Classes on Business Finance, Etsy, and Parliamentary Procedures | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    The following classes are available through the Continuing Education Department at BCCC. To register, call 252-940-6375 or email continuingeducation@beaufortccc.edu. All of these seminars are free.

    Parliamentary Procedures Made Easy

    Parliamentary procedure is a term many believe limited to government associations. However, nonprofit leaders cannot afford to be ignorant of parliamentary procedure basics. Courts have held that organizations are subject to the principles of parliamentary law if they do not have procedural policies of their own. As a result, ignoring or incorrectly applying parliamentary procedure can lead to embarrassment and lawsuits.

    This seminar will cover the purpose and principles of parliamentary procedures, a standard agenda, the precedence of motions and procedures in taking minutes. It will make reference throughout the presentation on the role of the moderator, chairperson or president. All boards are required to use rules of order, and your bylaws state these rules will be followed.

    Instructor Sam Gore is a graduate from Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in Hendersonville, NC. He earned a Masters of Ministry degree with emphasis in Conflict Management from Trinity Theological Seminary in Newberg, Indiana. He is a member of the American Institute for Parliamentarians, an organization dedicated to promoting the use of democratic procedures in meetings. Gore is also trained as a Christian mediator helping church solve conflict without entering litigation. His practical experience includes 9 years as professor of Supervised Ministry at Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute 21 years as pastor of churches in North Carolina. The free seminar will take place from 2:00-5:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1.

    Financing Your Business

    Starting a business is part of the American dream. Brian Cooke will help participants find out how to finance a business, who to ask for solid, reliable advice and what loans and grants are available. This free seminar takes place on Monday, December 5 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.


    Brian Cooke is a former instructor of management and entrepreneurship at East Carolina University. He received his BSBA, concentrating in entrepreneurship and small business management, as well as his MBA from ECU. During his time at ECU, Cooke worked as the associate director of the Small Business Institute, interned with the NC Small Business and Technology Development Center and received two national awards for business case competitions. He has experience in business ownership, business consulting, business planning, product design, manufacturing, and supply chain management.

    Recordkeeping and Taxes for Small Business

    This workshop is perfect for business owners who know their product or service very well, but are frustrated by accounting. Owners should not be working hard and running out of cash at the end of the month. This seminar will help participants understand the financial aspects of a business and associated taxes. Participants will become familiar with those financial terms that confuse them, but are the road map to their success. Topics will include: traits that make a business thrive and grow, CPAs and when and how do you use them, reading financial statements, required federal and state reports, and determining profit. The seminar takes place on Monday, December 12 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. and is free to attend.

    Etsy 101

    Pamela Zimmerman opened her first Etsy shop in 2008 and has had over 6,000 sales there. Although she was a fiber artist of international standing, with hundreds of awards to her credit and work appearing in numerous books, magazines and articles, Zimmerman found her work was not very marketable in Eastern North Carolina. Long distance gallery relationships took a lot of effort and meant her artwork was out of her immediate control. Using Etsy was the solution to selling. Pamela maintains four shops on Etsy.com, selling pottery, metal, fiber and vintage items.

    This class is an orientation to Etsy.com, a world online marketplace with millions of sellers and buyers. This workshop is a follow-up and will have hands-on computer work. Participants should have attended the first session or already have an Etsy shop. The workshop will discuss maintaining your shop in ten minutes a day, setting up shipping profiles, details of reviews and customer claims, mistakes to avoid and finding help. It takes place on Wednesday, December 14 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. and is free.

• Contact: Attila Nemecz
•     Attila.Nemecz@beaufortccc.edu