The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University will present Maximum Retail from 10 a.m. to noon every Tuesday Sept. 6 through Oct. 4. Registration is $49 per person and includes all course materials.

Through the generous support of Guardian Bank, business owners in Lowndes and the surrounding counties have benefited from numerous continuing business education courses aimed at helping business owners grow and expand. Guardian Bank is committed to making our local economy strong.
 
Maximum Retail is designed to help business owners, and even aspiring entrepreneurs, develop a plan of action that will lead to improved retail performance.
 
Throughout the five-week course, attendees will discuss customer profiles, trends, preferences, and spending habits while discovering customer retention and acquisition strategies. They will learn how to utilize sales techniques that develop customer relationships and loyalty and how to increase profits by controlling costs, understanding pricing and margins, and developing financial forecasts. Other course topics include multi-channel marketing, which will cover integrating brick-and-mortar with the use of digital technology, and loss prevention, which will address minimizing the damage caused by theft.      
 
Maximum Retail attendees will have the opportunity to meet privately with a Small Business Development Center consultant to discuss any specific business issues or challenges they may be facing.
 
Headquartered in Athens, the Small Business Development Center is a partnership between the University of Georgia, Valdosta State University, the University of West Georgia, Georgia State University, Georgia Southern University, Clayton State University, and Kennesaw State University. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the United States Small Business Administration, boasts 17 offices across the state, and strives to enhance the economic well being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, including no-cost, confidential consulting services.
 
The UGA Small Business Development Center at VSU serves the citizens of Atkinson, Berrien, Brooks, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Lanier, Lowndes, and Thomas counties and is considered an essential resource for small businesses in South Georgia.