keep up. Enter INHABIT Real Estate Collective. At INHABIT Real Estate Collective, Dani offers traditional realty services to homebuyers and sellers along with commercial and development accommodations. INHABIT Real Estate Collective’s team-based approach means that Dani has more power to innovate her business processes and accelerate results for the team’s clients. Dani has used her experience in realty and in Pittsburgh to redefine the capabilities of real estate, and her efforts have gained lots of attention. She’s been named a five-star real estate agent by Pittsburgh Magazine and Trulia. https://www.trulia.com/ In her spare time, Dani develops a weekly podcast, Houses and Hills. Houses and Hills is a weekly conversation with people who are making a mark on the Pittsburgh Landscape. They’re talking with Makers, Shapers, Collaborators, and Innovators about their work and life in the City of Bridges. Never miss an episode when you subscribe on iTunes. Look up Houses and Hills on Facebook or at http://www.housesandhills.net/ Learn more about why Pittsburgh’s real estate becomes more attractive every day by tuning in to this episode of Coffee...

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uzHquLxHFA The Coffee With Show was given the incredible opportunity of speaking with City Councilman Dan Gilman. Dan Gilman is currently serving his first term as a Pittsburgh City Council member and has great pride in representing Pittsburgh’s 8th Council District. Gilman was first elected to Council in 2013. Prior to serving as a Council Member, he worked for a decade as the Chief of Staff to then-City Councilman and now Pittsburgh’s Mayor Bill Peduto. Councilman Gilman is a champion for growth, development, innovation and education in Pittsburgh and offers a wealth of exciting news to share with us on the show. As a Councilman, Gilman is consistently regarded as the voice of younger Pittsburghers who are redefining the City as a place of burgeoning growth and endless potential. Gilman and is continually recognized for his tireless advocacy on behalf of Pittsburgh’s technology boom – his activism has helped to bolster business development and innovation in Pittsburgh. Councilman Gilman is perhaps the single most active and effective proponent of Pittsburgh as a nationwide hub for entrepreneurship and business growth. Gilman is proactive in passing legislation that best benefits the City and its residents. In his time as a Council member, he has passed many pieces of critical legislation. His work has resulted in prohibiting perpetrators of illegal hillside dumping from bidding on or participating in city contracts, in providing real workplace solutions for pregnant city works experiencing pregnancy discrimination, and in developing non-discrimination policies in Pittsburgh’s Authorities. Beyond his legislative work, Councilman Gilman is a champion for education. He has been organizing a diverse group of advocates who are working to fight hunger throughout city schools by operationalizing a citywide backpack feeding program. He has also been convening quarterly meetings of all the school principals in his district to discuss issues of importance to both the City and its schools, and to forge working relationships across schools and neighborhoods. Learn more about why Gilman is so excited to be involved in Pittsburgh by watching the Coffee With episode...

Building Bridges for Business Announces Participation in PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC)   Support education while helping your company’s financial position. What is EITC? A PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) program that provides state tax credits to eligible businesses for charitable contributions made to Building Bridges for Business and their teaching program U can B. Is my business eligible? If you do business in Pennsylvania and pay any of several corporate taxes, the answer is Yes. How can I make EITC work for me and my business? Visit the PA DCED website for EITC Guidelines and access to DCED’s electronic Single Application system. Once you are approved* by DCED, make your contribution Building Bridges for Business. What’s the bottom line? Tax credits equal to 75% of your contribution up to a maximum of $750,000 per taxable year; can be increased to 90% of your contribution, if your business agrees to provide the same amount for two consecutive tax years. *Applications are approved on a first-come-first-served basis by date received, and approved until available tax credits are exhausted. EITC – Tax Credits Email us at...

How to Leverage Pinterest for B2B – Happy Pinning Pinterest is a visual social media platform. You can find the latest and greatest wedding ideas and recipes. You can search decorating tips, up-to-date fashion and vacation spots. Not to mention hair-dos. But if you are a B2B company, how do you leverage Pinterest to your advantage? • Start by creating a business account. This will give you tips on how to succeed with Pinterest. It will also give you a board widget, follow button and Pin It button for you to use on your blog or website. • Design an infographic. They are very popular on Pinterest. Design one with any relevant company information you might have. The more information you can add, the better chance someone will repin it. Make sure you have a link back to your company website on your infographic. • Have a “People” board showing those who work at your company. Start with a headshot and description of the person. You can add photos of those people at company functions or community events. Any type of community involvement will show how your company impacts the community. • If you have a blog, make sure you post to Pinterest as well as Facebook. Add graphics that connect to your blog information so those viewing Pinterest will be interested in clicking on the picture to see what else in included. • Are you a service provider? Why not have a “Testimonials” board. If you have satisfied clients, they will gladly provide you with a picture of themselves to include with a testimonial about your services. Keep in mind that Pinterest is social media. The main goal of social media is to build relationships. As a B2B you don’t want to sell on Pinterest, you want to get your company in front of as many people, or other businesses, as possible. You need to find a way to put your company out there so others will have interest in finding out more about it. Hopefully these suggestions will get you started. Happy...