Hiring your first employee is a major step in business growth. Register now to identify when it’s the right time to hire, what role to hire first, and how to prepare financially and operationally for bringing on support.
LEARN HOW TO:
✅ Determine if your business is ready to hire
✅ Identify the best first role for your business
✅ Understand the cost vs. return on hiring
✅ Prepare your business financially for growth
✅ Use a hiring readiness checklist to plan your next steps
Your business may not need a complete reinvention — just a refresh. Register now to strengthen your brand presence, refine your offers, and improve your systems to support growth with more clarity and less chaos.
Discover How To:
Align your visuals with your current business goals
Improve systems and organization for growth
Strengthen and refine your offers
Create a Business Refresh Action Plan for your next phase
Struggling to stay consistent with content while running your business? Register now to learn to create authentic, engaging content that connects with their audience, builds brand trust, and supports business growth — without spending hours online.
An interactive panel with trusted lending partners and financial experts to learn about accessing capital for your business. Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to ask questions, explore financing options, and gain insight into the lending process.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
Information on different business funding options
Insight into what lenders look for in loan applications
Tips for preparing to speak with lenders
Opportunities to ask questions directly to lending professionals
Guidance on financing options to support business growth
Step back from day-to-day operations and create a clear plan for business growth over the next 6–12 months. Register now and leave with practical tools, goals, and an action plan to move their business forward.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
Create a clear vision and growth strategy for your business
Set realistic and measurable business goals
Build a strategic roadmap for the next 6–12 months
Develop a quarterly action plan for success
Prioritize business goals and growth opportunities
Whether summer is your busiest or slowest season, this interactive session will help you create marketing and promotional strategies to attract customers, increase sales, and grow your business. Register now to leave with practical tools and a Summer Sales Action Plan Checklist.
DISCOVER HOW TO:
Create effective summer promotions and sales strategies
Attract and retain the right customers during the season
Plan marketing campaigns strategically for summer
Build a Summer Sales Action Plan for your business
Increase revenue during both busy and slow seasons
Build meaningful business relationships that lead to referrals, collaborations, and new customers. This class will teach entrepreneurs effective networking and partnership strategies to help grow their brand and expand opportunities.
DISCOVER HOW TO:
Network confidently with potential customers and partners
Generate referrals through relationship-building
Create collaboration opportunities that grow your brand
Make your business stand out from competitors without competing only on price. This class will help entrepreneurs identify their unique strengths, attract the right customers, and build a stronger brand presence in the marketplace.
DISCOVER HOW TO:
Develop a strong Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Define and target your ideal niche market
Position your brand effectively in a crowded market
Take a strategic pause to conduct a comprehensive midyear business review, identify summer trends and opportunities, and begin planning for a strong finish to the year. This session will help entrepreneurs reflect on progress, adjust goals, and create actionable next steps for the remainder of 2026.
Facilitator: Tara Cruz
Tara Cruz is a strategic business consultant with a passion for helping others chase their dreams. Her journey began when she left a high-profile management position in the Bay Area, diving headfirst into the world of entrepreneurship in 2017. Despite facing numerous challenges, Tara’s resilience and determination have led her to become a respected foundation setter for aspiring business owners.
In 2017, Tara took a leap of faith by restoring a 2,200 square foot building, transforming it into a thriving business space. This experience, coupled with her background in marketing, management, and startups, has equipped her with invaluable insights into the entrepreneurial process. Tara’s expertise lies in assisting clients with business alignment, marketing strategies, and branding.As a strategic consultant, Tara is known for her ability to bring clarity and focus to business owners’ visions, aligning their goals with actionable plans for success. She creates safe spaces for creativity, futuristic thinking, and calculated risk-taking, playing a pivotal role in shaping the direction and success of business development.
Throughout her career, Tara has demonstrated an ability to adapt and pivot, particularly during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Her diverse skill set and experience in rebranding have made her an asset to businesses looking to navigate uncertain times and emerge stronger.
When she’s not guiding entrepreneurs towards success, Tara cherishes spending quality time with her three children and grand-dog, finding balance between her professional passion and personal life.
Note: Our services and programs are open to all entrepreneurs. All Renaissance WBC/SOMA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
All clients must register for classes via your client portal account. Here’s how you can do it. Already a Renaissance Client?
Log in to your client portal and access the calendar at the top of your screen
*All clients must complete an interest form and attend orientation before signing up for classes.*
Renaissance WBC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the SBA. All SBA programs or cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested, at least 2 weeks in advance. Contact: wbc@rencenter.org, (415) 894-9779
Explore how AI is transforming the way businesses plan, market, and grow in this interactive 2-week AI for Business series. Designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners, this program will introduce practical AI tools and strategies to help streamline operations, strengthen branding, improve marketing efforts, and enhance strategic decision-making. Participants will learn how to use AI for business planning, personalized customer engagement, precision targeting, content creation, and building a stronger social media presence, while gaining hands-on insights they can immediately apply to their businesses.
Facilitator: Tara Cruz
Tara Cruz is a strategic business consultant with a passion for helping others chase their dreams. Her journey began when she left a high-profile management position in the Bay Area, diving headfirst into the world of entrepreneurship in 2017. Despite facing numerous challenges, Tara’s resilience and determination have led her to become a respected foundation setter for aspiring business owners.
In 2017, Tara took a leap of faith by restoring a 2,200 square foot building, transforming it into a thriving business space. This experience, coupled with her background in marketing, management, and startups, has equipped her with invaluable insights into the entrepreneurial process. Tara’s expertise lies in assisting clients with business alignment, marketing strategies, and branding.As a strategic consultant, Tara is known for her ability to bring clarity and focus to business owners’ visions, aligning their goals with actionable plans for success. She creates safe spaces for creativity, futuristic thinking, and calculated risk-taking, playing a pivotal role in shaping the direction and success of business development.
Throughout her career, Tara has demonstrated an ability to adapt and pivot, particularly during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Her diverse skill set and experience in rebranding have made her an asset to businesses looking to navigate uncertain times and emerge stronger.
When she’s not guiding entrepreneurs towards success, Tara cherishes spending quality time with her three children and grand-dog, finding balance between her professional passion and personal life.
Note: Our services and programs are open to all entrepreneurs. All Renaissance WBC/SOMA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
All clients must register for classes via your client portal account. Here’s how you can do it. Already a Renaissance Client?
Log in to your client portal and access the calendar at the top of your screen
*All clients must complete an interest form and attend orientation before signing up for classes.*
Renaissance WBC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the SBA. All SBA programs or cosponsored programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested, at least 2 weeks in advance. Contact: wbc@rencenter.org, (415) 894-9779
