SBDC teams up with city on business seminar series
The Trinity Valley Community College Small Business Development Center and the Athens Economic Development Corporation are once again teaming up to offer training and resources aimed to put aspiring or existing business owners a step closer to success.
The SBDC and AEDC will offer a high-level “Going Into Business/Building A Winning Business” seminar over seven sessions beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20. The seminar will continue each Monday, concluding on March 2. Each seminar will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. This year, the Athens Chamber of Commerce has joined the effort as a co-sponsor.
The goal of the class – which will be limited to 18 participants – will be to generate a business plan to aid a local start-up or to draft a thorough proposal for expansion of an existing business. This will be a fast-paced program and will require contact with an SBDC business advisor regularly outside the class.
Those who attend all sessions and create a business plan/proposal may be eligible for a $30,000 grant awarded on the basis of merit by AEDC. To be eligible for the grant, the new or existing business must be located in Athens. If space is available at the deadline, businesses outside the city limits may be considered for seminar attendance only.
“Starting a business or making a business successful is so much more difficult today than it was even a generation ago,” said SBDC Director Mike Ellsberry. “Margins are thinner. Competition is stronger. Change comes so much more quickly. We can’t guarantee success, but we hope to engage the seminar participants in as many of the big issues they will face as possible. And perhaps, tools learned in this class can be applied over and over again in the future.”
Depending on the number of people who successfully complete the course, there will be a judging process to aid the selection for the AEDC grant. Athens business and professional leaders will listen to proposals and select finalists who will then make a presentation to the AEDC. Exact details of the presentation and selection process will depend on the number of enrollees, the number successfully completing the course and the number interested in applying for the grant.
Ellsberry said that while the seminar sessions will help the aspiring entrepreneur build a business plan that can be presented to banks or other sources of funding, those who already have an idea for a business will be best served by the program. For existing businesses, the seminar will be relevant for those considering a change in direction or expansion.
A SBDC business advisor will be assigned to each seminar participant for the duration of the course.
The cost of the seminar is $50. Each attendee will receive a textbook – Rhonda Adams’ “Entrepreneurship: A Real World Approach” – all classroom materials and light refreshments each session. The fee must be paid prior to the first class.
Deadline to register for the seminar is Monday, Jan. 12. Because of the necessity for pre-meeting with a counselor, no registration will be accepted at the door. For more information, contact the SBDC at 903-675-7403.
The SBDC and AEDC will offer a high-level “Going Into Business/Building A Winning Business” seminar over seven sessions beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20. The seminar will continue each Monday, concluding on March 2. Each seminar will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. This year, the Athens Chamber of Commerce has joined the effort as a co-sponsor.
The goal of the class – which will be limited to 18 participants – will be to generate a business plan to aid a local start-up or to draft a thorough proposal for expansion of an existing business. This will be a fast-paced program and will require contact with an SBDC business advisor regularly outside the class.
Those who attend all sessions and create a business plan/proposal may be eligible for a $30,000 grant awarded on the basis of merit by AEDC. To be eligible for the grant, the new or existing business must be located in Athens. If space is available at the deadline, businesses outside the city limits may be considered for seminar attendance only.
“Starting a business or making a business successful is so much more difficult today than it was even a generation ago,” said SBDC Director Mike Ellsberry. “Margins are thinner. Competition is stronger. Change comes so much more quickly. We can’t guarantee success, but we hope to engage the seminar participants in as many of the big issues they will face as possible. And perhaps, tools learned in this class can be applied over and over again in the future.”
Depending on the number of people who successfully complete the course, there will be a judging process to aid the selection for the AEDC grant. Athens business and professional leaders will listen to proposals and select finalists who will then make a presentation to the AEDC. Exact details of the presentation and selection process will depend on the number of enrollees, the number successfully completing the course and the number interested in applying for the grant.
Ellsberry said that while the seminar sessions will help the aspiring entrepreneur build a business plan that can be presented to banks or other sources of funding, those who already have an idea for a business will be best served by the program. For existing businesses, the seminar will be relevant for those considering a change in direction or expansion.
A SBDC business advisor will be assigned to each seminar participant for the duration of the course.
The cost of the seminar is $50. Each attendee will receive a textbook – Rhonda Adams’ “Entrepreneurship: A Real World Approach” – all classroom materials and light refreshments each session. The fee must be paid prior to the first class.
Deadline to register for the seminar is Monday, Jan. 12. Because of the necessity for pre-meeting with a counselor, no registration will be accepted at the door. For more information, contact the SBDC at 903-675-7403.
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