Berkshire Economic Recovery Project Technical Assistance Program
The Berkshire Economic Recover Project (BERP) Technical Assistance Program is a cohort-based technical assistance series for small businesses and organizations located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Each cohort indicated below is capped at 7 (seven) businesses per class, with that cohort going through a 2-hour initial workshop together, followed by required independent work, and then concluding with up to two hours of free one-on-one technical assistance provided by the cohort TA provider. This process is meant to provide each business the key structural guidance and individualized support to help them recover, rebound, and become more resilient in our current economic landscape.
Registering for any of these cohorts is a commitment to completing it. By registering, you are claiming a limited opportunity only offered to 7 businesses in each cohort. Below, please find the information about each of our technical assistance providers and registration links for our 2025 BERP Technical Assistance Program Cohorts. If you have any questions, please contact economicdev@1berkshire.com.
Need language interpretation? 1Berkshire is excited to be able to offer a limited amount of Spanish interpretation to support participation in program offerings. Please reach out if we can support you in this way so that you can participate in any of the offered cohorts.
¿Necesitas interpretación de idioma? 1Berkshire se complace en ofrecer una cantidad limitada de interpretación al español para apoyar la participación en los programas disponibles. Por favor, comunícate con nosotros si podemos ayudarte de esta manera para que puedas participar en cualquiera de las cohortes ofrecidas.
Do you provide services that could be helpful to businesses in the Berkshires? Click the button below to let us know!
“Succession Planning for Small Businesses: Understanding Your Options and Preparing for Transition” with Robin Helfand
Begin to prepare yourself and your business for future generations of success.
May 15th, 2025 – 4pm-6pm
Robin Helfand is a Small Business Owner & Consultant. She is an alum of Mckinsey & Co and Procter & Gamble. Robin holds an MBA (Cornell ’83) and has 20+ years experience developing strategies to successfully help client businesses receive funding approval– whether seeking first time loans, increasing existing funding, applying for grants, micro-loans, debt modification, inventory or equity financing. In this pilot cohort focused on Business Succession and Transition, Robin will centrally focus on helping businesses that hope to eventually sell or transition their business to a new ownership model by providing information on options, and key strategies around preparing for that major step in your businesses’ life. This session is ideal for folks who hope to transition their business within 2 to 10 years, but is open to any existing business owner/operator that has been operating for at least 1 year.
This pilot is supported in partnership with Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation through support from the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation
“Customer-Centric Storytelling to Boost Your Sales & Marketing” with Hari Kumar
This workshop has concluded.
How do you stand out from the crowd when it comes to the audience that matters most – your customers? By making them the central character of your business story, not your product or service. Customer-centric storytelling will significantly boost the effectiveness of your sales and marketing efforts. Join Hari Kumar of Convivo for a workshop plus coaching support that will help you pivot and develop your business messaging using practical and proven storytelling techniques. With 20+ years of experience working in sales, business development, and product strategy, Hari brings a breadth of knowledge about high-growth industries and how to make a story truly connect.
The goal of this workshop and technical assistance is to help business owners and leaders energize their own story with customer-centric approaches, package their stories in relevant and practical ways, and be able to use their stories as a key hook for drawing in more business.
“Let The Robots Do It: An Introduction to AI and Automation Tools for Small Business” with Jenny Bergman
This workshop has concluded.
Expand your knowledge and comfort with existing and emerging opportunities for small businesses to leverage easy to use, affordable, high impact artificial intelligence tools to improve efficiency, improve business operations, and increase revenue growth.
The goal of this cohort is to help participants gain a basic understanding of a variety of artificial intelligence and technology toolkits and how to make good use of them to unlock potential growth and resiliency for your small business.
“Building a Social Media Marketing Strategy” with Francesca Olsen
This workshop has concluded.
Learn the basics to reach your customer and grow your business.
In this webinar, Francesca will cover the basics of digital marketing and branding, starting with why branding is important and what it encompasses, then moving on to best practices for things like branding, audience building, effective social media, SEO optimization, and your website, plus tips for making the most of the time you spend on marketing. We’ll also do a short branding exercise that will allow you to center some of your ideas about your business’s identity and values, then brainstorm how to use digital marketing to tell that story. At the end of the session, you will know what it takes to build an online audience, evaluate what digital platforms are best for you, use analytics to determine future decision-making, and put together a marketing plan that covers multiple platforms.
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