GRAND RAPIDS – The Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center has developed a statewide training program called the MI-SBTDC Entrepreneurial Series. The courses assist participants in evaluating their business ideas, building implementation plans and effectively growing their businesses.
?The courses we provide are vital to the success of growing businesses and to start-up companies,? said Carol Lopucki, state director of the MI-SBTDC. ?We also offer follow-up individual counsel at no cost to the participants as their businesses grow.?
The Entrepreneurial Series consists of five courses: The Fundamentals of Starting a Business, Writing a Business Plan, Finance, Marketing Your Business, and Business Legal Issues. The courses are 2 to 3-hours and designed to be delivered face-to-face by experienced business professionals or current small business owners with pertinent expertise.
?The MI-SBTDC courses offer practical realistic approaches to business issues faced by both new and existing entrepreneurs,? said Cathy Kaiser, an MI-SBTDC trainer.
In addition to the five courses in the Entrepreneurial series, the MI-SBTDC is also unveiling statewide advanced training courses this month. These courses include: E Commerce – Introduction to Online Selling, Retail Survival Guide, Retail Inventory Management, Selling in the 21st Century, the Successful Contractor, Tough Finance (how to get financing if needed) and How to Avoid Business Tax Panic.
In 2008, the MI-SBTDC trained 6,687 small business owners and entrepreneurs in 541 training courses. This represents training delivered in 83 counties throughout the state.
The descriptions of the courses offered, dates, locations, and nominal fees are listed on the MI-SBTDC Web site at MISBTDC.Org/Training
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